Wardrobe Malfunctions

Normally I update my wardrobe an item at a time. A new shirt here, a pair of pants there, and old stuff just gets thrown away in time. But somehow I have managed to come upon disastrous string of events and need to buy a whole lot of clothes at once.

I have two pairs of pants that I've just wanted to replace, and while I can admit that there is nothing "wrong with them" they just happen to be two pairs that I don't like to wear... Into the donation bag with them. I also have a couple shirts that I just don't wear. They're taking up room in my closet, and they haven't come off the hanger in a good six months. Time to pack them up and ship them out.

Then in the last two days my clothes have just had no luck.

Monday I was at work in a very comfortable gray silk shirt when a case of beer committed suicide and proceeded to spray beer all over my clothing. The pants are OK, the shoes got some polish when I got home, but the shirt was just F'd. No hope for it whatsoever. Fine, I need to buy three shirts instead of two.

Then today I was in an account where they were remodeling, and caught my pocket on a nail that was sticking out. A quick turn later, and my pants were no longer very adequate pants at all. This and other things have happened to people I work with before, and as such I have kept a change of clothes in the car every day for the past year. So I had something to change into, and a pair of pants that I really liked got a trip to the trash bin. The owner of the account felt so bad that he offered to pay for the pants. After he heard what they cost, I was surprised that he was so willing to buy me another pair. So at least I am not paying for the third pair for trousers (who uses that word, honestly?).

And now on Friday I get to go replace a number of items in my closet, and I couldn't be happier. It gets said that men hate shopping. That isn't true. Men hate shopping when they have to be doing it for other people. Or with other people. And don't get me wrong, I enjoy going and buying clothes for myself with a female friend in tow for the opposite sex opinion. I just can't stand going out, spending all day shopping, and not getting anything for myself (yes, I am a spoiled brat).

But now I am at an impasse. Do I stick with what I have always bought, or do I do something bold. When it come to dressing for work I am the most consistent guy on the planet. Black pants, buttoned shirt. Every day it's the same thing. Maybe I should try something bold. A pair of khaki pants, and perhaps a polo (tennis) shirt or two is in order.

But then I realize that I buy the same clothes every time for the same reason. I can dress down a dress shirt all day long. But I can NEVER wear a polo shirt to a work meeting, no matter how casual the meeting is. Meetings mean ties, ties require collared shirts. And so I may be bold with colors, but styles will remain the same. Maybe a pair of gray trousers (again with that word) to really make a change. I'd wager that someone at work would notice the difference. In two and a half years I've worn nothing but black pants to the office...