Don't people dress up any more?

Amazing - a pic of my top has appeared next to this post - mine was navy.

I think that "smart casual" is the way to dress at present. At family Boxing day party everyone seemed to be in trousers with smart tops and jewellery. I wore black trousers with grey ankle boots and a grey sweater embellished with little pearls. I wore a pendant and matching earrings. All the other ladies were similarly attired.
We went out with friends to a restaurant and I made more of an effort wearing a sparkly top, but my friend wore a smart sweater and other ladies likewise. Nobody seemed to fussed. Most of the gentlemen were also wearing smart casual clothes, not one suit to be seen.

In the North we tend to dress up for anything. I’m off on one of my walks in a minute and have spent ages deciding what to wear , full make up, jewellery etc. You never know who you might meet on the beach in the dark in January. My motto is “always make the effort darling”

dressing up is still big in the West of Scotland ,I have a wardrobe full of dressy stuff AND I wear it regularly,mind you I dont put the bin out without a full face of makeup and high heels ....and clothes of course .lol

I hate dressing up always have so I'm very happy to dress smart casual for most events, weddings or occasions that do require it are my dreaded nightmare.

Yes you're right GillyB. I'm the same just to go shopping. You never know I might meet the man of my dreams in Aldi! My daughter lives in the South and when she comes here she always brings dressed up things in case we go out for a meal or she meets up with friends, as they don't dress up in London unless its a big dressy evening do.

I think the youngest generation are dressers up (I do not mean dressing up). DGD is 10 and she and her friends cannot dress up too much or too often. We gave her a gold and blue party dress and glittery gold shoes for Christmas.. They were worn on Boxing Day, to the panto, to a friend's party and several events since.

I love dressing up for an event but rarely go to events where people make the effort, so I have got a bit lazy. The next event I need to dress smartly for is a funeral .

I can't stand dressing up. Its a good job the furthest place I go these days is out to the dustbin.

We went to a friend's for a meal the other week; I made an effort with a nice top and black trousers but she had on an amazing dress - and cooked an amazing meal too.

My usual moan is 'Do I have to wear a skirt?' if we're going out for a special meal.

Littlest DGD likes dressing up but the older one, at 9, much prefers jeans.

I can't remember when I last wore a skirt. I don't mind making a bit more effort with a top and necklace for a meal out, but stick to trousers and comfy shoes. Nobody will see them once we have sat down.

I've got one or two really nice outfits (I think!) but never any occasion to wear them. Had Christmas lunch out with friends and I was the only one wearing a dress.

Dresses? Weddings and funerals. We don’t have a lot of occasion to dress up these days, but I can make an effort when required. I just hope not to be required very often ?! I do like to have the opportunity to wear a bit of good jewellery now and again.

People don't dress up like they used to- remember your Sunday Best? Even on Christmas Day people wore jeans to church which would have been unheard of when I was young. Times have changed and people want to relax and dress for comfort. Except for weddings of course!

Yikes! I don't own a dress or shoes. What happened to me? I used to have loads.

I have a rule - if I can't wear jeans then I don't go there .
I was thrown into a freenzy last year when my eldest son graduated from uni and I bought my first dress since getting married .
I have never worn anything sparkly and no intention of ever doing so. The closest I get to dressing up is wearing my Mulberry scarves and bags along with my Steve Madden boots .

Omg I would kill for a real Mulberry scarf notagran55

You do not have to wear a dress to look smart. I will probably wear a trouser outfit to the funeral with my lovely very dark grey Jacques Vert coat over it, bought on ebay for a fraction of its original cost

I don't care what anyone else wears, if I feel like putting on something smart I do and if I feel like wearing jeans I do. Not because I want to do what I want but because I don't think anyone cares anymore. We sometimes go to a large regional theatre and occasionally see people wearing the full red carpet outfits and simply think that they look nice, despite being a little out of place. Why not?

I do have a dress.
I put it on recently to go out for a pre-Christmas meal.
Then changed before I went out.

We have come a long way from the days when men wore suits almost every day - even factory workers cycled to work in a suit - with bicycle clips! Growing up in the 50s and 60s my Dad always wore a jacket and tie or a smart, ahem, cardigan at home. Mum always had neat hair and wore overalls to protect her dress. Very few women wore trousers then. We always had to look smart for church, days out or for visiting relatives for tea. We had 'best clothes'. There were definitely formalities to observe. I am glad we have loosened up over the ages.

I hate having to dress up but do smart casual. I live in jeans, jumpers and scarves. Going out (somewhere special) for me means making an effort with my hair, more make up than usual, more jewellery and choosing matching boots and bag. We rarely go to glittery or dressy dos, thankfully. Haven't worn a dress in decades.

I went to a nice concert before Christmas - large concert hall I dressed up as I always would for an evening out but I don't think anyone else did. I'm from The South but here in the East Midlands and everyone I know dresses up for an evening out.

I love that casual dress is accepted almost everywhere these days. I would have to buy something to wear if I were invited to a posh 'dress up' do - my wardrobe consists entirely of trousers, jeans, t-shirts, blouses, cardigans and jumpers! If I'm going out to lunch with friends I'll wear trousers and a pretty blouse/top with a scarf and/or beads. That's about the limit of my dressing up these days

I will do the blingy extra's for Christmas and special occasions mainly black with bits added and always have my hair and make-up done even if only going to supermarket as Gillybob says you never know who you will meet up with.I would hate to resemble a bag lady if I meet up with someone I went to school with.
A lot of my friends do not make an effort at all and those that don't have been in suits and uniforms for most of their working lives and are glad to dress down.