Let's have a YLF party!! We have spoken of it in the past...but couldn't we make it a reality? Like a challenge thread. Anyone who wanted could join me (and Mr. Suz) in our "dress up at home as if you had a party to go to" Saturday "date" night. Date your friend, your spouse, or your self! Just put on your finest outfit and sit down to a glass of wine (or sparkling water) and enjoy!

Seriously. I never get a chance to wear:

My Nicole Miller cocktail sheath. (Gets about 2 wearings per year).
My striped full Halogen skirt (ditto).
My funky fun vintage brocade 60s shell (can be dressed down with distressed denim and looks super fab -- can go with a pencil skirt and looks ladylike Mad Men.)
My portrait neckline cashmere bow tie sweater.
My pretty shoes...

I could go on...

I'm all for a dress up challenge!~ I love my pretty dress up clothes, and have few occasions to wear them. I also love to shop for dressy clothes. They are always my favorites. I say lets create the situations to wear them, even if they aren't wedding's or whatnot. I have had that idea percolating in my head before. I thought about inviting some neighbors and friends over for a dress up pot luck or something.

I like to dress up, and it's the one reason I miss going to work. So far this year my dress up opportunities have been a memorial gathering and a wedding -- this situation needs to improve! I bought a second dress as backup for the wedding, so am thinking of nagging my husband to go out to a nice restaurant and I'll wear the dress.

Have also gotten more into makeup, just minimal, but still find it hard to motivate myself to do it when I'm just going to the gym and pulling weeds.

OK, I'll bite - I don't like dressing up. I mean formal party dressing up, cocktail wear or formal weddings and the like. It always requires shapewear and uncomfortable underwear, and remembering to have good posture and keep your legs together, and wearing heels that no matter how carefully you choose them will make your feet hurt by the end of the night. And spending a lot of money on clothes you don't get to wear that often and having to get your hair done and remembering not to touch it so it doesn't get messed up.

I do it because the occasion calls for it, and I have a good time, but not because of the clothes. I used to like it, when I was younger, because it felt special and princess-y, but now I'm pretty well over the novelty.

We attend 1 formal event a year. This year I did not go and i sort of missed it. Also attend about 4 dressier events a year with varying degrees of dressiness from cocktail dresses to something like my LBD that I dress up or down. I like them and enjoy dressing for them in the colder months, but when it is hot I do not. This is only because of my age, no sleevless or bare legs. One thing I bought several years ago was a silk crepe maxi skirt. I manage to find tops from sequin to lace to velvet jackets to wear with it. It is the biggest worth the investment thing I ever bought. another is a short white fake fir jacket that covers all the bases in colder months, mostly around the holidays. It goes with everything from jeans to the cocktail attire, Last year it only got worn once as it was too warm. This year we are supposed to have the heavy rains, so am hoping it can come out to play at least once.

I like formal dressing AND casual dressing, but I'm not fond of the hybrid, dressy-as-you-like occasions like "creative black tie". Call it a costume party and I'm fine, but these hybrid occasions where some people are in skater-skirt tutus and others are in ragged, de-constucted jeans with tuxedo jackets aren't truly formal occasions in my books. Red carpet dressing where celebrities dress for shock and awe are also closer to costume parties than formal dress in my opinion. And office wear doesn't count as dressing up simply because I LOOK dressy compared to someone in ragged shorts.

But I adore dressing up for formal events where women are in ball gowns and men in tuxedos or dinner jackets. My first years at university included several formal balls complete with, long gloves, dance cards, and receiving lines. Formal wear was required and, as impoverished students, we traded formal gowns back and forth so we always had something "new" to wear. I was lucky enough to have a Mum who sewed so I had three formal gowns--a white silk fitted, floor-length number, a "winter" green velvet floor-length, and a black ankle-length lace overlay gown. I loved them all and was sad when faculties stopped the tradition of hosting formal balls.

I sometimes wonder if the desire for a big wedding with a gorgeous gown isn't, at least in part, born of the desire to dress up in true formal wear at least once in your life. Too bad it can't happen more often...

