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Style & beauty

Do you want to look "smart"

(123 Posts)
eddiecat78 Mon 03-Jul-23 12:37:48

Reading the thread about how much we spend on clothes made me think that we all have a certain way we like to look.
Well - when asked his opinion about anything I am wearing my OH is inclined to say "You look very smart". Frankly I don't want to look smart unless I have a business appointment or going to a funeral. I would like to look stylish - or, in my dreams, gorgeous.
Incidentally when he saw our daughter try on her wedding dress he responded - "yes you look very smart"! No woman wants to look smart on their wedding day!
How do you aim to look? And what reactions do you get from nearest and dearest?

missdeke Tue 04-Jul-23 13:02:56

No matter how hard I try I always look like a scruff, so if someone tells me something positive I accept it gratefully.

Hilarybee Tue 04-Jul-23 13:02:31

I try to dress fashionably for my age (65)
Today I’m wearing wide leg cropped jeans from Seasalt a white blouse with turn up cuffs from white stuff and a cotton neutral cardigan from Celtic. As I was walking a fair distance with my dog and to see my mum I wore Skechers but on a warmer day would possibly wear my Birkenstock sandals.
I like to wear jumpsuits for a slightly smarter look as I don’t generally wear dresses but I do have a few linen dresses from Woolovers for very hot weather and a denim dress too

pinkjj27 Tue 04-Jul-23 13:01:19

I tend to get told I look glamours I don’t think I am gllamours but I think it is better than dapper or smart.
I think, That the term you look nice/ lovely or you look stylish is what I like to hear best. I do get people stop me in the street and say "you look so lovely " which I find nice. I try to that to people out and about, who look nice too.

win Tue 04-Jul-23 12:36:32

Definition of smart 1. astute, as in business; clever or bright · 2. quick, witty, and often impertinent in speech. a smart talker · 3. fashionable; chic · 4. well-kept; neat · 5.
Personally I would love to look fashionably and chic all the time. Stylish is too formal to me, I like to be comfortable but clean and hopefully coordinated most of the time

icanhandthemback Tue 04-Jul-23 12:29:22

It doesn't matter what I wear, I always end up looking like a Ragbag after an hour. The other day I got ready to go to see my mother in hospital. I changed my clothes to smart casual, washed my face and hands, brushed my hair and I thought I looked quite reasonable. My husband said I looked nice and I replied that my mother would probably make some negative comment. The first thing she said to me was how scruffy I looked and I could have brushed my hair. Honestly, it was a 20 minute journey and a 20 metre walk from the car to the hospital door. How on earth can things have changed that much?

I was thinking to myself that I might get one of those "colour" things done to find my best colours and make up a set of matching outfits and then I thought, is there any point?

Scottiebear Tue 04-Jul-23 12:28:25

I can be dressed up for a special occasion. New outfit, special effort with make up and hair. Pleased with my look. My dear husband's usual response when asked how I look is 'you look fine'.

Germanshepherdsmum Tue 04-Jul-23 12:25:03

Yes, dryer, shake and smooth, hang. Job done. I do my best to avoid linen as it’s so high maintenance.

Norah Tue 04-Jul-23 12:22:46

Lilyflower I always try to look as smart as I can as your clothes are your armour and do battle on your behalf with the world.

I never wear fleece or anything blouson but aim for a sleek, stylish outline, often with a formal long coat. Everything is ironed.

That's me sorted. Without the iron, my dryer does the work, followed by shaking, hand smoothing, then hanging carefully.

Norah Tue 04-Jul-23 12:14:33

Germanshepherdsmum

I never want to be invisible. I always want to be noticed, though not for the wrong reasons.

I dress for myself and my husband. Matters not how others perceive me, I'm second row - the account not the engineer in this partnership. I prefer to be sought out, never stand out - always.

Smart classic simple clothing. Shoes, jewelry, underwear, coats are a different story - I love sparkly, pretty, different, special.

Lilyflower Tue 04-Jul-23 12:06:29

I always try to look as smart as I can as your clothes are your armour and do battle on your behalf with the world. I blow dry my hair in the morning and, though I don't wear heels or make up and often wear jeans, they are smart, new and pressed. I aim to look 'as if I mean it.'

I never wear fleece or anything blouson but aim for a sleek, stylish outline, often with a formal long coat. Everything is ironed.

I really enjoy clothes.

Supergranuation Tue 04-Jul-23 11:58:02

Sorry for the typo's, should have used the preview first!!

Supergranuation Tue 04-Jul-23 11:56:09

In a great believer in t's not what you wear but the way you wear it!

SueEH Tue 04-Jul-23 11:54:52

I recently bumped into a neighbour who used to live next door to me about 12 years ago. She said she’d always loved seeing me around because my clothes were always so lovely.
Now apart from work wear I’m a slob around in comfy clothes that can cope with gardening and animals type of girl who feels like she’s never managed to develop any kind of personal style.
So I took it as a massive, if maybe misplaced, compliment.

