To not really get why people don’t like clothes?

Quite difficult to source I imagine. Can’t pick them up in Tesco alongside the weekly shop.

Nope. I can't wear puffy sleeves - again, sensory issues.

Those trousers are satin (I googled) which again, is a huge no for me. I wear stretchy, cotton leggings. That's it. That's all I have in my wardrobe after years of forcing myself into trousers that physically made me itch and hurt.

I think if you have no experience of autism you can't say "Oh, just wear x" or "swap it for Y and you'd be fine".

I spent years forcing myself to wear things because I knew people would judge me otherwise, and at 36, I can't be arsed anymore. People probably think I'm lazy and scruffy and don't care, but I just need to be comfortable.

In this scenario do I already own these items, are they given to me or do I have to buy them?

I wouldn't buy them because ive already got a wardrobe full of clothes and i dont like spending money

If i already own them then obviously I would wear them because otherwise why would I have bought them?

If they are given to me I'd probably snip out the shoulder pads because I hate how they feel, they're weird. They dont move properly with you when you move. I don't know what loon pants are but I'm fine with velvet. I've got a pair of brown velvet trousers.

I can’t be bothered with it.

I always feel I’ve missed the mark even when ive tried

Disco trousers are tight fitting.

Think Olivia Newton John in those black trousers at the end of Grease.

And we could swap the silk for a fabric of your choice, but cut in that 80’s style. Just have huge puffy sleeves instead.

This wasn't specifically aimed at me, but I'll answer anyway.

I don't like the feeling of silk on my skin so I wouldn't wear anything made of it (autism) I also would never wear shoulder pads because again, they don't feel right one me and clothes need to fit a certain way or I find it distracting to the point of getting irritable and even upset (again, autism).

I wouldn't wear disco trousers because they're not practical to me - I need tight-fitting clothes for comfort and so I can pull my socks up over them without having lots of bunched up fabric on my ankles. I also don't like bright patterns or colours so that would be out of the question.

I'm very, very particular about clothes feeling "right" and I can own something for years, try it on and find it intolerable. I'm sure that's hard for NT people to understand but it's the best way I can explain it.

*Cerulean blue 😉

The colours I really like don’t suit me, so I spend that time and money on art instead!

It’s an endlessly fascinating subject as attested by the number of posts here. We all have to take a position because we all have choices. The history of clothing is so interesting. We are no longer proscribed by nationality, class, availability of clothing.

It’s a shame that fashion is so controlled by marketing and money making. There are basic shapes that work to enhance human bodies and are practical but fashion has to change to encourage consumption.

Anyone else get annoyed by that blue jumper scene in Devil wears Prada. The fashionista pronouncing that the clueless heroine only wears a blue jumper because the fashion industry exists. No love. It’s a practical item in the world’s favourite colour. Don’t over complicate it. Blue jumpers would exist without Vogue and designers.

I deliberately chose silk jersey.

Its soft, smooth, stretchy warm and comfortable. The shoulder pads are neither here nor there. They don’t weigh anything. So it’s no different really than a t shirt of sweatshirt in terms of comfort or warmth. It’s just not fashionable

Loon pants not suitable for walking dog, but some 1970’s tight shiny disco trousers would be. Made from same stuff as leggings but not fashionable. So would you wear those?

Some people use clothes to express who they are.

Most people wear clothes because they'd be a bit chilly / sunburnt / soggy if they didn't.

I don't give a shit about clothes. I wear what's comfy and my clothes express nothing about me other than I like wearing what's comfy.

If people want to assume something about me based on that, they can, but I'm not intending to express anything.

If I want to express something to someone, I'll use my words.

I don't think that anyone is denying that (some) people make assumptions.

We just

1. don't care about strangers assumptions
2. question how good information it gives them

Actually, the more people allow themselves to ignore the whole concept and dress for practicality and comfort instead of sharing their mood, personality, class and profession by clothes, the less information will those who insist on making those assumptions get.

