clothes

You can look tidy without having lots of clothes. Personally, ethel I would not wear pyjamas and dressing-gown all day around the house. Apart from the appearance it is not healthy to sleep in your clothes.

If someone has the money to buy a lot of clothes, and having and wearing them makes them feel good and in charge of their life, then why not? Those who don't have as much money are not going to suffer - in fact they may benefit if they are the ones employed to make the clothes, or the ones who buy very cheaply the ones they give to a charity shop.

Resentment against those who can afford to buy something new does not make anyone more virtuous for not having a bursting wardrobe. Finding clever ways to look as good as them without the same expense makes you feel much better about yourself.

Collecting all the suggestions on this thread for paying less would be helpful, so would learning how to make clothes - it is not as hard as you might think, if you choose the right pattern. A hairstyle that suits, and careful attention to personal hygeine, some bright scarves (they don't have to be Hermes or Jaeger - charity shops often have nice ones) - and above all a cheerful expression and a nice smile and an interest in the world - all do as much as expensive outfits.

'A black bag goes with anything' What if your wearing brown or navy?
Never let it be seen.

You can look nice if you own very few clothes. If what you wear suits you, you'll be fine in clothes old or new and even in the same clothes day in day out whether they are fashionable or not. I've always tried to find clothes that suit me and my lifestyle. Many transient fashions don't so I don't buy them.

I understand where ethel is coming from.

Mind you, I need more than one pair of shoes because mine often need time to dry out between wearings in winter. I spend a good deal of my time in hiking boots or wellies, which are not suitable for everything.

I usually wear separates (mostly black) with one of my bright scarves or necklaces! I have a few pairs of Moshulu shoes in bright colours. I also like boots but only have 3 pairs unless you count the deep pink desert boots! I don't really like patterned clothes but have a few bright coloured cardigans etc. I love bright pinks and purples.I wear jogging bottoms and sloppy tops at home. I have NO dresses!

Lately, I seem to have a fixation on coats and have to stop myself buying more! I have never liked jackets but now have a real urge to buy !

Going out, l like to wear something that makes me feel good but not to impress - my style is not something would impress, nor are my body, hair etc!! DH is always complimentary despite my flaws!

I have lots of clothes, shoes, scarves, coats. Even if I'm in the house all day doing ironing, my clothes will match. They could be a few years old but colours will tone. Never a dress or skirt. Always jeans, leggings, linens - if I'm going out for lunch or to dress up a bit I will wear cigarette pants or ankle grazers and flat pumps. I'll always put on make-up, perfume, earrings.

Most stuff is from M & S Outlet Clearance Section and very little costs more than £5. Or Clark's shoes outlet centre. Occasional Kaliko items or Phase Eight come from eBay and I resell items eventually. Also charity shops. And my friend and I give each other items we are tired of.

Background was poor, end of school year would have had holes in shoes and lino insoles. Usually got a new school blazer for Xmas. Ex DH although university educated had mental health issues and a lot of time we were on benefits and I was the breadwinner. So I am very appreciative of what I have now but still only buy for peanuts.

And I want that when DH looks at me, he thinks....hmmmm nice. That sounds fickle cos he thinks I'm nice anyway.

glammanana - maybe its all in the name! - how lucky are you to have a man give you compliments on how you look. My dh doesn't even notice when I have my hair cut (in a different style - took 3 days and a prompt from a friend of mine!). And sadly he is nearly always in his gardening/painting clothes, even when not doing those things!
Ethel I can empathise with you - although I seem to have a wardrobe full of stuff, it is because I am rubbish at throwing out old stuff. I probably only wear about 6 tops and in winter have two pairs of jeans (one blue one black). Same with handbags - don't throw any away (just in case). I don't buy new stuff very often either. I hate to see the really cheap t shirts etc in shops that are made in China/India etc where the workers are paid a pittance.
I have a quiet admiration for your take on clothes. I have just had a week's holiday in a cottage where I was not surrounded by "stuff" and it kind of freed up my spirit. Now I am back home I am determined to try and declutter - both house stuff and my wardrobe.
As others have said, we are all different.
You and I wouldn't want to be on that Gok Wan programme of a couple of years back!

As Ana says each to their own,I can be found in jeans and t-shirt most days when at home but I do for my own self esteem not anyone else's make the effort when I go anywhere special, I don't have to impress anyone and no one impresses me if the truth be known,I have to disagree re a man not caring what you look like my husband would think there was something wrong with me if I didn't take care of my appearance as he knows how important I feel about my appearance and he always compliments me on how I look either casual or dressed up to go out anywhere.

I do think Ethel it is nice to make an effort to look attractive to one"s partner/DH.
Same as himself does for me .
Still whatever floats one"s boat I suppose !!
I just could not bear to go around looking untidy , just not me at all !!

I didn't choose I just thought that most people did the same as me.

I couldn't care less if everyone has hundreds of outfits, I cant see the point of it. I would rather not go out if I have to dress up , also I think that its the kind of person you are not the clothes that matter.

Many on this post are saying that they dress up for a special occasion, ok, but is it to impress somebody. I like to think that people take me as I am not just because I have dressed up. A real friend will care for you no matter what you look like, there's no false vanity. Also if a man cares for you he will not care what you look like

Each to their own, ethel.

I'm not sure why you're so shocked that most of us own more than two pairs of shoes and a few 'special' outfits, but I accept that you choose not to do so!

