Etiquette, Elegance and Femininity II

Welcome back to the series where I share tips on how to elevate your manners and create more elegant and feminine habits! In this post, I am moving on from hygiene to another more specific aspect of your outward appearance: your clothes! Like good hygiene, taking care of your appearance lets others know you respect yourself -and them, too! You don’t have to get all dolled up for your everyday look; this is about being presentable! (However, I think it’s fun to kick it up another notch or two from time to time!)

In the first post of this series, I mentioned keeping your clothes clean. It’s important for your clothes to be clean, but sometimes even if our clothes are clean they still may not look very nice. They may have stains or wrinkles or holes, all of which aren’t very presentable. This is where you put in the effort and avoid being bare-minimum! You remove the stain, sew the hole, or iron/steam the wrinkles! (Or maybe even take the opportunity to buy new clothes. (-;) Keeping your clothes presentable is part of keeping yourself presentable.

You may have hole, stain, and wrinkle-free clothes, but that alone doesn’t make them alright for the one pursuing elegance and propriety. A lot of people these days are wearing sweatpants and hoodies everywhere. They’re comfortable. They can be cute. But they’re bare minimum. They’re clothes you sleep in. Even wearing jeans are a more put-together look than these athleisure outfits. Who says clothes other than hoodies and joggers can’t be comfortable, anyway?

Besides being tidy and respecting others by dressing for the occasion, another way you can be elegant and proper is by dressing modestly. Everyone has different opinions on what modesty looks like, but basically, dressing modestly is dressing in a way that doesn’t show off or reveal your body. “Modesty” is synonymous with “humility.” You can dress to look good and still be discreet about it. It is not ladylike or mature to show or enhance private parts of the body, even when swimming or at the beach. Elegant women dress with class and dignity.

Here are a few simple tips for dressing for the occasion that aren’t over-the-top yet will replace oversized hoodies and cotton and fleece pants:

-Jeans for everyday paired with a T-shirt, tank top and jacket, or sweater

-Dresses or skirts for parties, funerals, church, dates, and special events

-Linen or cargo bottoms for summer

A skirt and sweater would be cute for church, lunch out, or a family get-together!

Jeans and sweaters are a safe choice for just about anything in the day-to-day life during the colder months!

Flannels are a cozy alternative to hoodies!

Dresses can be casual, everyday wear!

Not revealing yet cool enough for the summer!

Choose the extra effort!

For those who really want to live a ladylike, elegant life, here are a few more tips on the way to dress:

-Wear decent outfits around the house; you never know when you may get company or a last-minute invite somewhere!

-Wear actual pajamas -like nightgowns and matching sets- to bed

-Wear dresses and skirts primarily

-Own an LBD (Little black dress!)

-Wear sandals and boots rather than sneakers and wear heels sometimes

-Wear denim with minimal to no rips or tears

-Wear nice, cute tops and blouses rather than tees, and cardigans rather than zip-ups

-Wear clothes that fit nicely; not oversized and not skin-tight. Or pair an oversized top with skinny pants, or a smaller top with big, baggy/flowy pants (Be sure the bottoms are visible, though, if you are wearing an oversized shirt!)

I hope this post was helpful for you ladies wanting to step up your game! If it was, please come back for the next post in this series, and feel free to subscribe or follow me on Instagram at alexlinninspired to be notified of new posts! Have a lovely day!