History Main / UnderdressedForTheOccasion

* According to legend, EdgarAllenPoe was once invited to march in parade. The dress code simply stated "White cuffs and boots, under arms" - [[LiteralMinded and he showed up naked except for white cuffs and boots]]. He was kicked out.

* The ''Series/RedDwarf'' novel, ''Last Human'' states that at some point before the accident, Lister was somehow invited to the officers' summer ball. The invitation told him to dress informally, so he turns up wearing football shorts. He is turned away by a suited officer. He laments that if they wanted him to dress like NoelCoward, they should have said so.

[[/folder]]

* The ''RedDwarf'' novel, ''Last Human'' states that at some point before the accident, Lister was somehow invited to the officers' summer ball. The invitation told him to dress informally, so he turns up wearing football shorts. He is turned away by a suited officer. He laments that if they wanted him to dress like NoelCoward, they should have said so.

* ''RealGenius'': Chris shows up to his job interview wearing deelyboppers and an "I Heart Toxic Waste" T-shirt. In this case, it's meant to establish the character as a BunnyEarsLawyer.

** My father was stationed at Keesler Field in Biloxi, MS in 1944, after returning from service overseas. He said that despite the awful heat and humidity they strictly enforced dress codes and he was yelled at for a loosened tie and rolled up sleeves.

Sometimes invoked intentionally in rejection of whatever group is being intruded upon. The James Dean effect is popular for this. ''Much'' easier for men to pull off, especially if they have romantic possession of a female who ''does'' belong in the setting and is dressed like it.

* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in ''TheChroniclesOfNarnia''--when [[BigGood Aslan]] magically summons soon-to-be-Queen Helen to Narnia she is described as looking [[ModestRoyalty beautiful in her simple attire]]. The narrator informs us that if she had known this was going to happen and had put on her best outfit, she would have looked tacky.

* In ''{{Freefall}}'', when Winston goes on his first date with Florence, he's wearing a T-shirt with "Cyber-Rap and the Philharmonic Orchestra" on the back. Florence has booked them in on a fancy, french restaurant. When she sees the T-shirt, she (rather insistently) offers to buy him a new shirt, since she had to borrow one of his on their first meeting. Winston readily agrees, mentally commenting "I don't know much about fashion, but when [[InterspeciesRomance a dog]] is embarrassed to be seen with you, it's time to change clothes."

* ''HowIMetYourMother'': The gang goes to a funeral, and Barney, who at all other times advocates wearing suits, shows up in sweats because he believes that suit is only for happy occassions.
--> '''Barney:''' suit is the sartorial equivalent of a baby smile.

* ''HowIMetYourMother'': The gang goes to a funeral, and Barney, who at all other times advocates wearing suits, shows up in sweats in order to stand out.

Contrast with ItsACostumePartyISwear, where someone else deliberately tricks a party-goer into wearing a costume. ''Not'' to be confused with BirthdaySuitSurpriseParty.

Showing up underdressed for a formal event can simply be played for comedy: it's frequently invoked in romantic comedies as part of a disastrous date. As such, it functions as a minor obstacle on the path to romance. However, being underdressed can also be used dramatically. Arriving underdressed to a party or other social event often signals that the underdressed character is in some way an outsider. Frequently, the underdressed character is of lower class status than the rest of the guests. A poverty-stricken character may be underdressed due to an inability to afford formal wear. Alternatively, failure to adhere to dress codes indicates ignorance of the social code. Especially when this is part of an InWithTheInCrowd situation, some of the humiliation stems from the way the character is displaying that he or she is not yet able to navigate these social waters. It's not uncommon for a more savvy (or simply wealthier) friend or LoveInterest to provide some assistance, because IWantMyBelovedToBeFashionable.

Contrast with ItsACostumePartyISwear, where someone else deliberately tricks a party-goer into wearing a costume.

* In an episode of ''{{Monster}}'', Eva refuses to allow her bodyguard to come into a hotel with her because he doesn't meet the hotel's dress code. She subsequently takes him shoppping to get a suit and tie, which she forces him to wear when he accompanies her.

* In ''Freefall'', when Winston goes on his first date with Florence, he's wearing a T-shirt with "Cyber-Rap and the Philharmonic Orchestra" on the back. Florence has booked them in on a fancy, french restaurant. When she sees the T-shirt, she (rather insistently) offers to buy him a new shirt, since she had to borrow one of his on their first meeting. Winston readily agrees, mentally commenting "I don't know much about fashion, but when [[InterspeciesRomance a dog]] is embarrassed to be seen with you, it's time to change clothes."

* ''RealGenius: Chris shows up to his job interview wearing deelyboppers and an "I Heart Toxic Waste" T-shirt. In this case, it's meant to establish the character as a BunnyEarsLawyer.

Showing up underdressed for a formal event can simply be played for comedy: it's frequently invoked in romantic comedies as part of a disastrous date. As such, it functions as a minor obstace on the path to romance. However, being underdressed can also be used dramatically. Arriving underdressed to a party or other social event often signals that the underdressed character is in some way an outsider. Frequently, the underdressed character is of lower class status than the rest of the guests. A poverty-stricken character may be underdressed due to the inability to afford formalwear. Alternatively, failure to adhere to dress codes indicates ignorance of the social code. Especially when this is part of an InWithTheInCrowd situation, some of the humiliation stems from the way the character is displaying that he or she is not yet able to navigate these social waters. It's not uncommon for a more savvy (or simply wealthier) friend or LoveInterest to provide some assistance, because IWantMyBelovedToBeFashionable.

----

* In one episode of ''HanaYoriDango'', Tsukushi shows up underdressed for a party at the Domyoji estate. In this case, her wearing an inappropriately informal dress is a reminder of the class difference between her family and the Domyoji family.

* The parable of the Wedding guest in [[TheBible Matthew 22:1-14]] makes this trope OlderThanFeudalism. The punishment for failing to come to the wedding feast in proper attire was unexpectedly harsh, too. Weaping and gnashing of teeth, indeed!

** Casting Crowns made a similar reference to being underdressed in church in their song "If We are the Body."

* Also a potential problem for servicemembers due to the wide variety of uniforms one has to choose from. Showing up in the wrong uniform (say, camouflage fatigues for a formation requiring service dress uniform) at best shows that your chain of command is poor at communicating, and at worst that you didn't care to find out what uniform you ''should'' have been wearing.

[[AC:{{Anime and Manga}}]]
* In one episode of ''HanaYoriDango'', Tsukushi shows up underdressed for a party at the Domyoji estate. In this case, her wearing an inappropriately informal dress is a reminder of the class difference between her family and the Domyoji family.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

* The parable of the Wedding guest in [[TheBible Matthew 22:1-14]] makes this trope older than print. The punishment for failing to come to the wedding feast in proper attire was unexpectedly harsh, too. Weaping and gnashing of teeth, indeed!

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:{{Music}}]]

[[AC:{{WebComics}}]]

[[AC:RealLife]]