What’s the dress code here people?
Something has been grinding my nerves for some time now. It’s a simple issue of dress codes. How people define a dress code, and how people dismiss the dress code.
Many events over the course of the past six months come to mind, and sometimes I am embarrassed by what I witness. Sometimes, the way we dress, is a sign of respect to the event, cause, or institution we are attending… yet so many times the invitees put no effort in at all. Only a week ago at the magnificent Crowne Plaza opening the corporates dressed to depress rather than impress… which I don’t entirely blame them for, blasé suits is apparently all they know. I’m sure the boys at Ivy League or the Suit Co would be happy to help them out – God knows the recent ‘Famous Male Faces’ who walked at last months ASMF needed their help!
Raceday events are a good example of this… I was invited to see DJ Stubanga & DJ Chris Spiers in the young members marquee, it was a bit of a last minute decision so my friend, Fresh FM host Rebecca McClure, and I hadn’t had time to organise an outfit. We both agonised over what to wear – after all – it’s the races! I ended up going with an equestrian themed outfit: boots, velvet blazer, tuxedo shirt, and she wore a gorgeous neutral coloured (the trend of the season) dress with a matching hat and clutch. Upon our arrival at the racecourse, we realised that we were severely overdressed.
Most of the guys were wearing t-shirts and shorts, with sunnies on their heads… hold on… was I in someones backyard… at a BBQ? How and why did the races get so bad?
Onto early January – and the icing on the cake for me: The Adelaide launch of musical Avenue Q. I got an invite in the mail to the premiere night at Her Majesty’s Theatre. I was excited about this, I felt gratified to be invited; this is a musical that has won six Tony Awards, and has been one of the longest running shows in Broadway history. The dress code for the evening was “Posh with a splash of yellow”.
Now, I guess ‘Posh’ is totally up to interpretation, as my best friend Laura stated “Posh is a price bracket, not a dress code”, I had to agree, but I did have an idea of what ‘Posh’ should look like.. Posh Spice is always a good starting point (love her or loathe her), straight away I think of that little black Gucci dress. Basically, simplicity and structure, with a hint of glamour.
I myself opted for a look right off the runway, which I’d fell in love with at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week for Summer of ’09, and it was a little bit preppy. And yet again, I arrived to find I was over dressed, and left wondering, am I taking the dress code too seriously? I swear, there were men there in shirts that needed ironing – either their mums or their wives were away on holidays because these guys had no clue. And the ‘splash of yellow’ was barely present, but to be honest, yellow is an ugly colour 90% of the time, I can understand if people had difficulty.
What is probably even worse, is that at the ‘launch show afterparty’ the cast and crew mingled with (what the Gray Management Group had picked out as) some of Adelaide’s VIP’s and Media, and were exposed to Adelaide ‘Posh’. Now let me tell you, I came into contact with certain members of the cast a crew a few times, and unfortunately they seemed quite judgmental, and I didn’t pass their test either. But damn it, I’m sure I looked posh… or was it just my interpretation of posh?
This is when we go to the masters of the trade. At the launch of this Winter season I posed the question to some of my fashion designer buddies, “What exactly is ‘Posh’… is it a dress code? & what does it actually mean?” and they replied giving me their own indication of ‘Posh’ from their current collections.
I first asked Alvin Manalo of Saint Augustine Academy, as he was the guy who dressed me in my ‘Posh’ outfit for the Avenue Q launch. He simply replied with “Dandy”. Just to clarify what this means, Wikipedia kindly informs us that a ‘Dandy’ is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies.
Saint Augustine Academy - The Lamentations Of Euchrid The Mute A/W10 Collection http://www.saintaugustineacademy.com.au/
I then approached one of our great father’s of Australian fashion, Harry Watt of Harry Who. He filled me in with a history lesson, “Posh originated in the U.K. with the large amount of ships sailing from there to India (when the former U.K. ran India). It meant Port out (to India) and starboard home (to the U.K.). That is the true meaning, however down the line it was used to indicate wealth, and maybe style”. But there was one thing Harry wanted everyone to be assured of, and that was, “Money will NEVER buy style”. So maybe my bestie Laura was correct, Posh is a price point, not a dress code… maybe?…
HARRY WHO - A/W10 Collection http://www.harrywho.com.au/
Maybe not?… I then approached Tim O’Connor, who came back with “Posh to me would be more attitudes and style rather than any specific dress code. This girl looks Posh in this shot, in that she is totally uptown, aloof and sure of herself, as well as loving luxury”. So from the information emerging… with style you can look ‘Posh’, but having money doesn’t mean you can buy style…
Tim O’Connor - A/W10 Collection http://www.timoconnor.com.au/
Funky Queensland fashion designer, Taree Birse agreed “To me posh means first class. In terms of fashion, looking & feeling posh is looking polished & poised, chic & classy, opulent & swanky all in one.”
Taree Birse - A/W10 Collection http://www.tareebirse.com/public/home.php
So, here is the clarification. Money can’t buy style, and style is something unique to the individual. To look ‘Posh’ you are emulating a certain price bracket, regardless of whether you fit into that bracket or not. The bottom line is my dearest Adelaide, when we get our next invitation, could we put that tad bit of effort into our attire… We’re not a big country town, we are a small city, so lets look slick.
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