# Clothing summarized

For thousands of years, we have worn clothing, which has provided several [purposes](purpose.md):

1. To protect us from the elements (mostly heat, cold, and wind).
2. To cover our [shame](mind-feelings-shame.md), which goes back to our [sinful state](morality-sins.md).
3. To express our [identity](identity.md) to others.

Since we have many synthetic and affordable textiles to choose from, we no longer have a survival risk with most clothes, and instead wear it for the sake of identifying with particular [groups](groups-large.md):

- Our [age demographic](maturity.md), to the degree we can appear to be a certain age
- Our social affiliations, such as place of employment
- [Idols](addiction-substances.md) and [religious](religion.md) [symbols](symbols.md) we associate with
- [Social class](classes.md) and ethnicity

To that end, most of the effort regarding following clothing [fashions](trends.md) centers around [image](people-image-why.md) management.

## Choosing and coordinating outfits

The simpler your outfit, the more straightforward you'll appear:

- Avoid anything cheap, fancy, shiny, or synthetic.
- Too many accessories conveys insecurity.
  - Don't try to match accessories, since it'll overwhelm your appearance.
- Try to avoid stark colors (i.e., black, white, bright colors).
- If you're in doubt about an accessory or feature, remove it.

Try to convey a [story](stories-why.md) from bottom to top:

- In most contexts, people will observe your shoes first, then your legs, then up to your face, then your chest.
- Generally, aim for conservative old styles with a modest sprinkling of newer styles mixed in.

Aim to coordinate your outfit, but only somewhat:

- Intentionally mismatch at least somewhat to imply that you're not obsessive about your appearance.
- Only use patterns alongside patterns, since solids magnify the pattern too much.
- Use collars to accentuate your neck (small neck means small collar).

Unless you're aiming to be gaudy and attention-grabbing, keep at least some of your clothing in a background color (i.e., gray, black, off-white).

- Unless you're an entertainer, the outer garment should draw attention to the inner one.
  - Entertainers reverse the image, and tend to use drab colors for the inner garments and bright colors on the outside.

Whatever you wear, be comfortable in it:

- Clothing represents an extension of you to others, even when you don't care.
- Your discomfort will make others uncomfortable, no matter what you're wearing.

Dress at or slightly above those around you:

- Wherever you go, try to honor the dress code.
- If you overdress, make sure you're matching your appearance with better [speaking](language-speaking.md) and [appearance](people-image.md) than them.
- If your [partner](relationships-marriage.md) is with you, coordinate your appearance with theirs.

### Aim for an appropriate social status with your attire

A. White Tie is the finest clothing possible:

- Men should have a full dress outfit with a bow tie, a tailcoat, and a waistcoat.
  - Always have a pocket square with a different color than the tie.
- Women should wear long, elegant evening gowns with a matching set of gloves.
- Even among [the elite](classes.md), a $650 outfit ($350 suit, $100 watch, $150 other accessories) is all anyone would ever conceivably need.

B. Black Tie is most common for weddings, funerals, and other important occasions:

- Men should wear a tuxedo jacket with a bow tie and leather shoes.
- Women should wear a long evening gown or cocktail dress with dark, conservative colors.
- Creative Black Tie is as formal as Black Tie but not as strict and allows less conservative cuts and fewer bright colors.

C. Business is similar to Black Tie with more gray tones:

- Business is common for professionals and people trying to look good in [job interviews](jobs-5_interview.md).
- Men should wear a matching two-piece suit with a tie.
  - Avoid bright ties, since they'll distract from everything else.
- Women should wear a skirt in a neutral color with a solid-colored matching blouse or professional top.
- Black shoes tend to be boring.

D. Black Tie Optional or Formal Attire expects conservative and sophisticated clothing:

- Men can wear the same as Business, but the tie is optional.
- Women can wear a long dress, pantsuit, or cocktail dress in darker or neutral colors.

