Is Getting Dressed Up Becoming a Lost Art?

Somewhere between working from home, living in leggings, and wearing sneakers with literally everything, we quietly stopped getting dressed up. I recently talked about this on ON NJ Mornings, inspired by a thought-provoking New York Times piece by fashion critic Vanessa Friedman asking a simple but surprisingly complicated question: What does dressing up mean today?

There was a time when getting ready felt like part of the experience. Dinner reservations meant pulling out your favorite dress. Date night called for heels. Flying on an airplane? You actually looked polished. Even going shopping or meeting friends for lunch felt like an occasion to express your personal style.

Today, the rules have changed. Remote work, athleisure, and our post-pandemic lifestyles have blurred the line between everyday clothes and special-occasion fashion. Sneakers have replaced heels in many offices, luxury restaurants are filled with a bit more dressed-down looks, and I've even fallen into putting on denim so quickly when I'm going out.

Vanessa Friedman makes an interesting point: dressing up isn't really about following fashion rules anymore it's about intention. Because here's the thing: when there are no rules, getting dressed becomes a personal choice. I'm not saying everyone needs to wear stilettos to the grocery store (although I probably wouldn't mind). But I do think we've lost something by always reaching for the easiest option.

Fashion has always been more than fabric. It's confidence. It's self-expression. It's the energy you bring into a room before you've even said hello. What we wear influences how we feel about ourselves, how we show up, and yes even the first impression we make.

Maybe dressing up today doesn't have to mean black tie or formal gowns. Maybe it simply means wearing the outfit that makes you feel your most confident, your most creative, or your most glamorous. Fashion should be fun.

So the next time you're deciding between the sweatshirt and the dress hanging in your closet, maybe choose the dress. Wear the heels. Put on the statement earrings.