How many clothing articles do you think make up a work wardrobe?

[Ginevra]

I was meeting with my accountant, who was telling about a new employee of his. This person is in a master’s degree position. He had two small complaints: a) she smokes cigarettes and b) she “doesn’t have her work wardrobe sorted”. This accountant is not a pretentious person and is operating a small firm, probably fewer than 10 employees. He said she wears only the same four tops. It makes me curious. I’m always a little oblivious to these sort of “rules” and can easily imagine myself wearing only four tops and, assuming those four are clean, well-fitting, and appropriate for the office, not seeing a problem here. 

So, in a hypothetical future, if I were employed in a professional office, what do you think is a normal amount of clothing pieces to be wearing enough variety without becoming excessive about getting more and more clothing? Is it maybe two weeks without a repeat? Something else? 

[fairfarmhand]

Bottoms are neutral so I’d say 5. And tops, I’d say 10. But enough of the tops should be colors that can mix and match with accessories to create different looks. Scarves, sweaters, and jewelry can really help a limited wardrobe. 

[hjffkj]

I think it is more about creating different looks as opposed to a hard and fast number rule.  I have a friend who has 5 work shirts.  But they pair them with different jackets, scarves, jewelry, etc.  They still don't own a HUGE amount of accessories but they way everyone mixes and matches together makes it seem like they have a very varied wardrobe

[Selkie]

18 minutes ago, Quill said:

I was meeting with my accountant, who was telling about a new employee of his. This person is in a master’s degree position. He had two small complaints: a) she smokes cigarettes and b) she “doesn’t have her work wardrobe sorted”. This accountant is not a pretentious person and is operating a small firm, probably fewer than 10 employees. He said she wears only the same four tops. It makes me curious. I’m always a little oblivious to these sort of “rules” and can easily imagine myself wearing only four tops and, assuming those four are clean, well-fitting, and appropriate for the office, not seeing a problem here. 

So, in a hypothetical future, if I were employed in a professional office, what do you think is a normal amount of clothing pieces to be wearing enough variety without becoming excessive about getting more and more clothing? Is it maybe two weeks without a repeat? Something else? 

It seems odd to me that he is complaining about her wearing the same four tops. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even notice that, unless the tops were very memorable - like a loud, garishly patterned shirt or a concert t-shirt or something. 

[solascriptura]

I'm all about the capsule wardrobe.  If I worked in an office setting, I'd get 5 tops, 5 bottoms and a few jackets and cardigans.  They'd all be interchangeable and would go with 2 pairs of shoes.  On the other hand, why is that guy complaining about the employee's wardrobe unless she is not being hygienic?   

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Selkie said:

It seems odd to me that he is complaining about her wearing the same four tops. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even notice that, unless the tops were very memorable - like a loud, garishly patterned shirt or a concert t-shirt or something. 

It surprised me too. It is something that would not have surprised me in the New York lawyers I once worked for, but this guy is a small town guy with a little accounting business. 

I guess the tops are distinct enough looking that it’s noticeable? 

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, solascriptura said:

I'm all about the capsule wardrobe.  If I worked in an office setting, I'd get 5 tops, 5 bottoms and a few jackets and cardigans.  They'd all be interchangeable and would go with 2 pairs of shoes.  On the other hand, why is that guy complaining about the employee's wardrobe unless she is not being hygienic?   

Maybe it bothers him more and he notices more because of the cigarette smell on them? That’s probably part of it. Maybe he thinks something like, “ugh! That damn pink top again and it still smells like smoke.” 

[Guest]

Just now, HeighHo said:

How does he know they are the same four tops?  Perhaps she has doubles; some people do, as they stick with what fits.

Remember, if he's talking about her, he's talking about you.

Eh. I don’t care if he talks about me. 

He wasn’t terribly gossipy about it, though. I think he just wanted to process it with someone. I have had that urge before. 

[Arcadia]

I am thinking that it’s either very distinct tops which makes it obvious or that there is a cigarette smell on her clothes and he is just complaining in a roundabout way.

My husband’s department people can be having a whole wardrobe of almost identical Oxford shirts and jeans/khaki pants and no one bothers. My husband has three navy blue long sleeve shirts that are almost identical though different brands. My working wardrobe was larger as I can be smart casual (polo shirt and jeans) in the office but need formal wear for being on duty at marketing events.

