Assume there are no social constraints, no dress code requirements, nothing that indicates how you should dress. What would you put on?
Dress or pants?
Hosiery/socks or bare legs?
Shoes or not?
Other options I obviously didn’t think of…
For me, jeans or similarly comfortable pants, t-shirt, sweater or some sort of light jacket, socks and sneaks. Unsurprisingly, that’s pretty much the contents of my closet. I own 2 dresses, and it’s over 2 years since I wore either of them. I think I have one pair of shoes with 2" heels - the rest are flats. I don’t think I own any hose.
Thinking back, when my niece was still a pre-teen, she hated anything on her legs - she’d only wear dresses and skirts.
Even further back, when I was a kid, my mother didn’t own a single pair of slacks. She’s wear shorts to the beach, but the rest of the time, it was a dress. I remember her scrubbing the kitchen floor on her knees with her skirt pulled thru her legs and tucked into the front of her belt. It’s no longer an issue, but as a kid, I thought women had to wear dresses all the time.
So, in a world with no clothing rules, what do you choose?
Given that I’ve been working-from-home for the past 15 years or so, I pretty much don’t have a dress code, and few social constraints. Most of the time I wear a short sleeve plain-colored v-neck t-shirt and yoga pants or joggers (in the winter) and shorts (in the summer). Slippers or sandals, depending on the time of the year. Or, if I’m just sitting at my desk, no shoes.
It will depend on the weather, of course, but definitely from the casual end of the closet by American standards. With a big difference, as pointed out by an American coworker (who’d visited “our” factory in Spain so he knew I wouldn’t take offense): my jeans actually fit. In fact, I specifically buy them from Colombian brands because damn do they fit. Spanish brands used to fit but have all gone out of business or been taken over by foreign brands who don’t believe women should have asses
I hate slacks; hate pencil skirts even more. If I wear a skirt it should be ample; structured à la Grease/Hairspray, or unstructured Eivissa style, but roomy in either case. I love fishnet stockings because with my so-close thighs they move wearing skirts from “terribly uncomfortable” to “perfectly comfortable”.
Shoes: in summer, sandals or espadrilles. In winter, boots (from ankle-high to cowboy style). Didn’t have time to do much around Nashville when I traveled there on business last year but hell yeah I got me some nice boots :D. Around the house, slippers (not the slip-on kind since those try to kill me) or socks.
Jeans and T-shirts for outdoors, roomy caftans for around the house. Softspot shoes for all footwear needs. A shoulder strap purse big enough for wallet, meds bag, checkbook, pens, keys, cellphone, bus pass, asthma inhaler, and a reasonably sized book.
Add a big eskimo hooded coat for winter and a light coat for spring and fall, and clean underwear, and I’m good to go.
Long pants, a t-shirt, and some Converse-type sneakers. I hate going barefoot. Oh, and those pants better have some damn pockets!
IRL, I wear a lot of dresses. I wore a pair of jeans to work one cold day and a co-worker said it was odd to see, “like seeing your teacher in their pajamas”.
I’m not working right now, and live in a rural area where I don’t see many people, so my daily go to is sweat pants and a tshirt. It’s winter and I don’t like being cold, so microfibre longjohns, wool socks and a fleece get added for warmth. Crocs around the house because the floors are cold, and tall rubber boots for outside wear. If I go to town, I’ll wear casual pants and a sweater, or less dog hair covered fleece and a nicer coat and swap out the farm boots for casual boots.
Summer - capri pants (I don’t like short shorts) and a tshirt mostly, but I do like casual summer dresses because they are comfortable and easy.
I had a corporate job once - pantyhose were a must. I still hate them. I like that fashion has changed and office wear is more casual, so I can get away with tights and boots and still look somewhat stylish, or at least not inappropriate for the office.
For the most part I like wearing a dress / skirt and heels to work. I’m middle aged so I remember wearing hose and frankly it took me a bit to get used to going without (though now I don’t care either way).
Once I get home, it’s shorts and a tank or t-shirt, and sandals if I’m going outside.
Play clothes can be shorts, casual skirt or jeans (on the four days a year it’s cold enough) but I generally make an effort to give it some semblance of an “outfit”.
Please don’t think I’m all made up and wearing a tiara everywhere I go. I’m really casual; I just enjoy clothes :o
I hate being barefoot, too. Normally, once my socks and shoes go on in the morning, they don’t come off till I’m ready for bed. If I do take off my shoes, the socks stay on and I step into slippers.
I also agree about pants needing pockets. I have a pair of jeans that I really like, except the damned pockets are only about 3" deep!! Could they be any more worthless???
The other day I had to loan my son a pair of my pants so I could wash the ones he was wearing (a horse sneezed on him :D), and after about ten minutes his phone had fallen out of the “pocket” four times and he was totally annoyed.
Pants and shirt (you seem to have forgotten shirts), no shoes. I prefer barefoot. If it’s really hot skirt and shirt. Bare legs. If I go outside broad brimmed hat.
If foot coverings are required due to either weather or safety my first choice is sandals and second shoes and third boots. Bare feet/legs for sandals, socks for the other two. Hate hose.
Unless it’s winter and outside, then it’s multiple layers of shirts, long underwear, and pants with wool socks and sturdy shoes or boots, parka, hat, scarf, and gloves.
Didn’t forget them - actually, I was thinking in terms of dress/skirt vs. pants. Getting into shirts - pullover/button/long sleeve/short sleeve/no sleeve… All I’m going to say about shirts is I think the current style of cutout shoulders with sleeves looks silly. That’s why I’d have never had a career in the fashion industry.
So far it seems to me that Doper women opt for comfort over power suits and high heels. We’re a sensible bunch, aren’t we?
When I worked from home and thus had no clothing rules (and could also control the climate), I liked to wear sweatpants (with no underpants) and a bra but no shirt on over it. Nothing on my feet. I would keep a blanket nearby for the subtle shifts in temperature, so that if I started to feel slightly cold I’d just throw the blanket over me, and then when I started to feel hot I’d throw it off. I will also note that I kept the room pretty hot so that I could be comfortable shirtless, maybe in the upper 70s.
What I want to wear is what I do wear. Dresses, preferably, but occasionally a skirt and blouse. A-line with a full skirt that falls just above the knee at shortest, mid-calf at longest. Petticoat. Low heels or flats. Coordinating earrings, necklace, and watch. Flower in my hair.
I basically live in jeans and a selection of 3/4 sleeve tops. I’m quite happy to go barefoot in summer, but having not done so in a while my feet have gone all soft, so I end up wearing sandals or converse type shoes.
Weather allowing, I’m a shorts and sandals girl. It’s my “uniform” throughout the entire summer and, once the students and teachers are gone for the summer, I can wear that to work, too. Cooler weather preference is jeans and gym shoes, although I’ll continue to wear sandals right through October if I can do so without freezing my feet. LoL
What I’d choose to wear: Maxi length sundresses with sandals in the warm months. Either tunics/long sweaters worn with leggings or sweaters worn with jeans in the winter. Winter shoes are either sneakers, flats or ankle boots. No high-heels ever. Non-jean pants rarely. Earrings, make-up and a light fragrance always.
