We had this discussion on Cs once. Do you dress up much? Ladies do you wear heels and lots of jewelry? Men, do you own/wear a suit tie and nice dress shoes? Or are you a slob? Or do you just dress for comfort?

-- Cindy (SE. IN) (atilrthehony@hotmail.com), December 28, 2001

Answers

No, not much at all. I wear my wedding band and a watch, and live in jeans in the winter, and shorts in the summer. I have a few nice outfits which last me for years because I rarely wear them.

-- Melissa (me@home.net), December 28, 2001.

I like to dress up nice for church. I wear jewelry and make-up. I was brought up to always dress nice for church to show respect. My DH wears dress clothing everyday for his job, but he also dresses nice for church. At home it is strictly casual( I look like Wild Woman From Bornio), but when I go any where I like to look nice. DH likes his bib overalls for outside work.

-- Ardie /WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), December 28, 2001.

Slob whenever possible according to my wife. Comfortable is what I call it.

-- gary (gws@columbus.rr.com), December 28, 2001.

Dress up, you mean more than loin cloth and bear skins!!? I have not owned a tie since 1972 and refuse to consider owning one. If it is not a tee shirt (with or without other sleeved garmets) it does not belong on me.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), December 28, 2001.

I haven't owned heals for 7 years now!. I dress up every Sunday for church. I was brought up where you always dressed in your best for church. I always were a dress(with flats) or nice dress slacks in the winter. I also were necklace,earrings and good watch.Sunday is one of the only days I were makeup also.Some who see me on Monday would not know me on Sunday!.I do were nicer clothes when I make my monthly trip to town to do shopping, but not like Sunday.

-- Micheale from SE Kansas (mbfrye@totelcsi.net), December 28, 2001.

I own a number of custom made suits and silk ties from my prior life. Any more the only time they see the light of day is weddings and funerals. My working wardrobe now is pretty basic. In summer it's shorts and golf shirts with white Thorlo sox (a big vice of mine) and basketball shoes. When it's too cool for that I go to long pants and a light jacket. Further temperature drops put me in blue jeans, have me throw a sweater over the golf shirt and put on a heavier coat. Snow puts me in Vasque hiking boots or Columbia insulated waterproof boots instead of the basketball shoes. Now that I bought that John Deere tractor I'm thinking of getting some Carhartt's for snow removal work as the Deere has no cab.

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), December 28, 2001.

I dont wear much jewelery or make up anymore,I cant remember to put either one of them on until I'm out the door!I try to look well groomed otherwise,even around the house because I live in town and since I'm out side alot people see me.And I love shoes,so nice shoes always ,even decent shoes for yard work,etc.I decided to post on this issue because my Husband gave me money for a Christmas present to spend on clothes so this subject is fresh on my mind.

-- willa (goodall6@hotmail.com), December 28, 2001.

If you ask my husband, he will say NO! she doesn't! I try to avoind anything that says "dry clean only" because I hate to chase kids and have that stuff dirty five minutes after putting it on. I wear jeans a lot, but try to stay away from sweats and no too many windpants after one particularly smart-aleck comment from Lance. I have been trying to dress up a little more everyday, sweaters instead of sweatshirts, put my makeup on at least to foundation, mascara, lipstick. If I could just do something with my hair (I keep threatening to cut it, and Lance keeps threatening to divorce me -- somehow I'm not too worried about it as he has threatened before and didn't follow through when I cut 9 inches off the back all at once!)!

I have several really nice suits/skirts/dresses that I wear to church; I tried wearing nice slacks once, but no one in my family has ever worn pants to church except for evening services, and I just can't bring myself to do it! I also have a couple of really dressy cocktail/evening dresses that Lance has bought me and I (still) tell him that he had better pray I don't ever gain more than five pounds because it will take me 50 years to get any kind of wear out of them!

As for him, he dresses up for church, but his goal is to eliminate all ties from his wardrobe! He even tries to find pull-over golf- type shirts and sweaters to wear with his slacks to church, and has been relatively successful lately, but we did buy him a pair of extremely nice slacks at a warehouse clearance sale a couple of months ago and I pointed out that this was the type of apparel that required a tie! So far he hasn't worn them, but that's because I haven't gotten them hemmed yet! Getting him to stand still for a fitting is like pulling hen's teeth! Does anyone else have that problem?

-- Christine in OK (cljford@aol.com), December 28, 2001.

