# Do you keep 'emergency' clothes at work? What, specifically, do you have? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 3, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755 "2016-12-03T18:08:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2016, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/21 "2016-12-04T14:04:26Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I got a sweater for my office because it was frequently too cold. But then I discovered it was handy for coverup/replacement purposes for when I inevitably would get a ink stain on my shirt. > … Back when I worked in an office, this. Nowadays it’s not quite fair since I always drag a suitcase around with me at work. Despite that I don’t carry “spare” anything. I have changes of work clothes for the days I expect to be gone, one set of civvies appropriate for the climate and that’s it. If I’m gone any extra days I’ll be wearing prior days’ shirts, sox, & underwear. This happens a handful of times per year. If I somehow trashed my only tie, suit pants, or suit jacket, well, they’re trashed. I’d put on my civvie pants & do without the coat and that’d have to be good enough. Which hasn’t happened yet in almost 30 years. Although dark ties can hold a surprising amount of gravy and still look OK from a distance. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2016, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/22 "2016-12-04T19:23:18Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Ties, Gown, a white dress shirt. Me too! (Although I call mine tabs, not ties.) Just in case I get called to court unexpectedly. It’s happened, once, when the Court of Appeal thought I was appearing in front of them, and I thought the matter had been adjourned by opposing counsel. (Thanks, Mr K… :rolleyes: ) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2016, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/23 "2016-12-04T20:38:01Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Just make sure you always put your underwear on _under_ your pants, and you’ll be fine. > [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > I have a Superman outfit which I keep in a locked drawer at my news desk. > > Oops, I’ve said too much… So you’re one of those guys who wears underwear \*over \* your pants? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2016, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/24 "2016-12-04T20:41:19Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > No. If there is an emergency where I would need a new shirt or tie or anything, there are any number of men’s clothing stores within walking distance. > > I don’t expect to shit myself or get to work and realize I’m wearing shoes that don’t match since I’m not a five year old. Sadly, women sometimes do have such emergencies that keep us from hunting down a clothing store, despite being over five. I now keep clothes in my office… ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2016, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/25 "2016-12-04T20:56:08Z")
I keep a fresh shirt and hand towel in my office. I **hate** getting caught in a rain storm. The office parking lot is at least 75 ft from the door. Sitting at my desk dripping wet makes it even more miserable. Drying off with a towel and a fresh shirt makes the rest of the day more pleasant. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2016, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/26 "2016-12-04T21:26:15Z")
I have a sweater in one of my desk drawers for just in case. I’m usually too warm in the office, but on the rare day I’m chilly, it’s nice to have it there. In my car, I have a change of clothes. Old things I never wear - pants, tshirt, cardigan, long johns, socks and an old pair of flat shoes. I think I’ve dug into that bag of clothes only once or twice in the past ten years, but it doesn’t take up much space and I was glad it was there when I needed it. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2016, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/27 "2016-12-04T21:26:35Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > No. … > > get to work and realize I’m wearing shoes that don’t match since I’m not a five year old. OTOH, as an old Bill Cosby routine once said about married life: “I get up real early to go to work while my wife is still asleep. Have you ever tried to \*feel \*the difference between a black and a blue sock?” Shoes are mostly the same way. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2016, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/28 "2016-12-04T21:35:01Z")
A warm coat and umbrella. If I could, though, I’d keep a full set of shirt, tie, pants, shoes. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/29 "2016-12-04T21:38:27Z")
Not really “at work” but I have a full change of clothes in the SUV (socks, underwear, t-shirt, pants, shoes, loud Hawaiian shirt). So all I have to do in an emergency clothes-just-vanished-for-no-reason situation is make it from my classroom to the parking lot. That’s where the spare team sweats in the cabinet come in. They are too small to fit well, but they can serve in an emergency. ---
