Where do women go in dresses?

[Lena]

I love going dress shopping with my wife for dresses. The problem is, she has about 15 dresses now and wear's them nowhere. She's very organized and has the dresses she doesn't wear hung with hanger backward. After 3 months, she purges her closet and donates the unused dresses.

I've seen so many beautiful dresses go out because of lack of use.

OK, maybe too much background, so here's the question. Where do GG wear dresses? I want to see her in full style... I want to see her made up, dressed up and beautiful.

Where can we go? I want her to enjoy being dressed as much as I do but it seems all she gets to wear is scrubs and jeans.

[Robin414]

I only wear a dress when I'm at the roulette table in Monaco...yah, all the time...not LOL 😉

[Scarlett Viktoria]

A couple things. First, WHY ARE YOU LETTING HER GET RID OF DRESSES? LOL!!! Are you not able to claim them? I usually screen things my wife is tossing. Second, take her somewhere nice; expensive restaurant, art gallery opening, Christmas party, whatever it is just take her to some sort of function that you wouldn't normally go to and make sure it's fancy ;-).

Every 3 months?

[Hell on Heels]

Hell-o Lena,
Well... Out to a nice dinner comes to mind.
But really? I've seen women in dresses just about anywhere you
can think of.
If your wife is comfy in scrubs and jeans, it may seem strange to her
to get all dolled up in her finest. Trust me, I'm kinda in the same boat !
But she has all of those dresses for the intent of wearing them, but her discomfort
is keeping her from doing so.
Ask her if she would like you to pick something out for her to wear and take her out!
Have some fun with it too!
Much Love,
Kristyn

[Vala]

I don't think there are specific places where a women should or shouldn't wear a dress. I know some women who wear dresses and skirts more often than jeans. But the vast majority wear jeans more often. And to me it does seem that dresses and skirts are more worn in summer.

[AngelaYVR]

Is this like the 300lb gorilla joke? Dresses are uniquely feminine things that for some reason have been relegated to weddings and especially hot days in August. I can not for the life of me begin to understand the mass fear of wearing them. Talk about missing out!

[Michelle 78]

It is a bit of a mystery when you think about it, most Girls love dresses and when you hear women talking about dresses they get so excited about them, just walk into any women's store there is always so many lovely dresses of all colours and styles, but they never seem to wear them in normal day to day life? Where I live they Girls mostly wear jeans, leggings etc which I love that look too, but why hardly ever dresses or skirts? Sometimes going out in a dress makes us stand out like a sore thumb! it's all a bit of a sad situation. I know jeans etc are comfortable to wear, but so is a nice skirt especially with a nice pair of tights and boots this time of year.

[ReineD]

I mostly wear dresses or skirts at work and my workwear is simple, uncluttered, modest and comfortable. In other words, I don't try to make a fashion statement there, I just try to look professional. I don't think that the clothes I wear there would interest many people here. I wear flats or 1 inch heels and not much makeup or none at all.

Where do I wear my fun dresses? I live in a small college town populated with very casual restaurants and fast food places. Women don't wear dresses there, and so neither do I. I don't like to overdress. But, I do enjoy wearing a nice dress when my SO and I go to one of our few nice restaurants. We don't go to clubs much any more, but I used to dress up to go there too. Or I'll wear a dress if we go to the theater or a classical concert in a larger city a few hours away. So I suppose I can boil it down to wearing dresses when we spend more money for outings. lol. I also wear dresses to special events like weddings.

I often visit my family in a metropolitan area and I dress up more there, because there are more women who also dress up, although the same rules apply. Pants in casual restaurants and doing things during the day like shopping, dresses for better restaurants and evening outings.

[Lena]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not ignorant of the fact women could wear dresses and get dolled up for anything. On the other hand, I think I could count on both hands the times my wife and I have dolled up to go somewhere. Usually funerals, graduations and cruises. I always have to dust my suit off before I wear it.

And I'm not blind to see that women working in offices or such get dolled up on a daily basis.

Maybe I didn't word the question right. What or where do you go that prompts you to get dressed up? Fancy dinner to us is outback, chili's, Texas roadhouse. Maybe we could go to church but the last few times we've been there, we felt overdressed on slacks (I mean it would wrong to go to church strictly for a social life.)

We live in Houston, so friends live on opposite side of town and we never hang out.

And it seems strange that my wife is so happy picking out dresses with the intent to wear them and then they hang in the closet till I wear them. I want to take her out to wear them but we just aren't the socialites.

[Lily Catherine]

I don't feel there are any specific places to wear dresses at, though they're required at a certain level of formality. Anything below that and ine may run the risk of overdressing and standing out for the wrong reasons.

Dresses tend to be a little more formal than jeans and shorts and even skirts within the umbrella of 'informal wear'. As a cross-dresser, I still prefer dresses as they are overtly feminine garments - which contributes to explicit cues for "female". I'm intending to change that though.

