<p>Boy, there are some exceptionally snarky retorts in this thread.</p>
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<p>Oh, see, this is where I disagree. I believe in investment dressing, and buying classics that are well-made and will last for many years. And there are plenty of high quality brands where the logos aren’t visible and only those “in the know” will know what the wearer has. A beautiful silk Hermes scarf comes to mind. Or a classic Cartier tank watch - I got one for my 20th birthday and it’s timeless and appropriate in any situation. I do have a black quilted Chanel bag - that’s another classic. Of course I have “disposable” clothing like everyone else - but there are quality differences in cuts and fabric, which may or may not be linked to designer logos per se. </p>
<p>My mother always had beautiful clothing, and when I was still in the business-dress mode of my career, she would give me her clothing and I’d have it tailored to fit me, as my mother is taller than I am. The tailor was a real artisan and he could point out to me exactly why it was worth spending $100 to tailor an Escada or St. John suit, but not worth it to tailor a cheaper suit.</p>
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<p>TANTRUMS? Quit exaggerating, cobrat.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl - I couldn’t agree with you more on the “timeless classic” purchases. I was raised by a mother who stressed quality and fit over quanitity in dress. She also stressed finding brands that produce quality clothes that last, and yes many of those brands tend to be more expensive which is why you buy less. When I choose shoes I look for shoes made in Europe over China, I couldn’t care less what the brand name is. </p>
<p>Having quality clothing and taking care of your appearance does not make a person a “fashionista”, and it does not mean you care about brands.</p>
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<p>The problem with this approach is that in order to wear classic clothing for years on end, your body has to stay the same size. No weight gains. No weight losses. No pregnancies that change your shape in subtle ways even if you get back to your pre-pregnancy size. No shifts in body shape with menopause.</p>
<p>Good luck with that.</p>
<p>“Have you considered a personal shopper and one of those drycleaning/laundry services that do pick up and delivery?”</p>
<p>Yes! And his name is MR. Shrinkrap. We are still working out the details, though.</p>
<p>I just passed on a lot of my bags to D1. Unfortunate we do not have the same shoe size.</p>
<p>“From our local new this morning for the “clothes make the man” and “judge a book by its cover” crowd. He is nice looking . . .”</p>
<p>I’m not sure I get your point. I suspect a guy who looks like that can find way more opportunities to get what he wants, and to get away with stuff, than one in sweats, or one who was not a young, but clearly an adult, white male. That would be MY point.</p>
<p>"The problem with this approach is that in order to wear classic clothing for years on end, your body has to stay the same size. No weight gains. No weight losses. No pregnancies that change your shape in subtle ways even if you get back to your pre-pregnancy size. No shifts in body shape with menopause.</p>
<p>Good luck with that. "</p>
<p>My mother has already gone through all of the above while maintaining the same size. She’s not unique, although you could argue that women like her are getting more rare these days in th US given the obesity rates. Yes, it takes self-discipline, and so does putting yourself together every morning instead of just throwing on sweats.</p>
<p>:O</p>
<p>Just because some are able to do that through hard work, proper diet, great genetics or whatever other blessing they are blessed with does NOT mean that if you have changed sizes because of these things, or hormone levels, or medical issues, or leaving home at 6:00 am and arriving home to tend to family at 7:30 pm and burning the candle at both ends makes you UNDISCIPLINED.</p>
<p>Surely you didn’t mean to imply that all who have put on weight are just plain undisciplined, or somehow less than your mom!? Every individual is different. There is much to be taken into account.</p>
<p>In response to OP, I’ve found that students at my university dress rather formal-casual, usually a button down shirt with nice pants. In fact, it is rare to see people in sweatpants, even on fridays. Jeans are very common though.</p>
<p>Not everyone physically can maintain their weight. My mom has major thyroid problems and it’s impossible to maintain weight. Sometimes it shoots up, sometimes down. It depends on what they’re doing with her meds. It’s not about discipline for everyone. I have UC and when I have flare ups, I can lose a lot of weight quickly. Discipline won’t change that. </p>
<p>Same with those who have other health concerns, pregnancies, etc.</p>
