Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have worked with many women over the years who were put together and intentional about how they dressed. Consultants, hill staffers, all kinds of women in senior or visible roles. If you're not seeing that, it's because you think put together and sexy/very made-up are the same thing.

I love looking elegant and chic, and I avoid looking sexy.

The former communicates power. The latter communicates an invitation to flirt, which I do not want, and frankly, can be dangerous in some places.

Can you show us examples of the differences?

NP. You can't see the difference between elegant/chic and sexy?

I am not particularly good on celebrities, but:

Amal Clooney, Huma Abedin. Reese Witherspoon=elegant/chic

Kardashians, most starlets of the moment=sexy

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have worked with many women over the years who were put together and intentional about how they dressed. Consultants, hill staffers, all kinds of women in senior or visible roles. If you're not seeing that, it's because you think put together and sexy/very made-up are the same thing.

I love looking elegant and chic, and I avoid looking sexy.

The former communicates power. The latter communicates an invitation to flirt, which I do not want, and frankly, can be dangerous in some places.

Can you show us examples of the differences?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only the gay men look great

I don't think so at all. There's a very fussy, "done" look that many guys go for (cropped or rolled up skinny pants, no socks, loafers) and it's so off-putting. A lot of gay men dress like that.

Anonymous wrote:Serious question: to be well-dressed do clothes need to be closer cut to show your figure? I’m not talking so close to be one of those body-con dresses, but a better fit than standard Ann Taylor (or whatever) size.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fashion here isn’t GLAMOROUS. This isn’t Miami or New York.

DC is “preppy”

Preppy clothing is mainly part of
the body language among women who
are married or who do not need to
establish themselves with an appearance
that has instant impact.

Preppy clothing says "I am not a
threat. I am sexless and safe. I am a
woman's woman."

Glamorous clothing says "I am a threat. I like men, sex, and me. I am serious about
relationships and if you do not take care of yourself to keep your man interested, I
may get him.”

We prefer to be preppy here.

I'm an immigrant from one of the looks-focused countries, but I've lived here for 25+ years. Here's my observation, not a judgment, take it for what it's worse. I think DC professional women dress mostly to be inoffensive. They are fearful of attracting attention based on their appearance. And to my eye, this has nothing to do with excess makeup, logos or tight/revealing clothing. I find that professional women here are afraid of bolder lines and properly cut silhouettes. You can wear the same two-piece suit but a suit made of good fabrics cut to fit your figure (not encase it like a sausage but, like, really FIT - the right skim, the right length, the right shoulder and waistline, etc.) will look completely different from a suit whose main purpose is merely to cover parts of your body with fabric. That's the best I can describe it.

Yes, you put your finger on it. The DC uniform says "I am smart and professional, take me seriously, but I do not want a date / want to give a statement to the media / want to appear in any photographs."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have worked with many women over the years who were put together and intentional about how they dressed. Consultants, hill staffers, all kinds of women in senior or visible roles. If you're not seeing that, it's because you think put together and sexy/very made-up are the same thing.

I love looking elegant and chic, and I avoid looking sexy.

The former communicates power. The latter communicates an invitation to flirt, which I do not want, and frankly, can be dangerous in some places.

Anonymous wrote:I have worked with many women over the years who were put together and intentional about how they dressed. Consultants, hill staffers, all kinds of women in senior or visible roles. If you're not seeing that, it's because you think put together and sexy/very made-up are the same thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't care what others wear, but the notion that a well-educated, intelligent woman makes herself look less so by dressing up makes me seethe. This attitude is so prevalent here on DCUM (see posts throughout this thread).

Guess what? Smart and successful women can look nice and that doesn't detract from their intellect.

It's prevalent because it's real. None of us thinks looking nice actually makes you dumb. But we all know from experience that it gets you treated like you're dumb - or worse, like you are looking to flirt/sleep your way up.

The people I'm talking about who criticize women who look attractive/well put together are other women - not men. We see this all the time here on DCUM - women attacking other women because (god forbid) those other women choose to look nice at work. There's clearly a huge element of jealousy going on here and it's very transparent. Dress however you want - and I'll do the same.

Anonymous wrote:I have worked with many women over the years who were put together and intentional about how they dressed. Consultants, hill staffers, all kinds of women in senior or visible roles. If you're not seeing that, it's because you think put together and sexy/very made-up are the same thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't care what others wear, but the notion that a well-educated, intelligent woman makes herself look less so by dressing up makes me seethe. This attitude is so prevalent here on DCUM (see posts throughout this thread).

Guess what? Smart and successful women can look nice and that doesn't detract from their intellect.

It's prevalent because it's real. None of us thinks looking nice actually makes you dumb. But we all know from experience that it gets you treated like you're dumb - or worse, like you are looking to flirt/sleep your way up.

Anonymous wrote:I don't care what others wear, but the notion that a well-educated, intelligent woman makes herself look less so by dressing up makes me seethe. This attitude is so prevalent here on DCUM (see posts throughout this thread).

Guess what? Smart and successful women can look nice and that doesn't detract from their intellect.