Geographical Dress Codes

Fifty percent of people who hire me as a stylist express a desire to find the balance between respecting the style and dress code of wherever they live and dressing how they want. Thirty-five percent say they don’t care; the rest either haven’t considered it or want to fit in with the geographical dress code. 

When I began rebuilding my wardrobe, I lived in Kansas City, where my once vibrant wardrobe had whittled down to athleisure-adjacent clothes mixed in with a few mishaps. Three months into my wardrobe project, I moved to Northern California, a barely five thousand-person town. I worried about my new wardrobe and struggled for the first few months. I wanted to wear my sheer Alexander McQueen silk button-down (and I did), but I felt out of place in it. 

As I untangled this tension between the dress code of this new town and my wardrobe desires, I seriously considered what our style of clothes and how we wear them say about who we are and where we live. 

I first noticed how differently I dressed in Grass Valley vs. Kansas City vs. NYC vs. Seattle in December while packing for a trip to Seattle. I packed items like my wool blazer and vintage leather slingbacks, which I had yet to make plans to wear in Grass Valley. I wore them twice in six years of owning them in Kansas City. The following month, I wore my green stiletto patent leather boots as rainproof shoes to meet with the school principal, and I didn’t feel out of place. I flew to NYC for work in late February and brought back some East Coast flair to my West Coast wardrobe. By the end of March, I had settled into an over-the-top winter uniform, and I didn’t want the season to end. 

May brought warmth and I didn’t know what to wear. At the beginning of summer, I began rethinking my previous summer uniform of athletic shorts, a rumpled button-down shirt, the week's sandals, and the season's bag. While I considered function, fit, fabric, and style as I assembled my summer wardrobe, I returned to this question: What does it mean to respect the geographical dress code of where you live without completely losing yourself?

Summer wardrobe needs

My summer wardrobe needed separates and accesories that could elevate or balance my ensembles regardless of where I was. I put together a summer mood board as a guide for what to look for and made a list of every need and want. Here is my original list:

This rough draft guided almost every purchase I made this summer. You can see where I wrote, “NO JEANS” under the "pants" section as a reminder to my former self, who diabolically wore jeans over 85F. But I am living, laughing, loving, and learning. 

Functions

Next, I outlined my summer wardrobe functions. Ignore my writing notes!

Under “farm, garden work,” I put “NO SHORTS” because wearing shorts while gardening is never a good idea, but I made exceptions when the weather is unnecessarily aggressive. 

Summer mood board

Execution

With this map, I slowly added items from various categories and tested various combinations using the images in my mood board as a guide. This summer, I went camping in the mountains, spent three days in the Bay Area for a concert, flew to Seattle for work, and spent the rest of my time shuffling my child’s summer activities, visiting friends in Sacramento, local summer activities, and river trips. I quickly found my groove dressing for my trips but struggled with what to wear when I wasn’t traveling. Some outfits were hits, and others failed, and I learned more about my wardrobe needs. The outfits below are from the last six weeks at home. 

If you compare these outfits to the ones I wore in Seattle or my wedding guest ensembles, you’ll notice that the outfits below are more casual than the previous ones in this summer dressing newsletter. I focused on how to match the geographical dress code without losing myself in it, and here are my attempts.

Grass Valley/Nevada City is a small mining town with a highly casual Western dress code. Straw hats are standard, and so are Teva sandals in the summer. The clothing stores cater to the Burning Man crowd, and you will see a lot of Harem Pants. Until 2020, most people who lived in Grass Valley were retired. The town is trying to meet the needs of its younger members by keeping the cafes and restaurants open longer, and we have a Target!

#1

This Gil Rodriguez Tube Top is the best tube top I’ve ever worn); vintage Moschino silk polka dot skirt, vintage shoes, and Dragon Diffusion tote. I'm wearing all Danica Stamenic vintage and new jewelry. My sunglasses are vintage from TRR.

#2

I got this hat at my local food co-op when I volunteered at the farm last summer. Woven wide-brim hats are very common in Grass Valley, and I have chosen it as the one item to blend in. Until recently, I rarely wore hats and still feel self-conscious when I wear one. I always think everyone knows I am an unseasoned hat wearer. I also worry about whether I am wearing it the right way, whatever that means. 

Gil Rodriguez Tube Top in hot pink, which I surprisingly love. The skirt is from Brooke Callahan, and my shoes are very old Simon Miller Beep Thong Sandals. 

#3

I stopped doing my laundry often because I hoped to quit my Earth sign habit of reaching for the same things. I let my dry cleaning pile up, and I only washed the necessities, and it worked! it forced me to reach for these Gil Rodriguez pants (the color in the photo is sold out, but I love this cherry red!) I purchased it last year but couldn’t find my groove with it. While putting this outfit together, I discovered I was tying the strings wrong and immediately fell in love with them! I wore this outfit to go rock climbing with my son and friends in Sacramento. 

At the same time, I got a second nose piercing, which you can see in the photo above. I contemplated this piercing for two years and worried about how it would change my appearance. Most people (including my close friends who see me regularly) assumed I’d always had them, which was a relief. Since getting them, I’ve begun reaching for the jewelry I rarely wore, like the emerald choker I am wearing above. In addition to doing my laundry less often, I began rotating my jewelry out. I have bowls for my jewelry on my nightstand, the dresser in my closet, and the bathroom. I try not to repeat the same rings and earrings I wore the previous day, and it has helped me wear more of my growing jewelry collection. 