As far as events that prompt me to need to wear a dress - probably weddings, parties or clubs come to mind first. That said I live in a place where I wouldn't be too out of place in a sun dress at the local food court.

[Sarah Beth]

I may be way off here but I don't see why you need to have a special occasion or go somewhere "fancy" for her to wear a dress. If she is buying them and saying she wants to wear them then why not just wear one for no reason. I usually leave for work before my wife gets up in the morning (she is retired now) and most days she has on jeans but some days I get home for lunch and she is wearing a dress. I have asked her why is she wearing a dress and she says because she felt like wearing a dress.

Maybe you could just say to her "honey why don't you put on a dress and we'll go to Dairy Queen and get a ice cream cone" or something like that. Or you could say you know that dress you bought a couple of weeks ago, you look great in that why don't you put that on and we'll go for a walk in the park or whatever. Just give her a reason to wear a dress. After all I would love it if my wife would give me some reason to wear one of mine.

[Beverley Sims]

Fashions do change and scrubs and jeans do blend in better.

I do note Starlight's reply about Singapore and yes, cotton and other light summer dresses abound there.

Culturally I wonder if it is about shorts where local men usually war long trousers.

Only the tourists are in shorts.

[AnnieMac]

Yeah, I know what you mean. I must say, I hate how women look in yoga pants. They look like crap and they are everywhere. Now I do like the way a pretty tunic like top looks with a sleek pair of leggings because it is more dress and tights like. Leggings look is becoming more mainstream for men I think. Look at what male joggers and NBA players are wearing these days.

[ReineD]

Maybe I didn't word the question right. What or where do you go that prompts you to get dressed up? Fancy dinner to us is outback, chili's, Texas roadhouse.

Choose much, much fancier restaurants! :D

http://www.lemistralhouston.com/in-pictures
http://www.brennanshouston.com/menu/
http://marks1658.com/menus

And others: http://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/11-01-10-the-new-zagat-is-out-the-no-1-rated-restaurant-in-houston-is-still/

Or take here there: http://www.houstonsymphony.org/Concerts-Tickets/Browse-Concerts/13-14-Season/13-14-Classical-Season


I can not for the life of me begin to understand the mass fear of wearing them. Talk about missing out!

It's not fear. Not at all, trust me. The world has changed and people (women AND men) simply don't need to dress up anymore. Not dressing up is easier on the budget and it has the added advantage of being comfortable. :)

And a big part of it, at least for me, is a distaste for drawing attention to myself by being too flashy (or overdressed) for the rather casual places that my SO and I spend 90% of our time at.

If someone has a non-middle-class or public lifestyle, for example a politico in Washington or a socialite in their town where there is an active social life and dressing a certain way conveys power or wealth (or hotness if it's a personality in Hollywood), then dressing up is part of the norm. But for the average person? No.

[Chriscrossed]

The money she spends on unused dresses could be redirected into a budget for your evenings out for dinner and a theater play or concert. She can still buy dresses but you have to find and arrange the appropriate destinations to visit for dressing up. Start with the Houston theater district below.

Chris Crossed.

https://www.google.fi/maps/place/Theater+District,+Houston,+TX,+Yhdysvallat/@29.7626683,-95.372073,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x8640bf30b62f5423:0x863d8 aa868dbd36b
(https://www.google.fi/maps/place/Theater+District,+Houston,+TX,+Yhdysvallat/@29.7626683,-95.372073,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x8640bf30b62f5423:0x863d8 aa868dbd36b)

[Krisi]

Some women are expected to wear dresses to work. Some are not, it depends on the job. Women might wear dresses to church. Or not, many churches have become much less formal than when I was a child.

You might go to a nice restaurant, the theater (play, not a movie), art gallery or museum.

Dresses have lost favor in recent years. Skirts and blouses are more practical because you can mix and match them for more variety.

My wife almost never wears an actual dress but she will sometimes buy one. I'm wearing one (of her dresses) as I post.

[Hell on Heels]

Hell-o again Lena,
Why can't she wear a dress to The Outback? Or any other place?
The people there have know idea where you've been, or where you may be going afterwards.
Would they be thinking "OMG, she's wearing a dress" I doubt it!
More likely, they might think "aren't they dressed nice" and then go about their own business.
There is this fear of "sticking out" that gets in our heads,, and it really sucks!
Being noticed isn't a bad thing. In fact it can be quite fun sometimes.
I like Sarah Beth's suggestion, take her out for an ice cream, Dairy Queen is waiting!
Much Love,
Kristyn

[Karren H]

Younger women are dressing up like crazy at work over the last few years. Way better then the decade preceding that. And I'm not complaining. LBDs and heels! I might never retire! Lol

[Alice Torn]

The head librarian at the small town library where i go, is a stunning, very tall, black haried beauty, married with kids, but, she dresses to the nines , and turns my head every time i am in there!! The other librarians wear pants and tops. Sometimes i really envy her, because she can wear anything she wants, and torture single men like me! I wish i could wear what i want anywhere! She wears pants a few days a week, but, usually very attractive knee or above the knee dresses, hose and heels. WOW!