[wintermom]

I'm going to guess that the 4 tops are distinctive or noticeable in some way.  I've been at the orthodontist a few times lately, and he always wears distinctive socks (very colourful or with figures) with a matching tie. His assistants knew all about his egg socks and yellow tie. I didn't ask how many sock/tie pairs the ortho had, though. 

[SKL]

Does she work 5 days a week?

I would say at least 6 different outfits that follow the general dress code.  (One for the unexpected when there's no time for laundry).  Also, if the dress code is not professional, at least 2 professional suits for special meetings / presentations.

I would note "different."  Not 3 different shirts times two.  I have had people think I wore the exact same jeans every day, but they were actually multiple copies of my favorite style.  🙂

I do think it is ridiculous that this matters, but apparently it does.

One more reason I'm glad I work at home!

[Frances]

On 2/19/2019 at 7:47 AM, Quill said:

Maybe it bothers him more and he notices more because of the cigarette smell on them? That’s probably part of it. Maybe he thinks something like, “ugh! That damn pink top again and it still smells like smoke.” 

M

Edited March 3, 2019 by Frances

[BeachGal]

Her physical and mental well-being would be my biggest concern but I probably wouldn't say anything directly.

For an accounting firm, I'd probably want my employees to at least have something professional that they could change into if being seen by clients. If they were just doing work and not being seen, they could wear whatever they liked but might have to hide them in the back if clients are coming in! LOL.

For work when I was younger, I had no idea how to put myself together and had little money to do so. So a lot of the stuff I bought was either ridiculous looking on me or cheap. So my younger look was cheap and ridiculous. It took awhile to figure out how to put things together.

For someone new to the work force, I'd say get some comfortable, well-fitting, easy care basic pieces and then add to that.

[Bootsie]

I, too, find it baffling that the accountant would be discussing a new employee with a client this way.  Whether the employee wears 4 different tops or 400 different tops is not really important or relevant for him to be discussing with a client.  As long as the employee is appropriately dressed for work, it is not his place to comment on if it is the same outfit today as it was yesterday.  It is extremely unprofessional for him to discuss this with a client.

[elegantlion]

I wear about the 5 pants (rotate for the season) and wear about 8-10 tops (again rotating). I like to have enough to not wear the same top in the same week. I tend to mix layers in the winter, like a tank under a shirt with a sweater or jacket over it. I tend to have about 3 colors for most items, black, grey, and olive, then I rotate in tops or sweaters in accent colors, usually one layer is neutral - like a black shirt with a pink sweater.  I tend to stick with solids or maybe slight geometric patterns. I don't like floral prints as much - I have one summer blouse that resembles toile, but that's it on florals. 

Shoes are more important to a professional wardrobe, imo. They don't have to be fancy, but can make or break an outfit. 

I have minimal jewelry, maybe 5 pairs of earrings that I wear regularly and 2-3 necklaces. 

Now, I own way more clothing than I wear on a regular basis. It sometimes takes me a while to figure out if something is going to work well in my rotation. 

 

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, SKL said:

Does she work 5 days a week?

I would say at least 6 different outfits that follow the general dress code.  (One for the unexpected when there's no time for laundry).  Also, if the dress code is not professional, at least 2 professional suits for special meetings / presentations.

I would note "different."  Not 3 different shirts times two.  I have had people think I wore the exact same jeans every day, but they were actually multiple copies of my favorite style.  🙂

I do think it is ridiculous that this matters, but apparently it does.

One more reason I'm glad I work at home!

I think she works five days a week. 

Yes, I think “different” is probably an important aspect. Three navy tops mesh together in someone’s mind and seem like one top. 

[Garga]

I’d have 5 pair of pants and 10 shirts.  I’d have varying sweaters/jackets to mix and match everything.  I wouldn’t have any skirts/dresses for summer, because I wouldn’t be able to wear thick tights in the summer, which I would actually need due to the freezing temperatures in offices.

In the winter, I’d have a few skirts/dresses to throw in the rotation to wear with my fur lined tights.

I’d have 4 pairs of shoes for summer/year round, plus add in boots exclusively for the winter.

I’d shop in thrift stores and regular stores to get what I needed, and I’d replace about 1/4 of it every year as the garments got worn out.

[Garga]

8 minutes ago, BeachGal said:

 

For work when I was younger, I had no idea how to put myself together and had little money to do so. So a lot of the stuff I bought was either ridiculous looking on me or cheap. So my younger look was cheap and ridiculous. It took awhile to figure out how to put things together.

 

Yup.  Been there, done that.  Still sometimes get thrown for a loop and wear something “wrong.”  