Witzend Tue 04-Jul-23 08:17:21

Smart-ish casual is what I usually aim at.
What I don’t do any more is ‘dressed up’.

M0nica Tue 04-Jul-23 08:14:03

Dressing smartly has nothing to do with conforming to to a style of dress generally considered smart.

I would describe it no more highly than being clean and decent, regardless of style. If you always wore a lime green sarong and orange T shirt and were going to a wedding, smart would be that the sarong and Tshirt were clean and your hair had been washed recently, not worn for heavy gardening for a fortnight before you went to the wedding and you were unwashed and smelled.

Personally, I consider it disrespectful of other people, to turn up at a special occasion looking a mess, whatever your style of clothes are.

sassysaysso Tue 04-Jul-23 07:01:11

MerylStreep

sassysaysso

I've always dressed for comfort rather than appearance so have never aimed to dress smart or even smart casual. I do try to wear clean and fresh clothes though there is from time to time an unnoticed porridge stain on the top I'm wearing. Good luck to those who aim to look smart - you'd probably look on me as a right scruff!

You can look smart/stylish and be comfortable.
If you’re not bothered what you look like, say so: but the above is just not true.

Oh but I do care what I look like for dressing comfortably is not just about feeling comfortable physically. If I was to conform to the style in dress generally considered smart it would not express 'me' so so I would feel very uncomfortable. Just call me an old hippy.

Callistemon21 Mon 03-Jul-23 21:49:16

I'd like to perfect 'smart casual' for going out in the daytime.

M0nica Mon 03-Jul-23 21:30:44

GSM Me too!

Germanshepherdsmum Mon 03-Jul-23 21:10:17

I never want to be invisible. I always want to be noticed, though not for the wrong reasons.

hollysteers Mon 03-Jul-23 18:35:30

I have two looks, invisible and dressed up. The invisible is specs on, jeans, any top, maybe a cardigan, comfy shoes or boots for shopping, doctor and hospital appointments and bus trips (a slick of lipstick however).
The dressed up is makeup, earrings, contact lenses and a thought out outfit hopefully verging on the glamorous for nights at the theatre, dinners and when I sing.
I enjoy both, not being noticed when dressed down and hopefully being noticed when dressed up.

Norah Mon 03-Jul-23 18:33:14

Germanshepherdsmum

GrannyGravy13

maddyone I have read on more than one occasion that you should never wear white underwear under white clothing.

If I am wearing white jeans/trousers or shirt/t-shirt or even a dress, then I always wear nude/flesh colour matching underwear as it goes with everything.

Absolutely. Flesh coloured under white clothes. I don’t like flesh coloured underwear so don’t often wear white clothes. Almost all my underwear is black or navy. I don’t like white either.

I'm pale, not much difference my skin to white bras, flesh bras are not at all my skin colour. I love white tops - white bras work well.

Perhaps I shall check on pale pink bras under white.

maddyone Mon 03-Jul-23 18:30:53

Oooh GrannyGravy, thanks for the tip. I’ve got a fair few nude sets so that’s okay. However I normally wear a contrasting top with white trousers such as dark green, navy, black, orange, and I wear have to wear the right coloured bra with the top, so it would be dark green, navy, black, or orange bra. Is that what most people do? I hate the thought of my bra strap peeking out a bit with sleeveless tops or the bra showing through the fabric of the top, and that’s why I match it to my top colour. But in future, nude colour knickers with the white trousers.

Marydoll Mon 03-Jul-23 18:27:14

Germanshepherdsmum

GrannyGravy13

maddyone I have read on more than one occasion that you should never wear white underwear under white clothing.

If I am wearing white jeans/trousers or shirt/t-shirt or even a dress, then I always wear nude/flesh colour matching underwear as it goes with everything.

Absolutely. Flesh coloured under white clothes. I don’t like flesh coloured underwear so don’t often wear white clothes. Almost all my underwear is black or navy. I don’t like white either.

I read that if you wear pink underwear, it wonthow through white clothing.

henetha Mon 03-Jul-23 18:26:48

No. I hate being smart. Jeans and T-shirt for me any time except weddings and funerals.

Germanshepherdsmum Mon 03-Jul-23 18:24:06

GrannyGravy13

maddyone I have read on more than one occasion that you should never wear white underwear under white clothing.

If I am wearing white jeans/trousers or shirt/t-shirt or even a dress, then I always wear nude/flesh colour matching underwear as it goes with everything.

Absolutely. Flesh coloured under white clothes. I don’t like flesh coloured underwear so don’t often wear white clothes. Almost all my underwear is black or navy. I don’t like white either.