[MissDanielle]

I've bookmarked some clothing I want to purchase when I am finally free to be me. There's an LBD and some minidresses. I saw a red floral dress that was to die far. But outside of my future apartment, I have no clue where I would wear them. There's several skirts that I plan to buy :)

[Stephanie47]

I think you really know the answer to your question. Your wife is making a choice based on comfort and requirements. Yes, events such as a funeral or wedding should require respectful attire, and, that usually means a dress. Put I've seen a guy at a relative's wedding show up in soccer shorts! Ugh! Karen is right about a swing in the work place to wearing dresses. Before I retired the women in my office were wearing flip flops, capri pants with beach type tops, sweat pants and sweat shirts. It was terrible since these women were meeting with attorneys, certified public accounts and businessmen and business women. Decades ago the dress code was skirts/blouses or dresses. Mn had to wear dress shirts and ties and slacks at a bare minimum. Most men wore suits or sport jackets. The professional women who I dealt with knew being smartly dressed created an air of professionalism and authority.

If you watch old newsreels it was required men and women "dress up" even for attending a baseball game or going to the movies. Today? There is nothing that prevents your wife from wearing a dress. Summer? I think a beautiful sun dress (mini to maxi) with sandals is a lot nicer than a tee shirt/tank top and shorts.

If I may make a suggestion TELL YOUR WIFE YOU WOULD LOVE TO SEE HER IN A DRESS MORE OFTEN. Then when she is showing off some leg make a move, if you know what I mean. If she realizes she is stimulating you and it leads to some heavy romantic interludes, maybe she will start accentuating her sexuality and turn you on with.....Heck! You know what I'm getting at. Anything further may get me "moderatored."

[AngelaYVR]

Well, it looks like you are mostly preaching to the choir here, Lena! But I still can't get over the consensus of some that if you wear a dress then you might as well be wearing a tiara. Not everything is a ball gown!

[Dana44]

Well, In my day women wore dresses and skirts. Now, society has changed. Although I see that the younger are wearing stuff that the adults don't. But to go out. Like we go for a dinner and a movie as a date. I dress in a skirt and a nice cami with a cover. Heels or heel boots. My SO reflects but has a different style than me. But she dresses up with a dress or skirt and good heels. We are coming out of a hot summer and will be wearing leggings with our skirts as the weather gets cooler. Get her to dress with you for movies, dinner out, going to functions, even dancing. My SO naturally seemed to reflect my desire to be femininely dressed and we enjoy our time out as two dressed women.

[sometimes_miss]

I want her to enjoy being dressed as much as I do but it seems all she gets to wear is scrubs and jeans.
My ex's complaint was the same thing. 'We never go anywhere where I want to dress up anyway'. So I started taking her out to expensive restaurants and broadway shows. And drove myself deep into debt, while trying to work full time and go to school full time. But at least she got to wear the pretty outfits I picked out for her. Women still wear dresses and skirts, just not all women, and not all places. And, some women revel in dressing 'hot'; look through catalogs like 'Venus' and you'll see what some women consider daily casual wear. Not all women routinely wear jeans and a T shirt. Some routinely like to show off what they've got. I've been lucky enough to date some of these women, and, it made me realize that I, too, would be just as comfortable in better clothes.

Choose much, much fancier restaurants! :D
Clue; if the restaurant has a maitre'd in a tux, instead of a greeter, and the wait staff is wearing black suits, it's most likely a 'fancier restaurant'!

[Pat]

If I had no unworn dresses in my closet, I suppose I could throw stones... I buy them because I anticipate that I *could* look good in them, I can imagine wearing the dress and think about all the wonderful things it would say about me, but time passes and the occasion never comes along. Or it comes along but I have something else I'd rather wear. Or on the day I could wear it, I realize I never found the right belt / shoes / accessories to go with it. There's no way I can know for sure, but I'm betting GGs go through something similar.

Here's a counter-question: do you have good clothes hanging in the closet? A nice suit maybe or really nice dress shirt and slacks? Do you wear them all the time? If your wife started hinting that because she loves the look of you in that suit you should wear it to Home Depot on Saturday, would you think, "Heck yeah! That's exactly what I want to do!"

[AnnieMac]

The term I have really begun to hate (as a guy) is "business casual"!!! I mean how many guys can you take in one place wearing khakis and some version of a pastel button down shirt and brown loafers. - Just Yuk! I mean it is so in between. To me I would rather be in jeans or a full suit, or sport coat and a tie, not that dreaded "business casual". Mens kahkis=yoga pants in ugly.
While I am on my fashion soapbox what does "business casual" mean to you well dressed GGs or you higher end experienced CDs? Just wondering.