[Scarlett]

 Reminds me an article I saw about people who buy 5 sets of the same outfit and wear basically the exact same thing to work every day.  An astonishing small number of people even noticed.  

[historically accurate]

I'm a fan of the work uniform - fewer decisions need to be made in the morning. This woman has 15 of the same shirt as her uniform:   https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a10441/why-i-wear-the-same-thing-to-work-everday/  I would probably have 6 shirts to make it through the week with one extra for spills/tears/etc. Is it possible that this employee has 2 of each shirt? But honestly, I do a load of laundry every day, so 4 wouldn't be a big deal. When my kids were little, I didn't sort the laundry - everything we wore yesterday was washed the next day. We could've all lived with only 2 of everything. 

Very, very few people police men's work wardrobe re-runs. Dude wore the same suit on TV for a year! https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/karl-stefanovics-sexism-experiment-today-presenter-wears-same-suit-for-a-year-20141115-11ncdz.html 

Finally, I can't imagine a boss discussing this with a client. I have a lot bigger problem with that than with employee's wardrobe choices. 

[Garga]

3 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

 Reminds me an article I saw about people who buy 5 sets of the same outfit and wear basically the exact same thing to work every day.  An astonishing small number of people even noticed.  

 

I wore the exact same outfit to church every Sunday for 2 years and as far as I know, no one noticed.  When I mentioned it to a couple we’re friends with, they both gave a surprised look.  

We were having a discussion of how people should dress for church: dress up a little?  Wear whatever you roll out of bed and find that smells clean?  The conversation wasn’t intense, but we were talking it through.  When someone said, “Well a lot of people can’t necessarily afford a bunch of nice clothes,” that was when I said, “True, but if you can get just one nice neutral outfit from a thriftstore, you’re good.  I’ve been wearing the exact same pair of pants, shirt, and sweater to church every Sunday for two years.”  That’s when they gave me a surprised look, though they never verballly responded to that statement and the conversation continued.

 

But I do think that at an office a few people that you work with directly a lot might start to notice what you’re wearing, but you’d have to work directly with them a lot.  If you hide in a cubicle all day, people probably won’t notice a lot.  And it probably also depends on just how boring the clothes are.  If you wear the same red shirt with purple polka dots every day, people will notice.  But if it’s black pants and a grey shirt and black sweater (like my church outfit), people probably won’t notice much at all.

[Carol in Cal.]

When I was a suit wearing engineer I had 5-6 suits.  I felt pretty daring when I started to wear a suit jacket with a black unrelated skirt.

At one point I distinctly recall having a winter white suit, a grey one, a navy one, a red one, and a blue/green one.  I probably had about 8-10 tops/blouses to wear with them, and lots of pins that I put at the collar of the high necked blouses.  All the suits were wool.

I would never do that now--it' impossible to find that kind of variety in a quality that I would want.  Now I use two colors of Vickki Vi dresses (navy and black), and an assortment of jackets and scarves to make them look different from day to day.  I also have a professional looking red dress, and some slightly frumpy but decent black pants that I wear with tops and jackets.  And I have one suit, which is black.  I would love to find a good navy wool suit, but can't.  

[Myra]

Does this smack of sexism to anyone?  A man can wear the same suit, shirt, shoes, and tie everyday but no one comments.  Hmmmmm.....

[Garga]

Just now, Myra said:

Does this smack of sexism to anyone?  A man can wear the same suit, shirt, shoes, and tie everyday but no one comments.  Hmmmmm.....

 Uh oh!!   A thread on that topic finally died just yesterday.    Let’s leave it dead! 😁 😜 

[SKL]

2 minutes ago, Myra said:

Does this smack of sexism to anyone?  A man can wear the same suit, shirt, shoes, and tie everyday but no one comments.  Hmmmmm.....

I don't know though.  I think some men notice how both men and women dress, and some men don't notice either sex.

It's women who tend to notice more.  Not sure whether they hold men and women to the same standard (probably not), but it's not usually a guy thing to pick on the style / variety of women's clothes (assuming they are decent for the workplace).

Edited February 19, 2019 by SKL

[SKL]

I do agree that it's weird for a guy to talk to his client about his employee's clothes ... I kind of got the impression this is more a friend of Quill than just a cold business relationship.

 

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, Garga said:

 

I wore the exact same outfit to church every Sunday for 2 years and as far as I know, no one noticed.  When I mentioned it to a couple we’re friends with, they both gave a surprised look.  

