What's the dress code like in your city?

[statlerwaldorf]

People dress very casual here. Several people wore jeans to my wedding and someone wore denim overalls to my uncle's funeral. Poor DH sticks out like a sore thumb. The first week we moved here some random stranger told him that he wasn't like the country folks from around here.

[liveintheville]

Jan 27, 2013 19:31:28 GMT -5 fuddyduddy said:

www.gq.com/style/fashion/201107/worst-dressed-cities-america#slide=40

One of the many reasons I love Somerville. There is no normal and nobody cares.

It's laundry day so I am wearing black tights, green and blue tweed skirt, t-shirt with graphic of a rabbit sleeping that says "Dreaming of Carrots and World Domination", a purple cardigan, and black chucks. I went out wearing this and didn't get a single weird look. 

[mbcdefg]

Weddings: cocktail dresses/suits for guests; wedding party wears tuxes and usually long dresses

Showers: skirts or dresses, but dark jeans and a nice top and heels/boots are common

Work: I can wear jeans, but in other jobs I've had to wear dress pants. MH is a teacher and currently wears khakis and polo shirts. At his first school he had to wear a shirt and tie.

Errands/eating out/out with friends jeans and a t-shirt or sometimes a sweater, and sneakers. If I'm just going to the supermarket I sometimes wear yoga pants.

[Deleted]

We call it " PataGucci" here. It's expensive, but laid back. $500 Patagonia down jacket artfully and intentionally ripped and patched with duct tape to look "worn in." $300 designer jeans and $800 custom cowboy boots. And a Kate Spade/ Coach/ Channel purse. No, really I've seen one woman wear all of those things at the same time.

[BNL2]

Nice jeans are acceptable in all social situations. I've even seen jeans at evening weddings, usually paired with cowboy boots. I would wear jeans to to a shower, work, out to dinner, and to a nightclub. I personally draw the line at weddings.

[kadams767]

It's pretty casual, I guess, but I've never seen someone wear jeans to a shower or a wedding, so apparently it's not as casual as other places.

[Deleted]

short, rubber boots & dirt shirt.. I live a block from the shrimp docks. The only people I ever see at the store are dirty shrimpers, or contractors, or charter captains. Earlier I saw my neighbor running/jogging in work boots, & jean shorts...

[takeonyou]

I lived in Philly, now in NJ outside of the city and it is super casual. Jeans are acceptable almost anywhere. If you have on a Phillies or Eagles jersey, that is considered dressed up. I frequently see people in pj's at stores in Jersey.

I wear dresses to weddings and funerals only. Otherwise I am really overdressed. Showers are nice jeans, boots/heels, and a cute top.

[Here]

I have never thought to wear a dress to a shower. I guess I just wear jeans. I can't remember what I wore the last time. I will wear dresses to weddings. I have some pretty dresses but I don't have a lot of places to wear them. If I go out to eat in one, I feel like the awkward couple going to a really nice restaurant for a special occasion. People who look like regulars wear nice jeans and a top.

My city is not fashionable.

[lilibet]

Very casual. Like people go to the store in pajama pants and hoodies casual. The basic outfit though is jeans and hoodie or t-shirt.



I wore khakis and a sweater to a baby shower once and was so horribly overdressed I felt uncomfortable. Everyone else was in jeans. I think we even had people at our wedding in jeans though I only know that from some photos we have.

eta - my office is very casual. I tend to wear dark jeans with a cardigan and boots or flats and I'm very dressed up compared to my coworkers. Most wear sweatshirts.

[ladygirl]

Pretty casual here. My husband's law firm allows shorts and polos on Fridays in the summer. He has actually worn flip flops to work (not court, obviously!). My firm dress code is not so nice. We have to wear panty hose when we wear skirts or dresses, which blows in the summer when it's a bajillion degrees outside.
As for outside work, it varies from the Lululemon moms to the little old ladies in pearls who pull out their furs the moment is turns "cold" aka 79 degrees.

[Deleted]

Having read the responses, I'll say in NY yoga pants are for going to the gym and whatever errands you may do before or after, and you don't see pajama pants or sweatpants anywhere really. And gym-type sneakers are for going to the gym/running only. Well, and for tourists.