I live in jeans year round, occasional shorts on the humid days. I have some khakis and a couple of nice sweaters for holidays; otherwise, dressing up for me is shoes without mud on them and clothes without holes. I won't leave the property if my clothes have holes larger than a dime, but can't always control the mud situation!

I just bought my husband dress slacks and shirt for his family photo (for Granny), and I'm sure it will never again see the light of day other than for a wedding or funeral. It's in the closet next to my one dress, used for the same occasions.

I refuse to wear heels--I believe they were invented by sadistic men in a patriarchal society and as such will not subject myself to a man's view of what is proper and considered beautiful (JMO). I feel my best when not in pain, and love my sensible shoes.

I reserve dressing up for special occasions alone, to show respect for the people I am with and the occasion we are celebrating. Our dressy clothes are chosen for comfort, and anything dressier would feel wrong, like I am trying to be something I am not. Nor am I a slob; I just can't see throwing away a shirt or jeans because they have a small hole in the leg or sleeve (which can be patched) or because it has a small stain (still good for yard work!!)

-- Dawn (olsoncln@ecenet.com), December 29, 2001.

I wear dresses and low heel shoes to church. Wedding band, watch and earrings are usually the only jewelry I wear. At home I wear jumper style dresses all summer, even while working outside and in the winter I wear jean dresses and jumpers (with added leggings and thick socks for outdoor, winter chores). To me they are more comfortable. Usually no make-up unless going out somewhere or to church on Sundays. I have long hair which is usually in some type of bun during the week and down for church. The older I get the simpler the "dress" gets. :- ).

-- Terry - NW Ohio (aunt_tm@hotmail.com), December 29, 2001.

I dress in my best for church...but no heels....got rid of them all! I have never worked the sort of job where I had to dress up, so I have a few dresses for church, and weddings, that sort of thing. usually get about one dress a year. I have some pretty old ones that still get wear. I tend to like non trendy sort of things. I wear either jeans or bib overalls for home and in summer wear denim jumpers and t shirts alot too. I don't wear shorts. (don't like how I look in them) I dress for comfort. I wear birkenstocks in summer, tennies boots or birk suede clogs the rest of the time. Hardly any makeup...eyeliner pencil and mascara if any. I have had the same old tube of lipstick for 4 years at least. I wear my wedding band, one pinky ring on my right hand (simple sterling silver and small) and simple silver hoop earrings that I never take off. Thats it...once in awhile a necklace when I go to church. Never have been into jewellry. My husband owns two suits. He only wears them for church and special occasions..he wears jeans and t shirts the rest of the time. And a ball cap always. and tennies or boots. I guess we both dress for comfort, but clean up pretty well.

-- Jenny (auntjenny6@aol.com), December 30, 2001.

I dress for what I am doing, the weather and comfort. The last time I put on a dress was for a funeral. Howsomever, tomorrow,to a New Year celebration, I am going to wear a long skirt I made from a curtain thrown away by an upholstery shop cause it had been made upside-down and the matching shirt-jacket [very warm] from upholstery scraps from the same place. It pays to have a wallpaperhanger sis who scrounges!

-- carol (kanogisdi@yahoo.com), December 30, 2001.

Carol, you would have fit right in on the Sound of Music!! A skirt from curtains is too cool! I hope you can keep a straight face when everyone asks where you "bought" your fabulous outfit!!!!!

I love stories like this!

-- Melissa (me@home.net), December 30, 2001.

I prefer nice but simple. No heels (too much like foot binding), no jewlery or make up (just don't like them) except for a small Christian symbol pin I wear on my poncho. Sandals in summer, flats fall & spring, boots in winter. Plain, long skirts & blouses or shirts, sometimes jazzed up with a vest. I must look OK because when we were buying fireworks for New Year's Eve, one of the sellers presented me with a beautiful 3-foot long sparkler and said, "For the lovely lady." I almost replied, "Who, me?", but said thanks instead!

-- Bonnie (stichart@plix.com), January 02, 2002.

We are supposed to wear dressy clothes for work. I do sometimes but I usually wear slacks and dress shoes with a sweater. It's to cold to wear dresses and ride the bus so I bring in changes of clothes. Since the museum is closed for five months and with all the packing that needs doin. You'll probably find me in a Museum t-shirt and blue jeans on days I have meetings or interviews I will dress up. Going out I try to wear nice dress pants or skirt. No Jewelry, a touch of makeup and perfume. When we get to the new building it will be Polo Museum shirt and dress pants or skirt which is fine with me. Less trying to iron in the morning. Yuk.

-- melinda (speciallady104@hotmail.com), January 02, 2002.