Improving How Society Dresses—Dress Well, Don’t Moralize

Keeping in mind Oscar Wilde’s dictum that “fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months,” I am not about to suggest following its trends. Neither will I advocate either for or against dressing in ways calculated to make oneself the center of attention, turn heads, and so on. If you enjoy such things, by all means, indulge yourself. Otherwise, leave them to those who do.

What I will argue is that those who want social standards of dress raised above t-shirts and sweatpants will fail to influence more than a small handful through moralistic arguments. For aesthetic reasons, wearing a jacket without a tie for day-to-day activities is my sole, grudging concession to contemporary casual customs; and I’d much prefer if men attended sporting events dressed as formally as they did a century ago. But if there is no denying that looking put together is tied up with respect for others and so on, I still have a hard time seeing how the matter can have more than limited moral significance. Most will consider the use of moralistic arguments for dressing better to be evidence that doing so, being Catholic, or both is for the pedantic, the priggish, or the just plain dull.

Only one thing will induce most people to voluntarily dress better: thinking that those who do so look good and wanting to imitate them.

First, last, and above all, anyone wanting to have such an influence must focus on aesthetics. Women must be careful to treat modesty as a mere prerequisite, not a goal. Its purpose is to set boundaries to the permissible. Within those boundaries, looking good—understood at least more or less the same way the rest of our society understands it—must be the only concern. The fact of being modestly dressed should never be noticeable. People should notice only a well-dressed woman who just happens to not be wearing anything too revealing.

Secondly, wear what you like regardless of whether it is classic or fashionable, bold or understated. Not only is this, in itself, more sensible than wearing what one might imagine will influence others, it is also more likely to be influential. Whatever your tastes, some will share them. People who see elevated attire as a choice between Cordings, J. Press, and Armani are more likely to wear it than if they see it as conformity to a particular style. Even for those with tastes different from yours, feeling and seeming natural in what you wear is key. 

Being ultra-stylish is unnecessary. If it will increase the appeal for many, it will create an impression of artificiality when attempted by those who do not naturally enjoy it; if treated as a standard, it will intimidate others and will leave the soberly inclined indifferent. Dressing reasonably well is all that is needed, and that can be achieved by almost anyone with a little time and effort.

If you have not previously given much thought to clothing, you must, of course, do so. Begin with examining what others wear to see what you like. Given how casual our society is, a good starting point will be movies or television shows set during periods when people habitually dressed well in clothing similar enough to today’s (early- to mid-20th century) or the better dressed social milieus of more recent decades (a popular setting for spy stories). Men would do well to familiarize themselves with the three basic stylistic traditions: American, English, and Italian—the terms coming from where styles originated rather than where they are necessarily worn. Parallels for women should be easily discoverable.

Try to obtain factual information about the clothing you like on others. A reasonable number of books and websites can provide such information. Magazines, otherwise typically useless, can be excellent guides for those who prefer to follow fashion. Except in a limited number of independent stores, mini-chains (with a handful of locations), and tailors, be cautious about the advice of those from whom clothing is purchased. Recommendations about what colors, patterns, fabrics, shapes, and so on that are best worn by people of this, that, or the next height, weight, skin color, hair color, and so on should be ignored whenever they conflict with personal preferences.

Most importantly, keep in mind that advice almost inevitably reflects the preferences of those giving it.

In terms of how formally to dress, anyone wishing to be well-dressed must restrict ultra-casual clothes—“athleisure,” sweatpants, sweatshirts, t-shirts, synthetic “performance fabrics,” and so on—to particular activities and change out of them once finished, even if remaining home all day. Those most committed to an elevated appearance can remain all day in clothes worn to Sunday Mass or—in the case of traditional business attire—to work. Otherwise, “smart casual” attire—cotton twill or corduroy pants, collared shirts, sweaters (depending on weather), and (for those so-inclined) “odd jackets” like hacking jackets and blazers—allows a person to look reasonably elevated without seeming to overdo things.