What do you wear?

Yes; I've got a wardrobe full of nice clothes that never get worn. Even if I go out I end up choosing something that I go shopping in. I've got a Phase Eight sweater that I wear when I go out; I feel so happy in it. I looked on the internet to see if I could still buy it but, alas they don't have any more. It was quite expensive but I've had so much use out of it. Has a bit of cashmere in it, though and I'm terrified of finding moth holes in it one day. I think a lot of my 'nice clothes in the wardrobe' don't fit me now, though, which is why I need to lose a bit of weight as I can't afford to replace them. Mind you, I did some gardening the other day wearing slightly smarter clothes than usual and found I didn't get in such a mess [that decorating guy used to say the same in the changing rooms programme] as I didn't wipe my hands on my jeans etc.

I dress in what I find comfy which is mostly jeans and t-shirt/sweater , trainers or sandals . I have a tendency to buy nice things but then 'keep' them for a nice outing , then end up wearing a comfy 'old' outfit, I've often found that things I've bought that I really really like but then hardly wear as I'm always 'saving' them. My daughters buy things and then wear them to death, donate them and buy new. Maybe its our thriftiness that gets in the way.

I do that saving thing too Tanith.
I had a lovely pink lace shift dress when I was aboout 20 that I only wore twice
One way to think yourself out of the tendency is to consider cost per wear.
That means that if you buy something expensive, the more you wear it, the cheaper it becomes

For years I had things I kept for best and then these items ended up not being worn much, so now I tend to have clothes for working in the house and doing dirty jobs and things to go out with very few items only worn occasionally. I have found that wearing a pinafore when cooking has meant less grease spots on my tops.. For years I had a dress which was a really good 'wear it when you don't know what to wear ' sort of thing. It washed a dream and did not need ironing - how I missed that dress when it finally bit the dust!

I had a dress like that, bez. It was my chuck it on dress, made of cotton but didn't need ironing if hung on hanger to dry. If I wore a string of pearls with it I looked ready for a garden party (someone said); if I wore it without, it was my Cinderella dress (someone said). Bits of it are in a patchwork quilt now. Navy blue with all over tiny white flowery pattern. Laura Ashley before that store went to the dogs.

I was only thinking that about Laura Ashley today Bags
I used to go in and look longingly at all the lovely things I couldn't afford - now I can afford them, and I don't even bother going in

I've now got a whole lot of clothes just 'home wear' as I call it. Mostly M&S wide leg trousers in black or grey or grey-mix. I wear t-shirts or in winter woollen jumpers in dark or sometimes bright colours. In summer I wear skirts, mostly made by me, and sandals.
Then I have going out stuff. This can be up to really smart wear to casual dressy like at the bridge club where I usually wear jeans and smart jackets.

Although I like to be comfortable at home, I would miss not smartening up to play bridge or to go out for meal. I'm still interested in clothes and wear make up most days and of course always earrings!

Bez, my mother used to insist that I wore a pinny when helping in the house, which I hated. Unfortunately that put it in the same category as vests and rubber gloves, which I have refused to wear ever since leaving home. I have never wanted the 'little housewife' image!
If I am doing a dirty job I wear old clothes, if going out I stick with smart casual, sometimes adding a necklace and/or jacket.

Jeans are regarded as smart? Really? Gosh. One doesn't half live and learn.

jane, I have four jumpers (three cotton and one wool) that were special treats from Aura Ashley over twenty years ago (not all at once!). I still wear them. I'm wearing one now, and wore another when I went to meet soop in Inverary last week. Love them.

I still have a couple of her three tiered summer skirts as well but I don't wear them much because it isn't often warm enough here and I'm no longer doing Scottish dancing which was the main reason for having them.

Like you, I don't even glance in LA now but the DD's used to have to drag me past!

And right lovely you looked, Bags

I keep meaning to clear out my wardrobe, but it's always a case of 'let's see if I can lose another stone and then do the clear-out'. I have several wedding outfits that have been little worn and at least one of them is not appropriate for any other occasions. I think any of the next generation who were likely to marry have already done so. GD could be the next! A nice dress I got for my 70th birthday party is waiting for me to get back to my fighting weight. Here's hoping!

My style is best described as 'shabby chic'.......though without the 'chic'

Aka!

shysal I too have really old gear for filthy jobs and for years I wore no apron etc but then fed up with finding I had grease spots and other stains on otherwise perfectly good tops, because I had worn them cooking the meal, eventually decided I had to get a few aprons/ pinafores - surprising just how grubby they get and I do not get quite so many marks on my middle of the scale clothes. Not only that I can whip said apron off and sit and eat the meal looking smart!!!

When I think back to my childhood, my Mum always wore an apron and also wore "old" clothes for housework, changing when she wanted to go shopping or into the town near where we lived. You didn't go into town in casual clothes as I discovered when home from university and had to change out of jeans into a skirt!!!

jeans and a tshirt!, dresses only for weddings, for a smarter look best jeans and a top, plus comfy shoes always, I to embrace shabby chic

.... and then there were Sundays ( sorry to go off piste a little), best outfits for Church, often with hats and lace gloves! The latter came in handy when the flowers caused a sudden attack of hayfever .
Like you gracesmum I have all my 'school clothes' waiting to be used up now they are demoted to housework.
Whatever I wear, I usually add a necklace (even for housework!)

The main reason for wearing an apron when cooking is hygiene - i.e. protecting raw ingredients from the dirt on your clothes not protecting your clothes from the raw ingredients. That's why you should wear a clean apron each time you cook.

When teaching I had grades of clothes - some for wearing 'out' and maybe things such as parents' evenings - those for school and the ones for working at home plus a few nice more casual things. Clothes sort of drifted down the grades and when they reached the school grade had a short life due to the way some children were somewhat cavalier with their usage of paint brushes or glue spreaders! But I did have years of fun.

I didn't know that, absent, although it makes sense...

I'm glad it's not just me Normally I wear trousers and long or short sleeved tops - depending on the weather. If the weather's really nice I might wear a skirt. I've got several nice jackets if I want to look a bit smarter, but I've got some lovely tops that barely get worn now because they're a bit OTT for shopping. My gorgeous silk dress gets worn once a year if I'm lucky. The last time I dressed up to visit my MiL she accused me of stealing one of her skirts, so it was back to Tshirt and trousers!

I always wear an apron when cooking. It's not a clean one every time, though I do wash them frequently. The food we're going to eat does not usually (ever!) touch the apron and the apron does not touch the food. The apron does protect my clothes from grease splashes though, which is the only reason I wear it.

I contend that you do not have to cook in clean clothes, nor in a clean apron for each meal. So long as whatever touches the food is clean – hands, knives, chopping boards, etc – you'll be fine. And so will the food.

Mr soop is the cook. Mr soop has a striped apron. And very fetching he looks in it too.

Yes soop, we can imagine [win