We live in a disruptive culture of cool where conventional ideas, customs, and social behaviors are challenged for the progressive good. Over the last 10 years we have witnessed a paradigm shift in what we traditionally consider proper attire for business and social, driven by individuality and creativity. Our individual worn rights of self expression can be appropriate, as integrity is not a uniform.
Appropriateness is the universal baseline of what is and isn’t accepted behavior in a given place on a given occasion. You’ve heard the phrase, “when in Rome, do as the Romans.” This ancient proverb means to follow the traditions of a place being visited. The human beauty is that appropriateness allows people from all walks of life to integrate and engage, in-person or virtually.
Not anything and everything goes in a public space, there are rules of engagement to foster and protect the vibe and experience. Socially appropriate behaviors include manner and style, relative, but not always indicative of the other. Establishments use dress codes to communicate a required or acceptable look that conveys and upholds its image, vicarious to its inhabitants. Dress codes can be formal or informal, depending on the venue and the event.
A dress code is explicit, but malleable. It’s constraint presents an opportunity to think outside the box, but within the guidelines of appropriateness. The 6 F’s of Appropriate Style (See March Blog!) will ensure the right combination to enter, no matter the code. In a shared space, individual style is a nonverbal gesture that often sparks a conversation. Unique sartorial charm perpetuated by substance is part of the charisma that attracts people.
Your attire doesn’t have to conform to the dress code to be appropriate. You can be your stylish self, and have savoir faire. As my mom would say, “mind your manners, and act like you got some sense;” style sense that is. Appropriateness will get you in the room, but your creative elegance will be the talk of the room.