[ESF]

From that GQ link:

But would it kill you, San Francisco, to give the fleece a rest and put on a blazer for a night? We get it though, it can't be easy to be the intellectual capital of the country—just know that there are options out there, and that a wardrobe bought entirely from REI is not a source of pride.

X 10000

I got my first adult fleece coat last year. My mother almost fell over herself when I asked her for one for Christmas. I wouldn't have been caught dead in one on the east coast, but now I need something that goes a little better with the yoga pants I wear everywhere than a wool pea coat.

[gt7301b]

Jan 27, 2013 19:04:29 GMT -5 @carmensandiego said:

I don't feel like I live in an especially dressy area, but around here if you wore jeans to a bridal or baby shower the other ladies there might clutch their pearls and then use the phrase "bless her heart" when talking about your outfit afterward.

I love it people work "bless her heart" in conversation.

[gt7301b]

Jan 27, 2013 20:18:56 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

That article says people in Seattle still wear a ton of plaid flannel. I don't think we're well dressed but you don't really see that.

It's very casual here.

Maybe they think it is still the 90's.

[MrsE]

Jan 27, 2013 20:40:09 GMT -5 swizz said:

DC is by no means a fashionable city, but I'd say people typically dress nicely, just plain, for showers and occasions like that.

Agreed. I think DC and NoVA residents have a very classic look. Banana, J Crew, Ann Taylor and Loft seem to be staples among the late 20somethings along with Cole Haan or Tory Burch flats and/or classic pumps and Kate Spade, Marc Jacobs, or Michael Kohrs bags. I see elementary aged kids with coach purses around here. It's ridic. I can wear jeans on casual Friday, but DH has to wear a suit and tie every. single. day. I would never in a million years wear jeans to a shower. I don't think I have ever seen anyone not wearing a dress, skirt, or tailored black, blue, or grey pants to a shower.


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[lilibet]

A friend posted photos on fb of her family at a lunch after her grandma's funeral - almost everyone was in jeans. A few of the older people were in black pants but everyone else had jeans on. That blew my mind, I would feel so wrong wearing jeans to a funeral.

[cjeanette]

Jan 27, 2013 22:04:32 GMT -5 lilibet said:

A friend posted photos on fb of her family at a lunch after her grandma's funeral - almost everyone was in jeans. A few of the older people were in black pants but everyone else had jeans on. That blew my mind, I would feel so wrong wearing jeans to a funeral.

My dad wears black jeans. The only time I have even seen him not in denim was my wedding day.

I think my city is all over the map with dress.

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[Deleted]

Jan 27, 2013 19:04:29 GMT -5 @carmensandiego said:

I don't feel like I live in an especially dressy area, but around here if you wore jeans to a bridal or baby shower the other ladies there might clutch their pearls and then use the phrase "bless her heart" when talking about your outfit afterward.

Haha, yeah. I feel like Atlanta is pretty casual in that people wear jeans to the nicest restaurants in town. This used to piss me off because we were spending 10% of a month's rent on dinner, and dammit I wanted to dress up and not feel weird about it! LOL

But people definitely dress up for showers/weddings/church. I have lots and lots of sundresses. We went to see The Producers tonight, and I wore this dress: 

[casmgn]

Jan 27, 2013 20:56:09 GMT -5 takeonyou said:

I lived in Philly, now in NJ outside of the city and it is super casual. Jeans are acceptable almost anywhere. If you have on a Phillies or Eagles jersey, that is considered dressed up. I frequently see people in pj's at stores in Jersey.

I wear dresses to weddings and funerals only. Otherwise I am really overdressed. Showers are nice jeans, boots/heels, and a cute top.

You live in south Jersey though. That is a completely different world than the rest of the state.

[tacokick]

Jan 27, 2013 18:27:26 GMT -5 v said:

New York is a pretty casual city. Very, very, very few restaurants and such require more than jeans. Most offices (including many law firms but, sadly, not mine) in businessy areas (midtown, Financial District) seem to be business casual, though I swear that half of the people leaving my building in the morning are in jeans (I think we have a lot of residents in fashion and other creative fields).

