What kind of clothing do you wear?

[ofwarren]

I have huge sensory issues where clothing is concerned, especially shoes. I hate wearing shoes so much. I hate shoes that I can feel on my feet so my go to shoe is Crocs in dry weather and wellies in wet.

I don't like my skin being exposed to air and need compression so I wear leggings or tights all of the time, even in bed. On top I wear dresses that are usually knee length and have long sleeves. I HATE waistbands.

I'm a fan of colour so my clothing is bright, rainbow and patterned. Clashing at times, but I don't really care. I'm comfortable and I like what they look like.

I like soft, stretchy clothing. I tend to go for loose stuff and elastic waists. I wear sleep pull on bras instead of conventional ones now that I'm no longer in a workplace.

I over heat extremely easy - always have done - so wear light things, even in the winter. I just stick a cardie on if I'm feeling chilly. I often end up feeling cold because of my fear of over dressing.

I have to wear trainers and orthotic insoles because of my hypermobility and dodgy right foot and ankle.

Obviously, I look really fashionable and glamorous at all times 😄

Oh god, nothing woolly or sparkly or rough in any way, usually vest tops because I can't stand t-shirts under my arm pits, jeans if they're stretchy but not stiff ones or I get claustrophobic, same with boots, my feet get claustrophobic. So usually, rainbows and sparkles leggings with a vest top, baggy hoody and trainers .. every day.

Dungarees. :-D

In cord or twill, plain and kind-of-'normal'-looking or brightly coloured with or without prints (dinosaurs, foxes, loud patterns).

On the rare day that I don't wear dungarees, I will be in very wide leg jeans.

Comfy Fitflop trainers/boots, maybe my DMs.

Molke bras and 'big' pants.

And a massive long ugly men's coat, which looks awful but is ultra practical especially when it rains!

Thankfully I work somewhere that doesn't really have a dress code. I don't know how I'd cope now if I had to put on proper formal/smart clothing. Especially if I was expected to conform to female gender stereotypes in the process.

I have large boobs that are saggy so haven't been able to find anything that's not underwired that gives support. I wear t-shirt bras when I go out but take it off when I get in.
I'd love to find a comfortable one that still hoiked up my boulders 😆
I'm not bothered what they look like in the bra but I hate the ones where it makes them touch each other. I need them separated somehow. Lots of underwire free ones seem to squash them together.

I really dislike thick clothes, I like very very thin layers. E.g. I'll buy a new sweatshirt... lovely fine material, wash it a few times in the normal run of wearing it, it slowly gets thicker, more cardboardy, and restrictive so I can't wear it.

Ditto items that touch the soft part of my throat between my collar bones, I'm fine with a polo neck/roll neck, or a scoop neck, but boatneck, where it touches that soft bit. Absolutely not, it makes me feel immediately strangled.

And don't get me started on socks with glitter (makes me think of cheese graters) or internal embroidery stitching (the thought of getting my toe nails through that makes me slightly nauseous).

In general I like loose, soft clothes, and tend to wear plain dark colours.

I also dislike tight wristed clothes - I have my smart coat sleeves taken up by a local tailor to above the wrist. Wearing clothes with tight wristbands would ruin my day.

@BlibBlabBlob I've ordered some Lucy & Yak dungarees in the last few days. I used to have 2 pairs of Run and Fly, rainbow and dinosaur but I got rid of them in one of my episodes where I try to convince myself to fit in with NTs and copy other people's clothes. It never lasts long and I now regret it 😔

All my clothing has to be soft and slightly loose, though don’t like too baggy as the excess fabric triggers me. Short or 3/4 length sleeves as I can’t stand long sleeves. V neck or scoop neck as can’t handle anything around my neck. Never wear collars for same reason.
I used to find shoes impossible and would only wear slip on shoes otherwise I felt confined. I can now tolerate trainers, boots etc but only if going out for a short time. I work from home so tend to be in slippers most of the time. I don’t wear socks unless absolutely have to when out.

Pants.

I have told every member of my family I don’t care if I’m buried/cremated or cast out at sea in a gondola. My dying wish is that I’m wearing clean pants.

