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Dressing Well Is A Form Of Good Manners
Apr
Dressing Well Is A Form Of Good Manners, Tom Ford said it so it must be true
‘Dressing well is a form of good manners’, you probably seen it strewn across a plethora of social media memes, plus quoted and mis-quoted by every fashionista and ‘style influencer’ you see at London Fashion Week but do you really understand it? What does Tom Ford mean when he says ‘Dressing well is a form of good manners’?
Well we think the quote/statement can be translated to mean, if you’ve gone to the effort of dressing your best (or well), it shows a sign of respect to whoever crosses your path or whoever you have planned to meet. Does this mean you have to wear a suit everywhere you go, everyday? Ha! if only! (*listens for cash register*). You won’t have to wear a suit everywhere you go because not every occasion calls for a suit. It means dress your best respectively to the occasion.
Lets say for example you were invited to a nice dinner, or went on a date, or invited by the queen to Buckingham palace, what would would you wear and how much thought would go into it? How about you’re just hanging around with friends, then what would the attire be and thought process? And why is it? Top guesses would say you would have on your best clothing in your wardrobe or maybe even new clothes for the first 3 accompanied by extensive thought, and perhaps the first thing you lay your hands on for the last occasion. Why dress you’re absolute best for the first 3? This can only be one thing, Respect.
If you would dress better (or well) to see the queen or a date as a mark of respect or to impress, is it fair to say that dressing down (or thoughtlessly) to see other people is a sign of disrespect? Perhaps. Maybe you could argue that friends don’t require you to make an effort and in almost every case they don’t. So what was the purpose of this post?
Simple..
If you’re the kind of person who cares about being well mannered then it extends from the simple bows, graces, please and thank you’s (and even clean language), its in the way you dress too! As there are many occasions when you’re not meeting friends or not on a date or interview. Its those occasions in the middle, the sweet spot. Be aware of how you approach those situations in the way you dress. With that being said even friends should get the respect of seeing you’ve thought well about you attire choice (and combination) too, even if you feel they don’t expect it.
p.s. ‘Dressing well’ is a very subjective term and can only be determined by wearer. Anybody else’s conclusion on how you’ve dressed is simply an opinion.
p.s.s. ‘Dressing well’ is not to be confused with dressing appropriately.
Kanye West Dresses Disrespectfully
Fun Fact: Kanyes West once put a twist on the quote and referred top his great dressing as disrespectful rather than respectful (But its meant in a good way. Like how ‘bad’ doesn’t always mean bad but cool?! He’s easily been the most stylish entertainer for years now – subjective we know!). He rapped “My outfit so disrespectful…you can go ‘head and sneeze cause my presence blessed you…I mean, we walked in this ***** so stylish…”
What type of man are you? Do good manners matter?
Let us know how far your manners stretch. Comment below, we’d love to hear your thoughts.
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“Dress carelessly or shabbily, people will remember the clothes. Dress appropriately for the occasion, and people will remember you.” Like it or not, we are books and people judge us by our covers. Tom Ford is correct in his assessment that dressing well is good manners. I was taught these principles in the Navy during OIS training (we called it “Fork & Knife School).
Look Sharp, Be Sharp: How The Clothes You Wear Change What People Hear You Say.
There’s actual science to back this up. A 2015 paper published in the Social Psychological and Personality Science Journal, proved that people who wore more formal outfits performed better on cognitive tasks. Finally, a 2012 study from Northwestern University coined the term “enclothed cognition” to illustrate the psychological effect clothing has on its wearer.
TF’s quote has been a favorite for a while, ever since I first read it. I really like the one you commented, too.
Hearing a bit about the science is interesting. I always think about it in terms of psychology and one’s mental state.
I’m not a man but I certainly appreciate clothes (for any gender) that fit well and at least appear to be good quality — it’s a way to show your quiet confidence. It’s a form of self expression through art…
Mainly, though, there’s more than a little to be said about fixing your hair and ditching the big tshirt ď comfy pants. It personally makes me feel better on so many levels and that’s simply priceless.
Another thing — something my mom has said for decades,… “If you can look better, why not do it?”
For one, all we’re doing is getting older, so take advantage of whatever level of youth you’re on (I’ve made it to lvl40 lol), because while aging is beautiful in itself (better than the alternative, as everyone says), who doesn’t want a fit body, youthful skin, and all of their hair, etc…??
My mom (…is my best friend & she’s just beautiful and has always cared about looking good and taking care of her quality items. I dress nothing like her [boho rock here] yet I know I curated my individual style and condemn for quality through her example) …she also used to nag when I was younger and would stay in pajamas for far too long.
She told me that she is the one who had to look at me(!) and that struck a chord.
Ofc I’m not going to wear formal attire to see my friends & family on a normal day, but seeing as I don’t know the Queen (and never will), it only makes sense that the people whom I love & care about should be the ones most deserving the respect that dressing well offers.
**I forgot to add (bc this needs to be the longest comment ever, apparently) that, as someone who is chronically ill & has stayed home basically all year [autoimmune bs], getting out of my studio dance pants & this hoodie (1 of my ~57) that’s big enough to give me sweater paws does SO much for me.
I’ll have to look up what you commented as I can vouch that enclothed cognition (I think that’s what you wrote..) is most def a thing. At least on some level.
If you look good you tend to feel good..
(oh, & you read this article the day I was leveled up to 40! I know that’s of no consequence but I like seeing my birthday!:))
He is absolutely correct. If you don’t think meeting with me is worth getting out of your hoodie, you’re being disrespectful. If you dress like a bum and go to work, you’re telling your co-workers they aren’t important enough to warrant your effort to look presentable.