<p>I’ve lost 30 pounds on Weight Watchers in the past year and a half, and I hope to lose up to 20 more.</p>
<p>I live in a part of the country where separate summer and winter wardrobes are a must. I have already replaced all my winter clothes twice and all my summer clothes once as my sizes have gone down. This will probably continue for another year or so. </p>
<p>Obviously, I’m buying inexpensive stuff. I also don’t feel obligated to buy classics. I won’t be wearing any of my clothes for very long. I liked the peasant-style blouses that were fashionable this summer, so I bought four of them. If they’re out of style next summer, I won’t care. They won’t fit anyway.</p>
<p>It would be so interesting to see a representative map of where more casual clothes are acceptable vs. where more formal clothes are acceptable.</p>
<p>I have to believe there’s a pattern - for example, if we assume:</p>
<p>Casual: Shorts, t-shirts, sweats, flip-flops, tank tops, track pants</p>
<p>And you did a color plot of #1, geographically WHERE these things were acceptable, and then you were to overlay</p>
<h1>2 - concentration of Ivy League/private schools in those areas…</h1>
<p>I think that would be an interesting map to look at. My theory is that casual dress would be much less acceptable in parts of New England and possibly in areas on the West Coast and the concentration of Ivy League and private schools would be higher in those regions as well.</p>
<p>I went up a bra cup size with each of my kids. That’s AFTER losing the baby weight. So if I’d bought a “cute little sweater” in a “classic” brand, no matter what it cost, it would not fit now even if I WEIGHED the same. A friend of mine is tiny by any measure but wears a different pant size after two kids, although she is the same WEIGHT. The idea that a person changes size only when getting fat is insulting.</p>
<p>sseamom,</p>
<p>Yea, I almost posted something about just simple changes to body structure after pushing out 3 kids weighing over 8 lbs. each in close succession. So glad that some are able to just stay the same weight, shape and size they were in high school.</p>
<p>That is certainly NOT the norm.</p>
<p>cromette, I posted a similar theory last night. I think it’s relative to large cities, and probably in the Northest vs. the west. I grew up in NH, close to Boston and and Dartmouth. I visit my hometown yearly, and do not at all see the kind of attention to name brands and more formal dress that I’m seeing here on this board. I have relatives of all ages and although they don’t wear sweatpants out save for the gym, they aren’t wearing “cute little flats”, cute cashmere sweaters, clubwear or classics. They wear off-the rack, department store clothes that often include jeans and “disposable” tops. For work I’m seeing mostly dress pants and “disposable” tops. Weekends are as casual as they are in Seattle.</p>
<p>Bay:
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<p>Great point Bay! How do you feel about judging others based on religion? Can’t that become frightening? potentially tragic?</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>I am NOT the same size I was in HS/college. I am approximately the same size my mother and grandmothers were at my age. One reason I am able to wear clothes for years is because I am not wearing them tight. I am generally in a sort of one size fits all clothing that can be adjusted with ties to be more or less fitted. I don’t own a zipper waistband. I don’t own jeans (or sweats or pajamas) I’ve been doing modesty dressing for decades. A lot of how I dress is a conscious rejection of the emphasis on dieting with which I was raised. These clothes make one of my sisters really agitated. Once she told me, in utter exasperation, “I just can’t tell how much you weigh any more.” Good!</p>
<p>I am pretty average weight for my age according to my physician and all the charts.</p>
<p>"Just because some are able to do that through hard work, proper diet, great genetics or whatever other blessing they are blessed with does NOT mean that if you have changed sizes because of these things, or hormone levels, or medical issues, or leaving home at 6:00 am and arriving home to tend to family at 7:30 pm and burning the candle at both ends makes you UNDISCIPLINED.</p>
<p>Surely you didn’t mean to imply that all who have put on weight are just plain undisciplined, or somehow less than your mom!? Every individual is different. There is much to be taken into account. "</p>
<p>No, my post was a reply to Marian by citing a real life example. In fact, I actually implied that people who wear sweats lack the self-discipline to get up on time everyday and put themselves together. But nobody seemed to notice anything beyond the mention of “size” as seen in the following posts.</p>
<p>okay -
I am leaving right this minute and going out shopping for a cat lady sweat suit and I am going to wear nothing else till this thread ends-</p>
<p>:)</p>