clothes

I'm more like suzied, I love clothes and also used to make many of mine. Once you start to do that, you instantly double the amount of clothes you have.

At one time I reckon I could have given Imelda Marcos a run for her money shoe-wise. When I left Ex, my friend whose (very large) house I moved into said although she had donated half her vast walk-in wardrobe to me, she feared for her floor timbers as she counted in the 80th black bin bag.

I don't have anything like that now, but Ex always wanted me to look expensive. As I was a gardener, that was quite tough at times. I do go to quite a lot of fairly smart functions, so do keep clothes for best, I still go to the odd ball, lots of dinners, races, quite a lot of social stuff and then you start to think, I can't wear that again, everyone saw it recently.

At home though I am a total slob. I will happily wear darned cardigans until they fall apart - because they are often cashmere ones that used to be quite smart and gradually have slid down the scale of wearability until they end up in the garden. Ditto nice jeans, I patch those too.

Having said all that, some of my clothes are 20 years old.

suzied I absolutely agree with your last sentence. I was brought up to believe that taking a pride in your appearance was a sign of self respect. Enhanced, I think, by having an uncle whose indifference to how he looked, was an outward sign of his deep inner feelings of lack of self worth and depression.

I have never been high maintenance or expensive in my tastes but I like the sense of confidence that comes from knowing that I am well maintained and well-dressed. Neither of those terms preclude being comfortably and casually dressed.

No. Never look depressed. Even if you are. #sunnysideup

OMG is there anyone out there who just dives in the wardrobe and picks anything out and what is wrong with just washing something to wear for a different occasion.

I think its a crime to buy stuff to wear for just one occasion then never wear it again, I think about the poor in the world with nothing but what they stand up in. If Im cold and not at work I wear my jamas in the house in the daytime, although not all day. I usually wear dressing gown on top of my clothes.

Each to their own, ethel.

I'm not sure why you're so shocked that most of us own more than two pairs of shoes and a few 'special' outfits, but I accept that you choose not to do so!

I didn't choose I just thought that most people did the same as me.

I couldn't care less if everyone has hundreds of outfits, I cant see the point of it. I would rather not go out if I have to dress up , also I think that its the kind of person you are not the clothes that matter.

Many on this post are saying that they dress up for a special occasion, ok, but is it to impress somebody. I like to think that people take me as I am not just because I have dressed up. A real friend will care for you no matter what you look like, there's no false vanity. Also if a man cares for you he will not care what you look like

I do think Ethel it is nice to make an effort to look attractive to one"s partner/DH.
Same as himself does for me .
Still whatever floats one"s boat I suppose !!
I just could not bear to go around looking untidy , just not me at all !!

As Ana says each to their own,I can be found in jeans and t-shirt most days when at home but I do for my own self esteem not anyone else's make the effort when I go anywhere special, I don't have to impress anyone and no one impresses me if the truth be known,I have to disagree re a man not caring what you look like my husband would think there was something wrong with me if I didn't take care of my appearance as he knows how important I feel about my appearance and he always compliments me on how I look either casual or dressed up to go out anywhere.

glammanana - maybe its all in the name! - how lucky are you to have a man give you compliments on how you look. My dh doesn't even notice when I have my hair cut (in a different style - took 3 days and a prompt from a friend of mine!). And sadly he is nearly always in his gardening/painting clothes, even when not doing those things!
Ethel I can empathise with you - although I seem to have a wardrobe full of stuff, it is because I am rubbish at throwing out old stuff. I probably only wear about 6 tops and in winter have two pairs of jeans (one blue one black). Same with handbags - don't throw any away (just in case). I don't buy new stuff very often either. I hate to see the really cheap t shirts etc in shops that are made in China/India etc where the workers are paid a pittance.
I have a quiet admiration for your take on clothes. I have just had a week's holiday in a cottage where I was not surrounded by "stuff" and it kind of freed up my spirit. Now I am back home I am determined to try and declutter - both house stuff and my wardrobe.
As others have said, we are all different.
You and I wouldn't want to be on that Gok Wan programme of a couple of years back!

I have lots of clothes, shoes, scarves, coats. Even if I'm in the house all day doing ironing, my clothes will match. They could be a few years old but colours will tone. Never a dress or skirt. Always jeans, leggings, linens - if I'm going out for lunch or to dress up a bit I will wear cigarette pants or ankle grazers and flat pumps. I'll always put on make-up, perfume, earrings.

Most stuff is from M & S Outlet Clearance Section and very little costs more than £5. Or Clark's shoes outlet centre. Occasional Kaliko items or Phase Eight come from eBay and I resell items eventually. Also charity shops. And my friend and I give each other items we are tired of.

