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<p>Well, some of them looked schlumpy and unattractive too. What’s the virtue in that? And I agree with Bay. All else being equal, it’s nice to look presentable for one’s spouse.</p>
<p>S1 wears jeans and kilts, and has amassed a collection of funny and work-related t-shirts. He has nice clothes, knows when to wear them. But in his life, he can get away with casual at work.</p>
<p>S2 is more into looking good and has a decent collection of dress shirts/ties/blazers. Wears them with jeans or dress pants. No brand names (not in his budget or ours). For going to class, it’s jeans and a shirt.</p>
<p>Neither owns sweatpants (sweatshirts – yes). Neither is big into polo shirts or shorts. No deck shoes or sandals, either. That’s a level to which they have not aspired.</p>
<p>Count me among the schlumpy dressers. When I was going to the schools, it usually involved volunteering to rummage through boxes or bookshelves. Comfort, baby! I will admit that now that I’m home and have lost weight, I dress up more to keep from getting depressed about being a professional patient.</p>
<p>Our D1 went to a college where sweats were very common and she loved it. D2 goes to a University where sweats are rare. The university has quite a reputation for fashionistas and D2 fits right in. ;)</p>
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<p>You may be right, but isn’t that how private day and boarding school kids often dress for class? Maybe I should be thinking about private school.</p>
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<p>We’re going to have to agree to disagree. </p>
<p>To me and many of my close non-fashionista friends, someone who dresses in ways you think are “schlumpy” on occasions when it’s fine are telegraphing that they are quite unpretentious, confident enough about themselves to have a “devil may care attitude” about their appearance without thinking about it, and aren’t shallow enough to judge solely/mostly on mere appearance. </p>
<p>In fact, I pay so little attention to how others dress that it has become a serious issue with some dates as I would be oblivious to whatever fancy outfit du jour they happen to be wearing to their extreme dismay that I’d sometimes forget the color…much less the actual design of the outfit. I just remember formal or non-formal.</p>
<p>Bel, perhaps, but don’t choose private school because of dress… Some do and some don’t. Some are strictly enforced, others are not.</p>
<p>Most of the people I know save their spiffy attire for occasions that demand it.
When you exercise, and eat well, stay up to date on current events, including those outside your field, you can’t be considered to " have given up" even if your attire isn’t * of the moment*.
I am casually interested in fashion, but some of the stuff ( most) that is passed off as seasonal " must haves", is over priced, ill made, superfluous, & ugly.</p>
<p>I do happen to think sweats aren’t appropriate in most situations, however a college campus would be somewhere that they could be worn without eyebrows being raised.</p>
<p>And who knows, maybe the mom who looks like she’s “given up” is really home, raising five kids, taking care of dogs, and quite frankly has just run out of time to do laundry and that’s what she had left. Maybe the choice was between wearing that and not going because she just got lost in the craziness of life. If that’s the case, I’m glad she made the choice to go rather than not simply because of dress.</p>
<p>EK-this is Seattle-people dress up? ;)</p>
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<p>Again, I’m not talking “spiffy.” I’m just not sure why it takes any shorter time to pull on sweatpants and gym shoes and a sweatshirt than it does to put on well-fitting jeans, a t-shirt and a cute sweater or blazer and attractive flats. It takes the exact same amount of time to put those clothes on one’s body. Spare me from the mindset that anything one cut above sweatpants is “spiffy.”</p>
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<p>This is also my feeling. Not only does dressing better take the exact same amount of time as putting on sloppy sweats and shoes, it does not have to cost anything more. Clothes at all levels of “spiffiness” can be purchased very cheaply nowadays.</p>
<p>PG, it might not be a matter of time, but more of a matter of resources. Some people just don’t have cute sweaters, blazers, attractive flats, etc. These things are also more difficult to maintain. Plus, sweats fit even if your weight fluctuates quite a bit. Jeans and fitted shirts, not so much. I just think there might be other factors in play here, that’s all.</p>
<p>I am a larger woman so I know the social pressure to look attractive. I agree that it doesn’t cost more have a nice set of casual pants and knit top versus sweats and ill-fitting t-shirt. When I wear those clothes, people don’t assume that I am lazy (just fat). Store clerks treat me better and I know the entire world appreciates the fact that my kaboose does not proclaim that it is Juicy. When I was a skinny little hs girl I also knew that it took no more time to throw on a dress than a pair of shorts and still pull off casual.</p>
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<p>Slide-on flats are going to go on faster than lace-up sneakers, but the only thing that goes on faster than sweatpants and a sweatshirt is a bathrobe. Bathrobe plus birkenstocks–the unofficial uniform of grumpy middle-aged folk storming outside to tell the teenagers parked curbside to scram. 