We were having a discussion of how people should dress for church: dress up a little?  Wear whatever you roll out of bed and find that smells clean?  The conversation wasn’t intense, but we were talking it through.  When someone said, “Well a lot of people can’t necessarily afford a bunch of nice clothes,” that was when I said, “True, but if you can get just one nice neutral outfit from a thriftstore, you’re good.  I’ve been wearing the exact same pair of pants, shirt, and sweater to church every Sunday for two years.”  That’s when they gave me a surprised look, though they never verballly responded to that statement and the conversation continued.

 

But I do think that at an office a few people that you work with directly a lot might start to notice what you’re wearing, but you’d have to work directly with them a lot.  If you hide in a cubicle all day, people probably won’t notice a lot.  And it probably also depends on just how boring the clothes are.  If you wear the same red shirt with purple polka dots every day, people will notice.  But if it’s black pants and a grey shirt and black sweater (like my church outfit), people probably won’t notice much at all.

Yes, to all of this. 

BUT! Here’s what gets me thinking: I always think it doesn’t matter. I care very little if someone notices this or not. But if it turned out someone said something mean to me one day, that would hurt me a lot, actually. I remember a remark someone made to me once about how I dress my daughter in thrift store clothes (which was true, but they were pretty!) and t really hurt my feelings tremendously. So - I don’t know. If I were about to start a new job next week and it was expected I look smartly dressed, I am sure I would make every effort to have a good enough wardrobe to hopefully avert a mean comment. 

So I guess the reality is, I don’t care if someone notices or not, but if they voice their disapproval, all bets are off. 

[SKL]

I've worked in a CPA firm and people will talk about anything.  I was told they were commenting on the color socks I wore on Saturdays (when working overtime for free).  The guy telling me was "doing me a favor" by letting me know I should address the color of my weekend socks.  What the hell.  People are ridiculous.  How about don't look at people's socks?  How about I talk about something more relevant, like how it took the person so focused on my socks 8 tries to pass the CPA exam?  But I wouldn't do that.  Ugh.  Better not get me started, LOL.  😛

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, Myra said:

Does this smack of sexism to anyone?  A man can wear the same suit, shirt, shoes, and tie everyday but no one comments.  Hmmmmm.....

I think it’s a virtual certainty, though, that this man does not wear the same shirt, jacket, pants or tie on repeat in a week. I grant you men’s clothing is so uninterestingly samety-same it comes down to no great variety of looks, but still - I’m sure most men in professional dress consider it gauche to repeat shirts and ties in a week. 

[Arcadia]

13 minutes ago, Quill said:

If I were about to start a new job next week and it was expected I look smartly dressed, I am sure I would make every effort to have a good enough wardrobe to hopefully avert a mean comment. 

 

My mom took me clothes shopping for my civil engineering (office desk bound) internship decades ago. I was “correctly” dressed for that company’s dress code but ironically the three guys interns (mechanical engineering) and me in the same company came across as upper middle class kids. We (interns) looked more well to do than the engineers. 

Edited February 19, 2019 by Arcadia
Typing error

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, SKL said:

I do agree that it's weird for a guy to talk to his client about his employee's clothes ... I kind of got the impression this is more a friend of Quill than just a cold business relationship.

 

Yes, we go way back. It was more just idle conversation. 

In a perfect strict sense, yeah, it wouldn’t be great. If he was strictly a business professional, I would think it very kooky. But it wasn’t like that. It was more like when my hairdresser tells me her DIL is an idiot. 

[Tap]

At my current job, we dress in all black. I have 5 identical black shirts, 3 identical  pants (I wash every other time I wear them), several black fleece in different weights and some long sleeve base layer shirts. 

At my new job I start in a couple of weeks, I am excited to wear something other than black!!!  I bought 5 different pants, 8 shirts and 3 over layers. (I already own lots of over layers, these are just new ones that are more professional). Once I get there and figure out the climate, I will buy more but for now this will start me off. After I settle in I would expect to have 10 tops and 5 bottoms and 5 over layers. I am in the PNW, so seasons and dampness change temps even inside buildings.  

I am always surprised at which men and women comment and notice little details about women's appearance. Some of my roughest patients were the ones who would comment on a different hair style or the rare occasion I wore a bright color instead of black (certain days we could dress differently). The most common comment I got, was men who noticed if I wore my hair completely down and free. It is midback, so at work I usually secure it to keep it out of my face. I would get a couple of comments every day, I wore it down. LOL It seems that many men really like long hair. 😉 I think it is more related to how much the person notices in the outside world, vs what job they do. Some people really just look for beauty in the world around them more than others. 

