Do you have any garments that draw the eyeballs or invite commentary from strangers? Now obviously any of us may have access to some silly costume. No, I’m talking about items you wear regularly, that for some reason are kind of interesting to other people.
I got the idea for this topic the other day when I realized I wasn’t feeling social enough to wear this t-shirt. Every time I do, someone comes up to talk to me about the book.
I wear my hat that says USAF Veteran on it. I also have a shirt that says Black Lives Matter on it and another shirt that has an illustration of the James Webb Space Telescope.
I have a collection of loud, wonderfully tacky Disney patterned shirts, like Hawaiian shirts but with things like Haunted Mansion images by Shag. They get attention.
My other collection of shirts are long-sleeved dress shirts in bright, fully-saturated solid colors. Those get comments all the time, too.
I’ve got a lot of T-shirts, mostly concert shirts, but some with “witty” sayings on them. I still have this one, but it has holes in it:
“Jesus hates me”
My wife and I have matching shirts that say “Someday we’ll all be dead” in a flowery 70s style logo. Several people have made comments about them. Sometimes we’ll accidentally wear them at the same time and go out in public. We probably look like a couple of cult members.
For some reason, the band one that gets commented on the most often is a Dinosaur Jr. T-shirt. Some folks just like the band, other people like the stuffed gorilla and cow it has on it, but it gets a lot of comments.
Let’s see… I have a bright orange Hawaiian shirt that I wear often during the summer, and occasionally at other times when there’s a “wear a Hawaiian shirt day” or the like. That always draws comments.
Among my work clothes (dress shirts and ties), I have one shirt that’s all black, that of course I wear with black pants and black tie. I tell folks it’s my Johnny Cash outfit.
I also have a purple shirt and tie, that I wear on occasion (since my school’s colors include purple).
I have some t-shirts with (hopefully) funny prints, most of which @The_Butterfly_s_Ghost gave to me. My favorites are:
That’s a real conversation starter at parties, and it’s the plain truth. Once a guy I didn’t know asked me “You’re in IT, aren’t you? Just like me”. He was of course right.
I’ve gotten more attention wearing this Snap Cat tee shirt than anything else I own. I haven’t worn it for a few years, so I wonder if people remember Snapchat as much.
In French, it says “fier comme un coq” — proud like a rooster. Note, however, that the French expression can be intended somewhat ironically, going beyond mere pride to connote the rooster’s arrogant strut. More information here (article in French, so prepare your translator).
I don’t wear it very often, but I always get glances and chuckles when I do.
P.S. Before anyone asks, “coq,” pronounced (and meaning) cock as in rooster, doesn’t have the same double sense as in English. It’s just rooster.
I wear one of my ever-growing collection of flat or scally-type caps (think Peaky Blinders or the like) pretty much every day. I have some that are more casual and some that work well for the semi-business-casual I wear to work (usually slacks and a patterned button down). They don’t seem very common around here, and they often get comments.
I also have a few t-shirts that will usually get a reaction. One of my favorites has a football field with goalposts and says, “What’s the football team doing on the band field”? Always gets a laugh at my kid’s marching band competitions or football games when they’re playing at halftime.
My brother-in-law got me one that says “Local Journalism Matters” which is guaranteed to start a conversation. I’m the editor of a local daily newspaper and our sister weekly in a nearby town, so it’s perfect for me.
My ski clothes draw lots of attention and comments (the equipment even more so). I was even accused of having Style a couple times. I just wear what works and is comfortable. My “cold conditions” sweater is pretty freakin’ awesome however. Looks straight outta the Opening Ceremonies of the 1936 Winter Games.
When I played competitive darts, I had a shirt and hat that I wore to deliberately get into people’s head and distract them. It worked. I carved out an advantage before the first dart was ever thrown.
When I need a light jacket, I wear a vermillion double breasted Victorian laboratory smock decorated with alchemical symbiols in gold fabric paint and the Sons Of Ether symbol on the back.
I am wearing this in my avatar image. Here is an image of the front. Note, I do not generally wear the Ether Goggles, belt with power supply box, prosthetic hand, and clockwork shoulder mounted automaton. This was a special occasion.
