Well, here it is -- the night before I have to go back to work. Long holiday breaks are great but it sure sucks to have to go back! I just picked out my clothes to wear tomorrow. I teach school, so I dress-up in a shirt and slack combo that usually includes a tie. (I like to dress as though teaching IS a respectable profession...)

Anyway, in deciding what I am wearing tomorrow, I'm not at all happy with what I picked out. It's about the fourth outfit I've chosen. Finally, I decided "screw it!" I'm wearing what I picked and that's that!

Now I am wondering if what I picked will influence my day to be somewhat crappier than it ordinarily would be. Does anyone here ever think that what they wear actually empowers you to have a better day?

purpleunderground said:

I reckon in does, if an outfit makes you look good and you know it, it will make you feel more confident, or at the very least, be one less thing you have to worry about.

Interesting question.



If I wear clothes I actually like I feel great. Bright colours, mismatched things, ripped up jeans, band t-shirts, high top runners, tonnes of jewelry, that sort of thing.


But when I go to work and have to deal with a dress code, that's a different matter. When I have to look presentable and that all-too vague and too often thrown around word -professional -I feel uncomfortable and awkward. Dressed up in "work" clothes, co-workers and customers treat me like someone else, and it feels like lying.

I don't understand the point of dress codes for the most part. No revealing or offensive clothing, sure. A wardrobe that complies with health and safety standards? No problem. But beyond that, I don't see the point. You prove to me that an employee's dress has direct bearing on their work ethic or performance and I'll believe it matters. Until then....

meow85 said:

it would be nice if it did not matter what you wear, but until people throw their prejudices out the window and forgot about stereotypes, then that will never happen. I was at the hairdresser and one the girls working there had the whole dyed black hair with leather harnesses and facial piercings galore, and the old ladies waiting for their blue-rinses all looked like they were praying they did not get her! This was in Just Cuts, discount haircuts opposite K-Mart, NOT some funky salon or anything!

For me it's the other way around - my mood influences how I'll dress on a given day... how bright the colors are or aren't, clingy or baggy, new or old...

I definitely get some energy off the clothes I put on but it's my mood that leads me to a particular item/outfit...

As far as the clothes empowering me to have a better day I think if I feel better in the clothes I'm in my day will be more positive overall b/c I feel good & vice versa...




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[Edited 1/3/06 0:22am]

I just washed my favourite / tightest pair of jeans, and let me just tell you after they shrunk considerably this time, I get a dislocated hip each time I put them on. So go figure, they hurt like hell.

But can't compromise on them! Gotta look sharp.

It does

as does my day influence what i may choose to wear

if i wear clothes that don't fit right, then i'm sure to feel grody throughout the day. i either get rid of clothes that don't fit right, or i find a way to make them fit right. tailoring has been part of that solution, and getting in better shape has been another part of that solution.

If what I'm wearing doesn't fit right, or meet up with how I want to look that day, it affects how I go about the rest of the day. I may not want to walk around the store as often for instance. But, when I know I'm cute and comfortable, it's on! I really am picky about my clothes b/c of that.

Yes. In many ways.

But basically, when I wear pants guys leave me alone. When I wear a dress or a skirt they don't. This is why I seldomly wear dresses. The attention it brings freaks me out. I'm rather comfy than sexy. That's so tiring, sometimes.

Depends of the occasion.
I'm working in a factory now, quite dirty and smelly work (shrimps and stuff), and I love wearing my 'old' clothes, with not so great matching colours.
So now I basically don't care what I wear.
But when I have a job interview I really need the right outfit so I can feel (more) self-assured. Absolutely necessary to wear the right clothes then.

purpleunderground said:

I teach too... First day back was today and I went through the same shit last night. Eventually I gave up and wore brown cords and a black turtleneck. I don't feel good and I just wasn't putting forth the effort.

But yeah it does matter...and Teaching IS a respectable profession!

I find that if I don't wear anything.....then people shout out rude things to me.

And that affects my day.

althom said:

You look kind of like a really sexy cow to me, when you're naked.

ChargingBULL said:

well, if i dress like a cheap ass chav, no doubt no girl will look at me on the street. If i put on my mc hammer jacket, i got 'em in the palm of my hand.

thesexofit said:

what's a chav again? I get all these subcultures mixed up all the time

Anxiety said:

GRODY HUH

charlottegelin said:

that'll do. They use to be called townies. Heck, i dress like one sometimes. Its cheap. (no jewellery though, or burgandy cap)

I would explain but i just realized its 4:55AM in UK. Oh crap I've been on here for hours now

thesexofit said:

goodnight!

MarieLouise said:

Seriously? Just because of a skirt? I know what you mean, but I just think many guys on the other hand don't have the confidence to i.e. go talk to a too-attractively dressed-up girl. The vast majority of them, actually. Or do you mean just staring, or the ones that follow on the street or something like that?

I think anything well-fitting or nicely cut totally changes one's appearance. Doesn't have to be flashy or expensive. Sometimes just that one top can make all the difference.

Novabreaker said:

I meant this rather generally. If you want to wear a skirt, and be elegant, high heels are needed, and an overall self-assured, proud look. I guess it's the effect of the skirt I was talking about, my attitude changes and therefor the reactions of others. I have a very young face, and as long as I wear jeans, people just say I'm cute looking. But when I put on a skirt, people often make compliments or even say I'm arrogant looking. That's really ok for one night, when you feel like a star, but I don't like it too often. I guess that's what makes me a girl rather than a woman. My boyfriend would like me to dress up more feminine, more often, but guys don't know what it feels like, the difference, I mean.

POOK said:

yes. to the max.

nilegettolrahc said:

Doesn't it just crack you up when the little old lady with the blue hair is terrified of the teenager with the blue hair?

MarieLouise said:

So true I'm to the point now where I can hardly show the slightest bit of cleavage & I only ever did it on occasion People change, sometimes too much attention is just so... I gotta be up for that & I rarely am...

What I wear most certainly influences my mood. If I'm not happy with how I look, it's hard for me to maintain a good mood. It's probably sad, but it's very true.
For me, clothes are almost like costumes. I feel weird if not dressed what I deem 'appropriate' for a situation. Depending on my activities, I need to feel right about what I'm wearing, how I'm presenting myself.
When I get ready for a night out, it's the getting dressed portion of the evening that gets me prepared for the night ahead. It's almost ritualistic for me. The music I play, the selection of the outfit, doing my hair, my make-up, etc. Without it all, I have a totally different night out. And these days, if I don't have time or energy for all that it means I just stay home. Although, I find going through the ritual often gives me the energy. I adore the anticipation. The preparation.

Ya'll probably think I'm crazy now. But I fantasize about living in the times when it would take 3 dressers and several hours to make a person presentable. The powdered wigs and make-ups and bustles and such. I adore period-piece movies where they show that whole process.

meow85 said:

good point!

charlottegelin said:

No difference, is there?