Welcome to Casual Country

In a span of three exhausting days, I trekked to two weddings: one across the country in Pennsylvania and the other up north in Vancouver, Canada. Counting those two, I’ve been to three weddings in the past two months, and—for any sane, unmarried person—that’s two too many weddings in such a short period. After stuffing my face full of wedding cake, there was one hankering question swimming around in my head. Have people forgotten how to get fancy?

I saw white cotton tank tops with black lace skirts, full black pants suits, and cheap ill-fitting, clingy polyester dresses meant for the club, or the bar, or anywhere but a wedding! For crying out loud, I even saw stripper-esque lucite wedges! My girlfriend gasped, “Oh, no! No, no, no, no! People are not going to be dressing like this at my wedding! Formal, people, formal!” I agreed with her: looking at the attendees from afar, it was hard to guess if we were going to a wedding banquet or Olive Garden after the ceremony.

But what is really going on, America? Why can’t we be bothered to look nice anymore? After living in Tokyo did I truly realize how un-put-together most Americans are. I’m not sure if it’s because we’re bombarded with images of stars looking so fabulous that we simply see it as unattainable or because we’re lazy (or too busy) and don’t want to take the time to get all gussied up. Maybe it’s because fancy clothes are so uncomfortable, and now that we’re in the 21st century and have (mostly) done away with girdles, bustiers, and other pain-inducing beauty contraptions, figure we should not have to go through it at an event where we are supposed to be enjoying ourselves. With the never-wavering rise of denim in fashion, formal wear is only a blip on the radar around prom season.

Whatever the reason, it seems like it’s become “o.k.” to go “casual” to events that were “formal” in the past. Does this mean that things aren’t as “special” as they once were? That people aren’t respectful enough to simply look nice for someone else’s special day? When I was a little girl, my mother would go out and buy special dresses for me for piano recitals, weddings, and holidays. I wonder if many parents still do that to let their kids know they are attending an important event or if they let them put on “any old thing as long as it’s easy”. I find this to be a sad thing—your special clothes are also your everyday clothes, and there’s no excitement in that! Next time you go to a wedding, show you care—dress up!

– Chako Suzuki