Dress puss-when dressing incorrectly goes wrong

Dress puss- when dressing incorrectly goes wrong

In attempts to put together a fabulous outfit, one can mix too many trends or wear the wrong outfit for particular events. One of my uncles calls this “dress puss” — the term became a thing for us when he once described his wife’s attire in that way. My aunt was wearing tons of accessories, a faux fur scarf, busy looking hat, and high heels. Being that she was overdressed for where they were going, my uncle looked at her and said, "you look like a dress puss."

The photographed attire is all sorts of being a “dress puss”. Way too many themes at one time. We are set for a snow adventure while attending a Cinderella Ball, to then decide later on to lounge around the house outside basking in the sun. It’s out of place and quite overwhelming. Work on sticking to one theme.

In many cases, the saying "it's better to be overdressed than underdressed" just doesn’t apply. As a sports fanatic, I’ve had the privilege to attend many sporting events. It’s tragic to watch women dressed up in four-inch heels, a mini skirt that barely covers her treasured goods, going up the stairs to the nosebleed section to watch a football game. This type of woman is caught in a fabulous case of being a dress puss. When stepping out of the house, women love to look their best. However, if dressed incorrectly for a particular event, you can give off the wrong impression… like the women who overdress for a football game. If you're not sitting courtside or have a box seat, its best to go with the flow of the sports theme. I am a girly girl that loves football and basketball. When I attend these games, I dress in the team apparel. There are so many stores nowadays that sell trendy sporting clothing for girly girls.

I live in Florida and the weather is known for being tropical. However, our winter consists of a few days of 60-degree weather, which is unbearable for us flamencos. I have a friend named Joy who wanted to get the interest of a guy she was crushing on. We were going to meet his friends at a sporting event and in wanting to get his attention, she decided to wear the team logo sweatshirt with extremely short shorts called "Daisy Dukes." This particular day happened to be one of those Florida winter days. While we were out, Joy was shivering because she desperately wanted to look cute for her crush. But, instead of getting his attention in a positive way, he only made fun of her for trying too hard when she knew it was cold outside. In the end, she didn't date her crush and he overlooked her. Ladies, I stress to you… men know when you're trying too hard. Let's recreate this scenario — Joy attended game with the same sports logo sweatshirt along with skinny jeans that would have shown her curvy figure and assets. She would have been dressed appropriately for the event, and warm, while looking very cute.

Here’s another example of dressing incorrectly: my girlfriend Ashley was going to a wedding on a cold Florida day. But this day was even colder; it happened to be an evening wedding where the weather dropped to a shocking 33 degrees! Burrrrrrrr. Ashley, like so many other girly girls, already pre-planned her outfit weeks ahead. She purchased her maxi dress during a hotter climate. The night of the wedding turned into a record cold evening for Florida. She insisted on wearing the maxi dress with sandals, even though it was going to be dreadfully cold. During her date, Ashley was extremely cold and shivering throughout the night. And, did I mention, it was an outside wedding? Poor Ashley was cold and her date tried to warm her up. She ended up getting a nasty cold right after and was sick for days. Ladies, I must stress to you once again… your health and comfort are not worth risking for a man. Let's try this scenario over again. Ashley attended a wedding wearing a sweater dress paired with knee-high boots and tied it all together with a beautiful scarf around her neck. Now, that would have been a fabulously cute and warm outfit. She may or may not have picked up a cold, but her teeth would not have been chattering louder than the music.

In my BMD “Before Married Days”, I enjoyed the club scene. A certain friend of mine was not used to it and didn’t know what to wear, so she ended up coming to the club looking like the Secretary of State instead of a sexy, hip female. She brought a huge tote bag that could hide a small army and topped it off with sensible, stubby heels. She had a case of the ‘ohhhhhhhh my my my’s’. With the art of caring and coaching, I was able to assist her with how to dress for the club. The next time she wore jeans with a cute flowy top, wedge heels and a matching clutch bag to tie up the entire outfit beautifully.

All of these ladies were being a dress puss. I'm a big advocate for dressing appropriately for any gathering and still being cute, sexy and fun. During my college partying days, my friends and I attended a pajama jam fraternity party. Since the party’s theme was ‘pajamas’, it allowed women to wear risqué lingerie. While the group of girls I attended party with wanted to be part of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, I dressed completely different from the pack. I wore baggy Calvin Klein pajama bottoms with a cut-off top. I was dressed for the theme but stood out from the rest of the ladies. While the men ogled the ladies, I was complimented differently from them because I didn't show all my unmentionable lady parts. The men kept coming up to me and complimenting my style. One of the fraternity guys said, "Out of all these girls, I find you to be the sexiest." That did not garner a warm response from the girls I came with who were trying to be overtly sexy. You see ladies, sometimes it's going against the grain.

Every setting is different, but as women, we have a long range of stylish clothes to wear for any occasion. All occasions should be done appropriately. If you’re going to the beach, wear beach attire. This shouldn't be the day to wear that full-length ball gown you been dying to wear. If you're attending a musical or play, try to dress cocktail savoy and not wear your latest grunge style. If you're going on a date and it depends on place and weather, please go with the appropriate setting and dress for the weather as well. I don't believe in the statement, "It's better to be overdressed than underdressed." It's better to be dressed appropriately at all times.

(The names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals)