# The Silliest Question You'll Read Today: What Would Be the Best Outfit for Time Travel? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 15, 2011, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-silliest-question-youll-read-today-what-would-be-the-best-outfit-for-time-travel/599770 "2011-10-15T23:48:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-silliest-question-youll-read-today-what-would-be-the-best-outfit-for-time-travel/599770/21 "2011-10-16T12:50:23Z")
I’d think a business suit for guys (worn under the robe) would be a good idea for recent times. Sure, that 21st century suit may be cut wrong for 1860’s London, but at least you look eccentric rather than rude or subversive. If you ended up in 1860’s London, you could take your 21’st century suit and find a tailor and say you got the suit from some eccentric uncle who was a little weird and you need it fixed up. Then you can load up on local accessories as needed (era tie, for example). ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-silliest-question-youll-read-today-what-would-be-the-best-outfit-for-time-travel/599770/22 "2011-10-16T12:56:08Z")
For the ladies, I’d agree with the poster above with a wool dress that can easily be accessorized. You could bring along hoops or petticoats that could be easily discarded if you end up in an area where they are not generally fashionable (make sure the dress looks good with and without them!) And, the general trend of ladies’ fashion nowadays seems like appearing in antiquated dress is no big deal. A woman walking down the street today in Victorian attire may be considered eccentric/nerdy, but it’s no big deal at all. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-silliest-question-youll-read-today-what-would-be-the-best-outfit-for-time-travel/599770/23 "2011-10-16T13:30:51Z")
Can I wear my **“FUCK YOU, I’M FROM TEXAS”** T-shirt? ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-silliest-question-youll-read-today-what-would-be-the-best-outfit-for-time-travel/599770/24 "2011-10-16T13:38:13Z")
Well, on the one hand, you want to wear layers for different weather conditions. On the other, the toga is always in style. 5,000+ years running and it’s [still hot](http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/imageBank/cache/m/Max-Azria-1732.jpg_e_9173ec0b0766b3b5f291e5efb496108d.jpg). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-silliest-question-youll-read-today-what-would-be-the-best-outfit-for-time-travel/599770/25 "2011-10-16T14:56:55Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > What outfit could you wear that would let you blend in to the most places with the most peoples? I’d go with a white linen mandarin-collared shirt, loose black trousers and a grey Buddhist monk’s overrobe. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-silliest-question-youll-read-today-what-would-be-the-best-outfit-for-time-travel/599770/26 "2011-10-16T16:23:23Z")
How about chameleon psychic display clothing? They would see you wearing what they expect to see you wearing. Hey, if I already have a time machine … ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-silliest-question-youll-read-today-what-would-be-the-best-outfit-for-time-travel/599770/27 "2011-10-16T18:12:09Z")
i don’t think i would time travel as a woman. i would pretend to be a guy instead, and just go with jeans, poet type puffy shirt, and boots. always claim to be from the other side of the world. “we are from france.” ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-silliest-question-youll-read-today-what-would-be-the-best-outfit-for-time-travel/599770/28 "2011-10-16T18:35:37Z")
:eek:Natural fabrics plus layers. Silk or cotton underoos, topped with a linen/silk/cotton slip (shift), topped with a wool dress (shapeless, ankle length, drab color with a leather belt) and a wool cape. Leather shoes. That could look pretty appropriate during most time periods, and be reasonably comfortable for most climates. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-silliest-question-youll-read-today-what-would-be-the-best-outfit-for-time-travel/599770/29 "2011-10-16T23:10:18Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > Well, on the one hand, you want to wear layers for different weather conditions. On the other, the toga is always in style. 5,000+ years running and it’s [still hot](http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/imageBank/cache/m/Max-Azria-1732.jpg_e_9173ec0b0766b3b5f291e5efb496108d.jpg). > > 😃 Though, it was for citizens only, and if you were a non-Roman citizen appearing in the Roman empire in a toga, you could be soon facing some trouble. And otherwise, some of the items of clothing suggested had implications of the status of the person. If you’re a guy and you suddenly appear in 1300’s England dressed like a Catholic Priest and you can’t say a word of Latin and don’t know the Mass, I wouldn’t want to be you. > [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > Plain black pants and shirt for men and a plain black dress for women. Cotton probably. As few styling details as possible. No colors because someone will ask how it was made. No synthetics. > > The ‘new’ black is still the old black. You could just say it’s from a traveling merchant and you don’t know how it was made. This assumes that there were actual merchants selling exotic, foreign wares in the time you arrive. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-silliest-question-youll-read-today-what-would-be-the-best-outfit-for-time-travel/599770/30 "2011-10-17T03:59:45Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > Well, on the one hand, you want to wear layers for different weather conditions. On the other, the toga is always in style. 5,000+ years running and it’s [still hot](http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/imageBank/cache/m/Max-Azria-1732.jpg_e_9173ec0b0766b3b5f291e5efb496108d.jpg). > > 😃 Not really a toga. That’s a toga-_look._ ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-silliest-question-youll-read-today-what-would-be-the-best-outfit-for-time-travel/599770/31 "2011-10-17T04:47:13Z")
[QUOTE=robert\_columbia] And otherwise, some of the items of clothing suggested had implications of the status of the person. If you’re a guy and you suddenly appear in 1300’s England dressed like a Catholic Priest and you can’t say a word of Latin and don’t know the Mass, I wouldn’t want to be you. [/QUOTE] From what I’ve read of small town parish priests at the time you’d probably fit right in. 😉 Plus, even if the priest was the greatest Latin speaking scholar since Pliny, most of his congregation probably wouldn’t know _hoc est corpus_ from _hocus pocus_. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2011, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-silliest-question-youll-read-today-what-would-be-the-best-outfit-for-time-travel/599770/32 "2011-10-18T05:01:25Z")
I’d go to Chuck Testa, get some animal skins and start rumors of bigfoot, yeti, chupacabra, the Loch Ness monster and drop bears. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-silliest-question-youll-read-today-what-would-be-the-best-outfit-for-time-travel/599770.md?page=1)