BTW, I have a few friends who let their husbands that pick nearly their entire wardrobe for them. Not in a controlling way, just that the man cares more, or has a knack for putting clothes together, than the woman does.. 

Edited February 19, 2019 by Tap

[Katy]

I probably would have said, "Cool, capsule wardrobes are all the rage these days. I've never known straight men to gossip about a coworker's clothes before. Are you trying to tell me something?  Oooooh, have you tried that new gay bar downtown? I'd love to go dancing there."

[shawthorne44]

I remember the early days of being in an office.  I'd had to borrow money from my parents for a second interview suit.  Then on my first day of work I owned those two suits, super casual college clothes and nothing else.  For the first couple of months I did laundry frequently and did a little shopping every paycheck.   I remember getting Dillard's to come out to my house to remove an ink-theft device.   It had been the third time they'd left it on.   The trick was when I said on the phone, "you picked the wrong person to annoy.   I just started in an office job and I have a closet full of shorts and sweats."  
 

[marbel]

 I've always sort of held the idea of 5-6 items, mostly interchangeable.  I agree with those who consider the comment more of a general complaint against the woman. I suspect if she didn't stink of smoke and/or he thought more highly of her in general, he wouldn't have thought of it enough to comment on it. 

It also depends a lot on the place. Where I work, we are supposed to wear business casual.  That's fine; I can do that, though my pants lean mostly black. I have noticed that the company owner almost always wears black knit pants (high-quality, no baggy knees), flats, and most gray and/or white tops. 

Other than noting the company owner's clothing, I don't notice anyone else's really. Well, I have one coworker who wears lots of brightly-printed dresses so I notice her variety. 

I'm quite sure when I was younger I noticed more, and took care to have more variety myself!  

[SKL]

1 hour ago, Tap said:

BTW, I have a few friends who let their husbands that pick nearly their entire wardrobe for them. Not in a controlling way, just that the man cares more, or has a knack for putting clothes together, than the woman does.. 

Yes, this would be me if I was married.  One long-term relationship I had, the guy was always annoyed by the fact that I just don't seem to have the gene that cares what I look like.  I mean I need to be clean and neat and wear clothes that fit, and comb my hair and all that.  But that's pretty much it.  Comfort and cost take over at that point.  Once my ex bought me a sweater that he thought would look good on me, but it was tight-fitting and I never wore it.  Poor guy.

(I've read that this is one symptom of female autism, which probably makes sense given my genetics and other things.)

Edited February 19, 2019 by SKL

[regentrude]

36 minutes ago, Katy said:

I probably would have said, "Cool, capsule wardrobes are all the rage these days. I've never known straight men to gossip about a coworker's clothes before. Are you trying to tell me something?  Oooooh, have you tried that new gay bar downtown? I'd love to go dancing there."

Wow. You didn't seriously just type this??? Gay men being into fashion is a stereotype that needs to die already.  And the tone of this implies that there would be anything wrong with being gay, or with being seen as gay if not.

No. Just... no.

[madteaparty]

2 hours ago, Bootsie said:

I, too, find it baffling that the accountant would be discussing a new employee with a client this way.  Whether the employee wears 4 different tops or 400 different tops is not really important or relevant for him to be discussing with a client.  As long as the employee is appropriately dressed for work, it is not his place to comment on if it is the same outfit today as it was yesterday.  It is extremely unprofessional for him to discuss this with a client.

Yeah, I would no longer trust his professional judgement and would change accountants ASAP.

signed—have enough work outfits to go many months without repeating...

ETA can you imagine the same conversation regarding a new male employee “same damn shirt”. Smh.

Edited February 19, 2019 by madteaparty

[Annie G]

Dh is an engineer in a test lab- the dress code is pretty laid back. He HAS more clothes than this, but this is what he wears: one pair of khaki pants, five shirts.  He doesn’t always wear all five shirts in a week, sometimes he only wears three. This is very typical of the men he works with,  but the two women wear a wide variety of clothes, probably not repeating an outfit more than once a month. 

[mumto2]

Trying to remember but I think I had roughly 6 changes for both summer and winter (so 12 suits w/ blouses)so that something could be at the dry cleaners......accountant so suits.   I I had maybe 3 dressy casual type outfits that could occasionally be worn to the office.....casual Friday’s started about the time I stopped working in an office.

