Dress - General DLV dress information

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This posting is from: Diva Las Vegas
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Dress - general information:

Weekly, with some exceptions, we will post an item on the topic of dress
to the DLV Discussion Forum. A link will be made to the item in the
general mailing.

Some of these will be repeated from DLV 2005, but they will be rewritten
and edited to keep them up to date.

We'll include such things as wardrobe planning tips, packing tips,
timesaving tips, what to bring, as well as more detail on what's
appropriate to wear to what activities.

These items will be addressed primarily to those who are new to general
public exposure, but are intended to be helpful and informative to all
audiences.

This week we'll discuss some general dress issues and information.
. . . . .

For DLV 2006 we are not going to burden the 98+% of you who want to
dress and behave properly with any more rules, regulations, notices,
admonitions, etc., regarding dress, behavior, and restroom issues.

However, those who intentionally dress improperly in mainstream
venues or whose behavior causes unwanted attention to the group
or embarrassment will be confronted immediately and firmly!

Having said that ... :)
. . . . .

Our people have a very wide range of personal dress styles, and personal
likes and dislikes.

Yes, for quite a few of our attendees, the opportunity to dress is the
primary reason for attending DLV, and, there's absolutely nothing wrong
with that.

Our activities are held in a wide variety of venues, some which will be
"safer" than the well-known t* conventions and rooms used for support
group meetings, to those which will be wide-open general public
settings.

For almost all of activities, either mode of dress (boymode or girlmode)
is perfectly fine. Any exceptions to this will be rare and very clearly
noted.

We don't have many hard and fast "dress codes" for DLV, but some
general dress guidelines for the event as a whole, and specific dress
suggestions for each activity. The general guidelines are available on
the web.

http://www.geekbabe.com/dlv/dlvdress.html

This basically says that for any DLV activity you are expected to make a
conscientious attempt to dress in a presentable manner, in good taste,
and in a manner appropriate for that activity.

We have a number of casual activities, and quite a few more dressy ones
where it's perfectly fine to dress up a bit, or quite a bit, if you
choose to do so.

And yes, for those of you who want to put on the dog or dress in a
manner that's a bit far out, yes, there will be activities where
that is perfectly appropriate, even encouraged.

As you most likely know by now, DLV is a sequence of activities of
all types, and there's no one-style-fits-all type of outfit.

When you select an outfit for any DLV activity, consider all of the
following:

1. Your personal style, your likes and dislikes, your comfort level,
your mood at the time.

2. Your age, height, weight, body type, and fitness level.

3. The time, place, and circumstance of the activity, and what is
usual and customary to wear to such an activity.
. . .

In general, very casual to moderately dressy attire, either boymode or
girlmode, will be fine for almost all DLV activities.

Casual dress is required for some general-public activities, such as
shopping and side trips.

Certain types of dress will be encouraged for some of the activities,
but there will be a lot of slack in what's acceptable in almost all
cases.

The one hard and fast rule that will be enforced at DLV 2006 is that for
"mainstream" (general public) activities, dress must be age, size, and
occasion appropriate. These activities will be clearly noted as such on
the final schedule.

As we head down the road toward DLV, we'll be giving some specific
dress guidelines and suggestions as we feature the activities in these
mailings.

We'll also further discuss various casual and dressy looks and how they
can be created and used.
. . . . .

How not to dress for DLV:

First of all, if you're concerned about inadvertently dressing
improperly, don't worry, honest mistakes and oversights can always
be excused, and can be expected to happen in a group of our size. If
you're trying to dress and act appropriately, you will be fine!

Costumes, obvious mixed-mode, "skag drag", incomplete outfits, and
obvious out of place outfits are only allowed for specially designated
activities.

There are a few common mistakes often made by those in the t* community
who are new to public exposure, most of which are unintentional.

1. Overdressing, meaning wearing an outfit that is conspicuously more
dressy than what's usual and customary. This is very common in the t*
community. Those who are overdressed in Las Vegas will most certainly
stand out and attract unwanted attention, particularly during the
daytime.

2. Dressing one generation behind. Many of our community seem to like to
dress in the styles that were popular during their teenage years. This
might work for a retro party, but for general public, no.

3. Dressing one generation ahead. Someone in her 40's looks grossly out
of place dressing as a teenager. Enough said on this one.

4. Not considering size, height, weight, and fitness level in selecting
an outfit.

5. Being TOO natural! Unless you are youthful and have no facial hair
and flawless skin, yes you need at least SOME makeup. Likewise, the
average male body does need at least *SOME* padding and/or control to
assume a feminine figure.
. . . . .

Wardrobe planning is also a personal thing with many variations.

Some really don't plan, but just throw things into a suitcase and take
off. Others plan their outfits in excruciating detail for each activity,
using a spreadsheet, listing all accessories, etc. Still others bring
everything and anything, pushing the limits of airline baggage
allowances, even ground-shipping some items.

We will cover wardrobe planning, packing tips, and outfit selection in
some detail in future mailings.
. . . . .

Our activity features, which will be posted weekly with some exceptions
here in the DLV Discussion Forum, will also contain specific dress
suggestions for that particular activity.

Detailed dress suggestions for each activity will be summarized in the
Large Final Mailing which will come out shortly before DLV.

If you have any questions or concerns about dress, please bring these
up at the DLV Discussion Forum at http://www.geekbabe.com/dlv/dlvdisc/

If you would rather not post your concern in a public forum, you may
e-mail dlv@geekbabe.com and one of our volunteer Big Sisters will get
back to you.

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(This posting was entered by Diva Las Vegas, an external user of MyDLV.)