Charming Diplomat said:
At 45, I don’t go out as much as I used to. So when I got an invitation to attend an event at the Rooftop Bar in Arlington, I said yes. I realize when my daily routine is getting a little pedestrian, that it’s important for me to venture out to observe others in settings in which I’m not familiar. I enjoy watching people, and I am particularly interested in seeing how people dress for events.
We arrived early, had a nice touch up on makeup by the accommodating folks from Revlon, snapped some photos, and sipped a couple of relaxing glasses of wine. We were the first guests to hit the main floor, and we made small talk with the bartenders until we found just the right seats. We checked out the party food and settled into our seats for hummus and spinach dip.
Guests started to arrive around 6:30 p.m., and as I anticipated, dress varied widely. Some wore suits and dresses, perhaps just having left work. Others wore jeans. Some were ultra chic with spiked pumps and designer dresses, while some were hipster in skinny jeans and Elvis Costello glasses. I fell somewhere in the middle, I guess. Most of my clothes need to do double-duty, easily merging from the workplace to dinner, and I was on the top end of the planned age range designated by the event planners so I expected to be one of the more conservatively dressed.
Overhead music got louder and louder as the event progressed. I’m amused to report that the music had just reached a volume I found too loud at the time we left. Although I didn’t stay long, it was worth it to take in just how folks are mingling these days. Thanks for the invitation, SE!
Seasoned Elegance said:
My wingman (wingwoman really) CD was being incredibly nice, as she usually is (which is why she is so charming and so diplomatic). I, on the other hand, am brutally honest.
About women -- There was a time at this event in which I wanted to go up to some women and ask if they were looking for a date or their next trick. I mean come on ladies, don't go showing all the goods when the guy hasn't even bought you a drink yet!
About the men -- They looked like they just came from a sporting event with baseball caps, T-shirts, jeans, Nike shoes. Guys, you are here to put your best foot forward and meet lovely women, not catch up on the latest sports scores with the dudes!
The exceptions -- There were exceptions on both sides. Obviously me and CD weren't dressed as 20-something hoochy mommas or sports fans. We were in the middle as CD said above. And we saw some nicely dressed gentlemen in suits, jackets and nice shirts (some even wore ties, that's a bonus in my book). And there were some nicely dressed women in conservative dresses and business attire.
The moral of this story -- People, regardless of your age, dress the way you want to be treated. Men, if you want women to take you seriously, you need to put a little more effort into looking like someone a gal would like to show off to her girlfriends. Women, if you want to be taken seriously, you need to start leaving a little bit more to the guy's imagination and be someone they would want to show off to their family.
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