**Author:** ![MareIt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@MareIt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MareIt)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2016, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/30 "2016-12-04T23:23:24Z")
I frequently ride my horse before work. Once I forgot to bring shoes in my bag, but thankfully I was wearing my paddock boots that can pass as black dress shoes if one is wearing long black pants. The 2nd time I did it, I was wearing my tall Country boots. One cannot pass those off as office appropriate, even in my business casual office. I stopped at Target and bought a pair of grey flats. Those shoes now live in the office and have saved me from wearing barn boots all day on one other occasion. I have a selection of polar fleeces and scarves at the office because I am always cold. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/31 "2016-12-05T06:10:23Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > Most of the shoes that I wear at work live under my desk, so I can commute in comfy footwear and not have to schlep additional shoes around. Same here. Also, because I live in Ireland, raincoat and rain boots. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/32 "2016-12-05T12:32:56Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > Most of the shoes that I wear at work live under my desk, so I can commute in comfy footwear and not have to schlep additional shoes around. Likewise. Beyond that, I keep a sweater in my office, but that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/33 "2016-12-05T13:01:53Z")
A t-shirt and a pair of cargo pants are in my locker. Working in a warehouse/factory, I’ve discovered there are all sorts of little bits of metal that can snag clothing as you pass by and you can rip the crap out of something before you stop walking. Sort of a Catch-22, though - the clothes that rip are $20 pants and $5 tees from Wal-Mart - maybe better made stuff wouldn’t rip so easily, or maybe they’d just make for more expensive replacement costs. As it is, since I brought the spares the worst I’ve done is spill soda on some pants during lunch. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/34 "2016-12-05T13:16:07Z")
Another thing I thought of … I was a college professor. Several of my (usually senior) colleagues would keep a crappy sports coat and a tie on a hanger on the back of their doors. So once in a great while when they needed to they could “dress up”. Like I said, crappy sports coats. (They’d keep better ones at home because they’d see more use.) So if you see them wearing one, you’d ask them what was up. E.g., “Doing a dog and pony show for DARPA.” I never did this nor even wore a suit at work. And of course never put on a cap and gown. How people think profs dress and how they actually do are entirely different. Remember, we’re all former grad students. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/35 "2016-12-05T15:40:47Z")
I’m a librarian so I have a whole spare wardrobe of cardigans between my car and my desk. It’s a professional hazard. I also have a pair of old shoes to wear if it’s pouring down rain. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/36 "2016-12-05T15:41:33Z")
I keep a spare white button down shirt and tie in case I suddenly have to go to some kind of semi-formal meeting. I also have a spare pair of nice pants with a belt in my side desk. That last was added after I got caught in the rain while biking home from work. I also keep a spare pair of shorts and work socks for the same reason. I should get a spare sport jacket for the office in case I forget I have to appear at a public hearing. ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/37 "2016-12-05T15:50:58Z")
During the winter we keep a bag with a change of clothes in the car in case we get a big snow while at work. Our commute is 40 miles on back roads so if it gets too bad we crash at a motel over night. The bag contains a change of office clothes and some casual stuff for the evening. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/38 "2016-12-05T16:45:15Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Another thing I thought of … > > I was a college professor. > … > How people think profs dress and how they actually do are entirely different. Remember, we’re all former grad students. Yeah, but now you can afford real shoes, not just sandals. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/39 "2016-12-05T18:13:54Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I had a friend years ago who was a big fancy-schmancy executive and he came to work one time wearing two different shoes. The bad thing was that one was a slip-on and the other one had shoelaces. Had a coworker who came to work in both a skirt and pants at the same time. Didn’t see it but it was office lore for a while. It was clear from the ensemble that it was an accident. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755/40 "2016-12-05T18:15:45Z")
I keep a spare blue oxford button-down in one of my desk drawers. It’s an older one, don’t make the mistake of keeping a brand-new unlaundered shirt as a spare, the factory creases will make you look ridiculous. Now that it’s winter, I have a pair of leather loafers under my desk. I learned a few years ago that not everyone grew up as a “preppy” and considers the Maine Hunting Shoe office-appropriate footwear. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-keep-emergency-clothes-at-work-what-specifically-do-you-have/773755.md?page=3)