#4

When I wrote about watches at the start of the year, I planned to buy several watches in different styles and hardware as a cost-effective way to try out different watch styles before settling on a nicer one. I plan to keep all the cheaper ones. ICYMI: I shared links in the Substack chat for affordable watches here. 

I recently got this Gil Rodriguez tee from my seamstress and worried she cropped it shorter than I wanted until I wore it once. I wore this outfit to drop my son off at school, run car errands, and more. My jeans are old from Zara. I’ve tailored them a few times. My shoes are vintage Gucci. I got them last year but left them in one of my moving boxes. I’ve worn them twice since my cobbler replaced the heel caps and put rubber soles on them. The scarf is vintage. 

#5

A kaftan dress was on my list, and I found this unusual one at my favorite curated vintage shop in May. I planned to cut off the embroidery on the hem of this dress. Everyone, including my seamstress, discouraged me, and I have worn it twice as is and didn’t mind it. I’ll sort it out before next summer. My jewelry is vintage Elsa Peretti, and my shoes are Gucci. I wore it to the summer festival in town. I don’t think I’d wear this kaftan dress outside Grass Valley. It is the perfect example of recently added location-specific garments. Adding the shoes and jewelry made it feel more like me. 

#6

Learning to ride a horse landed on my to-do list at the end of Spring. I looked for classes in June after deciding riding would help address my mental, physical, and emotional health needs. I found someone to teach me in July, and I didn’t consider what I’d wear until the day of my first lesson. If you were around during my “I hate boots” phase, you’d remember that the first boot I purchased to try out the riding boot trend was this ACTUAL rubber riding boot from eBay. I recently contemplated donating them and decided against it. The universe was looking out for me because I immediately knew where to begin when I ran into my closet that afternoon to find what to wear. 

This vintage Yves Saint Lauren plaid button-down felt appropriate with these old jeans I’ve tailored a million times from Zara. It’s safer to ride with shoes that have heels when your feet are in the stirrups in case of an accident. They’re sweaty on hot riding days, but I manage. I plan only to wear these jeans when I ride. I cannot wait to wear my Hermes wool-riding pants as autumn rolls around. 

#7

If I have morning or evening riding lessons, I may have other errands to run and since I don’t want the smell of horses in my car, I’ll bring a change of clothes. Recently, I wore this The Row cashmere tee (recently shrunk by my old dry cleaner) with the same jeans and boots above. I changed into this cotton skirt from Salter House and my vintage Prada kitten-heel shoes to pick up my son from school and run errands. 

#8

Going to the Yuba River is an essential aspect of my summer plans. The best spots at the river require a twenty-minute or more hike, so you have to be prepared for the sweltering heat above 90F. I purchased this beach cover-up on Etsy, and it was not what I expected, but I didn’t hate it. I typically swim topless at the river because (1) I could not find swim tops I loved that fit my small bust, and (2) It is more comfortable. 

I wear my Only Hearts bra (sold out but purchased from Azalea’s in NYC) with this Nu Swim bottom and this beach cover for the walk to the river. My flip-flops are from Ancient Greek Sandals. The hat is essential for sun protection. Not pictured are the various recently acquired beach bags. 

#9

I wore this outfit on my birthday in May with a more casual low-heel mule that I regret (and without the necklace). I wore it again to meet my friend for dinner on a hot day in late July. The halter top is vintage Max Mara, the jeans are the same in #4, and my shoes are Simon Miller Beep thong sandals. 

#10

High on my list this season were silk scarves and a shawl. I found the perfect combination in this woven silk shawl from Michelle Del Rio (sold out). I call it my emotional support shawl. It arrived just in time as the temperatures cooled down in August. You can see Carrie’s knit shawl in the last row of my summer mood board. At first, it felt EXTRA, and I’ve been remixing it. I’ve liked some combinations and felt indifferent to the rest. 

The ones I loved 

Top: Gil Rodriguez Bellevue Tee, vintage Kritzia skirt, vintage shoes.

Wolford low back top, Nu Swim cotton pants, vintage sterling silver “butterfly”brooch, and vintage Gucci shoes.

Last week, the temparatures dropped to 57F and I wore this outfit to run errands. Jil Sander cashmere knit, old Wood Wood jeans, old LoQ bag, vintage Gucci shoes.

Didn’t love

Old Gil Rodriguez El Tigre bodysuit, vintage linen skirt.

Vintage short sleeve knit, the same Zara jeans, vintage shoes

#11

I wore this vintage Dior button to bed and the next morning, I threw on these linen shorts and my prada shoes to drop my son off at school. I ran other errands throughout the day in this ensemble.

#12

Another cold August morning in my vintage red sweatshirt and these shorts from Los Angeles Apparel.

#13

On a hot day, I wore my Only Hearts bra with these vintage cotton one-pieces. I got two of them at the same time as my cotton Kaftan above. I thought I’d wear them at home until the temperatures hit above 100F, and I began rethinking their purpose. This outfit only works for me in Grass Valley.

#14

I didn’t wear enough dresses this summer. I was focused on buying the right separates that I forgot to add summer dresses. I bought this vintage Versace dress in April and I have worn it once. I’ll try again before the summer ends or next year!

Conclusions

Summer 2024 has taught me a lot about my wardrobe and needs. Regardless of my location, many aspects of my style remain the same. Over the years, I have adapted too much and lost myself in the process. I am currently approaching a happy medium with practice. I no longer have an existential crisis while packing for work trips to NYC or Seattle because I have addressed every function of my clothes. The functions frequently overlap, especially when I am at home in Grass Valley and the tension I hope to maintain is a nod to the geographical dress code while maintaining my sense of self.