The style that those with a highly relaxed, natural and more casual personality style find hardest to wear is evening wear. All that fuss, uncomfortable clothing (and possibly underwear required), high heels, highly groomed.
Do you really have to dress up? Does it really matter?
Are these a couple of questions you ask yourself?
If this is you, it can be hard to dress up enough to fit in (and you’re likely to end up underdressed as it just doesn’t feel like you).
So what to wear to be appropriate, fulfill the host’s desired dress code and still feel like you?
7 Dressing Tips for the Dominantly Relaxed Personality For Evening Wear
- Look for stretch fabrics in styles that express evening wear
- Looser styles may be more comfortable, but ensure that the fabrics are still dressy, think lace or something with sheen such as silk.
- Styles that have extra drape (they are less ‘purely practical’) in design can feel more dressy than something that is plain. Detail adds interest to garments and makes them more formal.
- Shoes that have sheen, either a metallic finish or a satin finish always look dressier.
- Shoes with embellishment and crystal decoration add an evening look to your outfit.
- Make sure you include a bag that is smaller (clutch size) that has a strap so you can have your hands free.
- Add sparkle with jewellery that will finish off your outfit.
Imogen, fantastic post!
I love being casually dressed and wear little makeup and you really understand the issues for dressing the relaxed personality. Your suggestions are spot on. I don’t mind a tiny bit of sparkle and sheen but still love to be comfortable. I went to a wedding a few years ago and wore black satin sling-backs with kitten heels & big crystal flower embellishment.
Thanks
So good to know what really works and then just run with it!
Great post! Truly insightful in understanding the relaxed personality (as I am). Thankyou
Very timely post, Imogen. Hadn’t realised I am ‘dominantly relaxed’ but it is me to a ‘t’. I was kidding myself I could dress up a nice day dress and wear it to a formal evening event at the end of the week. So now I know -wrong material, don’t kid myself
Oh, my.. I finally get it. No more mistakes! Well, at least not so obvious ones.. Thank you!! Having to go to one of these awkward occasions and try to be “festive” about it is bad enough in the first place, dressing uncomfortably on top of that is some kind of torture. Hmmm.. Shoes. I need to consciously go hunt for this type of shoes. The rest I can begin to manage by combining things differently. Which is pretty darn awesome!!
Glad to help! I think as the world has become more casual which makes the Relaxed personality styles happier, it becomes much harder for them to interpret their style into more formal dressing
Exceedingly helpful. Many years ago I worked for a company which had formal black tie Christmas events each year. I hated them but had to go as it was career limiting not to go. Clothing and shoes was always tough! I wish I had had this advice then.
Great article Imogen!!! This is so me! Now I know what to do! Thank you!
I have been on a couple of cruises for big birthdays and really struggled over what to wear for the formal nights, also everyone tends to dress up even in the bar on other nights! I opted for a dark coloured jumpsuit with wide legs and fitted top, in a slinky stretch jersey, plus small bag and flat but sparkly sandals as not a heels sort of gal. On other nights, I wore a long jersey floral skirt, straight, but with a side slit and stretch again. Actually it was quite a casual skirt, but as it had a black background with red flowers on it, I wore with a black top, rather than usual day time tee shirt, and flat black, but dressy looking shoes and jewellery plus black tights. I love things that can be worn as daytime casual, then be dressed up to look night time, it makes packing so much easier as well.