Hypothetically, I think I'd love dressing up, although there are sadly few moments in my life that call for it. I have one pair of pumps that are 4 hour shoes; I wouldn't want to have to wear dressy shoes regularly but can manage it on occasion. However, I also really enjoy wearing dressier pieces in a more sturdy/country casual kind of way; I wear a lot of silk in more rustic combinations for instance. Because silk gives me too much pleasure to only wear it on special occasions! Ditto to full skirts, that swing and rustle. I don't blend in at all w my environment, but I'd say it's less about casual/dressy than about my overall style.

Which isn't to say I don't wish there were a few more opportunities to play Cinderella!

Not really a fan of dressing up. I think part of that might be climate. So much of women's truly dressy pieces are not meant for below 70F.As I get that for 2 maybe 3 months of the year at most, not a thing.

If I had my druthers, I would love the laid back dress of when we were in Hawaii. Not sloppy or messy, but comfortable and inviting.

I am team dressy! Love dressing up;). And even when I do casual I'm always still dressier than everyone else;)

I wish I had saved the blog post I read about this with a challenge to dress nicer for the month of September. I love dressing up and have been telling my husband I need more occasions for that.

I've always hated more than jeans and Ts because that's all I wore, so anything more (even khakis!) made me feel awkward. Plus if I did wear something more *everyone* commented on it and I hate being the center of attention!

However, now as I'm "dressing up" more for work, it's becoming more natural and I like how I feel and look. Definitely a works in progress!! Not quite ready for a cocktail party, but maybe someday.

Of course since 1/2 of the people I see out these days are wearing pj pants and slippers, jeans and Ts are pretty dressy. Even as casual as my life is, I just don't understand how folks can go out in their sleep wear.

I love FORMAL dress. Dressing to the nines. BUT I do not like being overdressed, maybe along the lines of what Gaylene called hybrid dressing. This is not to say I won't wear heels and jeans, but I *was* just looking at an advert of a person dressed in heels and jeans and had my usual reaction: I find it a bit trashy. I mean, I'll never forget summer camp and all the girls with their curling irons. It's such a chore to wait for these people. So irritating to hear people whinge about the mud and see them hobbling around with the "eew" look on their faces. So unpleasant. Please! Stay home and go to the Mariott!

Of course, it's entirely another thing to throw on your boots and go hiking in a ball gown. Entirely different. It's good to be game.

I do like dressing up to the level my life regularly allows - holidays, celebrations, and to some extent the opera. I cannot remember a strictly black tie even I have ever gone to - American weddings are about as fancy as I get.

I love to dress up! It's actually my favorite way to dress. It's actually easier for me to dress up than dress casual. I used to love when it was required to dress up for work. Suits, I miss them! And I wasn't thrilled when the dress code at work changed to casual attire.

Since I rarely have the opportunity to dress up anymore, my dress up clothes are gathering dust and slowly being culled. But when there is the occasion to dress, I am all in. I try to not overdress but I usually do, which is fine by me. I would rather be overdressed than underdressed. It just seems more and more I find that people are wearing super casual attire for occasions that I find inappropriate, like church, I could never feel comfortable going to a service in jeans or shorts or tennis shoes, but I know that is the way I was raised.

No surprise, I love formal attire too.

I do enjoy dressing up, but dressy for me is usually cocktail at best. I have never been to a black tie event. There are probably half a dozen dress occasions a year for me, but I wouldn't mind a few more. Not every day though - I like my jeans too much. My small dressy capsule is good for my needs.

My real limitation (and occasional disappointment) is shoes. I can't wear heels. At all. And that's really frustrating for dressy events.

I love it, and I am happy to repeat. I am pleased not to have the restrictive rules some people face today and in the past, ie no bare shoulders, must wear a skirt and hose to work etc....

My DH is not as keen but will go along with me.

I do feel for people when they are young and poor facing formal occasions and the expense involved. But looking smart and formal does not have to be about money, suits last a very long time and are slow to date. Looking casually disheveled can be much more expensive!