As ridiculous as it sounds when I was a child I had a lot of sensory issues ‘beaten out of me’ so I will and can wear most clothes (apart from dresses 🤢) and I need the security of form hugging, high leg, cotton pants that I can tuck my belly pooch in. It’s a real security thing and I have a terrible day if I’m wearing pants that do not conform to one of those requirements.

Also socks. I wear socks rain or shine.

Everything also has to be ironed. From vests to pyjamas. Creased clothing has on occasion made me cry.

I’m so grateful that the site has created this side of the forum. It’s very comforting to know I’m not alone.

@Wineisoverrated

Everything also has to be ironed. From vests to pyjamas. Creased clothing has on occasion made me cry.

I’m so grateful that the site has created this side of the forum. It’s very comforting to know I’m not alone.

That must be tough. If your clothes get creased when you are wearing them, do you need to get changed?

[quote ofwarren]@BlibBlabBlob I've ordered some Lucy & Yak dungarees in the last few days. I used to have 2 pairs of Run and Fly, rainbow and dinosaur but I got rid of them in one of my episodes where I try to convince myself to fit in with NTs and copy other people's clothes. It never lasts long and I now regret it 😔 [/quote]
Wow do I relate to this.

Nothing like a 2am wardrobe purge when I’ve been stuck in paralysis all day and feel sleep is a waste of time as I strip my possessions of any level of identity that does not conform to the self help YouTube video I’ve just watched.

(All my vintage topshop and levis jeans I’m looking at you. Also my collection of beautiful work clothes when I was made redundant.)

eBay always have AMAZING deals on Lucy and yak, especially the old stocks and they’re rarely more than £20. I hope you can salvage some!

@ofwarren

I have large boobs that are saggy so haven't been able to find anything that's not underwired that gives support. I wear t-shirt bras when I go out but take it off when I get in. I'd love to find a comfortable one that still hoiked up my boulders 😆 I'm not bothered what they look like in the bra but I hate the ones where it makes them touch each other. I need them separated somehow. Lots of underwire free ones seem to squash them together.

I can get non wired ones which are ok, but have to get a huge cup size (G or H) to ensure separation!

@WineIsOverrated Yeah it's awful isn't it. It seems like a good idea at the time, I think I'm finally going to be normal and accepted but I always revert back to self and then want my lovely things back 😪

Dungarees or pinafore dresses

I try and wear other things but I always end up getting changed

Pinafore dresses for work mainly. I seem to hate waistbands (especially since my c section!)

@ofwarren

No, oddly enough. I can get as creased or as mucky as I want once it’s on me but I have to start the day incredibly smooth and put together. I feel that it makes me blend it more and creased texture makes my skin crawl.

As a child everyone would constantly be on at me for how disorganised and dishevelled and generally ditsy I always was (undiagnosed little girl with autism anyone? 😂) if I at least started out the day very straight then i felt a little less uncomfortable in my own skin and it’s spiralled over the years.

I’m very conscious I do it to my children too. I iron EVERYTHING of theirs but never have I voiced why to them. It’s a mixture of sensory and OCD that I need to look nice and normal and something that was ingrained into me from childhood was that smart makes me fit in. It’s something I need to break with them before they get old enough to understand.

Soft jersey tops and snug (comforting) jeans, nothing tight, touching the front of my neck, thick, scratchy (wool) or with loose flappy extra fabric.
Necklaces and small earrings are ok until I am tired, then I have to take them off immediately as I can’t bear the feel of them.
I tend to buy multiples of the same shoe as I know they fit comfortably.
Can’t stand wearing socks with no shoes.

I don’t have a lot of clothes. I have battled hoarding tendencies over the years but clothes have never really been an issue as I am just not bothered about fashion.

I tend to stick to safe things. Eg I found a pair of jeggings that fit well so I bought them in other colours. I have three pairs of the same trainers in burgundy, mustard and grey - better than my previous method of shoe shopping which was to wear one pair until they were beyond help! Other than those I only have one pair of comfy black boots which are suitable for work.

