If you’ve ever watched Mad Men, you’ll notice straight away that smart dress was standard practice for everyone in the 1960s and 1970s. Men wore suits, shirts, ties, and even hats (at least for a while), while women wore smart dresses every day.
Compared to modern offices, this period was a completely different world. Many modern businesses let their employees wear whatever makes them feel comfortable. Walk into most marketing agencies and you’ll find a sea of denim and T-shirts.
While it is nice to be able to go to work while wearing something that makes us feel comfortable, we can sometimes miss getting dressed up. Of course, we still get dressed up for special occasions like weddings, but these don’t happen very often. So if you are longing to put on something smart, here are some excuses you can use.
Date Night
If you feel the need to dress up but don’t want to do it alone. Why not plan a date night? If you don’t currently have a significant other, invite a friend instead and get dressed up together.
It doesn’t matter what you do, you could even get dressed up and stay at home to enjoy a freshly cooked meal. Or you can pick one (or several) of the options on this list to do together.
Casino
While the attire worn to casinos around the world can vary greatly, you’ll never look out of place dressed to the nines. Inside you’ll likely find people dressed smartly, some in jeans and t-shirts, and many somewhere in between.
Bigger casinos can be a great place to spend many hours, with restaurants, bars and entertainment, in addition to the gaming floor.
Another piece of advice from Mad Men’s overconfident Don Draper: if you act as you belong in the room, people will believe you do. When you plan a trip to a casino, make sure to brush up some of the terminology used and know the difference between hand rankings. This will make you more confident and complement your outfit.
Theatre
The theatre is another place where dress codes can vary, however, many theatergoers have kept up the tradition of dressing up for the occasion. Whether you’re going to a performance of a classic production, or something more contemporary you won’t look out of place dressed up to the nines.
Get Dinner at a Fancy Restaurant
Many theatergoers like to make the day/night of it and add dinner at a fancy restaurant to their schedule, either before or after the show. This is a great mix of activities, since you can enjoy pleasant conversation over dinner, while you are immersed in the performance during the show.
Of course, you don’t have to go to the theatre as well, just book a table somewhere nice and turn up looking swarve.
The Races
There aren’t many sports where you’ll find a dress code for entry to the venue. Yet horse racing is one that has kept this tradition alive. While some smaller circuits may not have many strict requirements for general admission tickets (aside from not wearing sportswear), more expensive tickets typically come with the condition that you’ll be dressed smartly.
Many general admission guests still decide to get dressed up anyway since it is a big part of the shared experience. Many also combine going to the races with heading to a restaurant or bar with friends for food and drinks, with many venues offering “race day specials”.
At certain racetracks, the traditional “ladies day” event still takes place. This is an event where women are encouraged to dress up in their finest clothes, with prizes sometimes awarded to the best dressed.
You’ll likely see thousands of women dressed in brightly coloured dresses with matching hats, having also spent a lot of time and money on their hair, makeup, and nails.
These are all some great ideas for getting dressed up, but there’s nothing actually stopping you from dressing up any way. If you have the confidence, why not just head to the supermarket in your finest clothes?