What's your 'lifestyle' (clothing wise)?

[TheMatisseStories]

You know how people say 'dress for your lifestyle', which is of course very sensible, what is yours and how do you go about it?

I've never been great at this to be honest and would love some pointers!

I wfh and am in a creative field, not wealthy but not struggling either. Am currently single and have one adult child who lives overseas. My hobbies are painting and yoga, with some walking thrown in. So this leaves me kind of wide open in a way, with too much choice. Anything fancy feels unnecessary, so I tend to go with walking/yoga outfits a lot (hiking leggings, fleece, lol) or loose-ish jeans/trousers with a decent jumper.
I also use a rucksack almost daily, as it's just so practical..

I love dresses and skirts and beautiful bags but the prices seem extortionate, especially for the synthetic, thin frocks and I just can't see when I'd wear them. I have 2 for special occasions and that seems like enough.

In my fantasy life I have a lot of gorgeous dresses that only exist in my imagination, with lovely suede lace up boots that are not a great idea when living in a rainy place. I would also have arse length hair but it is a nightmare to deal with in real life, and goes straggly when mid length.

Do your personal tastes match your lifestyle, or do you end up with a ton of stuff in your wardrobe that you rarely find opportunity to wear?

Sorry, that was in reply to @DameCelia

I recently started to understand the phrase to dress to the life you have, not the one you want to have (maybe it's because I'm approaching my 30th birthday). I'm not really party kind of person and I always wanted to have some party dresses, I have two pairs of leather heels that I barely wore (although I won't get rid of them hoping I can use them more often😐). No point spending money on such stuff, given that I need to wear smart casual to work, so flats will do, some nice tailored trousers, relaxed blazer etc. On weekends I live in jeans, sweatshirts, t-shirts, jumpers, sports shoes. I'm expecting my first baby now, so stopped buying office clothes and focus more on casual stuff. I bought camouflage jacket on vinted that I could wear on colder days in Summer or early Autumn. Will probably need to buy one more pair of comfortable shoes for walking. Don't need sequin clutch bag or leather sauna leggings!

@DameCelia I have trousers from ME+EM (gorgeous Italian wool balloon leg trousers), Whistles (many pairs but especially great wide leg cropped, I have about 4 pairs), M&S (I have tapered black trousers with a turn up), Reiss (grey flannel with turn up) Mint Velvet (3 pairs of wide leg a la ME+EM) Zara - black tuxedo style and black brocade cigarette pants)and last week i bought a brilliant pair in Benetton - they look like tailored black trousers but they're made of really nice thick jersey and they have a turnup!
I find trousers the hardest to buy so when I see some that I like and that fit me I buy them without hesitating.

I have a friend who buys tons of Wyse and she's short and curvy and the clothes look fantastic on her!

I am a sahm/carer for dd2, so I need functionality. I also do yoga/walk a lot (sometimes with dd2's wheelchair). I have quite a mixed up style (eclectic?) so mix in functional pieces with accessories, vintage bits etc.

This time of year I need warm/waterproof coats and wear with a range of scarves, a wool baker boy hat and boots I can walk in eg Blundstone's, Chelsea boots, snow boots. I also have a sailor's/Breton hat which is great for wind, sun, rain but not as warm. I wear a lot of trousers/jeans or skirt with thermal leggings and long-sleeved tees and jumpers or cardigans. I tend to go for more unusual shapes and silver jewellery to make it more (hopefully) stylish.

Last summer was very hot, so flat sandals, linen or cotton trousers, or shirt dresses with a straw sunhat and sunglasses.

I definitely use accessories and unusual or slightly retro shapes to mix things up, but stay practical eg. tulip shape denim skirt or second hand knitwear.

@TheDead

I like the sound of those Benetton trousers!

I work in mental health and the charity sector and get to decide my own dress-code, which for me has always been along the smart casual lines.

I also prefer clothes that are fairly practical - both in terms of commuting on public transport, walking a fair bit (I don't own a car) and also importantly, easy to wash. I avoid synthetic fabrics for the most part (with some exceptions, for example I love Heattech tops for winter warmth) and never buy anything that needs dry cleaning apart from winter wool coats.

I mostly wear skirts - knee or midi length - in the winter either corduroy, thicker jersey cotton, denim or similar fabrics, with opaque tights and usually ankle boots or smarter trainers.

I've tried to get better at shopping for things that actually go together so my wardrobe consists of a fair bit of black just because that's easy (and hopefully a bit slimming...) And also try to choose things that actually look like they all belong to the same wardrobe even though I may occasionally be drawn to an item that is a little different.

I'm quite happy with the clothes I own and feel quite settled in my style (in a good way!).

I’m quite lucky in that living in the far north of Scotland I do without a “summer wardrobe”. 😉

I’m v rural, WFH and more likely to be walking a windswept beach than a gallery.

For warmth, ease and a modicum of style Lots of cashmere, silk, tweed etc.

Sadly I’m having to get rid of heels due to illness so brogues for town and trail shoes for 98%.

Handbags are rarely used so I’m thinning the herd.

This thread has made me realise that on those “yoga pants” days I really ought to buy the best, not just a £10 job with a shrug saying “only leggings”.

I get what everyone is saying. I live in rural SE Cornwall, have a dog that needs walking daily, yet I still love nice clothes, and I am fortunate in that I have always had a decent budget for them. Not couture, more designer diffusion. Until recently, it was straightforward because there was a local shop that sold very nice clothes (not Primark pricing, but quite expensive, double M&S I thought every purchase through before buying) but I still bought stuff very carefully. German jeans and trousers, simply because they fitted and flattered. Nicely cut, from good fabrics, and because I want to keep manufacturing close to maintain work, I try to buy stuff made in Europe, not Asia. But one of the big things I have learned is DO NOT PUT EVERYTHING IN THE WASHING MACHINE EVERY TIME IT'S WORN. Spot clean, brush off mud.

