Planning your attire

[Bugsy]

Oh poor baby! How humiliatin'

I once went to work wearing different shoes on each foot. Mind you I had a hangover that morning.

Did one of your work mates point it out? Or were you just conscious of it yourself?

No, I sat down at my desk and pulled up my pant leg to discover that I had made a complete fool of myself. I have also had to rearrange the shoes in my closet. I always kept the cordovan and black pairs of penny loafers side by side. Imagine my horror when I was walking down the street downtown, and discovered that I had on two different colored shoes. (And I had a similar pair at home too.) So don't feel to bad about it. It happens to the best of us. At least that's what I keep telling myself.

 

[Widebrim]

I may give thought to what I will put on the following morning, but usually I find myself standing in front of the closet, staring at my suits and sports coats. (As a rule, though, I try not to wear the same colors in two successive days.) Having chosen the outer wear, I then have to decide what color shirt and necktie to use, and while the shoe selecting-process is not as ardous, often picking out the correct socks is...

 

[1961MJS]

...and while the shoe selecting-process is not as arduous, often picking out the correct socks is...

Hi, I have a more or less fool proof method of picking dress socks. I buy at least 6 pair of black dress socks and 6 pair of tan dress socks at the same time, usually at Kohl's. I then toss all of the old ones. If the outfit doesn't match either black socks or tan ones, I don't wear it. Now all of my dress socks match, and I'm not spending time matching three colors of "tan" socks.

Socks with hiking or cowboy boots is less problematic. It's not like anyone expects a cowboy's socks to match anyway.


Later

 

[kools]

Hi, I have a more or less fool proof method of picking dress socks. I buy at least 6 pair of black dress socks and 6 pair of tan dress socks at the same time, usually at Kohl's. I then toss all of the old ones. If the outfit doesn't match either black socks or tan ones, I don't wear it. Now all of my dress socks match, and I'm not spending time matching three colors of "tan" socks.

I need navy blue socks also...the problem lies in that too many of my blue socks can look black in a dimly-lit early morning bedroom.

 

[Edward]

Nice theory, buying matching socks. In practice.... My dad once bought a dozen pairs of identical black socks. Six months of machine washes later, he had precisely twenty three pairs of sock ranging in shade from jet black to dark grey, and all points in between, no two of which were quite the same. I once went out wearing one red sock and one black sock. Deliberately. I'd inadvertently gotten down the clean pile and only had odd socks left, so I wore the two that contrasted most in order that it would look deliberate. A girl I knew at the time said "You've got one red sock and one black sock on." I said "Yes, I know - I have another pair the same at home." and there was the end of the matter.

I typically wing it day to day (not best organised to do otherwise). Sometimes a last minute change of outfit is necessitated by a certain element - most often the trousers, I find. For something significant - a major meeting, or conference speech, or going on out after work - will lead me to think it out the night before. Very occasionally I might just put quite a bit of thought into what I will wear in advance if there is going to be someone there I wish to particularly impress, but that's increasingly rare nowadays.

 

[1961MJS]

Wow, I've never had mine fade like that. I don't worry with the black versus blue thing anymore. So many people dress so poorly that wearing black socks with a navy blue suit is well under the radar, especially if you're also wearing black shoes instead of high Top red Air Jordans.

Later

 

[psugrad98]

I lay out everything I am going to wear the evening before. From undershirt to socks, pants, shirts, tie, etc.

 

[avedwards]

I find split-second decisions often create the best combos. I rarely lay things out the night before.

I couldn't agree more. Quite often I find myself mentally trying out different combinations during the night and then testing them in the morning. Occaisionally I make a decision to wear a certain suit or jacket if I think I haven't worn it for a few weeks. I have an easy time with socks because they are all neatly paired and black or grey. I have one pair of day-to-day shoes which simplifies matters, though I have two others which I occaisionally wear. The same applies to my hats.

So far my method has only failed me twice since September, when I forgot to wear a pocket hankerchief. Fortunately for me nobody picked up on that.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

I'm a Safety Engineer in Aerospace. We tend to be a tad retentive... I almost always have everything out the night before. I'm camping this weekend, I have the sleeping bags packed in the basement, and will do the backpack tonight. Leaving Friday afternoon.

Later

 

[MikeBravo]

I just wear black socks.

I buy them with patterns, along the top only, so I can match them after washing. I roll them together and just pull out a pair from the drawer in the morning. I keep my argyle and novely socks in another drawer so I don't have to stress about the wrong ones on a dark and cold morning

Most people don't notice socks unless they stand out for some reason. My main concern is that I don't expose any bare leg! :eeek: That's the worst faux pas in my mind, worse than black socks with a blue suit.

 

[CharlieB]

Except with jeans, I can't bring myself to wear socks that do not match my trousers. So, it's either limit trouser colors, or expand the sock collection!

 

[dnjan]

Quite often I find myself mentally trying out different combinations during the night and then testing them in the morning.

For me, that would be a reason to set everything out at night. I read before going to bed to try to blank my mind from daily problems, so I don't toss and turn overnight trying to solve them.

 

[CharlieB]

For me, that would be a reason to set everything out at night. I read before going to bed to try to blank my mind from daily problems, so I don't toss and turn overnight trying to solve them.

Totally agree with you, dnjan. Another reason I plan the night before is that I get up while my wife is still asleep. That way I spend less time banging around the closet making noise that might wake her up.

 

[avedwards]

For me, that would be a reason to set everything out at night. I read before going to bed to try to blank my mind from daily problems, so I don't toss and turn overnight trying to solve them.

I can understand why you would want your peace of mind. In my case I find mentally planning out combinations is slightly meditative in its own way and helps me get to sleep sometimes.

 

[Marla]

I tend to come up with more creative combinations when I plan the night before. Otherwise, in the morning when I'm sleepy I tend to reach for trousers more often than not when I should be wearing a skirt.

 

[John in Covina]

Most of my clothes are in just a few color schemes so I can grab out of the closet pretty quick for most mornings.

 

[Lonny]

I don't plan it out the night before unless it is a special occassion, I like to relax in the morning and just throw on what ever strikes me as comfortable that day. Although my foot wear is limited to a pair of doc martens with a union jack toe at the moment, it does tend to make it hard to coordinate a wardrobe haha, especially since other, fancier dress shoes seem to take damage in the snow.
But it just seems easier for me to pick it out in the morning.

 

[ssfilez]

Unfortunately, I don't plan what I wear for the following day. I wake up in the morning, take a bath, and pick random clothes from my closet. I own a lot of dress shirts and slacks so I guess there is nothing left for me to plan. I guess it is about the way I bought my clothes wherein all of them would look well with each other.