But I would not wear jeans to a shower. And I have no idea what people wear to church.

But NYers always have nice jeans on and good shoes and tops. Much higher standard of casual than in other cities I've been too.

[sydney02]

Jan 27, 2013 21:37:53 GMT -5 gt7301b said:

Jan 27, 2013 19:04:29 GMT -5 @carmensandiego said:

I don't feel like I live in an especially dressy area, but around here if you wore jeans to a bridal or baby shower the other ladies there might clutch their pearls and then use the phrase "bless her heart" when talking about your outfit afterward.

I love it people work "bless her heart" in conversation.

When I lived in Florida outside of Tampa, it was the opposite for me. I always felt dressed up for every single event. Women would ask, "Why'd you dress up? Now I feel underdressed." It was very casual there.

Where I used to live in New Jersey was super preppy so maybe that had an affect on the way I dressed. Now I love being dressed nice but casual. I live outside of Richmond where you really see all kinds of dress but I do see a lot of preppy also in the west end of the city. I think that trickled down from DC. 


That article is really bad as in poorly written, IMO. It pretty much slams all the big cities in the US. According to the article, nobody dresses nice. 

[Deleted]

Jan 27, 2013 23:37:38 GMT -5 tacokick said:

But NYers always have nice jeans on and good shoes and tops. Much higher standard of casual than in other cities I've been too.

I'll definitely give you that.  People tend to care a lot about fashion, there are a lot of ridiculously fashionable people here, and you see a lot of expensive clothes and particularly accessories.  But it is a fashionable but pretty casual place compared to a lot of cities.

[Deleted]

Pretty casual. People wear jeans almost everywhere now. I would say most women still wear dresses to weddings but, for example, I often see women wearing dark jeans, boots/heels, and a cute top at nice expensive restaurants.

The last wedding I went to I wore pants, heels, and a dressy top with cardigan. It was a small, casual wedding but still I didn't feel out of place or anything.

[Deleted]

in the morning Lululemon and going out is dressed up (although dressed up often means $200 jeans)

[ssmjlm]

Even if I lived in an area that was pretty casual, I still cannot fathom wearing jeans to a shower or funeral.

I would rather throw on a sundress and nice flip flops than jeans for a shower.

Although I went to a baby shower before the holidays and was one of the few women in a dress, the mom to be even had on jeans.

[scout8]

I thought it was casual here until I read this thread. You would not see jeans at a wedding, shower, or funeral. For most restaurants, jeans would be appropriate, but they will be paired with a nice top and accessories. I grew up in a small town a few hours away and it is much more casual there.

[LoveTrains]

Jan 27, 2013 23:03:43 GMT -5 casmgn said:

Jan 27, 2013 20:56:09 GMT -5 takeonyou said:

I lived in Philly, now in NJ outside of the city and it is super casual. Jeans are acceptable almost anywhere. If you have on a Phillies or Eagles jersey, that is considered dressed up. I frequently see people in pj's at stores in Jersey.

I wear dresses to weddings and funerals only. Otherwise I am really overdressed. Showers are nice jeans, boots/heels, and a cute top.

You live in south Jersey though. That is a completely different world than the rest of the state.

But here's the thing, I grew up in South Jersey and have been to countless bridal/baby showers in South Jersey and Philly. And no one I know would wear jeans to a shower. Everyone would wear a cute dress or a skirt. 

TBH, I find this whole thread bizarre. I think the probably New England and DC are "dressier" than other parts of the country. For instance I only wear jeans out to dinner if I am going to someplace that is super casual. Otherwise I would wear a dress or a skirt. But it sounds like people that live in similar areas of the country than me dress differently. I think there are some other elements at work other than regional differences, although I admit that regional differences do exist. I thought Seattle and San Francisco were super duper casual compared to where I live. 

I don't know, personally I know so many people in my specific neighborhood that I am basically not caught out of the house without pearls unless I am going to the gym. 

[RandZB]

I think Atlanta is a little more casual/modern when it comes to shower dress. In Birmingham you wear slacks and a top or a dress. As far as every day, I wear jeans once or twice a week to work and everywhere on the weekends. Always with nice shoes and a nice top, but jeans nonetheless.