I’d love to put a bit more effort into what I wear someday but it’s just not a priority (like my weight - I have a lot to lose) while I have so much else going on.

I also would really love to be the kind of person who wore interesting jewellery, but it ends up bugging me!

It does make shopping quick though. I can go into a clothes shop and instantly write off 90% of what’s in there because I know the texture wouldn’t be right. I only really wear cotton t-shirts for example, nothing sheer/nylon etc. And much as I love the look of woolly jumpers I just can’t.

@ofwarren give the Molke original bras a try: you get the separation and there are no wires. The only tricky bit is wrestling yourself into it, as the band needs to be quite tight to do its job. Although if your ribcage isn't massively smaller than your shoulders/hips, that will be less of an issue. (I have a stupid tiny ribcage, 28", with big saggy boobs that definitely need support and big hips.)

I can't do 'uniboob' bras or anything with proper bra straps or fastenings anymore. Life is too short to be that uncomfortable all day. I don't know what I would do without my Molke bras. (Don't even like being braless, there's a sensory ewwwww for me about having them dangling and getting underboob sweat!)

I have been a style chameleon for most of my life, trying to emulate others and the advice in magazines etc and trying to look 'normal' and 'nice'. I have wasted a LOT of money on clothes.

I genuinely feel that I have settled into myself now and found a new 'uniform' that works for me in every way. Getting diagnosed in 2020 helped massively, I've felt more able to embrace my autistic identity and express it since then. Being 40-something also helps, I'm too old to care what others think of me. And I'm sure others think I look ridiculous but I just couldn't give a shit anymore. Might be tempting fate but I think I have finally found my 'style'. It's distinctive (which I like because for the first time in my life I don't feel like I have to blend in and hide). And it's comfortable (super important, obviously). And my clothes just make me smile now, which is new and wonderful for me. They make others smile too, either because they like the way they look (even though they wouldn't be seen dead in dungarees themselves) or because they are laughing at how daft I look. I don't care either way, a genuine smile/laugh is good for everyone's wellbeing right?

And yes yes yes to multiples of the same item - you can buy something new and know it will be 'safe'! I love that I basically wear the same clothes every day, while not actually looking like I wear the same clothes every day because they're different colours/prints.

And agree re textures and jewellery @SingToTheSky - if it doesn't feel wonderful then it's not getting bought. And the only jewellery I'm OK with is my nose ring, watch and wedding band. I have gotten rid of everything else I ever owned jewellery-wise, I don't really see the point of it anymore. For me jewellery has to be of massive sentimental value and/or functional. Can't ever see myself buying a necklace or earrings again.

My Lucy and Yaks came! I've only wore Run and Fly before, which I loved and I will love these too when I get used to the straps 😁
I had to look up how to fasten them!
So comfortable though, and just the right length.
I'm 5 foot 4 and a size 16
I ordered 14R knowing that they are slightly oversized.

ofwarren

Thanks for that, I've been eyeing up Lucy and Yaks for months and I'm going to actually buy some now!

@Tdcp your post has made me well up because it's such a comfort to read of someone else having claustrophobic feet. I have claustrophobic hands too and struggle with gloves. I'm wondering if I'd look a complete fat blob in dungarees. 5'3" and about 10st at the moment. I can't stand things over my belly button and get a dreadfully bloated stomach so anything tight around my middle is a big no in terms of trousers or tops unless it's a vest with a hoodie over it. High leg knickers are the best. They have better gussets to hold sanitary towels which is a big bonus. I struggle with heels and wear trainers mostly but sometimes boots. At wedding I'd always remove my shoes and go barefoot as I couldn't stand the shoes on my feet. Now I wouldn't even go to a wedding. They would be traumatic on so many levels.

I'd love to be tall, thin and elegant but sadly I am short, round and my hair doesn't do elegant and either does my face which has a mind of its own as it tries to comprehend the world.

You should try a pair of dungarees @AutisticLegoLover
I'm about 13 stone something and 5 foot 4 and don't feel massive in them. The lucy and yak ones and the Run and Fly twill ones have lovely stretch in them and I can't stand a tight waistband.