Background was poor, end of school year would have had holes in shoes and lino insoles. Usually got a new school blazer for Xmas. Ex DH although university educated had mental health issues and a lot of time we were on benefits and I was the breadwinner. So I am very appreciative of what I have now but still only buy for peanuts.

And I want that when DH looks at me, he thinks....hmmmm nice. That sounds fickle cos he thinks I'm nice anyway.

I usually wear separates (mostly black) with one of my bright scarves or necklaces! I have a few pairs of Moshulu shoes in bright colours. I also like boots but only have 3 pairs unless you count the deep pink desert boots! I don't really like patterned clothes but have a few bright coloured cardigans etc. I love bright pinks and purples.I wear jogging bottoms and sloppy tops at home. I have NO dresses!

Lately, I seem to have a fixation on coats and have to stop myself buying more! I have never liked jackets but now have a real urge to buy !

Going out, l like to wear something that makes me feel good but not to impress - my style is not something would impress, nor are my body, hair etc!! DH is always complimentary despite my flaws!

You can look nice if you own very few clothes. If what you wear suits you, you'll be fine in clothes old or new and even in the same clothes day in day out whether they are fashionable or not. I've always tried to find clothes that suit me and my lifestyle. Many transient fashions don't so I don't buy them.

I understand where ethel is coming from.

Mind you, I need more than one pair of shoes because mine often need time to dry out between wearings in winter. I spend a good deal of my time in hiking boots or wellies, which are not suitable for everything.

'A black bag goes with anything' What if your wearing brown or navy?
Never let it be seen.

You can look tidy without having lots of clothes. Personally, ethel I would not wear pyjamas and dressing-gown all day around the house. Apart from the appearance it is not healthy to sleep in your clothes.

If someone has the money to buy a lot of clothes, and having and wearing them makes them feel good and in charge of their life, then why not? Those who don't have as much money are not going to suffer - in fact they may benefit if they are the ones employed to make the clothes, or the ones who buy very cheaply the ones they give to a charity shop.

Resentment against those who can afford to buy something new does not make anyone more virtuous for not having a bursting wardrobe. Finding clever ways to look as good as them without the same expense makes you feel much better about yourself.

Collecting all the suggestions on this thread for paying less would be helpful, so would learning how to make clothes - it is not as hard as you might think, if you choose the right pattern. A hairstyle that suits, and careful attention to personal hygeine, some bright scarves (they don't have to be Hermes or Jaeger - charity shops often have nice ones) - and above all a cheerful expression and a nice smile and an interest in the world - all do as much as expensive outfits.

I agree that it's a crime to wear something for just one occasion. When I was young, my mother told me to remember how much it cost. Then every time I wore it after that, I should halve it as it lost its value. To keep on doing that until it got down to 50p and only then to start thinking of getting rid of it. So despite all the fashion advice to get rid of things if you haven't worn them for two years, what I tend to do is buy good-quality clothes that are classics and won't date. Nowadays most of my clothes are second-hand from eBay anyway, apart from good basics.

I dress according to my mood, as much as anything. Some days I want navy wool jumper and jeans, other days I want floral floaty and a cardigan.

Your clothes sound like a work-mindset self-imposed uniform. Very easy to wear, but not something that is going to make you feel happier as you put it on. I have clothes that definitely brighten my day and make me feel better when I wear them.

Well, etheltbags, I fully understand how you feel, but for me dressing well is about self-respect.

What you wear always says something about you as a person. It has to, because the person putting the clothes on has decided to be a careful, dresser, or, like you, someone who just puts the nearest garment on, but even then the wearer will have chosen to buy/accept that garment into their wardrobe so that it is available for wear and other people seeing them will reach conclusions about who and what they are from their appearance. You cannot avoid it.

As far as I am concerned I love dressing and looking nice. It is a sure sign that I am unwell or very tired if I am wandering round the house in a tracksuit looking unkempt. It is probably no co-incidence that I also like my house to look nice. I choose my soft furnishings, paint/wallpaper and everything in each room with care. In clothes I think make me look pleasant and sitting in a living room where everything around me is chosen with care in colours and patterns I like and complement each other I feel relaxed and happy, in a dingy old room with dingy clothes, I become equally dingy and withdrawn.

I have had a delightful morning. Since last winter I have lost nearly 2 stone. This morning I got my winter clothes out and tried them all on. They are all far, far too big for me and will need replacing. Yippee, I am so going to enjoy going out to buy a whole lot of new clothes.

