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The well dressed at what cost?


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Buying stuff is sometimes hard.

Her Who Must Be Obeyed will not allow any ketchup other then Heinz to darken our refrigerator.

Cheap paper towels are most of the time a big disappointment.

I'm not sure why? But for some reason a little while back she bought a different brand of t/p.

I wasn't happy.

I kinda sorter believe that very often you get what you pay for.

This isn't always true but even a frugal little fellow like myself who is sometimes called "Cheap"!  Tends to avoid the really cheap stuff.

I  did when I was young dress in what was in style.

A kid growing up in London can get teased a lot if it looks like he has allowed his parents to dress him.

Back then to be with it entailed just about anything that came from the USA.

Levi Jeans were a must, until bell bottoms and flared trousers made their appearance.

 

Of course some things didn't really matter.

No one cared what brand of undies or socks you wore.

Most underwear came from a chain of stores called Marks and Spencer and unless you were caught wearing a string vest you were good to go, even Tighty-Whiteies were acceptable.

My taste in socks was kinda loud.

My older brother once said that his idea of Hell was being made to wear my patterned socks for eternity!

But other then him, no one paid much never mind to my socks.

 

I'm not sure when or why? But my white undies gave way to patterned and colored undies.

Briefs gave way to boxer briefs.

I tried boxers but never felt comfortable in them, maybe because of having so much time in my Tighty Whitey's?

 

I never lost any sleep thinking about my socks or underwear.

I sometimes got a little upset at the high cost of Scout uniform socks and did get upset when at the Jamboree I bought a pair of socks that cost over $16.00!!

 

At Christmas we still exchange Christmas Stockings.

These are as a rule filled with small but useful stuff , I can bet that there will be shaving cream some candy and socks and underwear. - Fruit of The Loom or Hanes.

I don't think I bought underwear in years and had no idea what it cost.

 

Today it seems that your undies are a fashion statement.

Maybe because more time is spend in the gym -But I know only a very few people who go to the gym on a regular basis .

The elastic band that holds them up needs to be at least two inches wide and have the brand name printed in big enough print that it can be seen from a couple of hundred yards away.

 

I have no idea what "Charged Cotton" is?

What was once known as Tighty has now become Compression and what I'd normally spend on a pack of four or five pairs now only buys one pair.

I  don't think that the day will ever come when I pay over twenty dollars for a pair of undies.

Eamonn

  

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Charged Cotton is cotton treated at the thread stage to make it more water repellent and less absorbant.  The industry term for the product is Tech Dry.  The process allows cotton fiber to act similarly to synthetic fibers while maintaining the softness of cotton.

 

I wear one brand of dress socks, one brand of athletic socks and one brand of undies (colored black).  I buy enough so I can travel for 10 days without having to do laundry.  I usually have unopemned packages in a drawer to replace as needed.  When it's time to out out and buy more, if the brand has changed or is no longer available, I'll buy enough of the new brand to start over.  Since the socks are all the same color and same style and manufacturer, I never have to worry about matching socks - I can just make neat piles.

 

Well dressed?  My shirts all come from Bass Pro Shops - I tend to flannel in winter and short sleeved plaids in summer.  My jeans are Carhart and I get them at BPS.  I purchase new work shirts and work pants as needed - They get professionaly cleaned - and they're boring, not fashionable and last for a long time since they never go out of style and are well-cared for.  It may look like I wear the same pair of black pants to work everyday but what I'm really wearing is one of ten pair all in the same style and color - I'm pretty sure I spend more at the cleaners than I do on actually purchasing clothes.

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I get a yearly clothing allowance for work, I think it's $400.00 a year

It has always seemed a little sill, as we are provided with uniforms : Shirts, pants, jackets, hats and raincoats.

The pants and shirts are made by inmates.

Our uniform policy states that we are to wear white crew neck t-shirts and black socks along with black boots or shoes.

 

I'm not a great lover of boots. For work I like Dr. Martin shoes.

They are not the same quality as they used to be, but I'm unwilling to try anything new.

I do have several pairs of hiking boots but often go for good quality leather shoes.

This spring I bought a pair of low cut hiking shoes from Cabela's.

They are supposed to be Gore-Tex lined. 

They weren't that expensive, about  $90.00

They seem to be more like a heavy duty training shoe.

So far I like them for walking the dogs so much so that I bought a pair of Keens in the same style.

I used to buy a lot of stuff from L.L. Bean, but lately their stuff has got more expensive and isn't the same quality.

I still like their sweat shirts.

 

We have had a fairly hot summer and I've been wearing shorts a lot more.

I like the cargo shorts with the extra pockets.

Cabela's Guide shorts are not the greatest but I bought a few pairs when they were on sale.

 

For messing around the house and yard I used to wear blue jeans but have found that  5-11 pants are more comfortable and dry a lot quicker when the bottoms of the legs get wet from walking the dogs early in the morning.

They are about the same cost as a good pair of jeans.

Eamonn.

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On backpacking trips and cold weather campouts, cotton is prohibited except for your bandana.

 

On the trail, X-Officio underwear.  A pair will last a week, but I bring a second pair so I can feel fresh and clean mid-week.

 

It is easy to find synthetic t-shirts in both long and short sleeve.  Working on having our Troop switch to synthetic for our Class B.

 

REI or Smartwool wool hiking socks with silk liner socks.  Again, two pairs for a week.  Use, rinse, repeat.

 

If we are talking cold weather, either Capilene or Smartwool as the base layer.  If it is extreme cold, then UnderArmour Coldgear has the best base layer.

 

Throw in my Padagonia wool sweater, my Marmot Zeus jacket and my BSA synthetic switchback pants and I'm good to go.

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I wear a jacket and tie to work everyday, and I still dress for church on Sundays.  The added cost in wardrobe and laundering is worth every penny.

 

The trend towards more and more casual dress annoys me.   I wouldn't be caught dead in a pair of sandals.

 

I was raised from an early age to believe that taking a little more effort to dress well shows a degree of respect for yourself and those around you.  

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I wear a jacket and tie to work everyday, and I still dress for church on Sundays.  The added cost in wardrobe and laundering is worth every penny.

 

The trend towards more and more casual dress annoys me.   I wouldn't be caught dead in a pair of sandals.

 

I was raised from an early age to believe that taking a little more effort to dress well shows a degree of respect for yourself and those around you.  

David, I concur!

 

Now that I'm retired from the military, I wear a civilian suit when I go to work.

 

Good clothes that fit well are not a bother to wear.   

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When I was a freshman in high school we had a meeting of the American Field Service club to welcome our new foreign exchange student.  My mother insisted I wear sport coat and tie and I knew the other kids would be in blue jeans and oxfords.  When I pressed why, she said, "If you go over dressed you can always toss the coat and tie in the corner and still enjoy yourself with others wearing bluejeans and oxfords.  However, if you show up in bluejeans and t-shirt and everyone else is wearing sport coats and ties, you probably won't feel very well for the evening out."    Always remembered that bit of advice.  Always show up in full uniform and if need be, I can take the necker and shirt off and still be okay.  

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