A lovely friend of mine tells the story about going into a small department store years ago to buy a dress that could be worn for multiple occasions. The sales associate obligingly said, “What you need is a CCC dress.” My friend had never heard of a CCC dress (and neither had I). The sales associated proceeded to define CCC as an acronym for “church, cocktails, cemetery.”

As I thought about it, I wanted to add an extra “C” to the list, i.e., conference room.

Of course the basic dress is important, but MORE IMPORTANT IS THE WAY YOU ACCESSORIZE THE DRESS. Wouldn’t you agree? Take a look at the images below they are all from the Talbot’s website.

I simply love the way Talbot’s shows additional ways to style an outfit…brilliant!

For a more modern look, instead of a dress, here’s a CCC jumpsuit.

Hopefully we won’t be going to too many cemetery engagements, but it is always better to be prepared than to have to rush out and buy a new outfit–same for cocktails or church.

And remember, you can make any garment look different, simply by changing your accessories.

Church might also be an occasion for a wedding. In that case, if it is after five, you could wear your cocktail attire.

If you are in doubt about what to where when, refer to page 16 in QUINTESSENTIAL STYLE.

Have you ever thought about it? Do you have a CCC dress?