Yy to uniqlo heattech for thermal layers, I also like their airism range for keeping cool too. I like Vinted and local charity shops for getting good quality at a reasonable price. Natural fibres like wool, silk, cotton help in addition to the odd technical fabrics like heattech. Recently, I picked up a pair of pleather joggers at the charity shop, which have been great for the warm, waterproof, stylish front.

My default look is rock chic, I do love sharp tailoring though, I guess my current style is a bit ‘dark academia’. I tend to overdress for casual occasions. I spend a bit of time on building sites and places that are being redeveloped through work, so it doesn’t always look appropriate. I very much don’t care.

@QueefofSheena your style sounds great! I'm partial to a bit of rock chic, dark academia myself 😊. I like to mix more dramatic elements in with the functional.

Crikey, you all sound so different to me! I am wondering now if I am a slob

But seriously, I do seem to prefer casual or practical stuff, and always feel a bit unlike my 'self' in dresses or anything too stylish/formal.

I love cozy jumpers made of good wool, my faves at the moment are a speckled Donegal and a hand-knitted aran. I also love a voluminous weatherproof and have a selection of cashmere scarves. I'm very much a nature lover so feel most at home dressed for mooching in it, kind of like the Monty Don thread really.

I would love a slouchy leather hobo type bag and haven't been able to find one I like the look of for years, so haven' bought any apart from my trust Fjallraven rucksack. A good leather bag would be nice to wear with my long wool coat, for days when I don't want to look like a student...will keep looking!

I like a bit of Dark Academia myself, although perhaps at the more 'unemployed historian' end of the spectrum, lol.

Your style sounds fab @TheMatisseStories !
I love a good leather bag & recently bought one from Campomaggi - I saw it in the Plumo site - could be woth checking them out

@DameCelia why are bare legs inappropriate in the summer? I can't imagine even thinking about wearing tights with a summer dress.

I'm a nurse so wear scrubs when working (comfortable but very unflattering) and on my days off, I wear wrap dresses, cardigans, thick tights and knee boots, with a long winter coat over the top when I'm out of the house. In the summer, it's floaty dresses and lightweight cardigans and sparkly sandals. I have separate exercise clothes, leggings, vests and tops but would never wear anything like that around the house, it feels wrong.

@PollyAmour
Bare legs in a senior corporate role don't really look appropriate to me. Very smart summer dress with bare legs just looks odd at work.

@TheDead thank you! Lots of suggestions to try.

"Very smart summer dress with bare legs just looks odd at work."
^
Given bare arms seem to be acceptable I don't see why bare legs aren't too, so often have bare legs in the office in summer with skirts or dresses. I do always make sure they are hairless and I use pale daily fake tan, and have painted toe nails, so I think it looks more chic and polished than wearing tights TBH. But I'm in a non-corporate environment - our senior partner often wears a t shirt in the summer, so I look very smart in a jacket by comparison.^

Bare legs are no big deal unless you're wearing a mini, especially not these days since most clothing ensembles have a casual, rather than a 'sexy' edge.
And since women in the workplace are no longer to be thought of as tantalising, bare legs in appropriate clothing are somewhat run of the mill.

Me too! I want value from my boots but I also really enjoy browsing for my shoes and my boots online.

Do this, be smart. I am 40+ , i do not buy office clothes any more. Ok would buy a blazer

I exercise in the house (exercise bike) so my exercise leggings and tops and hoodies aren’t worn outside ever.

my job is relatively senior so for zoom I wear mom jeans with a cashmere jumper tucked in and a nice gold necklace (sometimes chunky, sometimes delicate) and diamond studs.

for days in the office this is when I have more fun with clothes. Last time I wore short black skirt, really thick tights, flat boots, fine knit jumper and a long length loose fit blazer. This week I’m going to wear a short chiffon dress with a chunky jumper over the top (it is always cold in the office) and some kind of boots and tights combination.

For outerwear, I wear either a navy blue cashmere and wool mix double breasted coat from Anthropologie or a long length fake fur coat, a leather jacket for warmer days, or for the school run a long length duvet coat.

I have a backpack for the office visits already holding spare laptop charger, umbrella, work pass, tissues and painkillers and I pop phone and purse in and take out accordingly. I don’t carry around much else except lipstick and this goes in a pocket.

@BuddhaAtSea
I think most people will have a few bags for different purposes, the difference is that yours sound ready packed? That sounds impractical to me! The exception is my gym bag which has a clip in purse/card holder with a spare debit card and change. Running is a tiny bottle bag with space for bottle, phone and EarPods case.

I also do yoga classes but are people wearing it as 'athleisure wear' as I only wear it on the way to or for the activity not as my daily clothing, if that makes sense. Same for other activities.

Working from home I wear casual, comfortable day dresses or skirts and my slippers. If I have to go into the office it's easy to get changed or change into shoes and tidy hair.

I say embrace the practicality and reality and invest in nice versions of what works, for me it's nice joggers, leggings, outdoor trousers from acai, decent knitwear. I do would love to be a dress person but I just don't think I am, even if available I never reach for them

Fair enough, I have never worked in that kind of environment, so wouldn't realise it's inappropriate to have bare legs. Unless I change careers drastically, it's unlikely I will find myself in a senior corporate role, so I'll keep on with my floaty dresses with bare legs and sandals in the summer.