If you could dress any way you wanted?

[DatumTarum]

And I mean anyway whatsoever, what would it be?

In winter, I'd drift around in gold trimmed velvet dresses.

I'd have heavy weave/light weave silk in various pastel shades in warmer weather. Dresses to be bias cut or empire line.

For doing practical stuff, I'd have properly tailored linen or wool trousers with pockets and braces, topped with crisp white shirts and lace up leather boots.

However I live in UK 2023 so it's the jeans or leggings uniform. Humpf.

No one is stopping you from dressing how you want surely?

I don’t see why you have to wear a ‘jeans or leggings uniform’ because it’s the UK n 2023 — I only wear leggings for running, and I seldom wear jeans.

If money and physique were no object I’d dress entirely in Margaret Howell and The Knotty Ones knitwear. I like oversized, androgynous stuff, and wear that anyway, but having a bosom and not much spare cash isn’t helpful.

You can dress any way you want! There is no uniform.

Oh there is. If not, why do we all dress roughly the same?

OP, one day you'll be dead, money might be short, i don't know, but let your imagination run with this a bit and find some ways of dressing that make you happy!

Oh I agree with you.

However we do need to be employed, promoted, have some measure of social acceptance etc.

Just have to read the threads on here stressing about what to wear on the school run.

I would dress in multi colour, tie-dyed or patterned floaty cottons. Everything would be totally comfortable, soft fabrics, no scratchy labels, and it would have pockets. Big floaty skirts, or cycling shorts and floaty dresses. Dungarees for when a skirt isn't practical.

That's pretty much my wardrobe. I do also have some leggings (with pockets!) that I wear with long tops too.

Life's too short to be spending in anything other than clothes that make me happy.

Get one dress, one piece, that you absolutely love OP, even if you only ever wear it at home. But get one, and wear it.

"However we do need to be employed, promoted, have some measure of social acceptance etc.", sure, but what you've described is acceptable clothing. I think you've got yourself backed in to a corner over this!

I beg to differ. I hardly ever wear wear jeans or leggings. I do wear wool trousers, leather boots with laces, and crisp white shirts, wool dresses, and things that have an interesting or unusual cut.

Wear what you like, OP!!

I think I last wore jeans when I went sledging and I'm pretty sure that was the winter of Omicron, so maybe early 2022?

I also don't wear leggings except instead of tights or to the gym or out on the bike.

However, I do get what you mean OP. I wear quite flamboyant clothing in a range of styles that often have a somewhat vintage feel. In a world where it was normal I would enjoy wearing much more truly vintage-y stuff but I want to sit a chunk closer to fitting in with standard dress to do that now.

Also, I'm ultimately probably too lazy and too practical - I love fancy hairdos to go with 50s style dresses and I am a) terrible at doing my hair and b) lazy even if I wasn't terrible. See also high heels - love them, post COVID not prepared to put up with the discomfort. I used to not even find them uncomfortable!

I find I’m also living in UK 2023 … And pretty much wear exactly what I want. This is obviously limited by some attempt at financial reason, so I can’t buy up any preferred designers’ entire seasons, and I don’t have rooms full of clothes. But I do have a small wardrobe of completely perfect things - tweeds and velvets and silks and cashmere and merino and Shetland wools. Strong bright colours, cunning tailoring, treasurable craftsmanship … I like things to last, and love the happenstance of a ten year old sweater with this season’s skirt.

I hardly ever wear jeans as there are so many other, more interesting things to play with. And I don’t wear leggings for anything other than exercise.)

I admit to particularly liking the gardening clothes I used to have when I gardened avidly - shirts and dungarees from the local farm shop, t shirts picked up anywhere, ancient tweed jackets or rough jumpers. Tbh my more urban wardrobe aspires to that look as far as possible.

Until the first lockdown I don’t think I’d ever bought new clothes specifically for lounging at home - my home clothes were just my oldest, most faded and ragged clothes, or other family / partner cast-offs. Now my life is littered with very, very cheap joggers and cords - which sometimes make it out of the house in the company of a velvet jacket or a huge hand embroidered cardigan.

Well, I’m waiting for my son to put his swimming things in his school bag, after which I will go straight to work (on foot), and I’m wearing wide-legged dark green culottes, thick-soled Italian shoes, a white shirt and a (very old) thin cashmere jumper in blue-grey. Silver jewellery, tan leather satchel. If it were raining, add a black OSKA parka and a wool beret.

No one points at me on the street.

The neighbours I see are wearing all sorts, from pinstriped suits (surgeon) to Pixies T-shirts and jeans (architect) to gym gear (physio) to manky dungarees (artist)

I just want to look like Claudia Winkleman and have Helena Bonham Carter’s wardrobe. Is that too much to ask?

Oh there is. [A uniform.] If not, why do we all dress roughly the same?

You need to get out more - in different places! Yes of course we are all dressing as 21st century people and we know how that looks - not many people are doing their commute in full Georgian dress - but I simply cannot think of a time when there was more freedom for women and men to to choose how they express their 21st century selves in terms of style.

Becuasue that what you choose. If you want to be different you can. There are some people who do after all.

I'd wear pencil skirts and silk shirts with stilettos every week day.

I don't have the place to be to dress like that, nor the slim figure to pull it off - but I can dream.

If money were no object, I had a completely different body shape and a time machine, I would dress exactly like Midge in Mrs Maisel. Jaunty little hat to match every beautiful dress and coat. I’d also be able to walk in heels.

However I live in UK 2023 so it's the jeans or leggings uniform. Humpf.

I don't own jeans and only wear leggings at the gym or when hiking. It's hardly a uniform.

Oh I thought this thread was going to be about bras.

I wear pretty much what you have described, OP, and I still somehow manage to be employed, well-remunerated and respected.

Have you ever considered that your leggings might be holding you back??

If a uniform of leggings is what is required to socially fit in, I will happily be the outsider. Nothing more miserable than the uniform of cheap primark leggings that have gone see through at the arse on the school run.

No leggings here, Ive never had a pair. I generally have one pair of jeans but they're aren't regular worn now. I decided a few years ago that I like dresses and that's mostly what I wear.

If money was no object there would be nicer shoes and better underwear.

Oh, come on!

You can buy pretty cheap silk shirts and pencil skirts in any halfway decent fashion retailer. Or pre-owned! And I see no reason in the world why anyone from size 4 to 24 (and maybe bigger) shouldn’t be able to look good in a properly fitted skirt and blouse.

Sure, if you work on a building site you might keep this outfit for non work hours, but you could surely wear a skirt and blouse for almost any non manual labour work day?

NotMadeOfStone
You can dress any way you want! There is no uniform.

Oh there is. If not, why do we all dress roughly the same?

Agree with op.

I wear uniform for work but dress quite flamboyantly out of work. Life is too short to wish you could be someone else.

I remember years ago at a lunch date, a friend’s daughter saying, it’s not fancy dress you know!’!

Try it op, be you! Start with a velvet jacket with your jeans.

@Gruelle

The I know I can buy cheaper versions, but I don't want cheaper versions. I want designer and pure silk.

And I WFH in a very casual job, I'd feel stupid being all dressed up whilst sat at home!