time and a place for wearing ‘freak’em dresses.”
As far as this situation goes, it was the sequins combined with the fact that it was more than sleeveless: thin strapped. Although it wasn’t quite spaghetti strapped or short, but rather-just above the knee-still, it was straps.
Given the modesty of it being ‘just above the knee’ (versus a short/mini dress with sequins and spaghetti straps) I can see wear where she probably thought it was okay to wear the dress on air (but I highly doubt she didn’t second guess herself).
In the corporate/office environment, the rule for business-casual or ‘casual’ is: if you have to think twice, don’t wear it.
Regardless the setting I, for one, am not a fan of the complete ‘skank’ look e.g: short/mini skirt with an ultra revealing/skin baring/spaghetti strapped top. To me, it adds to a woman’s sexy if she ‘skanks’ out her top but confuse you by wearing a long, flowing or even fitted sexy skirt, rather than a short/mini with it.
Think about that look: The skankiest top combined with the most non revealing bottoms is soooo sexy. As well, vice versa: skanky at the bottom/covered up at the top.
Although I don’t fancy myself a stylist, by birthright and tried and tested, I do fancy myself a master at the art of communication-verbal, nonverbal, written and otherwise, well, “communication” is, too, in everything we don’t do or say as in what we say, and what we do-do.
For an event or occasion, I could very well style you by, first, telling me how you feel then having you throw adjectives at me-telling me what message you wish to communicate to people looking at you-and via what I read from what I see when I am looking at you-based on whatever you pick out-I could tell you what your choices convey to me.
The thing about ‘fashion’ is that fashion is communication (too).
Communication that works something like this:
Let’s say you heard, read, or are a fan of someone that writes, performs, or is in the public eye. That person puts forth antics that make you cringe and wiggle, as if your glands were tingling. You curl your face, and tighten your lips with distaste or anger at them….then you met them in person. In person-you would come expecting their same energy as conveyed publicly but instead, something unexpected happens: They (naturally) were this calm, gentle spirit. That’s confusing isn’t it?
Fashion (especially women’s fashion) should be a lot like that—especially to preserve a woman’s ‘sexy’ and 
allure (versus skanking herself out). It should to confuse you such that by allowing one to “suppose” (skanky on the top OR bottom)—and then rid them of their suppositions (completely covered/conservative at the top OR bottom). Why? Because your ‘spark’ like a battery is supposed to be pos x neg versus neg x neg). It jump starts the eyes, heart, and/or psyche of people when they look at you skin-baring/skanky at the top OR bottom but covered on the opposite top OR bottom end. And if you fancy yourself ‘fashionable’ then you play by fashions rules such that even if you are pos x pos (covered from head to toe) with exception of religious reasons, then wearing something figure-flattering conveys a message that-even covered up from head to toe-you are still fashion forward versus feeling frumpy.
CONSIDERING THAT, WHERE DID LIBERTE GO WRONG?
Liberte’s choice (for live television) was a double neg (neg x neg). Because while her dress wasn’t short/mini with spaghetti straps, it was fringed…and…and…sequins…and sequins with fringes communicate “after 5” …just like fake lashes used to be an “after 5” accessory for women and look “too much”/too done up in the day time hours-depending on the setting/where you are (but that’s another blog).
That being the case, even is Liberte’s dress was worn with her own jacket to cover it up, the sequins itself made her dress “inappropriate. ”
So of course, without a jacket to cover all that open skin from her thin straps over that obvious “after 5” looking dress during news reporting times (mornings, mid day, or evening/drive time), it’s going to raise brows. Even if she were doing the evening or late night news, given what the fashion ‘communicated’, it was still inappropriate to wear on-air as, what she had on ‘communicated’ and spoke louder than why she is paid to stand there: Tell the news.
Where personal style and individual personality are concerned, although I am not a fan of
Spitfire .
Media Maestro .
Writing Rhinoceros .
