Do you have clothes in your wardrobe right now for these events?

[2026IsMyYear]

I'm always struck by posts from people who don't seem to have a range of clothes to carry them through a variety of life events. I get that people dress mostly for the day to day stuff but i always assumed that you also had other, lesser worn perhaps, clothes in the wardrobe to be used as needed.

I reckon i could dress for most eventualities if pushed

With no notice could you dress for:

1. A funeral

1. A formal work presentation / meeting

1. A party in a fancy bar or similar

1. Dinner & drinks where its dressier than jeans

1. A gig

1. A walk in the countryside / forest etc

1. A date where you'd like to impress / make an effort

1. Regular work from home or office day that's not pjs or gym gear

I'm curious - i don't have gym gear & or wellies & i need new walking shoes / boots as mine are old & worn out.

These are my gaps but i could dress for the rest in the morning if i had to.

I think I could manage all of those things. The only things I really don't have are very fancy formal wear and nice shoes as I have to wear rather sensible footwear now.

I did have to buy something a year or two back for my first ever black tie event

i had gone 50 years without needing that so I don’t see it’s critical to have in your wardrobe

Yes to all. Plus my jobs outdoors, so have all that kit too.

I actually remember thinking a few years ago that for the first time I can ALWAYS find something appropriate in my wardrobe now. The only advantage to be older I guess.

ive had a bad day and this really made me laugh!

Funeral - nothing that fits
Formal work meeting - just about but not too formal
party and dinner drinks would be the same thing? - no, haven’t been for a while and nothing I haven’t already worn to death/that fits/I feel good in
a gig - jeans and t shirt yes
walk - yes
date- same as dinner/party? so no
wfh - yes

I don’t have spare money to buy clothes for events that aren’t happening in my life haven’t been to a funeral for almost 4 years. I spend 40 hours in a tunic /clinical uniform. Home time = pyjamas or what I’d wear to clean in.
I maybe have these things in sizes that no longer work for me. I may have elements of the outfits but perhaps not a full outfit/inc shoes or the right underwear.
Until last year I only had 1 pair of jeans and 1 leggings that fit me since having my youngest and I had to buy a whole new wardrobe suitable for going away for 10 days and it was an awful experience and expensive and I’ve lost weight since so it’s too big now. Gutted.

Yes thank you, it’s going to sound like a boast but …I have outfits for all those events which fit comfortably, suit my colouring and geometry. The same pieces will appear in many of these outfits either.without thermals with different shoes / accessories to suit the occasion. For occasions which crop up fairly rarely, It’s not unusual for me to wear the same outfit several years running, for example for funerals.

no one ever notices it’s the same outfit and I never have to waste money buying something that will ‘do’ rather than being perfect for me.

From time to time I will buy something new, but only if I can identify what current item if will replace because I operate a one in one out policy.

it’s taken some time to have my wardrobe like this, I started in the mid eighties and have gone through some cycles. Big shoulders have since been eliminated.

iMO we women waste to much precious time on outfits. I feel more as if I have a uniform for each occasion and am happy to wear that.

Curiously I enjoyed wearing school uniform back in the day.

Yes, but I not a traditional dresser and dont make conventional choices

Yes except the party in a fancy bar because I would find a reason to not go so don’t buy clothes for that sort of thing.

yes, easily. I don't think those options represent that many completely different outfits/styles, surely there's quite a lot of overlap, e.g. gig might be the same sort of outfit as wfh wear, or dinner and drinks same level as the 'date to impress' clothes.

This is why I don't get the advice often recommended 'If you haven't worn something for 6 months/a year, chuck it.'

I don't go to funerals or weddings every year. Sometimes it's not cold enough to have worn my full warm scarves/thickest coat combo, other times I haven't been on a summer holiday abroad so haven't worn my bikini/pool cover up etc for more than 12 months...it seems silly to chuck these things away as long as they fit, because I probably will still use them, just not every year. Chucking them and then needing to inevitably rebuy seems like a waste.

I’ve done all of those things in the past year, so yes - but I didn’t have to buy anything new for them either. Tbh I have multiple choices for all of them too. There’s a lot of overlap too - I have high waisted black trousers I could wear to a funeral, a work presentation, a bar, a date night and dinner and drinks.

You’ve missed weddings and black tie events. Both of which I can also dress for, with choice - because again I’ve been to multiple in the last year!

Whilst I do have outfits for all those occasions, I can’t say for certain that I’d fit into them, as I have put on a load of weight in the past few months.

I have options for all of the occasions you mention.
I could also dress for:
Halloween
Masked ball
Wedding
1920s/1970s/1980s/Madonna/Abba/punk theme party
Royal Ascot
Ski holiday

Yes, I too many clothes 🤦‍♀️

I hear you - but i deliberately left black tie & weddings out as they're less frequent

Having said that i could dress for both too but i imagine lots of people might not

I’d wear jeans and a nice top or jumper for most of those - gig, country, dinner, drinks. Not funeral obvs I have sth for those. Don’t work, don’t do sexy or dresses.

Everything (in multiples) ie currently have four pairs of walking boots on the go and two pairs of waterproof trousers just for dog walking. Wellies, yes two pairs for gardening.

I'm well aware I have far too many clothes/boots and very happy that now we are empty nesters I can move my summer wardrobe and gym gear into other bedrooms 😂

I did buy new black clothes for a winter funeral, most of my clothes are navy don't have much black.

Yup, I'm fact I'd have several choices for each. Day to day I'm on leggings, a fleece and wellies for dog walking. I've never looked to consistently scruffy.

I'd struggle with 3 & 4 but other than that I'm set to go.

I don’t have wellies, but I do have green garden clogs ( back door) and going out to the bin slip ons ( front door)

And proper walking boots.

I thought the same, a different piece of jewellery, a different jacket or whatever can make a lot of difference to the little black dress for example.

This is interesting to me as its kind of the answer i feel i see a lot.

I understand wearing jeans & varying tops a lot but.....

If you were invited to a cool, sophisticated bar for a friends 30 / 40 / 50 whatever. Would you wear jeans? The same ones you'd wear to the pub for a pint?

For me these are distinct occassions

I have multiple suitable choices for all those eventualities, dresses or trousers, footwear choices, different bags and jewellery (getting excited now just thinking about it, lol). But I reeeeaaaally like clothes (clues in the name too, lol).

Not for a funeral or for a formal meeting, the rest is easier i would wear jeans and a sweatshirt for some of them, skirt and another sweatshirt for dressier occasions, normal but warmer clothes and my walking boots for a countryside walk.
One of these sweatshirts would happily take me mooching through town or going on a dinner out.
It’s cold and whatever gig/ date/ club it might be I would be clothed for January 😉

I agree there are overlaps but the question is could you add those accessories to make the dress work for different situations?

I might be odd but if i've worn something to work i find it v hard to consider that outfit for a party or a date. Not shoes / bags / coats.

I keep a mainly seperate work wardobe & sometimes update it with suitable stuff that was once 'going out' obvs not sequins etc but things like silk shirts, knitwear etc

I have things that would fit all those scenarios and indeed need them on quite a regular basis. Not too many funerals of late fortunately but have some smart black dresses that would also be fine for work presentations or dinner out or a date. So lots of crossover although I would be able to select different outfits for each.

Same! In fact I could probably cover most of those scenarios with one outfit 😂.