# Culling your closet of work clothes after retirement **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 25, 2020, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culling-your-closet-of-work-clothes-after-retirement/854420 "2020-05-25T05:33:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2020, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culling-your-closet-of-work-clothes-after-retirement/854420/21 "2020-05-26T14:50:03Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > No - if it has to be dry cleaned, don’t buy it in the first place! 😃 Preach it, Sistah! ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2020, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culling-your-closet-of-work-clothes-after-retirement/854420/22 "2020-05-26T15:05:16Z")
I retired a couple of weeks ago. I was in tech in California. I wore tshirts and jeans to work. The same ones that I wore on the weekends. I own a couple of ties and one sport coat and some button up shirts and slacks for the once or twice a year dress up occasions. I’ll keep them. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2020, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culling-your-closet-of-work-clothes-after-retirement/854420/23 "2020-05-26T16:36:01Z")
I’ve always been fairly good about culling unneeded clothing, I do it about every 6 months. Recently I have lost weight so there were a lot of pants items that went because of that. Even with this habit, I do find that I have kept all of my ties from decades past. Add to that, my spouse insists that I buy new ones whenever there is a upcoming dress up occasion, (that is a battle I don’t feel like engaging in, so $$ it is!). It’s quite a pile, and even though lots of the old ones are in fine shape, I can’t imagine anyone would have any use for them. Someone suggested, “Oh, you could make masks out of them!” Um, what? Number 1, we don’t own a sewing machine. And there is no Number 2. Back to the OP, I do anticipate retiring soon myself, but I also anticipate that I will retain a supply of office wear for a while “just in case”. And my plan is to do acting and extra work in TV/film, so I will need costume wear. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culling-your-closet-of-work-clothes-after-retirement/854420/24 "2020-05-26T17:13:30Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > Preach it, Sistah! > ~VOW Yeah! Bring back those 70s polyester leisure suits with the white piping. Classy! ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culling-your-closet-of-work-clothes-after-retirement/854420/25 "2020-05-26T17:13:57Z")
Regarding old ties - my dad had tons of 'em over the years, what with 5 kids giving him gifts on various occasions. 😃 One time, my mom took a pile of the older or stained or uglier ones, braided them together, and made a rug out of them. Beats throwing them in the trash… ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2020, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culling-your-closet-of-work-clothes-after-retirement/854420/26 "2020-05-26T18:14:26Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Regarding old ties - my dad had tons of 'em over the years, what with 5 kids giving him gifts on various occasions. 😃 One time, my mom took a pile of the older or stained or uglier ones, braided them together, and made a rug out of them. Beats throwing them in the trash… Well, there is that. But I don’t see “crafting” happening in our house, or a resulting rug finding a home. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/culling-your-closet-of-work-clothes-after-retirement/854420.md?page=1)