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<p>I will agree that it takes the same amount of time to put on well-fitting jeans instead of ill-fitting ones (and sometimes less time for the well-fitting ones, unless one is a skinny jeans fan), and that there is no time differential between putting on cute or ugly sweaters/blazers, or between attractive/unattractive flats. And this is once again focusing on women’s garb. Or do the men have to wear “cute” stuff, too?</p>
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<p>In the case of college students, pulling on the sweatpants and sweatshirt may take zero time because they may sleep in these garments as well as using them for daytime wear.</p>
<p>In a dorm setting, students need clothing that is comfortable enough to wear for sleeping but “dressed” enough so that they can walk down the hall to the bathroom in front of people of both genders. Sweats serve this purpose perfectly in cold weather, and a T-shirt and gym shorts work well in warmer weather. </p>
<p>Also, in a college setting, where students walk a great deal and are outside regardless of the weather, sneakers may be the only type of footwear that is both durable enough and comfortable enough. Those flats would likely give you blisters by the end of a day on campus and might not survive a thunderstorm.</p>
<p>I think the problem here is that we’re talking about what is socially acceptable in different situations. </p>
<p>The majority of people (probably even the vast majority) don’t see a problem with college students on campus wearing sweats. Somehow that evolved into people thinking that it’s socially acceptable to go to other events in sweats. They’re different things. Yes, I’ll run to class and Meijer in sweats. I won’t go to watch a play in sweats. There’s a difference. I think the two issues have gotten muddled on here in a confusing way. JMO.</p>
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<p>I wear a dress shirt and slacks to work so I look “professional”, and I would do the same if going to a high school open house or other event in the school.</p>
<p>I’ve seen grown men in shorts in an office on casual Fridays. They look childish, and it’s not a pretty sight.</p>
<p>I don’t wear flats, I wear lace up shoes or boots. Flats do not support my feet enough and they cause problems with my knee. </p>
<p>My oldest has a very sparse wardrobe. She has been a student for decades with a budget to match and after a while clothes get shapeless. But spending money on clothing isn’t a priority, too many other things have to be taken care of first.</p>
<p>I disagree that maintaining a wardrobe is not pricey. Cheap clothes don’t last long and don’t fit well. I have a high waist, long legs, short arms, not much of a waist, small hips, largish chest and small shoulders. Finding something that fits, that I can afford, that is comfortable and appealing is exhausting. I don’t have time, money or energy to spend it buying casual clothing.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t wear sweats to a charity auction, but I would to the planning meeting.
( otherwise known as " battle of the perfumes".)
Actually I don’t wear sweats- but I do wear yoga pants. I also wear a brace on my leg & it goes underneath my yoga pants, but not so well under my jeans.</p>
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<p>Yes. My H got into a habit of wearing a shlumpy old gray college sweatshirt around the house almost everyday. I actually told him I would appreciate if he would make a little more effort around me. He went out and bought a Black half-zip athletic-type sweatshirt, that makes him look younger, slimmer and almost dashing. I told him so and he appreciated that too!</p>
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<p>Its not muddled if you take a position about who matters when you select your attire for the day. If all that matters is your personal comfort, then of course wearing baggy sweats is a logical choice. If it matters to you that you show respect to those around you when you choose your outfit, then you might not choose sweats to wear to class, or even around the house. If the President or new MIL came for dinner at your house, would you wear your sloppy sweats? If not, then why don’t you show similar respect to others around you everyday?</p>