[MissDanielle]

Outside of a wedding, I rarely wear ties anymore. And when I do? I never button the collar.

[Amy Fakley]

Too many dresses and not enough places to wear them too??!!
Two words: DATE NIGHT!! :-)

Symphony, movies, nice dinners, church, wine tastings (bonus for fabulous hats in the spring), gallery openings, art museums. If there's a college in your town with a music department, find out when they do recitals, cause you can always get dressed up for that and the students appreciate having an audience (that isn't other students).

Hmm ...what else? Well ... you could get a parking ticket ... people still get dressed up to go to court right? :rofl:

[audreyinalbany]

well I guess to answer that question with a question: in guy mode, where do you wear a suit?

[Lena]

Exactly. My wife and I have talked about it. We wanted to go out dressed up and dignified looking but other than overpaying for dinner, we couldn't figure out a place that we would go.

[CynthiaD]

How about the symphony or the opera? My wife dresses up for church and for the symphony, and that's about it. HOWEVER, I wear dresses a lot! Much more often than my wife. In Texas women wear dresses and skirts fairly often. It's not unusual to see several women in skirts and dresses at any crowded venue. We can't all be cross Dressers! :)

[Sindeycd]

How times have changed lol,I should say so.I remember when I was growing up women & younger girls all wore dresses just as part of everyday goings on.Today it's like was stated they all wear legging and such,I use to hate them when they first became a fashion statement but this winter I may even give them a try myself instead of just stockings or thin pantyhose.I do sometimes where tights with things but I like to have a bit of color to match with what I'm wearing(which is usually a top and skirt and I usually save my dresses for clubbing and such).
I even wear skirts when I go to the grocery store(do I stand out?)Maybe but adleast I can say that I look better than a lot of the other women and girl around me.Im not out to draw attention to myself but I always like to look like a lady(and I see nothing wrong in that).

[franlee]

[QUOTE=ReineD;3841828]I mostly wear dresses or skirts at work and my workwear is simple, uncluttered, modest and comfortable. In other words, I don't try to make a fashion statement there, I just try to look professional. I don't think that the clothes I wear there would interest many people here. I wear flats or 1 inch heels and not much makeup or none at all.

This is where you would be surprised! That is the persona and style many of us crave. The thought of wearing your image to so many of us CDer's is vicariously pleasing.

[heatherdress]

Where do women go in dresses depends on where they live, their age, their occupation as well as their personal style.

If you want your wife to wear a dress more frequently, take her out to places she will want to get dressed up to go. Compliment her. Make her feel special when she is dressed.

[Sky]

Al girls are different. My wife wears pants everywhere. Not necessarily jeans, but dress pants. Then again, one of my workmates wears skirts / blouses or dresses every single time: we once did a company outing to a park, she wore jeans and looked utterly uncomfortable.

So if your wife wants to wear a dress, you two don't need any special occasion -just do it. Myself I wear dresses to the grocery store. But then again I'm no GG no matter how hard I try. :D

[flatlander_48]

well I guess to answer that question with a question: in guy mode, where do you wear a suit?

The last time for me was about a month ago. I was part of a panel for discussing life experiences at a middle school. The next time will be this Thursday evening at college recruiting meet 'n' greet. Personally, I don't mind it.

I do think that clothes have an effect on personal behavior. If you look better, you behave better. I believe that a lot of the shitty behavior in adults and kids traces back to how they are dressed.

For my purposes, when I go out as DeeAnn, I dress to look good. That often has the effect of standing out, but that is a consequence and not necessarily the goal. Blending in is something I rarely think about. To me, blending in is being nonediscrept and that's just not going to happen.

DeeAnn

[UNDERDRESSER]

I feel very fortunate to live where I do, the number of women in dresses and skirts (and hosiery) seems to climb higher all the time. If not, then quite often very smart and well fitting pants, or even better, yoga pants! Have to disagree, AnnieMac, nicely fitted yoga pants on an athletic posterior look fantastic! Maybe that's the problem? Lack of firm derrières to display the yoga pants properly? On another subject you raised, my workplace is generally very casual, so they have introduced an optional bit of fun, Formal Fridays. I haven't yet participated, but am putting together some pieces, decorative waistcoat, matching tie and stockings, maybe a bow tie?

[Nancy Sue]

I just returned from a couple weeks in Western Australia, and most of the women I was around were wearing skirts or dresses. Take a trip?

But seriously (well, that was serious, too), maybe when your wife picks out her next dress say "Honey, I know you really like this dress, but since you will likely never wear it, or at least rarely, how about this - buy it in my size, and then I can wear it and you can see how nice it looks, and be really happy that you bought it." You are "out" to her, right?