Are dresses coming back in style?

[Retro Spectator]

I was away for a week in Cape Cod, and I noticed there were lots of women wearing dresses. Most of them were wearing maxi dresses, but I noticed about half of them were wearing New Look dresses. About 25% of all women I saw there were wearing dresses. Are dresses coming back in style?

A funny thing I noticed was that when there were men with them, the men looked like slobs, because the woman/women they were with were wearing dresses, while they were wearing t-shirts and jeans.

 

[KatPower]

In my opinion, dresses never went out of style. At least not in my part of the world. I'm from western Canada and I see girls wearing dresses year round, though they're definitely more plentiful in the spring and summertime (Canadian winters are bitterly cold and sometimes wool tights don't cut it in -40 C). Maxi dresses are really popular in the hotter months but I also see versions of the New Look style, though they're typically much shorter than the original! While I'd say the number of girls who wear dresses vs. those who don't is around 50/50 in my parts, when I lived in England the ratio was much higher. I rarely saw a girl not wearing a dress. The ones who wore jeans tended to be international students. The same could be said about other parts of Europe I visited.

If I see a girl wearing a loose or ill fitting dress and the guy is in a t-shirt and shorts, I don't think he looks sloppy in comparison because I think some modern styles of dresses out there are kind of sloppy looking too. But if a girl is dressed to the nines and the guy's in rumpled, casual clothing? Yeah, it'd look weird. There are definitely moments when I feel overdressed in comparison to the gentlemen and ladies I'm hanging around. Sometimes I'm even lambasted for it because I'm making them feel underdressed. Thing is, half the time I'm not even that dressed up. But I guess anything remotely put together can be considered "dressed up" in comparison to some of the things people wear these days... [huh]

 

[TSP13]

I always see women in dresses, especially in the summertime, they're mostly casual things from department stores. I would agree to say dresses changed, but they haven't really ever went out of style even with lots of women wearing trousers.

 

[MamaMidnight]

As a woman who is in her late 20's I can say that yes, dresses are becoming much more common as casual and office attire again. There are a number of contributing pop culture reasons.
Look at the way popular women dress in shows like New Girl,The Big Bang Theory, Girls, The Mindy Project...
Also there are lots of online shops who cater to women who enjoy a modern look with a nod to vintage style.
ModCloth.com is a great example. Stylish casual dresses that are affordable for a young professional.

 

[fgradowski]

A funny thing I noticed was that when there were men with them, the men looked like slobs, because the woman/women they were with were wearing dresses, while they were wearing t-shirts and jeans.

Funny you should say that. This is the story of my life. I will get all dressed up in stockings, petticoat, 50's dress, makeup, etc. and my fiance will be in jeans and an old t-shirt. I have tried in the nicest way possible to explain to him how funny it looks when we go out. I don't think he will ever change unless I go out and buy his clothes for him. Sad face. But then every time he does have to wear a suit I tell him just how good he looks in it. Still doesn't seem to make him want to try a little harder on a daily basis.
Here we are at the most recent affair he was forced to dress up for:

He looks soooo good, but I did pick out the bow tie.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The kids at work, who range in age from 19 to 26, are all enthusiastic dress-wearers. Their dresses tend to be very lightweight and short, even in the deepest pit of winter, and they tend to favor bare legs at a time of year when wool stockings would be prudent, but they're wearing dresses, and they're wearing them about as often as they wear pants.

We even had a guy working here for a while a few years back, who liked to wear a kilt. And he wasn't even Scottish.

 

[APP Adrian]

Dresses are always in style. The reason why men like dresses because it gives us something to think about, and the temptation to see if we can have a peak gets us going =). Dresses make a women look innocent, which is a good thing. There's a reason why modesty is very attractive, not because of religious reasons, because it gives men something to think about.

 

[St. Louis]

... and they say romance is dead!

 

[Stormy]

... looks as if someone has proven that it is!

 

[LizzieMaine]

They're welcome to a peek if they want it. My thighs are lumpy, scarred and covered in cat scratches.

