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<p>These days, much of the clothing is made assuming obesity, so people who are non-obese often look like they are wearing clothes that a too big (in the abdomen area).</p>
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<p>That’s silly to me. First off, the truly wealthy are just as likely to dress down – that’s the preppy too-rich-to-care look, with grandma’s old cashmere sweater that now gets worn for casual occasions and has a little rip in the hem, topsiders that are stained from having been used on the boat, dad’s LL Bean sweater from way back when. </p>
<p>Second, we are not talking about “dress to impress” with logos (which is another description). We’re talking about jeans. They are not a “step up” on the wealth level from sweatpants, just a step up on the neatness level. There is no class marker being established by wearing jeans for the vast majority of college students, who are wearing basic pairs (as opposed to designer).</p>
<p>" I pity/feel sorry for those of you who feel the need to buy and wear fashionable clothing et al. I suppose you attracted a mate with the same sensibilities (or lack of sense). It is your problem. GO Bethivet! We know our priorities. Scrubs for the OR, with a coat over them to see patients… in my work world. I suspect those with the most education care less than those with some education who are trying to prove they are SOMEBODY by the clothes they choose. "</p>
<p>Is that supposed to be a reflection of how those who don’t care about clothes are less judgemental? Scrubs, as long as they are not bloody, and white jackets, always earn a few points anyway. Since I wear neither, and do not look like most doctors, I don’t get those points. In fact, if I enter a hospital room, people assume I am anything but, while the PA is assumed to be the doctor. </p>
<p>My husband would be very amused to see me participating on this thread. On the spectrum of fashion sense, he is WAY more into appearance than I am, but after 25 years, more time, more money, and more to …atend to, I am spending more of my attention on this. He really appreciates it, and he does much that I appreciate as well. But we are grown ups, and that is not what this is about, so…</p>
<p>When it comes to people aspiring to dress wealthy, I wonder if some here might have opinions about the history of “hip hop” fashion.</p>
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<p>My H wears scrubs 99% of the time, and is the furthest thing from a fashionista - his style is basic generic preppy, with polo shirts and jeans being the staples of his non-scrubs wear. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t attracted by a good-looking girl / woman / wife. I think some women kid themselves that they can let themselves go and their husbands don’t mind at all. I’m not saying it’s fair to expect someone to never have normal signs of aging - wrinkles, a little middle-aged spread, thinning hair, etc. - but there’s a difference between growing older gracefully and letting oneself go, and I suspect a lot of the cat-lady-sweatshirt-and-sweatpants women at high school PTA meetings are only kidding themselves. (And vice versa, of course.)</p>
<p>Right Shrinkrap - Doctor clothes signal status! I would love to read your thoughts on hip-hop. Please. :)</p>
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<p>pizzagirl- I think you are absolutely correct. The truly wealthy don’t have to worry about following these rules. And someone who wants to look too-rich-to-care can dress as you are suggesting. I think this look you are describing may have to do with more than just money. I have read that there are certain inside cues by which those too-rich-to-care recognize each other. Since I am not any kind of rich, I certainly can’t speak to that. Maybe someone else will.</p>
<p>Someone who is too-rich-to-care can dress to please himself. He can wear sweat pants on campus. Is he going to be negatively impacted by the same sort of first impression judgements as a middle class kid? Maybe he won’t get taken to the restaurant lunch after the VIP speaker lectures the class. Maybe he will, if his parents are important enough. I don’t know. Maybe his parents have raised him to always wear khakis for reasons of their own so this isn’t an issue. </p>
<p>Don’t some of these computer billionaires dress down very purposefully? What is up with that?</p>
<p>Being in a position not to have to worry about first impressions is a luxury. I am not suggesting it isn’t.</p>
<p>Scrubs look like pajamas to me.
I do not understand wearing them outside the OR, unless exposing strangers to others body fluids is a new fashion trend.
