Overdressing is the cardinal sin of modern style. Whatever you do, you must not look like you tried too hard. You must not be too full-on, too deliberate, too enthusiastic.

This was never going to sit well with me. I’ve always loved statement dressing and while I own two pairs of jeans, the number of proper floor-length evening gowns I’ve got is… let’s just say it’s over ten. I overdress for everything: for work, for opera (a difficult one, but I’ll manage), for the shop-run, for a weekend in the country.

I have a lot of sympathy for the sentiment that women must not feel that they have to dress up or that their ability to do so is somehow an indication of their worth. No-one should be pressured into spending time and money on their looks. But most of the time, I feel the arguments against overdressing are not really rooted in these concerns. You are still expected to invest your resources, just, you know, be more TASTEFUL about it. The love of understatement is often driven by fear of being uncool, of seeming attention-grabbing, pretentious and possibly old-fashioned.

I know, because I used to feel bad about my tendency to wear a brocade skirt for meetings or doing both a strong eye AND a strong lip, another evil habit. Then I decided to get over it, because it sucked all the fun out of wearing things. Long skirts, sequins, lace, golden shoes, feathers, crazy hats and impractical capes are some of the most fun parts of dressing. If you are almost never allowed to wear them or must always tone them down, isn’t it depressing?

I feel almost physical pain when people say that they love something, but have nowhere to wear it. What do you mean? Just wear it. Anywhere. Create an occasion. Throw a party. Have a sandwich. There is nothing quite like sitting in your own kitchen in a silver maxi skirt and having a sandwich with yesterday’s meat balls.

There are some good reasons for understated looks, but worrying about what others think is not one of them. Overdressing is underrated. You should get on it.