How long before you can wear a dress again?

[ZiprHead]

So, didja have a good time? Didja get any compliments about your hot dress? (Rhea, not Ziprhead, please).

Hey, you should see me when I'm rockin' my sweatpants and wifebeater.

 

[Rhea]

I'm pulling this answer out the air, but I don't think it's so much time as it is consecutive use. Wear a minimum of three separate outfits before rotating. Can you imagine wearing the same very distinctive outfit (classy or otherwise) to a yearly party five years back to back? Or a formal weekly event five times back to back? If it's a totally different crowd, sure, but same crowd, no way.

I used to have a series of outfits I would wear on dates in the pre-Bilby days. I would wear a certain dress on date one, two and three... if they made it past three I was out of options..

Or you wear #1 again and see if he's a fashion snob!
(Is Bilby a fashion snob or did you buy more?)

 

[gmbteach]

I used to have a series of outfits I would wear on dates in the pre-Bilby days. I would wear a certain dress on date one, two and three... if they made it past three I was out of options..

Or you wear #1 again and see if he's a fashion snob!
(Is Bilby a fashion snob or did you buy more?)

He isn't a fashion slob. TBH, we don't go out much as we are saving our $$$ or our nuptials etc... But when we do go out, I find something nice to wear. We don't go anywhere fancy though... The fanciest thing I will own will be my wedding dress.

 

[ZiprHead]

Congrats to both you and Bilby on your upcoming wedding. I wish all the best to you both.

 

[bilby]

wait, what. No opinions are scorned on this topic...
(unless you were about to say that I did NOT look great in that dress, in which case, yeah, "nm" is the best post to make.)
(edited to clarify: because I think I look great in ANYTHING, because life is pretty much great.)

I presume that that was a typo.

He meant 'Mmmm'.

I think.

 

[bilby]

Or you wear #1 again and see if he's a fashion snob!
(Is Bilby a fashion snob or did you buy more?)

He isn't a fashion slob. TBH, we don't go out much as we are saving our $$$ or our nuptials etc... But when we do go out, I find something nice to wear. We don't go anywhere fancy though... The fanciest thing I will own will be my wedding dress.

I am neither slob nor snob.

I do try to at least make an effort, when we go out.

There's nothing sadder than a restaurant on Valentine's Day, with all the ladies done up to the nines, and the blokes in jeans and T-shirts.

 

[gmbteach]

Congrats to both you and Bilby on your upcoming wedding. I wish all the best to you both.

Thanks ZiprHead. We have about 6 months to go. .

- - - Updated - - -

He isn't a fashion slob. TBH, we don't go out much as we are saving our $$$ or our nuptials etc... But when we do go out, I find something nice to wear. We don't go anywhere fancy though... The fanciest thing I will own will be my wedding dress.

I am neither slob nor snob.

I do try to at least make an effort, when we go out.

There's nothing sadder than a restaurant on Valentine's Day, with all the ladies done up to the nines, and the blokes in jeans and T-shirts.

True that!!

 

[Toni]

As soon as it's been washed, you're good to go. If not, you need to find yourself a new group of friends who appreciate you for your mind and not for superficial irrelevancies like how much of your limited income you're spending to try and impress them.

BAAAAAAAD answer: One NEVER washes a formal gown. One sends it to the dry cleaners.


It sounds like you love the dress. It also sounds like this is an annual event that you plan to attend for the next several years, at least and have done in the past.

If it is within budget, I'd wear something else this year but wear it again next year or the year after, and follow your mother's group's advice by switching it up with jewelry and wrap the next time you wear it. I don't think it is terrible to wear it again, but part of it depends on the crowd and your function. If you are merely an attendee, then I wouldn't worry too much what the ladies at other tables are saying. Of course you wouldn't sit with anyone likely to make catty remarks.

 

[beero1000]

Let's not get all in a twist about Tom's snark word choice.

Dry cleaning isn't sorcery - it's just washing clothes by putting them into a washing machine that uses a solvent other than water. The term applies.

Also, I don't get clothing that regularly needs a specialist facility to maintain. It doesn't seem worth the effort - clothing is for protecting you from the elements and to stop you from getting arrested for indecent exposure. Of course, this viewpoint may be why I don't get invited to many fancy parties.

Wear what you want, who cares what anyone else thinks.

 

[Toni]

Let's not get all in a twist about Tom's snark word choice.

Dry cleaning isn't sorcery - it's just washing clothes by putting them into a washing machine that uses a solvent other than water. The term applies.

Wow. I did not know that. I thought dry cleaning was a kind of sorcery.

Thank heavens there are men around to keep me straight.

 

[beero1000]

Let's not get all in a twist about Tom's snark word choice.

Dry cleaning isn't sorcery - it's just washing clothes by putting them into a washing machine that uses a solvent other than water. The term applies.

Wow. I did not know that. I thought dry cleaning was a kind of sorcery.

Thank heavens there are men around to keep me straight.

If anything, it was women who took the time to point out to the poor deluded fool that one does not wash a fancy dress.

Then again, why bother bringing gender into it in the first place?

 

[Toni]

Wow. I did not know that. I thought dry cleaning was a kind of sorcery.