<a href=“http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/articles/2007/02/scrubs-as-streetwear.aspx[/url]”>http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/articles/2007/02/scrubs-as-streetwear.aspx</a></p>
<p>Can’t they just wear a stethoscope around their neck if they want everyone to know they’re a Dr.?</p>
<p>Oh Emeraldkity :eek:</p>
<p>To be fair, the poster describing a wardrobe of mostly scrubs/white coat isn’t complaining about pajamas on the street. Probably most of us react differently to someone in scrubs “on the street” than to someone wearing pajamas. Unless they are wearing NYTimes fashionista pajamas. If we happened to read that section yesterday.;)</p>
<p>Don’t we usually give doctors a pass because we understand they are very busy, need to be comfortable and because we assume they know how to dress appropriately when it is really important? Like those sweat suit wearing college kids?</p>
<p>I am trying to keep tying this back to the OP. I wonder where the OP is and what on earth she is thinking. :)</p>
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<p>I work with a fellow who works very hard to look casually dressed down. But the price tag for each item is close to my weekly salary. (The Rolex adds a nice touch, too!)</p>
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<p>Scrubs are functional uniforms for doctors, aren’t they? Giving “a pass” doesn’t factor into it, unless you are saying that doctors wear scrubs even when they do not need to?</p>
<p>My college kids were very busy in college, but never too busy to get dressed in proper clothing.</p>
<p>I don’t really understand the idea of people being “too busy” to get dressed. Are they too busy to shower and brush their teeth, too? What are they doing that is important enough to crowd out those basic hygiene activities? We already addressed the fact that pulling on pants and a shirt takes the same amount of time as pulling on sweats.</p>
<p>On Saturday we moved our younger D into the dorm for her sophomore year. The kids that stuck out were the ones in jeans, t-shirts, and fuzzy animal head hats and the one with a military gas mask. (This is a PNW directional university with a quirky college attached)
I’ll take sweats over gas masks any day.</p>
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<p>Nothing I want my kids emulating, that’s for sure!</p>
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<p>Do doctors ever need to wear scrubs out in public? Isn’t it just convenient for them to do so?</p>
<p>Bay - I am not arguing that it isn’t important to use good hygiene and dress so as to create a good impression. I absolutely agree - It is good to teach our children this. It is another thing to judge the children of others who may not have learned this. It is yet another discussion that some children have learned this (not the hygiene necessarily but appropriate dress) and reject it. That fascinates me. </p>
<p>Sometimes there are very serious and even deadly repercussions to not following what seem to some of us easily understood dress codes. Clothes really are important. in my opinion.</p>
<p>I honestly don’t believe most students on most campuses will be disadvantaged by wearing sweats to class, though they might not get the lunch invite. After this thread, I understand that some parents don’t think that is a risk worth taking. I am surprised how strongly so many of you feel about this. Probably you are surprised I care at all… so we are even.</p>
<p>edit: In my opinion sweats are perfectly appropriate student campus wear on most campuses. The OP will need to check out the particular campus culture.</p>
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<p>Sample of one: H wears scrubs out in public if he is going to or from the hospital / office, but tries to avoid running errands or otherwise being out and about in them. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, but if we were going to dinner (even casually), he’d change.</p>
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<p>“Risk” isn’t really the right word. I don’t think it’s the end of the world or anything. I just think all else being equal, there’s no reason you can’t look halfway decent while still remaining comfortable.<br>
I moved my son in today so I needed to be a bit more active since I was lugging suitcases, etc… So I had on jeans, a turtleneck and a little black cashmere zip hoodie with a tie belt as it’s been chilly out, and then black Clark’s walking shoes that look sort of like Mary Janes (so they look more like real shoes than sneakers). I was just as comfortable as if I’d been wearing sweatshirt / sweatpants / sneakers, could move around just as much in terms of physical activity, but if I ran into someone I knew, I would know that I looked decent and not like a schlump. Other parents can do what they like and I don’t care. I have standards for myself and my personal presentation.</p>
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<p>I have seen various staff in scrubs walk across the street from a hospital to a coffee shop to buy coffee there. Or walking to the train station in scrubs to go home after they are done with work.</p>
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<p>Depends on the college’s campus culture and the Profs. At my LAC, Profs/students wouldn’t care. </p>
<p>Despite wearing some really ratty hole-ridden hand-me-down jeans and t-shirts, had no problems receiving multiple lunch and even dinner invites from not only my own Profs at their homes, but even a retired Dean of the college who randomly befriended me and other students. </p>
<p>And trust me, they’ve seen far worse in terms of violation of mainstream upper-middle class suburban dress norms than anything I’ve worn during my undergrad years. Probably a factor in why they enjoyed my company enough to extend repeat invites throughout my undergrad career.</p>
<p>pg: Your move in outfit sounds really cute to me. Ms Jersey Shore doesn’t like it though ;)</p>
<p>“half-way decent” is in the eye of the beholder. You don’t want your kids to emulate hip-hop fashion. It may be hard to avoid. (I have half a dozen sites or so open reading about the history of hip-hop fashion.) What fashion type do you want them to emulate? Why?</p>
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<p>I’ve seen this too. Isn’t the point of scrubs to prevent germs from the doctor’s clothes from infecting the patients in addition to protecting the doctors from infection? If so, is it proper for doctors to be walking around outside in them if they aren’t going to get them cleaned before seeing patients again? Just curious what is the protocol is.</p>
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<p>Depends on the procedure being done and how dirty / contaminated they get. For example, H is an ob-gyn. Let’s say he goes to the hospital in the morning to check on patients, then goes to the office. His “checkups” might be just popping in on a patient and talking to her, maybe looking at stitches or something of that nature - nothing “gross.” He could certainly then go to the office afterwards. However, obviously if he does a delivery, he would need fresh scrubs.</p>
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<p>I don’t really want them “emulating” anything. You can’t go wrong with classic and timeless, but with an eye towards being up-to-date (which is different from “slavishly follow every trend”).
I should also mention, my father was in the fashion industry and has always been a sharp dresser, of the very smooth, understated type. Elegant, refined but not showy.</p>