Ian Wallace Interpretation:
Dream: You are out in public, usually on your way to an important meeting, when you realize that you are wearing the wrong clothes. Some of your garments may be normal, but parts of your outfit are missing or you are wearing one or two items of clothing that are entirely inappropriate for the occasion. It may be that you are wearing a colourful and extravagant hat with a sombre suit or perhaps you just feel that you have the wrong shoes on. You may also find yourself wearing someone else’s clothes, which feel uncomfortable and don’t seem to fit you properly.
Meaning: If you dream that you are wearing the wrong clothes in a particular situation, then you are anxious about how you might be appearing to other people in your waking life. Your clothes often form the basis of how other people see you and we tend to choose our outfit according to the image that we want to present to others. If you want to appear formal and businesslike you might wear a smart suit and sensible shoes. If you are trying to identify yourself as being part of a large group of people, then you wear similar clothes to them, whether it is the latest fashion trend or an armed forces uniform. What you wear is also an indication of your status and your identity, so wearing the wrong clothes can show that there is a mismatch between who you are trying to appear to be and who you really are. The type of missing or inappropriate clothing often indicates the nature of this discrepancy. If you are wearing the wrong hat, then you feel that your thinking is inappropriate or that you are in the wrong role. Wearing frivolous items of clothing, such as parts of a clown costume, suggest that you may not be taking things seriously enough. Wearing someone else’s clothing, particularly another person’s shoes, implies you feel you are trying be someone you’re not. Badly fitting clothes show that you aren’t fitting in, or perhaps you do not want to fit in.
Action: This dream is drawing your attention to the discrepancies between who you really are and how you feel that you are expected to appear. Rather than trying to behave in an unnatural way, which you hope will allow you to fit in, you need to consider how you might show up differently in particular situations. It can sometimes seem easier to disguise your talents but instead of conforming to other people’s expectations of you, think about how you can display your individuality while respecting the nature of the circumstances that you find yourself in.
Background: Human beings started to wear clothing about 70,000 years ago and its original function was to protect us from harsh environments and the vagaries of climate. It wasn’t long, however, before clothes became a symbol of status and affiliation within particular groups, and what we wear has now evolved from simple protective garments into a huge range of items that declare our identities. Although we may like to keep some parts of our identity under wraps, we often reveal these parts of our unspoken characters at fancy dress parties and during a variety of traditional celebrations.