I LOVE to dress up. Love it. If I had my way, I'd wear fancy dresses and heels and clutch handbags all the time. With lots of jewelry and my hair in an up-do. And I'm serious, too. When DH takes me out to dinner, I almost invariably get asked what the occasion is because I am overdressed (despite the restaurant being quite nice, but that's all about the casualization of culture which is a different topic). I love NYE events and cruises because I am not out of place (cocktail or black tie). I am the only one who wears dresses to family holiday gatherings.

In the past, I had a wardrobe full of dresses and nowhere to wear them. I bought clothing for my fantasy life because I was a SAHM with three small children. I now work in a public school, and while I still dress nicer than most staff, I certainly cannot go overboard because there are practical considerations (sitting on the floor with children, supervising recess in the snow, etc.). So I have finally given in to reality and generally now only purchase items I can really use unless we have a vacation coming up.

I only have two evening gowns and one cocktail dress. I had 3 LBDs but one was eaten by moths, one I outgrew, and one is too girlish.

I have an event coming up in November and I want another cocktail dress in the worst way.

I'm going to Suz's party. Sounds perfect.

Raises hand for Team Dressy.

I like the idea of dressing up but rarely enjoy the actual process. I think because I do it so infrequently that something always feels off--the wrong shoes, the wrong wrap, or something like that. I'm much happier in casual clothes!

I enjoy dressing up. Probably because I don't get the chance to do it very often. We're going on a short cruise next spring and I'm excited that I'll need to dress for dinner every night.

Ooh...I LOVE to dress up....it's what I do best! But my life doesn't offer enough events to be dressed up to the nines.

Like Suz, I create those opportunities when ever I can. I dress up for my bday and anniversary....and I will often dress up for going out to dinner. I dress up to host friends at home also, since I am Team Dressy.

Initially, our friends would come by in their track pants and tees....but it's almost like I changed the standard for 'casual entertaining' in my circle of friends. My friends happily tell me they put in effort to dress up a bit when they're meeting me, because they don't want to feel under-dressed. And most friends are rather happy about it and don't complain

I do wish I had more occasions to dress up, though. 'Casually disheveled' is something I've never done, or will do. Every time I watch 'Downton Abbey', it has me wishing we had to dress up for dinner every night too!

Okay I'm a loner here.

I HATE the cocktail dress and heels level of dressiness. I'd be happier in a tux, the bronze one on the blog post is great. It really comes down to not liking dresses. Ladylike is my kryptonite. This in no way means I'm sloppy-casual.

I love dressing up and wish I had more reasons to do so!

I love fancy dresses, and look better in them than in my regular MOTG clothes. But I have very, very fussy feet, and can't wear any sort of heal (1.5" max). As a result, I never like the end result when I dress up, either because my shoes are comfortable, but look frumpy, or because they look good, but hurt my toes. I'd be all over formal occasions if I could go barefooted.

Just want to say that the sight of a man in formal dress makes me weak in the knees. The second "real" date I had with Mr. G was for a formal summer event. The sight of him in a white dinner jacket clinched the deal; there was no way I was letting that Viking out of my sight!

One of my fantasies has always been to attend the Opera Ball in Vienna, and dance to a Strauss waltz. My father laughed at my urgings to get him to teach me the Viennese waltz when I was eight. He was a fabulous dancer and I remember how good he looked whenever he and my mother dressed for an evening at the opera.

If men only knew the effect formal dressing had on women, they might be more inclined to give it a try. Off to listen to "Tales from the Vienna Woods".

Angie, a post on how to dress up and wear flats/low heels would be helpful. Often these events are in winter, so dressing up in cold, wet weather is another challenge.

I enjoy dressing formally but agree with Kellygirl that it can be stressful! Mostly because I just don't get that much practice.

I love dressing up, but am also grateful that I've got the option to dress casually for my lifestyle since that's what's practical and fitting (wouldn't be able to do some of the things I do if I had to be dressier all the time). I just need more dressy events to attend to scratch my dressy itch! I have basically ZERO formally dressy events to attend, every year. My dressy capsule is woefully incomplete and will stay that way until need arises.

I'm not a natural at dressing up formally. I enjoy it now and then, but much prefer casual. At the same time, my personal idea of casual is often a bit dressier than my environmental norm. And I do enjoy MY idea of dressing up - like leather skirt or skinnies with a silky blouse and chunky shoes.