Velcro sandals for the win! Actually, I do have a couple of pairs of sandals, but I also have a couple of pairs of well made walking/casual dress shoes. The clothing I own is generally well made and in good repair. I throw out stuff that is wearing out and, in particular, spend a lot on shoes (the shoes I usually wear cost over $200 a pair). But sweatpants and a decent T-shirt do the job.

I dress presentably when I go to work or to a sit-down restaurant, but I guess I just have lost whatever concern I might have once had with what the Safeway/Walmart denizens might think. For my friends…if I’m meeting you somewhere, I’ll spruce up a bit, but once you are in my home, don’t count on it 🙂

I think the shift for me really came when I realized I was being extra-careful around the house when I put on better clothing. I was worried when a cat jumped up whether its claws were going to snag or if it might leave a puff of fur behind. I’d take extra care when eating to make sure I didn’t accidentally stain something. And pretty soon, I realized that none of these things were really all that enjoyable or desirable. I like cuddling a cat and not caring if it hooks a claw in my knit. A bit of a stain on the shirt? Throw it in the laundry, its not like it is dry clean only or some such.

But Leaha is right: most people do like to put on a “show” every where they go, and find people who schlep about to be offensive. A first-rate executive is more defined by their clothing and haircut than by any particular skills he or she might have. In fact, a total incompetent bent on lining their own pockets wearing a $4,000 suit will win out over the finest and most ethical mind dressed up in sweatpants every time.

That “package rather than content” attitude pervades throughout society. And since it actually takes some work to get to know someone as opposed to simply judging them on appearances, it will never go away. It also bears noting that judging by appearances is a survival trait- we all do it, myself included. All we’ve done is added a social layer: in addition to determining whether to run away, we also use surface appearance to judge social status.

I must admit, though, that I always get a bit of a tickle when I go into a store dressed as my usual slovenly self and spend more than Mr and Mrs Gucci Knockoff. I enjoy messing with the salestroll’s minds. Case in point: when I bought my Mac, I was wearing sweats and a T- clean other than cat hair as per usual. Sales Guy A ignored me and spent about half an hour with Mr and Mrs Gucci Knockoff. They walked out without buying a thing, not even a cable. Sales Guy B finally walked up to me and said “can I help you?”: I said “sure, I’ll take a MacBook Pro”. No fuss, no bother. I was out the door five minutes later, with Sales Guy A casting daggers in his glance at Sales Guy B.

I’ll probably upgrade my look at some point, but likely I’ll move up to super-durable clothing. No cashmere or custom tailored suits will clutter my closet any day in the near future. I started to do that a few years ago, but buying $200 trousers is a bad plan when your waistline is increasing by an inch a year.