The Case For Dressing Well: Why What You Wear Matters

If you've observed American fashion trends in the last five years, you may have noticed something: our fashion has gone downhill. Everyday outfits are less chic than they used to be, getting dressed is seen more as a chore than an occasion, and style often takes a backseat to convenience. 

What’s the cause of this decline in dressing well? Why should we care in the first place? While some people view fashion as vanity or a waste of time, I argue that what you wear matters a lot. It affects your self-esteem, impacts how you’re perceived and can even be a way of getting your foot in the door, so long as you look the part. It’s a calling card, a first impression, and a personal statement of ideals, values and priorities.

The Decline of Dress Code

There used to be clear expectations when it came to dressing. Going shopping called for a different outfit than a cocktail party. The contrast was defined and the rules were obeyed. There is probably no other dress code concept better known than dressing in your “Sunday best.” This centuries-old practice meant that everyone had at least one dedicated dress or suit that they saved specifically for church.

The Sunday best concept flawlessly illustrates one truth of fashion: what you wear signals your priorities. By putting aside a nice, modest article of clothing to be worn on Sundays, people indicated that church was held to an elevated degree of importance over other events or activities. Clothing still has that effect today in all areas of life. Beyond boosting self-esteem and confidence, buying a new dress for a special event or getting dolled up for a date night signifies that you understand these events are special and honor that with your outfits.

It’s a calling card, a first impression, and a personal statement of ideals, values and priorities.

Today, many outfits can be seen at the same event, ranging from evening wear to blue jeans. There’s a time and place to dress casually, but it's not an acceptable dress code for every occasion. Unfortunately, that's exactly how it's been taken in recent years. More often than not, casual styles reign supreme.

COVID Killed Fashion

If I had to point to a world event that had a major impact on the decline of dressing well, there’s one obvious culprit: COVID. March 2020 ushered in a regrettable era of social distancing and staying indoors. The effects of COVID were not limited to health, though. As draconian measures came in and lockdowns were set, putting effort into looking nice went out the window.

While embracing loungewear and slippers temporarily felt good, many of us expected life to go back to normal once the world reopened. However, countless arenas remained impacted, including the fashion landscape. COVID introduced a more haphazard approach to style, lowering the bar of what was socially acceptable to be worn in public. It’s like America collectively felt it was too hard to put together an outfit after weeks of being out of practice. 

More notably, it showed a sense that life was no longer worth showing up for. My theory is that the decline in fashion correlates with a decrease in zest for life. Maybe we were all so worn out by COVID, the lack of socialization, political divisiveness, and doom-and-gloom headlines every day that we felt hesitant to get excited about life again. To me, a lack of pride in appearance is a sign of a culture that doesn’t feel that anything is worth really caring about.

People increasingly embrace a low-effort, too-cool-for-school persona to cover their fear of expectations going unfulfilled. I did this for a couple years in my teens, almost unknowingly. I was afraid of expressing goals for life and then falling short or failing altogether. Might as well not try so you can’t be disappointed, right? Wrong. Dressing in an overly laidback way didn’t make me care less. My costume of supposed chillness only masked who I was on the inside for those around me, misrepresenting me in the process.

The Naked Truth

Growing up, my siblings and I learned the difference between different dress codes from my mom. I would hear her say things like, “You wouldn’t wear a bathing suit to church, would you?” to bring home her point (and make us laugh). It was ridiculous then and still is now, as it should be. However, we are seeing more examples of “wearing a bathing suit in a church setting” faux pas every day.

A recent example was when Kanye West and his wife Bianca Censori showed up to the Grammy’s red carpet. Censori was wearing a long fur coat and, when prompted by photographers and West, dropped it, revealing a completely sheer slip — and everything else — in the process. It’s safe to say that, in that instance, a bathing suit would have been a welcome addition to her ensemble.

While this stunt, be it for shock value or attention, is an extreme example of classless (or a total lack of) dressing, it paints a bigger picture of our current culture. We lack respect for occasions — and for ourselves — by dressing poorly. It makes a mockery of the situation at hand, and the fact that most people forgot about the incident after a few days means we have placed less importance on presenting ourselves well. Dressing well shows an interior part of a person. By wearing an appropriate outfit for an occasion, you send a message to everyone around you: “This is important.” In contrast, dressing down (or in a slobby, disheveled or cheap way) shows that you don’t view where you are or what you look like as being of much consequence.

There’s A Time and A Place

Even nearly five years after COVID, our sense of pre-pandemic pride in appearance is still suffering. Even once-formal workplaces fell victim and relaxed their dress codes permanently. There’s nothing wrong with a casually dressed workplace, but the move to dress down most offices post-pandemic was part of a broader shift that lowered the expectation of what we wear everyday. While some circles still dress up and look fabulous, it's clear that most have defaulted to feeling good rather than looking good, even when it means sacrificing style.

Overly casual fashion even made it to the highest offices in America. Senator John Fetterman is well known for his characteristic (and headline-making) work uniform: a hoodie and shorts. The Senate even briefly dropped a dress code enforcement in response. Just a week later, they unanimously passed a formal dress code, thanks to the backlash that came from their prior move. 

Dressing well shows an interior part of a person. By wearing an appropriate outfit for an occasion, you send a message to everyone around you: “This is important.”

Then there’s Lauren Sánchez, Jeff Bezos’ fiance, who showed up to Donald Trump’s recent inauguration wearing a white bustier top under a white blazer. The lingerie-esque look resulted in raised eyebrows (and downward glances), with spectators deeming it “racy,” “trashy” and “inappropriate.” Doesn’t the fact that both Fetterman’s and Sánchez’s choices of wardrobe prompted such uproar — and, by contrast, the Trumps’ ensembles garnered praise — indicate that the way we dress has meaning? A lack of reverence for occasions is (and should be) offensive.

Fashion Isn’t Vanity

Going back to the Sunday best concept, what people wear to church still speaks volumes. I attend a formal Catholic church where suits and ties for men and dresses for women are the norm. However, I still see weekly parishioners attending in jeans and activewear. Another one of my mom’s quotes comes to mind: “If you wouldn’t wear an outfit to meet the Queen, you shouldn’t wear it to see Jesus.” I’ve seen some of the same people come to events or social functions better dressed than they do for church. To me, this is an undeniable indicator of where their priorities lie.

A familiar argument in defense of halfhearted dressing, especially in some religious communities, is that fashion is vain. There’s something to be said for avoiding an overly fussy, obsessive approach to how you look, but dressing with style and class — and presenting yourself well — is far from vain. Let’s face it: People yearn for well-dressed, attractive people and they respect them more. Your outward appearance gives people a glimpse into the contents of your character. In that case, isn’t ignoring it a disservice to yourself? On the flip side, when you take the time to put on a nice outfit, other people pick up on, notice and appreciate the effort.

I have come a long way from my cool-girl wannabe phase. Now, I love dressing up, wearing a pretty outfit just because and embracing the power of fashion to convey who I am as a person. I understand the impact that what you wear has on yourself and those around you. In a culture where it’s cool not to care, dare yourself to show up looking fabulous. Dress like you mean it.