To wear or to dress?

[Mariana H.]

Whats the difference between " to dress" and " to wear". For example, if I say
"She always ________ very well in these occasions." What should I use? Wear or dress? It seems dress is more apropriate but how am I to explain this?

[BobK]

wear in this context, is transitive, so it doesn't fit here. (There is an intransitive meaning of wear [=stands up to (or suffers) constant stress; 'When choosing a carpet, it's important to choose a fabric that wears well.'/'Over time, it has worn/worn down/worn through/worn out'

b

PS
'to dress' is either intransitive (as in your example - 'She always dresses very well on these occasions'), or transitive 'The parent dressed the child'/'The maidservant dressed her mistress'/'The lady-in-waiting dressed the queen'.