I'm with you Angie - I love dressing up but find that these days it's hard to find the right occasion. Some of my fondest memories are of getting ready to go dancing at the clubs with a band of girlfriends - and negotiating who was going to wear what - we had a shared wardrobe approach. Once that was sorted it was all about the hair and makeup. And you could really go overboard - bring back the New Romantics.

We are a dressy family, and I do and always did dress up all the right occasions-and I like it that way!:-)

I doubt whether anyone would say yes to that question. I personally love to dress up! To work or to party, I need ma outfit to match with my jackets or shoes and accessories. Just can't do it with OK clothes!

I suspect I would like it if I had the right pieces and there were occasions I could wear them to. I love great details, luxe fabrics etc... So I think it would be really fun to invest in some fantastic formal wear, in a different life. But I think the most dressy I'm ever going to get is probably cocktail.

Yes, I love dressing up, too. I feel like the fashion world has gone even more visibly casual in the last 8 years since I started following your blog Angie. What do you think?

I love to dress up too. I am often more dressy than required. My daily style usually incorporates a dressy element (coat, blazer, silk blouse, lace top) because I feel more me that way. I will happily go shopping in a velvet coat!

I, too lament the over-casualisation of our present day lives. Looking back at pictures of previous decades - up to the '50s, say - I'm always struck by how smart everyone looks just going about their everyday lives - dresses, hats, gloves, men in suits and ties. I know we can't go back, but I think it's nice at least to dress appropriately for the occasion.
I relish the opportunity to really dress up, perhaps for a wedding or similar occasion: they make a wonderful change in my mostly-casual life.

I am loving wearing dresses, heels etc in my current job. But casualisation and our hot climate mean I can't wear dress ups like beautiful velvet coats, scarves, long sleeves etc etc....

I like the idea of dressing up, but the reality is that I usually don't get the whole outfit right. I just don't get the occasions to practise! Oh to be a bridesmaid again with someone else to do my hair and makeup.
Gaylene, I'm with you on men in suits!

What I wear for work is dressed up enough for me.
I do lament how casually folks dress for weddings and funerals around here...
Also, my husband (and my mom until she passed away this year) and I have season tickets every year for the Broadway Play series that comes to our Civic Center. We will dress nicely, but others are literally wearing sweatshirts and jeans that look like they need a good washing...sigh

*raises hand*

I like clothes, but I am not a dress-up person. I don't even like "smart casual."

I don't like dressing up.
I feel disguised, because my slouchy posture, my natural face&hair and most important of all, my mood (dressing up events are chores), clash with the outfit.
This "ugly duckling turns into a swan" process never works for me.

I had a high school reunion in August and because my hometown was pretty much surrounded by forest fires, roads closing, including the whole town shutting down, I decided not to go, as did almost the whole class, only a few showed.

For that occasion, I had chosen one dressy outfit and one casual, head to toe, intentional dressing. Twas so much fun putting it all together. And it motivated me. What I learned is that I need more occasions to dress up for and I do live in a casual environ.

I am retired now. I always dressed well at work, maybe a step up from the norm. Never wore jeans except on non-teaching days when I was in my office grading papers (college teacher).

I'm all for "creating" occasions to dress up for. That act itself instills self-care and keeps us upright!

Angie, my son now lives in Seattle. That is, indeed, a casual city. Even in very nice restaurants, I saw casual wear 70% of the time. When my son suggested going out to eat, I always dressed up a bit. His reaction, "mom, this is Seattle. you're fine." But he seemed pleased when I did. My folks lived in Kingston for years, across the water from you, and they always dressed casually.

When in Rome . . . on a vacation in Crete, however, a lot of people dressed up at night. I loved it seeing people of all ages, wandering the streets, in dresses and skirts, heels as well, even though it was summer and tourist haven.

CJ I'm in Greece on holiday at the moment and yes, I'm wearing my nice dresses and some heels...it's fab!
Angie, you know I'm on team dressy and given half a chance would love to be on team formal dressy too.
I'd be up for a dress up challenge or YLF party...but wait till I get back from my hols!

Several times over the last few months I've debated on starting a thread that goes something like this:

Does my "dressy lady" gene reveal some truth about my self that I should heed? When should I conform to an ultra-casual lifestyle, and when should I consider making changes that allow me to "dress" a bit more? For me, that could involve being bold in making my own singing performance opportunities in my new community. It could mean retooling my music therapy credentials and working more with clients in a structured setting, partly to replace my University work in Illinois.

Of course, those decisions shouldn't be made on the basis of wanting to wear prettier clothes! But perhaps my dressy inclinations mean that I thrive in more formal public settings?

Then this morning I read this article: http://www.christianitytoday.c.....thing.html (I've shared it with Inge). And I smiled at this quote:

"And consider the elaborate nature of the
priestly clothing detailed in Exodus 28; the celebrated gold-laced
bridal gown in Psalm 45:13–14; and the Proverbs 31 woman, who dresses
her household in scarlet. From these and other texts, we learn that the
Christian story embraces the festive, fine, and elaborate dress
associated with fashion."

Ooh..... now I can be dressy and spiritual, too. Double win!

I love dressing up. I wish I had more opportunities to do so. However, I don't bemoan the "age of casualness" because I appreciate the freedom of day-to-day casual dressing. I'm happiest in jeans and a tee, and I'm delighted that it is acceptable to dress this way on a regular basis.

I love to dress up. I like to see other people dressed up.

I like to dress casually too and am glad when other people are comfortably attired and happy.I'm not a fan of ironing, so when I can get away without doing it, I'm glad.