If I wear zero jewellery (because I find it annoying), but don't look poor enough that you would assume I can't afford a pair of silver earrings, you have no clue what price point I'd find relevant for everyday wear if I were to wear them.

I'm not sure how you've jumped to me thinking you're shallow, I haven't said that at all. I've said you appear to place more emphasis on clothing when making a visual assessment of someone than others. I'm basing that on an earlier post where you implied that you would assess someone's approachability based on what they're wearing. For me, clothing wouldn't factor into someone's approachability (I would mostly go on facial expression and body language), but that doesn't mean that I'm right and you're wrong. It just means our thought processes are different, that's all. We're not robots.

Because they sound totally impractical for walking the dog/doing my job/lounging on the sofa/sleeping which are the four main activities in my life. I wear leggings, T shirts and hoodies because they are the most comfortable things. Like some other posters, I can get easily irritated by particular fabrics, labels, anything restricting or anything that’s a weird shape, eg I feel like I would keep seeing shoulder pads in my peripheral vision and that would occupy my attention too much. If it’s relevant, I don’t think I’m autistic, but I’m waiting to be assessed for ADHD so I might be ND.

For me, clean, comfortable and appropriate for the occasion is important. What I don't enjoy is the selecting of clothing. So I keep it very simple. Ditto, haircuts. They are functional too, and not something I think about too much either. People might form an opinion based on my choices, but I don't set out to express myself deliberately.

Of course people make assumptions that's not what's up for debate.

The point is that many of us don't care what other people assume about us. If someone thinks I don't care about my appearance because I'm wearing leggings and an oversized hoody then that's on them - I don't give a shit as long as I'm comfortable.

Then you’re misunderstanding, I suspect deliberately. Personally I don’t give a shit what people wear. I really don’t; but in the context of this thread and this thread alone, yes I absolutely believe people make assumptions based on appearance when they have to interact with someone they have no other knowledge of. If you want to say this makes me shallow or I do it more than others, then crack on.🤷🏻‍♀️

Because they wouldn't feel right to me. The texture of velvet makes me want to be sick, and jumpers need to fit me in a certain way or I feel incredibly uncomfortable.

It matters to me what they feel like on my body. And those items would not feel comfortable to me.

Those who care very little for clothes...

Why not drift about in a pair of tasseled velvet loon pants and an 80’s shiny jersey top with humongous shoulder pads?

l mean they’re just clothes after all…it doesn’t matter what they look like.

I've read this several times and I'm not sure what you mean, sorry.

Based on your comments on this thread it's clear to me that you place more emphasis on what someone is wearing when you're making an assessment of them than most people do.

I'm not saying that to be offensive or contrary, but to point out that we're all different in how we interpret the world and that's fine.

No no, I’ve said several times when someone doesn’t know the person and has to interact with them, I fully agree many other factors, but the comments are simply in context of this conversation.

Clothing is one part of making an assessment of a person and the extent to which this contributes to the assessment varies by person.

You appear to put more weighting on this than most or at least most in the thread. For example, you mentioned earlier you would be able to assess whether someone is approachable or not based on their clothing. I wouldn't.

I'm not saying I'm right and you're wrong (or vice versa). But I do think you're projecting the way you feel onto others in this thread.

Yes, precisely.

I'm sure people do judge me on what I wear but it doesn't bother me. I have autism and pick my clothes based on texture and what I can tolerate first and foremost - comfort comes second, then practicality - looks only come after that, and mostly don't matter at all.

I have a uniform of leggings (fleece lined in winter), loose t-shirts (long-sleeved in winter) and jumpers (hoodies when it's really cold) and oodies. That's it, really.

I guess my position is I’ve never ever met someone genuinely disinterested in their appearance, I have met people who don’t like their appearance, face, body, so don’t give clothes much thought past what fits, is comfy and fits the bill, or have no money so focus on similar as it’s a make do situation. And I’ve met many people from many walks of life. But none who don’t care what they wear, just reach into the wardrobe, don’t care what they buy, don’t care if two bits of clothes go together, don’t care what others think of them, but it appears mumsnet is awash with such people.