I see no reason whatsoever for having to be apologetic for enjoying having a wardrobe of clothes, chosen with care, which I delight to wear. Its my money I can spend it on what I like - and I like clothes.

Do your friends dress like you, ethel ?

I agree that looking good, even if no-one else is gping to see you, is a self-esteem thing. I've been retired for over 10 years... I had to dress smartly then, and I still do smart-casual at home... unless I'm doing some DIY!

I'm very observant on personal hygiene, and even tho' some of my neighbours happily wander outside in their dressing gowns until mid-morning I wouldn't be seen dead in my dressing gown after 8.30a.m and never outside! My neighbours, I might add, are the self-proclaimed 'Tres Chic' French .Don't you believe it... it's a myth! I think the dressing gown hang-up comes from my dear old mum... she was mortified if anyone even caught her in her rollers and hairnet! She called it 'having standards.' I think her naighbours called it being 'stuck up' but.........

As I said before I buy a lot of my clothes second-hand, so I like to thnk I'm doing my bit for re-cycling.

And no... I don't get a reaction from my DH when we go out, but I do dress to compliment him, and also because I feel good when I know I've done as much as I can with the basic provisions nature gave me!

This morning, for example, to go into town (not a smart cosmopolitan place at all) I wore chambray cut-offs, a bright blue t shirt with a baggy white overshirt to disguise the lumpy bits, and moccasins instead of the leather mules I'd worn all summer. Thought it was time I re-introduced my feet to 'proper' shoes. Unfortunately by the time I got home my feet were killing me! Oh well! They obviously need re-training before winter sets in.

I don't think it's sinful to buy something for an occasion and wear it just the once, though I don't think I've ever done it. Not even my wedding dress - I hired that for the day and never regretted it. I tend to keep clothes forever anyway, but if I do get rid of them they go to a charity shop. I do have occasion dresses I've only worn two or three times, but I'm sure they'll come in somewhere along the line. I suppose I might get into cruising as I get older! I'm keeping my eye out now for something to wear at my 60th party in January - my OH is 65 the same week so we're having a big celebration. I wouldn't wear something to that that I've worn at a previous do. Surely I'm not unusual in that?

And I agree petra - a black bag most certainly does not go with everything!

on the fence here
I have 'lots' of jeans, t-shirts and jumpers (thick and thin) as I live rurally and layer them up depending on the weather
so have wellie boots / warm snow boots/ decent boots / indoor boots (£5 from ideal world and wonderful on cold floors and NOT slippers)
have going out shoes, shoes for the summer and comfy walking shoes
confess to 2 handbags (one large and one small)
the only criteria I have re what I wear is that I must change (and therefore wash) everything that I have worn for a day or even half a day -( it was hell when my washing machine broke down)
most of my clothes come from the sales, or ebay or charity shops- can't remember the last time I bought anything full price/new.

When you are really broke, you don't tend to go out as much, and I think that is when your wardrobe shrinks. I have had years when things were extremely tough, and didn't buy a single thing and even mended bras and darned knickers! I did thank heavens for my sewing skills. I used to have to refuse all social invitations, because I couldn't afford to reciprocate and certainly couldn't be a 'Lady who Lunched'. Even coffees out were stretching it a bit. But things are a bit easier now, I love nice things and beautiful fabrics, and this year alone half a dozen pairs of shoes have died on me. I was livid until I realised that I had had one pair for 25 years! As I only wore them to parties they had lasted for perhaps an average of three a year over those years, being winter black satin and velvet ones.

I sat down on a beautiful white carpet at the end of this January and when I got up there was a heap of what looked like ash on the floor. We couldn't think how it got there.

The next day I had to phone and apologise - the velvet section of my shoe had picked that evening to moult! It wasn't velvet at all, it was a sort of flock and the glue had finally expired. M&S, 25 years ago. I'm still in mourning for them.

I have clothes just to walk the dog in , including boots and shoes. But otherwise I mix and match what I have for work and whatever occasion comes along

If you buy good quality items they should last. Clothes from the likes of Primark or Zara, or even M and S these days are not made to last more than a season. However, fine fabrics like silk or chiffon, do not wear well and have to be treated with care, that's why they are for special occasions. They fell fabulous when you wear them though. I do like silk lingerie but it tears easily.

Yes - what happened to silk camiknickers and vest tops? They were lovely sets to wear. I once had a silk bra, but it didn't last long, sadly, so never again.

I suppose it's a form of hobby really. You read, or don't, you wear nice clothes or don't, or maybe you just dip into a nice new magazine from time to time.

Patra has silk undies.