Do you really know someone if you have never seen them dressed?
In real clothes -- not undressed!
Whether or not we care about fashion, our sartorial choices tell a part of our story for us. Maybe it is how we actively want to be seen or it’s simply clothes in which we feel most comfortable or we like to experiment or it’s what we have that works with the weather or…. There are any number of factors that may come into play when buying clothes, curating (or not curating) a wardrobe and just getting dressed each day.
There are also many things we do that don’t call for getting dressed. If you work in a place with a uniform or say wear scrubs in a hospital, work in service and opt for easy black all day/every day, or when in gym clothes or athletic clothes, there is plenty of clothing may not align with your personal style.
In the last year or two I have started playing tennis more regularly, and as such am often in tennis clothes. And have met people who have become good friends and yet we have never seen each other in “real clothes.”
I would’ve assumed I still had a sense of their style in this environment. My friend who is always in pink and neons, I have a sense that she likes color and wears it often. My friend who is often in mauve and cream and olive greens on the tennis court, I am guessing wears a lot of neutral colors and natural fibers in real life.
And since I am in all white, all black, all navy with only an occasional stripe, I figured that it was clear I don’t wear many colors, and most of my my style and clothing borders from classic to basic to maybe boring.
Yet recently something was said with an underlying assumption that I wear color & prints in real life. Is this because of my hats? I will often match my hat to my look that day or mix in bright red, kelly green, gold or other colored hat to an otherwise monochrome fit. Is it because I do like to celebrate holidays and so wore a lot of red in December or red, white & blue on the 4th? When in reality I’m just a nerd who likes an occasion.
I have never considered myself all that into fashion, but I do like to feel pulled together and “like myself” so I was pretty shocked when in my mind someone got it wrong, and even more shocked by how it made me feel.
Not two days later I see one of my tennis friends dressed for brunch instead of the court and imagine my surprise when she had on olive fitted cargo pants and black lace-up combat boots. I would have never guessed this from the ‘always in blue or white with a vacation visor’ quiet lawyer with a killer forehand.
And now I am wondering with so many people we never see dressed anymore, do we know each other as much as we thought?
Which helps me plead my case for no workout clothes outside of a work out.
Here’s to getting dressed!
P.S - If you enjoyed this read or any others, please share, comment, and like.
Also, if want to follow the spirit of Any Topic, please feel free to suggest topics via comments or email. Thank you! xx