Now this is the kind of news that thrills me to no end! According to a recent  Newsday article  that I discovered  while reading  A Dress A Day , one of my favorite blogs,  dress sales have been skyrocketing.  It seems  women of all age groups now prefer the more ladylike look of dresses as opposed to the sportswear separates they usually choose for their casual attire.  Sales of dresses in the last year have increased 58 percent among 13-
to 17-year-olds, and 54 percent among 18- to
34-year-olds, meaning even younger women are becoming more willing to forgo jeans as a fashion mainstay.

Dresses definitely are a fun, yet classy, alternative to jeans and they’re easy to wear.  Just slip one on and go.  Unlike pants, there are a myriad of  dress style choices to flatter just about any figure. One reason why  I’m particularly happy that younger women have finally discovered this "trend with benefits" is perhaps we won’t be seeing so much of the "muffin top" syndrome anymore.  In case you’ve been living in a cave the last ten years, it’s the visually disturbing side effect of too tight hip hugger jeans  worn with tops that are too short, causing the flesh of the hips and lower abdomen to ooze up over the top of the waistband.  A dress is the perfect antidote for this horrible affliction. 

Of course, those of us into vintage fashion or sewing have always appreciated the versatility of the dress. Since moving to Florida, I’ve adopted the vintage sundress as my outfit of choice and I never fail to get compliments when wearing one. You can go throw one on with some flip flops and you’ll look casually chic for a day of running erands.  Add high heeled sandals, a dressier purse and jewelry and the same dress will take you out to dinner in style.

Women have become accustomed to the option of dressing more like men, ever since they had to work in factories during WW1 and 2.   Society’s acceptance of ladies wearing pants was the beginning of designers blurring the line between traditional masculine and feminine clothing styles.  The dress, on the other hand,  will always be considered the exclusive fashion statement of the female of our species.  Though there are certain gentlemen who enjoy wearing frocks as much as us ladies do, I don’t forsee any imminent threat of husbands sashaying out of bedrooms across America, sporting their latest Marc Jacobs babydoll dress or, heaven forbid, showing up at parties wearing the same cocktail dress as their wives!

So ladies, bask in the glory of your own unique girliness and wear a dress today!