I was embarrassingly underdressed

[Peridotty]

We had a Christmas photo shoot for our class (I am a graduate student). We had photos done in front of a nice building. I turned up in an old jumper, black jeans and converse shoes whereas everyone else was dressed in corporate gear (suits, ties, nice dresses and heels or brogues). I stuck out like a sore thumb and I am so embarrassed! I saw the photos and because I am wearing white and everyone else was wearing grey, navy, black I was also very eye catching. I keep cringing inside. The memo was to dress nice but I thought wearing a suit would be overkill for the Christmas photo so I wore a jumper and jeans instead.
Do you think you would be cringing ?

I’m sure you’re being super critical, I bet it’s not as bad as you think.

Op - I think you sound nice. Down to earth, busy, tired and happened to get this one wrong. (Very much like myself).
Don’t worry about it too much.

Theyre not gonna hang you for it, so don’t fret

You know in future to wear a suit …or hide in the back.

Its a class photo, not even a graduation one. You are massively over thinking it and I'm sure you looked great. I'm also a mum and a nice comfy jumper and clean jeans is nice for me.
Also Nice is not the same as formal in any way

@Platax

I must say, suits and ties strike me as overdressing for a Christmas class photo.

I'm guessing the OP is in the US. Unless medical students have got a whole lot smarter than in my day, it doesn't sound like the UK. In the US, medicine is usually done as a post-grad degree, so students are older.

• old jumper, jeans and converse is not "nice" dress - come on OP you must have known that

• if last year you wore a dress you know Damn well what the expected dress code is

• if the photos are in front of nice buildings and they make the effort to send you them as cards as you say then you also are aware of what dress is expected

I think being underdressed is better than being the only one overdressed!

To be honest, I don't think people are going to make a big fuss about what a student wears. They may think that you've just been paying through the nose for the rather horrifying graduate student fees, and can't afford an ultra-smart costume. True of many!

@MissLucyEyelesbarrow yes actually well guessed! The other students were all Americans and I am the only British person. Wondering if that is why I didn’t interpret ‘nice’ in the same way???omg

Holly shit people, chill. If anyone gives a fuck what op wore (except op, she's allowed to) they need to get a life and some hobbies.

OP is fine, you're a student not a head of state. Next year dress more formal, or don't and as a previous poster said, make it your thing. Maybe more people will follow and stop wearing ridiculous formal outfits at IMO.

yes actually well guessed! The other students were all Americans and I am the only British person.
Oh, then you’re fine! This changes everything. They were all gauche and nouveau and you weren’t dressed down, you’re a rich eccentric covered in horse hair.

[quote Peridotty]@MissLucyEyelesbarrow yes actually well guessed! The other students were all Americans and I am the only British person. Wondering if that is why I didn’t interpret ‘nice’ in the same way???omg[/quote]

Actually I'd say it was more "British" to be over dressed rather than under dressed

Everyone will remember you in years to come! The others will be forgotten.

[quote Peridotty]@MissLucyEyelesbarrow yes actually well guessed! The other students were all Americans and I am the only British person. Wondering if that is why I didn’t interpret ‘nice’ in the same way???omg[/quote]
Oh, you're in America! Who'd have guessed?!

nobody, really, don't believe a word of it

@GreyhoundG1rl why so nasty? It did happen why would I make this up? I’ve attached a little pic of what I was wearing in the photo.

I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure you looked perfectly fine.

"Dress nice" (and perhaps it should be "nicely") is open to interpretation. It could mean anything from smart casual to nearly formal. It could have been clearer, like saying that the dress code was for formal wear.

It might be a good idea to get a few wardrobe staples here, such as a couple of blouses, some dark trousers (or even black jeans) plus some black shoes / trainers. So that you can look nice, be comfortable and blend in.

@4amstarts not me though, I like to be casual nowadays. I used to wear nice clothes when I was living in London but now I really don’t care about fashion.

Haha! I once made a similar error at a conference. Since I'm freelance I don't have to dress for work, and the closest I could find in my wardrobe to anything remotely "corporate" was a figure-hugging maroon crushed velvet dress with a slit up the leg, worn with fishnets and boots 😋

OP, I think you looked fine. When I was a student I didn’t have any smart clothes/shoes and lived in jeans so I would try to put it behind you.

It could have been worse

If that picture you show in your latest post is what you wore then I personally can't see an issue.

Your outfit looked ok except for the Converse shoes

I do think American versions of 'nice' tend to be more formal/ smart looking than British ideas of what this means. However, the Converse wouldn't be ' nice' in any language.

However,, you need more clothes.

You haven't 'bought what you need' if you only own what you've described - nothing between jeans and a suit.

You could easily buy a nice black blouse to go with those jeans, and a pair of black boots or patent ballet flats to dress up the jeans. You could also buy a necklace that would be visible in a photo. Or buy a pair of smart black trousers - cigarette length works for summer and winter - plus a blouse or sophisticated top in black, white, grey, or burgundy, and put a pair of ankle boots under, maybe in suede.

You need to up your sartorial game. You won't need to buy stacks of clothes, but you need to venture into smart territory. The colour black is your friend here.

I underdressed for my graduation. Well, I wore a shirt and some loose black trousers. I figured the gown would cover everything. I also tied my hair up by the photographer forced me to take it down because of the mortar board not sitting right over the style. Everyone else was in a smart business dress or skirt suit. I looked horrific and felt very naive. Never made that mistake again.
work wise I went into a non corporate field where suits very much aren't the thing now, but it this was in the early 2000s when they still were

That looks fine OP, and I totally get you.

I come from a very simple, poor background and I was never taught how to choose clothes for an event, or that it's better to overdress rather than underdress.

That outfit would be exactly the thing I'd wear for a company Christmas photo (perhaps with ankle boots instead of Converse). Business suits sound like overkill, jumpers and shirts would be more normal. It could also be the UK vs American thing.

Try not to overthink it, I'm sure nobody else will. And if they do comment, just say 'and that matters, why?' and stare at them until they get how stupid their comment is.

For next year wear your dress even if you've already worn it in other photos, they also won't remember. It's very hard to fit in sometimes so I understand how you're feeling, but don't beat yourself up!

SOrry, missed the UK/US bit