How can I feel more comfortable wearing dresses and skirts for ‘everyday’?

[Askinvillarblues]

I am a sahm, spend most of my day either dog walking, riding or on the school run (obviously with all the home based crap like laundry, tidying, beds etc) with the odd coffee/lunch with friends thrown in. Most of the time I just chuck on a pair of jeans and a jumper which I’m comfortable in, BUT I keep buying dresses and pretty tops. I have this vision that I’ll wear my dresses etc day to day - they aren’t fancy sparkly ones, just cord pinafores/ floral dresses to wear with tights and flat boots/DMs, but I feel self conscious at the idea of ‘dressing up for the school run’ when the sad reality is that I don’t go to many other places that don’t involve mud and animal hair 🙄🙈. But I want to wear my nice things! How can I change my mindset so that dresses/skirts feel more normal? Or how can I hold myself back from the pretty things and focus on the practical things I would actually wear rather than the ones I imagine myself wearing?

@pickingdaisies I agree. Much better than actual tights

I live in dresses in winter.Popsy dresses and snag tights .
Only problem is the fabric of Popsy are not natural but lovely and cosy in winter.
In the day I wear dark or neutral cardigans or parkas over them with boots or black trainers .
If going out at night I wear more colourful tights /flats and a colourful cardi .
My motto ......"It is better to be looked over than to be overlooked "

Oh I'm with you in this OP. My problem is that I have always lived in jeans etc and I always think if I step out of my comfort zone and wear a dress, then everyone will be looking at me. Wether that's positive or negative, it makes me a bit uneasy! I also hate my legs in that they are VERY skinny and had body confidence issues growing up. So I covered them up. I am getting better and will wear dresses with tights and flats but ankle boots/boots tend to not fit right. I bought a couple of beautiful summer dresses but when I put them on I took them off again because I worried about people looking and thinking "oh she's a bit dressed up"! Absolutely ridiculous but this thread has made me rethink and I'm going to try!

@Reallyimeanreally2022

Askinvillarblues
I did it! Am wearing a navy cord mini dress with a cream polo neck jumper underneath- so still safely within my ‘jumper’ comfort zone 🙂. I do feel a bit silly dressed up as I’m literally going nowhere today (kids off school sick!) but my daughter said ‘you look pretty Mummy’ so I’ll take that

That isn’t remotely dressed up
Just a nice day autumn outfit*

It is dressed up for OP, all relative.
We'll done OP for getting out of your comfort zone.

I was trying to reassure the OP that no one would be thinking “all dressed up and no where to go” on the basis of that outfit

@hanketypankety I have similar issues with legs, but H&M ribbed tights definitely help, it pads them out a bit

@hanketypankety yes, ribbed tights, or two pairs. And with ankle boots, kind of scrunch socks down at the top to disguise the gap.

*my legs are, ahem, sturdy, but my dSis had this problem so learned the tricks

@Reallyimeanreally2022

I was trying to reassure the OP that no one would be thinking “all dressed up and no where to go” on the basis of that outfit

I know what you meant, and thank you both! It is ‘dressed up’ for me, relatively, but it’s reassuring to hear that for others it’s just an everyday outfit.

A PP asked where I get my dresses from - my cord pinafore one is from Oasis a couple of years ago. I think they might have some more in this year but obviously it’s online only. Day 3 of wearing a dress/skirt! Easier today as we have family coming over so I’m ‘allowed’ to make a bit of an effort 🤣

I love this thread, so many of us in the same boat! I’m going out for lunch today and will most likely be wearing a skirt!

@Reallyimeanreally2022

I was trying to reassure the OP that no one would be thinking “all dressed up and no where to go” on the basis of that outfit

Yes, I think the fabrics and shape of a dress can really help with this. Eg a cotton tiered dress or corduroy shirt dress is probably going to look more casual than a velvet pencil dress or a polyester wrap dress.

Plus the shoes, bag, tights, jacket etc chosen can make a huge difference as has been said by pp.

@hanketypankety

Oh I'm with you in this OP. My problem is that I have always lived in jeans etc and I always think if I step out of my comfort zone and wear a dress, then everyone will be looking at me. Wether that's positive or negative, it makes me a bit uneasy! I also hate my legs in that they are VERY skinny and had body confidence issues growing up. So I covered them up. I am getting better and will wear dresses with tights and flats but ankle boots/boots tend to not fit right. I bought a couple of beautiful summer dresses but when I put them on I took them off again because I worried about people looking and thinking "oh she's a bit dressed up"! Absolutely ridiculous but this thread has made me rethink and I'm going to try!

Me too very skinny legs. Skeletal in fact. I buy dresses that go to the knee or just above, and they work well with ankle boots.

Joules is great

I find that the fit of the tights I'm wearing impacts directly on how comfortable I am wearing dresses. If I'm hoiking them up all the time I feel uncomfortable whereas if they're as comfortable as leggings and I don't have to think about them then it's like wearing trousers. I very much recommend Snag for tights - they're £6.99 a pair and you get 15% off more than 5 pairs. They also last really well as they're quite thick.

I wear dresses a lot in summer but hate tights so tend to switch to trousers for autumn. Jumper dresses and leggings are nice when its cold enough.

For me it was the tights and footwear combo. Once I found some that I was super comfortable with then throwing a dress on top was mega easy option.

Have you considered having your style and colour ‘done’? I did and now only wear skirts and dresses. It was like someone had given me permission, which sounds daft, but it really switched something in my brain!

I am a SAHM and wear a lot of maxi skirts, esspecially in summer when it’s hot, they’re more comfortable then jeans. Just buy a few in neutral colors and wear them with a T-shirt in summer or with a hoodie or cardigan in winter.

I am mostly a trouser person and generally wear quite casual, practical clothes as a sahm and am fairly active. The skirts or dresses I wear are usually on or above the knee, often with leggings/footless tights (uniqlo are good I have had some of their heattech ones for years). The kind of everyday skirts I wear are denim, cord, the odd pleather skirt. If you pair them with clothes you normally wear, then they may feel less out of your comfort zone. I have some jersey dresses too which can be switched up for colder or warmer weather. I used to have a couple of sweater dresses, too.

I think if you are wearing casual style dresses and skirts, then you are not really "dressed up". Though, as I often wear jeans, I do get people commenting that I am , even though the only difference is a denim skirt compared with jeans.

I wear dresses, thick tights & knee high boots all the time, I don't think of them as smart as I just find them comfortable. Thin tights and shoes would make them more dressing up

I have to say that whilst I wear a lot of skirts and dresses, I don’t think I have worn tights since I was at school in the 90s! I hate them. I wear leggings and boots. My boots are tall and my skirts/dresses are knee length so you can only see two inches of black leg anyway-I doubt anyone would know that they weren’t thick tights. So much more comfortable than tights.

Understand completely. Just wear them, your are worth it 🌠

Dresses/skirts seem to have fallen out of favour and replaced with jeans/loungewear.

Most of my dresses are in fairly thin fabrics so outside of summer, they are harder to wear I am going to try and wear a polo neck underneath some of the more non summery prints to make them more versatile.

@Howishouldbehave, I am the same with thin leggings posing as thick tights. I find tights cramp up my feet, I would rather wear socks.

@Reallyimeanreally2022

I was trying to reassure the OP that no one would be thinking “all dressed up and no where to go” on the basis of that outfit

Ah, got you, sorry.