The Well-Dressed Girl

1950's Ad for J.C. Penny's Separates

If we talk at great length about clothes and the place they play in making you an attractive, charming person, don’t think that we believe for one minute that clothes are the most important thing in the world.  They aren’t.  But they can do a great deal to enhance you.  A person who is well dressed, and knows that she is, loses a great deal of self-consciousness.  She concentrates on people and ideas and forgets herself.  ~The Home Economics Omnibus

I think we’ve become too lazy in getting dressed.  This really hit home for me the day I was catching an early morning (as in 7:00 a.m.) flight.  Near the front of the check-in line (this was in the days before the self-check-in kiosks), a youngish woman was wearing her pajamas and slippers.  I understand the desire to be comfortable, but…really?  The woman couldn’t be bothered getting dressed?

I think clothing designers have also become quite lazy.  The fewer the details and the fitting issues, the cheaper the garments are to make.  Dresses and tops are sleeveless so that (a) the garment requires less fabric and sewing and (b) the issue of sleeves being too tight or too loose are eliminated.  The arm is free to move about the country without feeling restricted.  Making things out of knits is a great boon because the stretchiness masks how ill-fitting the garment really is.  We keep buying and shopping, hoping that the garment will give us confidence but you can’t make a silk purse out of sow’s ear, even if it has a designer label on it.

I know I’ve commented before on “when women dressed.”  And I’m not saying that we have to wear heels and pearls when we are cleaning the house.  But what I am saying is that we need to be a little more cognizant of what our clothes are saying about us.  Our clothing communicates an instant message.  Is it the message we want to send?

One day, several months ago, I saw my reflection in a glass door.  I was horrified.  I had slipped into “sturdy shoes frumpiness.”  Now, individually, each thing that was wearing did not constitute a frumpy label.  But, wearing them together really made me look older and tired…I didn’t think it really reflected how I was feeling inside.  I had become lazy in my choice of clothing.  I was wearing twin-sets that weren’t flattering, given my figure, but were comfortable.  I had on “mom jeans” that had become a little flood-like in their length.  And I had on my closed-back clogs.  My hair had been pulled up into a bun.  And I had on this attire as I was heading to a fashion design class!

I used to be known for wearing classic and feminine clothing.  A good portion of my clothing had an “Audrey” feel to them.   But now….

When I was younger, women didn’t own as many clothes as they do now.  But those clothes were well made and had a purpose.  Women had Sunday dresses and they had house dresses.  And they used aprons to protect their clothing.  As I start to rebuild my wardrobe to be a better reflection of the message I want to convey–vibrant, feminine, and poised–I just have to remember that I don’t kneed to go on a shopping spree.  I just need to choose my clothing carefully.  And when I do that, my confidence will increase exponentially.