Dress - Visual Dress Notes

A picture is worth a thousand words. So, let's look at 1000 pictures. :)

About the photos:

These photos are of actual DLV attendees over the years. They were not taken specifically for this page, but taken from the various photos submitted for our follow-up pages. These show actual outfits worn to the various DLV activities.

We know that many of you focus a lot of attention and energy on outfit selection and dress concerns.

We would now like to show some outfits that are good examples of what would be appropriate to wear to some of our various activities.


First, let's discuss casual outfits and show some examples ...

Many in our community seem to avoid and even dislike casual. Casual has a bad rep. It's often considered frumpy and dumpy, when compared to the more dressy and glamourous outfits.

Casual, even very casual, can be cute, feminine, and stylish. Casual is very trendy, for all ages and sizes, and is what is customarily seen in Las Vegas, especially during the day.

In Las Vegas, particularly during the day, casual is THE look you should try, particularly if you don't want to attract attention.

Let's take a look at some casual outfits.

For a side trip to the desert:

In the first photo, Michelle shows off her outfit for the "Cammo Dudes" who are watching her closely. This is a casual yet stylish look which works for everyday activities in Las Vegas and such things as side trips.

Notice the shoes, quite appropriate for the time, place, and circumstance of a side trip in the desert, and very typical of what many women wear with casual outfits when on vacation in Las Vegas.

The second photo shows a group of our people posing by the "Black Mailbox" which is actually white. :) All outfits are good selections for something like our Monday side trip to Death Valley with the exception of the fact that short sleeves rather than the long sleeves pictured may be more appropriate. The temperature was in the 50's when we left on the Area 51 trip. (Don't look at the hair, it was windy and a definite Bad Hair Day.)

The third photo shows 3 very casual outfits at Valley Of Fire. Just typical tourists from Peoria. :)

In the last photo in this series we have a very good mix of TGs and GGs and as you will notice, it's impossible to tell who is TG and who is GG from the outfits alone.

Outfits such as these are frequently seen in Las Vegas for just about all types of activities, both daytime and evening. They are appropriate for casual settings, but not for the nicer clubs, restaurants, and shows in the evening.


For golf:

In the first photo above, Andrea wears a cute but casual top and Bermuda length shorts to the golf match. The second photo shows the 2003 golf group with many such outfits.

The third and fourth show two DLV 2004 foursomes in a variety of mix-and-match separates for golf.


For shopping:

All in all you're just another chick in the mall! :)

Ok, I admit, nobody in the two photos above is a fashion plate, but this trio is attracting no attention whatsoever at the Boulevard Mall. Very casual separates, such as above, are what 30-40-ish women typically wear when shopping in malls. Notice the shoes. You'll find that most women wear athletic shoes, sandals, or casual flats while mall shopping.


For sightseeing:

In the casinos, on the Strip, in various attractions and tourist spots ...

Casual separates, such as those in this photo, work well for daytime sightseeing and tourist activities. These outfits are very typical of women in their 30's and 40's who visit Las Vegas.

For socializing:

Casual for the Garden Party:

A casual breakfast, some play time in the casino, the Garden Party, shopping in the mall afterwards, and some quiet social time in the casino bar ... these outfits work just fine for all of these.

A mixture at our mixers. :)

These show various, mostly casual, outfits seen at our Annual Mixer over the years. Most of these would be appropriate for those who wish to first attend our activities and perhaps wander on to more mainstream places later in the evening.

Above are examples of what was worn to our Garden Party in 2003. This was a relatively cool morning, hence the long sleeves. Notice the cover-up. As the temperature warms up, this can be taken off and carried.

Again, these are casual looks that work almost anywhere, anytime in Las Vegas and do not attract attention.


For dining:

If you want a relaxing and enjoyable meal without worrying about others staring, casual is the way to go.

These photos show a variety of casual separates and coordinates which work well for casual dining. (The top photo was actually taken at Pinkfest, although most of those pictured have also attended DLV.)

The one casual trap that's easy to fall into is that of trying to be too cutesy. Be sure what you wear is appropriate for your age and size. Remember the 30/130 rule! :)

You may not notice it, but in the various photos above it's not very obvious who is TG and who is GG. Casual outfits may not be that popular in the TG community, but they do allow the wearer to blend very well!


Ok, enough for casual, let's look at some dressier styles. :)

Shown above are dressier separates, the classic skirt and blouse combination. In this day and age, this look is more dressy than is seen in the casinos and on the Strip during the day, but it's an informal evening look that just about anybody can wear.

Another good example of moderately dressy separates. These have enough of the casual look for daytime activities, and are dressy enough for most evening activities as well.

The cocktail dress is very popular for upscale early evening activities.

You will see this look in casinos and restaurants during the evening, but seldom, if ever, during the day. This would be appropriate for such things as our Welcome Celebration or Annual Mixer, if you choose to dress up a bit for them.


Day into evening ...

Solid and floral print dresses are very popular and can flatter just about any figure.

Looks such as those shown above will work for the more dressy daytime affairs such as our Art Tour or Garden Party and can easily carry over into happy hour, dinner, and most of the evening activities.

The basic black sheath.
This is one of the most versatile fashion items you will ever find. It's ageless and timeless. About the only times something like this will not work would be for the casual daytime activities, such as shopping and side trips.

This dress would work for just about any of our evening activities, and even for the most dressy ones, such as the shows and the limo tour.

Elegant and classy! Samantha and Cat show a couple of very attractive evening looks which are quite appropriate for a show, a limo tour, dinner in a nicer restaurant, or about any of our evening activities. Pure class, but not overstated.

The lace dress is another very popular dress style that can be worn by just about anybody, young or not so young. They come in all lengths and there are many variations on the theme.

They will be appropriate for just about all of our evening activities.

The cheongsam.
The classical Chinese dress known as the "cheongsam" (pronounced "Chong-Sam" in American English) is very elegant, figure-flattering, and quite reasonable in price.

These are available on line and from a variety of sources. Surprisingly they are often not seen in the mainline department stores. They are often found in such places as flea markets (they have been seen at the Fantastic Indoor Swap Meet in LV), outlet malls, and "kiosk" mall shops. If you have trouble finding these, do a search for "cheongsam" on Ebay and you will find many of them for sale.

If you wish to dress up a bit for such things as our Annual Mixer and Welcome Celebration, these are some examples of the looks you can try.


A bit over the top:

Yes, for some activities, such as our Night Of The Soiled Doves and Rocky Horror Picture Show, it is not only acceptable, but considered customary to wear something that's more exotic.

More of these looks can be seen HERE.


Again, all of these are not requirements, but examples and suggestions. If you wish to discuss dress for any DLV activity, or wardrobe selection in general, please post your questions or comments on the DLV Discussion Forum at http://www.geekbabe.com/dlv/dlvdisc/
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