OMG is there anyone out there who just dives in the wardrobe and picks anything out and what is wrong with just washing something to wear for a different occasion.

I think its a crime to buy stuff to wear for just one occasion then never wear it again, I think about the poor in the world with nothing but what they stand up in. If Im cold and not at work I wear my jamas in the house in the daytime, although not all day. I usually wear dressing gown on top of my clothes.

No. Never look depressed. Even if you are. #sunnysideup

suzied I absolutely agree with your last sentence. I was brought up to believe that taking a pride in your appearance was a sign of self respect. Enhanced, I think, by having an uncle whose indifference to how he looked, was an outward sign of his deep inner feelings of lack of self worth and depression.

I have never been high maintenance or expensive in my tastes but I like the sense of confidence that comes from knowing that I am well maintained and well-dressed. Neither of those terms preclude being comfortably and casually dressed.

I'm more like suzied, I love clothes and also used to make many of mine. Once you start to do that, you instantly double the amount of clothes you have.

At one time I reckon I could have given Imelda Marcos a run for her money shoe-wise. When I left Ex, my friend whose (very large) house I moved into said although she had donated half her vast walk-in wardrobe to me, she feared for her floor timbers as she counted in the 80th black bin bag.

I don't have anything like that now, but Ex always wanted me to look expensive. As I was a gardener, that was quite tough at times. I do go to quite a lot of fairly smart functions, so do keep clothes for best, I still go to the odd ball, lots of dinners, races, quite a lot of social stuff and then you start to think, I can't wear that again, everyone saw it recently.

At home though I am a total slob. I will happily wear darned cardigans until they fall apart - because they are often cashmere ones that used to be quite smart and gradually have slid down the scale of wearability until they end up in the garden. Ditto nice jeans, I patch those too.

Having said all that, some of my clothes are 20 years old.

I love clothes, have them spread over several wardrobes and chest of drawers. My favourite casual shop is Uniqlo which does the most comfortable jeans and leggings, vests and cotton t shirts with long and short sleeves. For smarter clothes I like Cos, Toast, Wrap, Jigsaw for ideas. I am also a dressmaker, so if I see something I like in one of the above I can often make a reasonable copy. I also like good vintage stuff, but I have plenty of my own -old- vintage stuff, I often use 40s or 50s patterns to make updated versions. Theres always something new to try, I made 2 jumpsuits for the summer which are really comfortable and I feel a bit Katherine Hepburn in them. I also have a few designer pieces which look and feel fabulous. At the end of the day, some people like clothes as they enhance your appearance and give you confidence, others aren't interested and see clothes as merely functional.

vegas I do think that men can look smart without a tie but then I've never understood why they ever wore them. What are they for? Why would you put a noose around your neck? Could see the point of them for school so on the way there and back you could be identified as belonging to a certain school.

I have clothes for wearing around the house, usually former "best" things that are past their best, then I have better things for when I go out. By going out, I mean shopping or visiting, we very rarely go "out" for special nights out, unless it`s a really special occasion. I`m not clothes mad, but I like to buy new things now and again, not over expensive, can`t afford that, but nice things from my favourite store, Bonmarche. I have one pair of boots, hate the things really, several pairs of sandals in various colours, as I wear them all year round. I don`t carry handbags, if I`m going out and need a bag, I use shoulder bags, I have about half a dozen in various colours.

My wardrobe is stuffed with clothes in different sizes, a limited number of which are wearable at the moment. I have told myself sternly that I have enough shoes, though I'd like a new pair of boots. Today I am wearing Hotter trainer-style shoes, Craghoppers cargo trousers and ditto red lightweight hoodie. All bought at sale prices, except the shoes. My lifesavers this summer have been my collection of M&S tee-shirts with elbow-length sleeves, sometimes worn under a white linen or blue chambray/denim shirt.

Another clothesaholic and hoarder here, I'm afraid. Again not rich, but neither am I poor, though having just retired, I may be revising that statement shortly, once I get my head around what I will actually have left to spend, if anything, at the end of the month!

I buy nearly all my stuff in the sales, which annoys my stylish DD1 no end, and she has got a point - I should buy fewer things that I really like rather than zooming in on the sales racks and getting something I will never wear just because it's a bargain.

I'm going to purge my wardrobe once I've settled down to retirement, or so I tell myself! I have the time to do it now, and loads of work clothes that I really won't have use for any more. No excuses!

Like a lot of people, I don't care what I wear around the house and garden, but I like to make a bit of an effort when going out. I tend to go for classic stuff for the basics, such as trousers, then add bits and pieces to look a little more stylish. The last time I really dressed up was for a wedding and the dress and jacket combo I bought for that hasn't been worn since. I find that people don't dress up in the way that they used to, and it's rare even in quite swanky places to see a man with a tie. I am eternally searching for that Holy Grail Smart Casual.

Just had a peak at Box2
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.£62 for a vest top, I think not !!

Got all excited and went to look at Box2 but I am a little person! Very disappointed . Thought I would find something nice and different. Boo

lona I'm with you

I'm just not going to answer this OP on the grounds that I will incriminate myself!

Aaargh.... just checked out Box2 too. Fab stuff and I'd never heard of them either. Oh dear I sense another time-wasting afternoon coming on. And I really intended to do some serious writing.... I need to sell some articles now I've found that site!