Dapper Day dresses up Disney parks

The best-dressed people at Disney parks usually are the ones topping off their shorts and t-shirts with sequined Minnie Mouse ears.

DapperDay.com

But a couple of times a year, a group of sartorially minded Disney fans try to dress up the joint by promoting Dapper Days. The group, which is not affiliated with Disney, encourages park-goers to don their favorite "sophisticated fashions" for an evening at the park.

Past events have drawn thousands of guests sporting pinstripe suits and vintage dresses. Some even bring their kids all dolled up.

This year's fall gatherings are coming up soon:

• Friday, Sept. 6: Disneyland
• Saturday, Sept. 13: Disneyland Paris
• Saturday, Sept. 21: Walt Disney World

The events typically include a couple of meet-ups inside the parks where you can meet other stylish guests, but there's no requirement to mingle.

"People are looking for an excuse to dress up," Justin Jorgensen, 38, who started Dapper Day in 2011, told the Los Angeles Times. "Everything, including the workplace, pushes this idea of being casual. When do I get to wear my great stuff?"

We'd like to propose a real-world corollary: When it's Dapper Day at a Disney park, it should be Disney Day back in the real world, when we can be free to wear our Disney World gear to the office.

Visit DapperDay.com for more details, lots of photos from past gatherings and cut-rate tickets to the parks for Dapper Days.