That being said, I do bemoan the age of casualness. There's a time and place for everything, imo. I don't understand why people feel free to go to the grocery store in pajamas. Or why someone would go to an opera or symphony in bermuda shorts and flip flops. If I'm out at a "posh" restaurant, I like to see other's dressed for the occasion. The guy in a t-shirt and baseball cap clashes with the ambiance.

I like to dress up on rare occasions. I prefer a more casual existence. By that, I don't mean that I want to look like I'm ready to clean out the garage, but I really do not want to wear high heels for any reason. If I dress up, I still want to be in pants & flat shoes.

I would really enjoy dressing up so much more if it didn't involve dry cleaning and uncomfortable shoes. I guess I like dressing up to a level - like someone said for "gallery opening" style or a casual wedding style.

I do enjoy dressing up but find it a bit stressful. I often feel like I don't have all the "right" components to an outfit. I might have a dress that'll work, but none of my shoes look right. I have plenty of jewelry, but nothing "fancy" enough. My town is pretty casual so jeans are appropriate in most restaurants, although I do like to dress them up for date nights. But I sort of dread weddings because I never feel quite "put together". Although, hubby and I are usually more dressed up than the majority of the guests! I do wish I had an excuse to buy a beautiful dress, and actually wear it more than once!

Love it! Fortunately, I have a few fabulous friends (and an understanding husband) who will dress up with me for dinners just for fun. That said, "casual" for me is say, a wrap dress with ballet flats on the weekend . . .

I enjoy getting dressed up and because I attend many performances that happens two or three times a month. I like seeing what other people are wearing and am always inspired. People who attend these functions are often very creative and their clothes reflect this - it's part of the fun of the event.

I love dressing up....I tried "casualizing" my daily dressing when I moved to Tucson, but I didn't feel like I was "me" anymore...So, I went back to dressing the way I wanted, and I was happy. At first, I got asked ALOT why I was "dressed up"....soon, though, people I saw all the time stopped asking, and started just complimenting me. Now, people ask where I shop, and occasionally for fashion advice...and I am happy with how I dress. I do stand out as the most dressed up in the room, often, but I've made peace with it. I don't wear lace dresses for grocery shopping, but I don't wear sweats and flip flops either. There's a wide wide area between those two, and I found my happy spot....

In the 90s we attended as many as 6 or 8 formal events a year and I had lots of dresses and two-piece outfits. My most expensive dress ever was a Judy Hornby (a sample from Neiman Marcus) that I wore to the grand opening of the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose. Funny thing was that the invitation came to me alone. I wore the dress at least 6 times in one year. I did enjoy dressing up.

Then came the dot com bust and then DH retired the first time and Jobs and Zuckerberg set the style. If it weren't for cruises, I could go years without needing formal wear. No more charity balls, no more opulent parties at opulent homes (for a good cause, of course.)

I will say that every one of my dresses had sleeves and at least reached the knee. And I didn't feel the least bit matronly in them.

Today it is so difficult to find a decent dress. Even though my weight is about the same, my body has changed. Even if I had kept the 90s dresses, they wouldn't fit or look right now. Most dresses with sleeves don't appeal to me. I can't wear heels over a couple of inches. I hate pantyhose and shape wear. I'm now finished with whining.

This year is unusual in that we have three weddings and will be in the procession for all, so I feel some obligation to the bride to make a nice appearance. Can't say I'm looking forward to the dress up part, except for the giraffe dress.

So, I used to like dressing up, but not so much anymore.

I used to hate it when I didn't know how to shop and before I knew my style preferences. Always felt like I had to dress either girlier or older than I felt. Now there are many more choices, but I still don't keep many fancy pieces because I don't live that life.

I miss having opportunities to dress up, but I really don't have them. I like to be about 1 step dressier than my surroundings (or equally dressy) - not a big difference in dressy-level, but not more casual than my surroundings either. (I know, you'd never guess that from my WIWs )

I absolutely love dressing up when I am getting dressed up for me (special event, theater, parties, holidays). I abhor it when I have to present a certain look for a certain event (office parties, weddings). Those occasions are almost all fails for me. I dress according to perceived expectations. Nothing about me shines through. I feel contrived on those occasions.

I'm a smart casual girl on most days, and dressing up is harder now that arthritis in my feet and ankles limit my footwear options.

I don't do ultra dressy well, but neither do I like to dress too casually. I'm almost always more dressed up than everyone around me without even trying.

Great question! I really do love to dress up. I wish I had more opportunities to do so. I just find the whole thing unnerving if I don't know what others will be doing. I don't like standing out as dressier or more casual than those around me, so it makes me really nervous if I don't have a clear idea of what is expected. If the event is known to be dressy, I am thrilled. I will say that it also feels special to me to dress very causally. My day to day work life is a very middle of the road smart casual, so dressing in a tank top and jeans feels almost as wonderful and out of the ordinary as formal wear. To me, nothing feels better than looking appropriate to the occasion/climate, so this plays heavily into my happiness factor with an outfit on either end of the spectrum. I would so love going to a black tie affair where I knew that formal attire was expected and where I could soak in all of the amazing colors, textures and finery, I'm actually not sure if I've ever been to such a thing before or if I've just seen enough movies to feel like I have.

I don't like dressing up. Anything more than smart casual is stressful. I think it's a combination of the events requiring dressing up often being the sort of "small talk with strangers" situations that I'm not comfortable in and not having the right pieces and/or accessories.

However, I didn't mind wearing suits in my law days - it was uniform dressing really. JCrew pants suit, shirt in a color that made me happy, heeled loafers or pointy toed pumps, studs or tiny drop earrings and watch. Done. Appropriate, comfortable, not totally unstylish.