I want to first apologize for the incredibly poor quality of the following photos–I took them at night using my iPhone without a flash. I’m only using them to demonstrate a point: This is NOT OK to do. Never should a woman be donning a fun-backed dress with a nude colored bra blatantly showing. You are not deceiving anyone; even if your bra is a “nude” color, it does not simulate you being nude when it shows.

In the photo to the left, the blue box simply outlines where the dress’s decorative back is: it’s a simple crossback/racerback style made a bit more interesting with the differing widths of the stripes in the fabric. The lighter, smaller box outlines this bar-goer’s fashion foul because I know it may be difficult to see with the grainy picture quality. The photo to the right is just a side angle, and demonstrates that not all friends will be honest about how you look.

If a dress has an interesting back like this, make sure you are able to do the dress justice by wearing the appropriate undergarments to showcase both you and the dress’s design (this post & this post may help). This means minimal–if ANY–bra showing. This is not attractive nor flattering for this girl. I saw this fashion foul when I was visiting my hometown in July. She was out with a few other girlfriends to celebrate someone’s 21st birthday.

Regardless of whether or not you are the honoree for your fun night out, you should always dress to impress. I don’t say that to be snooty or to say that “you should dress to impress others.” I say that because you should dress to impress no one else except yourself. If you aren’t impressed by your outfit in some way (fit, color combo, style, trying something new, overall flattery), think of how that is linked to your self-confidence. Then think of how others will see you in that outfit throughout the rest of the night. How will you feel (mentally, physically, or emotionally) for the rest of your night? If your response is anything other than stellar, reevaluate your look for the evening.