For many years, my boyfriend would wear high-tops with pants which were too short. I introduced him to the marvel that is leg measurement and now he’s capapble of buying pants which actually fit his legs. I’m not even sure how I got him to stop wearing high-tops, but he did. Other than that, the only thing about him that gets me is the facial hair. His beard is very coarse and is a pain in the ass to shave so he will sometimes go a week without shaving. Sometimes, scruff can be attractive. Sometimes, it looks sloppy. It all depends on how it grows. On my boyfriend, it looks sloppy but I know shaving is a pain for him so I don’t nag him. Besides, when I don’t feel like shaving my legs, he kindly refrains from saying anything.
My step-dad though, oh my lord, the only word I can come up with to describe the way he dresses is - ugh. Each item from his summer wardrobe is icky in it’s own right but the combination is just ugh.
His summer attire generally consists of (from bottom to top)
- plain white sneakers. Not fashionable ones. plain, white, clunky, 80’s looking.
- plain white tube socks, pulled up to mid shin.
- shorts, I don’t even know how old. They remind me of the opening from Three’s Company. John Ritter is wearing them as they walk along the beach. Very short, usually with some sort of white trim, sometimes with a slit up the side, usually worn pulled up above the belly button.
- A fanny pack, huge, overstuffed with camera stuff, wallet, keys, kitchen sink. Will sometimes use what looks like a photographer’s fannypack. This one is mammoth and has things hanging down the sides of his legs (the things are for holding film cans)
- A shortsleeved buttondown man blouse (tucked in to horrible shorts) and with the top two button open so a fountain of chest hair cascades over the top. Blouse will typically be a color which clashes with shorts.
In cooler weather, he will usually wear a sweatshirt - frequently from Cape Cod and usually with a very feminine looking design.
and, the clincher
comb-over
BUT, despite the fact that his clothing drives me crazy, he is my stepfather. I would never dream of saying anything to him about it because my mother raised me to keep comments like those to myself. He doesn’t care what other people think of his attire and neither does my mother so that’s all that matters. When they first got married (when I was 13), I was embarrassed to be out with him but I got over it very quickly because it’s the company of the person which is important, not how they look.
As for clothes which would be better off thrown away, my boyfriend and I have an agreement. If the clothes have some sort of special history (like his George Carlin shirst), then they are safe. Otherwise, if they fail the rip test, they’re gone.
To conduct the rip test, hold garment in one hand. If there’s a worn spot, hook a finger from the other hand on it and tug. If they rip, they’re gone. If not, the worn spot is not too far gone and they can be kept. If they don’t have any holes, just pull with both hands. If the item is old enough and the seams are weakening, it can be a very good way to get rid of something which just looks a bit old but not actually ratty. My boyfriend and I now conduct our own rip tests because watching it happen enough will eventually convince even the most thickheaded person that the item was past it’s prime and should not be worn ever again.