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Original poster

People asking 'ooo where are you off to?' when you're not going....anywhere

13 replies

ThinGoldChain · 17/04/2015 20:14

NC for this because it may make me sound like a nob!

I love clothes and dressing nicely, putting outfits together etc. But i'm also a SAHM so don't really have an office or 'place' to wear them to.

Is it just me that feels really awkward when people ask why you are dressed up or where you are going to and you just say 'er nowhere' or 'oh just going home'. I find myself making up stupid excuses and i'm not sure why it makes me feel awkward. Like i've walked into a party way overdressed or something.

Example, I bought some new wide legged trousers this week (super wide, River Island if you're interested) and wore them with some wedges a wide gold belt and loose black blouse to pick DC up from school. Three different people asked me where i was going or where I had been. I found myself just mumbling something about new trousers or nice weather. Why can't I just say 'oh nowhere' breezily and moving on?

OP posts:
DoorsAndWater · 17/04/2015 21:03

I think that life's too short to save stuff for best! Wear your lovely things with pride. I've been on mat leave for the second time over the last few months and made a conscious effort to not just wear my jeans and t shirt stuff as soon as baby allowed, makes me feel so much better in myself! Smile

Pippin8 · 17/04/2015 21:15

It's funny as I was going to uni today & put on my new nude blazer. Then I took it off as thought people would wonder why I was dressed up.

LondonRocks · 17/04/2015 21:20

What Doors said!

Just say it's something you threw on Wink

Greengardenpixie · 17/04/2015 21:21

I have lovely clothes but i find i dont wear half of them for this reason!

SelfLoathing · 17/04/2015 23:10

You must be dressing in an inconsistent way to get these comments. Either that or seeing people very infrequently.

If you are always in a certain style of dress, no one comments. When someone says to you "where are you going", it is an indicator that YOU for YOUR style of dress are dressed differently.

For example, if every day you were at the school gates in a hooped ball gown, quickly people would assume that was your eccentric style of dress. If you turned up one day in a sleek short cocktail dress, the comments would be "where are you going"?

SpecificOcean · 17/04/2015 23:16

Agree no point leaving all your nice things hanging up in the wardrobe all precious and never worn, which is what I used to do btw. But then I read all the stuff about wearing nice your clothes all the time. Plus I got rid of all the rubbish so only have lovely stuff to choose from now- that helps.
Plus we can't wear jeans for work so that mixes it up a bit.

Take it as a compliment- people have noticed you have made an effort.

ElizabethHoover · 18/04/2015 07:47

Stealth boast post

WildBillfemale · 18/04/2015 07:55

It's good to wear your nice stuff regularly rather than leave it hanging in the wardrobe and it's great to have fun with clothes and enjoy them BUT I think it's important to always dress for the occasion, comments such as 'where are you off to?' kind of imply you aren't dressed suitably for the present time.

yomellamoHelly · 18/04/2015 09:23

I've had this alot recently. (Had colours done last year.) Have been trying to shop wisely for the right colours and clothes that'll suit me and that I love.

Figure I must be getting it wrong in some subtle way, so have booked to get some style advice in June which will hopefully set my mind straight about what I'm doing.

Many moons ago I used to have a job where I had to look very smart all the time and then used to go out in the evenings still in my workwear so I wonder if it's connected to that. I only ever used to do casual at the weekend and half of that would be spent catching up on sleep and in the gym. Now obviously I'm always casual and I kind of miss that side of life in a way.

Eustasiavye · 18/04/2015 09:33

I would take it as a compliment.

DarylDixonsDarlin · 18/04/2015 10:16

This would probably happen to me if I were to wear my decent clothes to do the school run, tbh. And I don't wear them for this reason. That and the fact that I don't want nice clothes ruined by wearing them at home with a toddler all day, and doing housework/shopping/park/beach/woods etc. It's not just the spillages/sticky fingers, its laundering of the nice items which causes wear.and tear etc.

A one off, I wouldn't think much of. But if it happens frequently and its different people asking, I'd probably wonder if i was genuinely overdressed Confused

shadesofwinter · 18/04/2015 10:24

I don't think this sounds like a stealth boast at all, I think it's probably a very common thing for women who like nice clothes but don't really have many places to wear them!

I'm a SAHM but I feel better when I'm wearing something 'pretty'. I don't really care any more if I look a bit overdressed for the school run, or if people think I'm dressed unsuitably, as long as I like what I'm wearing myself. My pink lipstick also looks ridiculously out of place at DS's school but again, I think I look ok so I go with it. As PPs have said, the comments stop after a while when people get used to you looking a certain way.

velourvoyageur · 18/04/2015 10:31

Can't you just tell yourself that you're not going to be bothered by what they say? It's great dressing up just for yourself. I often do it. Sometimes you need to give yourself permission not to care!

how is it a stealth boast Hmm I totally get where the OP is coming from

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