E. Semi-Formal is similar to Black Tie Optional but doesn't expect a proper evening gown:

- Men can wear a two-piece suit with an optional jacket.
- Women can wear a cocktail-style black dress with dress shoes or a long skirt with an appropriate formal top

F. Cocktail or Smart Casual doesn't expect sophisticated attire but encourages a tasteful outfit:

- Men can wear a casual shirt with a smart jacket and chinos.
- Women can wear a knee-length skirt, dress pants or a blouse.
- Festive usually themes after a holiday, so look for a colored outfit that matches the style.
- Consider using tasteful scarves to accentuate your appearance.

G. Casual has a *few* standards:

- Men can wear a polo and casual trousers with deck shoes.
  - Shorts are also acceptable, as long as they're paired with nicer shoes (e.g., penny loafers).
- Women can wear almost anything that looks acceptable.
- Most "blue-collar" work uniforms are casual attire.

H. Informal almost looks like work clothes:

- T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers or shorts and a tank top.
- Watch for how much skin the [culture](people-culture.md) permits you to reveal.
- Geographically, most places in the world wear informal clothing.

## Build a routine with your outfits

Aim for an outfit for each workday.

- If you work 5 days a week, have an outfit pre-selected for each day.
- Most of the time, you can have the exact same clothing articles with permutations (e.g., slightly different colors).

## Specific clothing

Carefully consider the associations that come with your accessories:

- Watches are largely unnecessary with smartphones, so they represent social status and punctuality (i.e., that your time is important).
- Necklaces draw attention to the chest, and convey the "center" of who you are.
- Scarves can convey a variety of messages, depending how they are wrapped, but always express sophistication.
- Armbands, bangles, and wristbands draw attention away from your center and imply you're "connected" to something else.
- Sunglasses obscure your eyes, which hides intentions, and can either make you look mysterious or suspicious.
- Glasses make you look more educated or less experienced.
- A wedding ring expresses your faithfulness, while any other ring indicates your affiliation with another group.
- Carried accessories like a wallet, bag, or purse convey your social class.
- While belts can be useful to hold up your clothes, they can also express a statement.

Match your shoes to the rest of your outfit:

- Wear shoes that match the color and style of everything else you're wearing.
- For a comfortable pair of heels, wear dance heels.
- Avoid felt-soled shoes if you plan to wear them outdoors, and always aim for rubber-soled if possible.

Dress shirts should have enough slack to move around in, but not enough that the cloth sags.

- The general rule is that you can pinch your sleeve with your fingertips, but can't grab enough to reach your palm.
- The end of the sleeve should sit directly on or just before the crease of your wrist.

Small details in dress shirt collars define their ethnic origins:

- Italian collars move further outward.
- French collars are longer, and drape further down.
- British collars are like French collars, but shorter.
- American collars are like British collars, but with buttons holding down the ends.

Suit jackets have a finicky fit:

- When buttoned, it should not crease with an "X", but should hug the contour of your sides.
- The shoulders shouldn't rumple at the top or divot at the side.
- The sleeve should be about a finger's distance short from the end of the shirt.
- The bottom of the jacket should sit parallel with your palm when hanging at your side (i.e., the top of your thigh).

Suit jackets have a specific rule for buttoning:

- It should be buttoned if there is one button.
- If there are two, button only the top one.
- When there are three, always button the middle and the top one according to your preference.
- The basis for these rules is because the bottom button tends to accentuate a paunch, and the top button draws attention to the chest.

Dress pants are also a finicky fit:

- They shouldn't be so tight that they crease at your butt, but not loose enough that they wrinkle when you're standing.
- The length should come to the ankles where the shoes are, and completely obscure the socks without going any lower.

## Maintenance

Launder your garments and ventilate them before wearing.

- Only mix brightly-colored garments with white if you're washing with cold water (hot water will make the brights bleed).
- Iron and press anything with a flat surface, but as little as possible (to avoid wear).
- Never hang knitwear because it'll stretch.

Remove stains and spots [as quickly as possible](home-housekeeping.md).

- Rinse the fabric with cold water and gently blot with a clean cloth.