 

[Bixie Bliss]

Dresses are definitely back. Tea and skater dresses are very popular here. As for getting men thinking, I'm pretty sure we all have the same bodies underneath jeans as well. I'd rather someone was thinking I've put my outfit together well than what's underneath!

 

[Trenchfriend]

Elegant women in summer-dresses, smelling of Cacharel's "Anais Anais". Sweeeeeet... :love:

 

[Grant Fan]

I wasn't aware that dresses went out of style. But I manage to make it most of the summer (all of it outside of the gym and my house) in dresses and skirts. The thing it they are much cooler in the summer. And honestly I think warmer in the winter because of tights and socks and boots and because I don't wear tight skirt I wear biker shorts under them. Also even if it is just a t-shirt dress it looks like I have tried harder than I actually have.

 

[Wells]

Nothing better than a lady in a great dress.

Though, like everything, the dress has to be worn right and suit the individual.

I'm longing for those summer days to watch my lady wave her gorgeous dress in the sun. Sweet serenity.

 

[LizzieMaine]

We had an Oscar Night party at the theatre last weekend, and all the Theatre Kids came to work in elegant gowns. But it was a chilly night, so underneath the gowns they all wore long pants. Best of both worlds.

 

[Miss Moonlight]

I don't think dresses have ever gone out of style, but from a man's perspective, seeing women's clothes trends- due to the shows mentioned above and such- might make it seem that way. Trends and and what's in style aren't always the same thing.

IA funny thing I noticed was that when there were men with them, the men looked like slobs, because the woman/women they were with were wearing dresses, while they were wearing t-shirts and jeans.

Like some other ladies here, I have always had this happen. "Why are you all dressed up and he's not?" When I wasn't dressed *up* I was just dressed. I'm lucky in that my husband will get dressed and then if he feels I'm dressier, he'll take his up a notch. He likes to dress nice, he just doesn't always think about it.

 

[AmateisGal]

I've stopped wearing pants in the summer and wear dresses with leggings instead. It is SO much more comfortable. I feel that it looks much nicer, as well.

 

[Fading Fast]

Just noticed this thread (and read the guidelines). While I've heard the idea before, and certainly women wear dresses less regularly than they did in the GE, it's never seen to me as if they are going away. Having dated for many years before meeting my girlfriend twenty years ago, my impression from that time - and from my female friends today - is that women like dresses as on option not a requirement - then they can choose where and when to wear them.

Most men and women want their clothes to be practical and attractive - so having the option to or not to wear a dress, IMHO, ensures dresses will be part of the mix as most women, IMHO, like how they look and feel in certain dresses on certain occasions. Like most things in life, if we aren't forced - are free to choose - the debate quickly quiets down and everyone does what they like while a few bossy people grumble because they couldn't force their opinions on others.

My girlfriend wears dresses about 30% of the time and loves that she doesn't have to wear them as a requirement (literally or owing to strong social norms) like when she was growing up. Now, free to chose, she loves buying them - because they are the ones she likes, not the ones she "needs -" and loves wearing them because she only does so when she feels like it.

 

[DJH]

A funny thing I noticed was that when there were men with them, the men looked like slobs, because the woman/women they were with were wearing dresses, while they were wearing t-shirts and jeans.

Hey, if I'm not at work the only time I'm not wearing t-shirt and jeans is if I'm wearing t-shirt and cargo shorts. I live in the 21st Century, not the 1950's.

I'm probably wearing a nice hat though [emoji1]

 

[sheeplady]

I hate pants. Hate hate hate pants. The darned things don't ever fit me correctly.

If working in a skirt given some of the things I do was an option, I'd likely have no pants. Fortunately, I have no desire to die in a horrific chainsaw accident while wearing a skirt.

If you haven't sensed it yet, I hate pants.

A skirt is as easy to pull on as a pair of jeans, but yet you get credit for "dressing up." I've gotten much more casual since having kids, but because I manage to pull on a dress and some jewelry, I've been told that I haven't "backslid into being frumpy like most moms." I even got called stylish the other day.

So, I think as long as women get "extra" credit for dressing up and pants remain the vortex of evil, skirts and dresses will never go out of style.