Thank heavens there are men around to keep me straight.

If anything, it was women who took the time to point out to the poor deluded fool that one does not wash a fancy dress.

Then again, why bother bringing gender into it in the first place?

Again, thank you for the benefit of your superior judgement.

 

[Rhea]

Let's not get all in a twist about Tom's snark word choice.

Dry cleaning isn't sorcery - it's just washing clothes by putting them into a washing machine that uses a solvent other than water. The term applies.

Humorously, there's actually strong precedent for being careful with that kind of wording. "I need to get that dress washed by the weekend," could lead to the very helpful spouse or child trying to get that done for you... in the washing machine.

Kind of like when you lend your diesel vehicle to your girlfriend and she helpfully tells you, "I put gas in it for you!" and you're all, oh no... no... tell me you put diesel in it, please!

Also, I don't get clothing that regularly needs a specialist facility to maintain. It doesn't seem worth the effort - clothing is for protecting you from the elements and to stop you from getting arrested for indecent exposure.

In general I don't, either. I own very few specialty clothing items. I have owned some "dry clean only" garments that I put in the washer under the premise that, "if it can't survive the washer, I don't need to own it," and an amazingly high number of articles survive just fine.

But if one owns the one item that needs it, one isn't really doing anything "regularly" to it, y'know?

Of course, this viewpoint may be why I don't get invited to many fancy parties.

Depending on the crowd, it probably isn't related. There are lots of fancy dresses in jersey and polyester that wash up just fine. (do you wear dresses?)

Wear what you want, who cares what anyone else thinks.

Generally I do, which is why I didn't know the answer to this question.

If it is within budget, I'd wear something else this year but wear it again next year or the year after,

It has been 5 years since I wore this dress, so I'm feeling confident at this point that even among those who care about things like this, it won't even be a point of notice.

Typically for this party I find a used dress at the second-hand shop for somewhere between $5 and $25 and then donate it back when I'm done. That way I can enjoy the fun without the cost. I just bought this particular one new and really liked it, so I kept it.

 

[Rhea]

Also, may I say that I am thoroughly amused by how much discussion is on this thread? Here we are talking about freakin' party dresses. Who knew?

 

[southernhybrid]

Since this is your thread, I want to be a part of it. I vowed when I was about 50 or so that I would never, ever wear another dress, so my advice may not be too helpful. I have stuck to my vow. I hate wearing dresses.

I confess that I rarely notice what other women wear. I only make sure that I like the way I look in what I am wearing. So, if you like yourself in the lovely red dress, I think you should wear it whenever you feel like it, other women be damned.

As for me, if I can't wear one of my dressy pairs of black slacks with a somewhat dressy top and beautiful jewelry, than that's too bad. I'll either be out of place or I'll stay home. Being out of place has never been a problem for me. In fact, I thrive on it. If people judge me by the way I dress, it's them that have the problem.

 

[credoconsolans]

I wore the same outfit to a wedding reception, then months later, with only some of the same people present, wore the same outfit again to a different wedding reception.

Did some of those same people recognize my outfit? Yep. They even said so.

Moral of the story is, formal events are one offs, usually special events that don't happen often. People can and do remember what you wear.

 

[credoconsolans]

Proof that people be dumb.

The correct answer is that it doesn't and shouldn't matter. The human answer is invariably based on some out-dated logic that's carried on in the minds of people who conform to stupid rituals.

Sorry for the rant, but it's stuff like this that makes me viscerally angry.

It shouldn't but because of the double-standards of what men wear versus what women wear, it does.

Men can wear the same pants to work 5 days a week only changing shirts for cleanliness and ties for style and no one will notice.

Women wearing the same thing every day will get noticed and other people - women mostly - will wonder if she is poor and has no other clothing, and will come to view her with pity. At the workplace this isn't a positive thing.

Once, back in the days I was still working retail, I wore a rather run-down pair of shoes.

Who cares, right? Doesn't matter, right?

My division manager thought otherwise. He took one look and said, "Aren't we paying you enough to buy another pair of shoes?"

Image counts, folks.

Counts a LOT.

 

[Toni]

It has been 5 years since I wore this dress, so I'm feeling confident at this point that even among those who care about things like this, it won't even be a point of notice.

Typically for this party I find a used dress at the second-hand shop for somewhere between $5 and $25 and then donate it back when I'm done. That way I can enjoy the fun without the cost. I just bought this particular one new and really liked it, so I kept it.

I think with the 5 year time lapse, you'll be fine. It is rare to find a dress that you love--or it is for me, anyway. If you love it, love how you look in it, then I say: go for it. Some may remember the dress from the last time you wore it but that's fine: it can be Rhea's beautiful dress that she always looks so wonderful in! Anyone who doesn't feel the same is not worth listening to, anyway.

 

[Tigers!]

The last time (and the only time) I wore a dress was 30 years ago. Probably time to try it on again for size. My wife has never seen it. Nice little black number it is.

 

[gmbteach]

The last time (and the only time) I wore a dress was 30 years ago. Probably time to try it on again for size. My wife has never seen it. Nice little black number it is.

Are you a Hash House Harrier by any chance?