Is It Better To Be Overdressed Or Underdressed?

How many of you have a wardrobe of going out clothes? They’re things you spotted and thought they would be perfect for a hypothetical event. You spend your days throwing on jeans and t-shirts but saving smarter versions ‘for best’. Today I’m chatting about whether it’s better to be overdressed or underdressed and why we avoid wearing our smarter, dressier clothes in day to day life.

Overdressed or underdressed?

Saving for a special occasion

How often have you been out shopping and spotted the perfect dress that you instantly fall in love with? Not only does it look great but it fits you like a glove and makes you feel great. You just have to have it, but instead of wearing it you hang it in the back of your wardrobe and save it for a special occasion.

I completely understand not wanting to waste an amazing outfit on an insignificant day. You don’t want to put on your nicest clothes if no one is going to see you. But, surely we should be dressing for ourselves? It doesn’t matter if we aren’t going to see anyone we know or even leave the house. If putting a bit of effort into our outfits makes us feel good then why not just go for it.

Ruining our favourite outfits

What if we wear our nicest outfits so often that we wear them out and then we can’t find anything like them again? We think by only wearing our favourite items on special occasions they will last so much longer. I know I’m guilty of doing this.  Why do we have this random idea that there are only a limited amount of nice outfits and eventually they will run out? Of course there are times when trend pieces may not suit you, but the thing with fashion is that pieces come back around if you wait long enough.

I know it can be hard sometimes to find something you like. Sometimes you feel like you can go in every shop and there is nothing suitable. While I feel we should be supporting the high street as much as possible but I appreciate it isn’t always possible to get to some shops. That is the beauty of online shopping. You don’t have to leave the comfort of your own home and you have access to so many great sites that offer a lot of choice.

The ‘just in case’ outfit

There is always the fear that you will get invited to a fancy event and there will be nothing remotely suitable in the shops. Then what do you do? So, rather than wait for the occasion to come up you buy an outfit when you see one so you’re prepared. Half the time, if the event ever does roll around, you’ve gone off the outfit you had ready. That or the outfit doesn’t fit anymore. I think half my wardrobe may be taken up with this kind of outfit. It’s such a waste. I’m definitely going to get these clothes out more often. If nothing else, just having things sat in your wardrobe is a terrible waste of money. I’m trying to shop my wardrobe a lot more particularly as I can only buy pre-owned clothing as part of my resolution this year.

I’d rather be overdressed

Do you feel more comfortable being overdressed or underdressed? You know when you get invited out with friends which would you prefer to be? I would much rather be overdressed, I actually think it is worse to be underdressed. Say you get invited to an event. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy; more smart casual than black tie. I think it’s rude to turn up underdressed. To your host it looks like you don’t care enough to make an effort. I also feel more uncomfortable being underdressed than overdressed. Surely it is better to look like you made too much effort than zero effort?

When we buy something we love we should be able to wear it over and over again rather than leaving it sat in the wardrobe. We should feel like we can’t wait to wear our new clothes, after all that is their purpose. Fashion should be fun. I think we all need to remember that life is an occasion.