Edited February 19, 2019 by mumto2

[Caroline]

45 minutes ago, Katy said:

I probably would have said, "Cool, capsule wardrobes are all the rage these days. I've never known straight men to gossip about a coworker's clothes before. Are you trying to tell me something?  Oooooh, have you tried that new gay bar downtown? I'd love to go dancing there."

Wow. Just wow. 

[Katy]

38 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Wow. You didn't seriously just type this??? Gay men being into fashion is a stereotype that needs to die already.  And the tone of this implies that there would be anything wrong with being gay, or with being seen as gay if not.

No. Just... no.

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with being gay, but the stereotype about them being more interested in fashion holds true for all of my male gay friends except one. It's very rare for a straight man to notice let alone gossip about a coworker's wardrobe.

[regentrude]

1 minute ago, Katy said:

I don't think there's anything wrong with being gay, but the stereotype about them being more interested in fashion holds true for all of my male gay friends except one. It's very rare for a straight man to notice let alone gossip about a coworker's wardrobe.

but wanting to say this to the person suggests that being considered gay should make him uncomfortable

[Katy]

5 minutes ago, regentrude said:

but wanting to say this to the person suggests that being considered gay should make him uncomfortable

I wouldn't have intended it that way or said it with that sort of tone.  More like thrilled to have a new friend. Which I would assume was what he was trying to be because any other interpretation of the oversharing wouldn't be good.  I guess it would depend a bit on his tone.  If I felt anything else was going on I'd find a new accountant, but I didn't get that feeling from the OP.

[Pen]

It feels like a bit “sexist” issue/question? As a man could have the minimum number of identical white shirts to keep clean and that would be considered okay?

 

[SKL]

And this is why "business casual" is not that easy of a dress code.  I don't think even guys can get away with wearing the exact same polo shirt multiple times each week.  If you're talking suits, they could get away with fewer different shirts, but then don't they have to come up with different ties?  I dunno.  I do know some men who notice those things and would be no less likely to remark on a man doing this than a woman.  (Probably more, since guys can get in trouble for saying it about a woman.)

[Pen]

Anyway, to answer actual question I think it depends some on exact job and demands of the job, but minimum, I think 4 tops fine— 4 diff neutral colors, and different from one another perhaps in cut, weight, sleeve length, that can mix and match with other items in wardrobe. 2 skirts, or one slacks and one skirt , and two blazer or other top finishing items all that can mix match, 2-4 scarfs or similar items. 

essentially the equivalent of a man having minimum ideally of 2 suits, ideally able to mix match for more casual unmatched look, 2-4 shirts, 2 ties 

 

Edited February 19, 2019 by Pen

[maize]

4 hours ago, fairfarmhand said:

Bottoms are neutral so I’d say 5. And tops, I’d say 10. But enough of the tops should be colors that can mix and match with accessories to create different looks. Scarves, sweaters, and jewelry can really help a limited wardrobe. 

But why is it necessary to create different looks?

Men can usually get away with very similar clothes every day, no one tells them to accessorize to create different looks.

This is why I loved wearing a uniform to work...

[Arcadia]

3 minutes ago, Pen said:

It feels like a bit “sexist” issue/question? As a man could have the minimum number of identical white shirts to keep clean and that would be considered okay?

 

I don’t think it is necessarily sexist. My female friends (accountants, lawyers, lab based researchers, doctors) have worn “identical” attire daily and that’s considered okay. My male friends and ex-colleagues who wore bright outfits has gotten more attention for their dressing, something like bright yellow, bright pink, bright stripes shirts. I wore very similar attire daily when I worked in the office and no one cares. Colleagues only noticed when I change laptop bags.

DS13 wears a red polo shirt daily and he has a dozen of those. His friends have only commented when he is not wearing red. DS14 wears mainly blue or gray T-shirts. When he wears a white polo shirt, his friends would ask what is the occasion.

i know plenty of straight guys who commented on dressing while browsing magazines at waiting areas but now don’t dare to due to worrying about political correctness. My engineering lecturers said that restroom/locker room gossips among the guys are just as bad or worse than what their wives heard in ladies restroom.

[Shellydon]

My husband has about 30 long-sleeve dress shirts, 10 short sleeve polo type shirts, vintage short sleeve dress shirts. About 15 ties and four jackets. He has about 10 pairs of various styles and colors of dress pants. No idea what is normal, but that is what is typical his office.