Getting rid of the work wardrobe

[brett]

I got rid of suits, jackets, dress shirts, ties, cufflinks, dress shoes shortly after retirement. They were all high end and in excellent condition.

I sent them all to a non profit group that helped get people back into the work environment. They kitted them out in the appropriate clothing for job interviews, etc.

I certainly had no need for them.

Still have one suit, a few ties, a dress shirt, and some dress shoes. They have all been sitting in the closet for the past 10 years.

On our first extended post retirement trip we met a gentleman who had done the exact same thing only he did not keep anything. Purged the lot and was travelling the world with only a carry on and his credit cards.

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

Anyone else feel like if they get rid of the work clothes it will jinx you and you will have to go back to work?? I kinda do. And im super picky on dress pants so the idea of starting the hunt for them over again makes me shudder. They remain in the closet taking up lots of rack space as an insurance policy. Ugh. I rarely even go in there. Playclothes live in a drawer in the bedroom and that's all I need since covid. Occasionally I want a cardigan or diff sandals.

 

[Marita40]

I retired 6 months ago and a great joy was tossing my work clothes!! Pared down all my closets by about 3/4s.

 

[Jerry1]

I kept some things but I’m pretty sure they don’t fit any longer. If my weight stabilizes, I may get a new suit, but thankfully there haven’t been many funerals and the weddings are few and far between too. If I had to get dressed up right now, I have a blue blazer, some khakis and a dress shirt. If that isn’t good enough, I guess I’ll just have to stay home. Bottom line is that I have far fewer clothes now. I get what’s comfortable. Brand names are usually Carhartt or Levi’s. Nothing fancy.

 

[Jim59]

Something I have to look forward too. Keep a couple of suits, shirts etc. But my casual wear is white T shirt and jeans. If going out I’ll dress up by putting on my Levi T and Levi jeans

 

[Bamaman]

When I retired, I went to Walmart and got 2 pairs of jeans shorts. Then I went to Dollar General and got Alabama and Auburn T shirts for $6 each. Years later, that's my uniform.

I already told my wife that if I die before her, go to J.C. Penny and buy a suit coat separate for my burial. Don't bother with the pants, as they can just plant me in my bathing suit.

I no longer even have a suit that fits me right.

 

[scrabbler1]

I have done 2 major clothing purges after my company got rid of its formal dress code in 1998. The first was in late 2008, shortly before I retired. I got rid of the formalwear which didn't fit any more (I donated it) or had become frayed or damaged (I threw it out). Just a few button-down long-sleeved shirts and some jackets and ties remained.

The second was in late 2017, just after the tax law change went into effect. They doubled the standard deduction, so to get any value from donations I had to do it by the end of December. I was going to do it anyway, this just lit a fire under my butt to get it done. This was a bigger purge, also sparked by the collapse of the clothing rack in one of my closets due to its weight. The formalwear wardrobe wasn't much to begin with, as I wrote above, as the pants I wore daily were already compatible.

After that purge, I was able to spread things out in both main clothing closets, giving me some room in case I acquired any new clothes (or to hang up any damp clothes). No danger of the clothing rack collapsing, either.

 

[brett]

I lucked out.

Two or three years after retirement and getting rid of my work clothes, out daughter decided to get married.

Fortunately, it was a destination wedding. On a beach in Mexico. No need for a suit. Excellent. No fuss, warm weather in mid winter. Perfect. Only those who really wanted to go attended.

Next wedding was cancelled three days before the happy event. Bride bailed....did not blame her one bit. Just as well....we had no plans to attend.

Another wedding in Oct. Looking for reasons to bail on that one two. Spouse is highly suspicious of my motives.

 

[irishgal]

Yep, for me it was emotional.
I dressed for work, nice outfits, shoes, bags etc. It was sort of a hobby.
I sold many designer bags to resellers, a lot of jewelry as well.

It felt weird to think how much my life has changed and that it’s simply unlikely I will use all of those clothes and bags again.

 

[jollystomper]

My Megacorp moved to "business casual" in the late 1990s, so my former "work" clothes are things I can still wear for social events, date nights, etc. I have no need to get rid of them until they wear out.

 

[pjm-7]

From the previous postings it appears that women have more attachment to their previous w*rk wardrobes then men do. It must be a women boomer thing that we had to work extra hard to be taken seriously in our chosen professions. I know it was true of me in finance. For men you have been wearing suits practically all of your life, I can understand the joy of parting with them. For women I can see in time more casual wear and equality in the w*replace may change this.

 

[W2R]

From the previous postings it appears that women have more attachment to their previous w*rk wardrobes then men do. It must be a women boomer thing that we had to work extra hard to be taken seriously in our chosen professions. I know it was true of me in finance. For men you have been wearing suits practically all of your life, I can understand the joy of parting with them. For women I can see in time more casual wear and equality in the w*replace may change this.

Maybe I'm blind, but I didn't perceive the majority of women here as expressing attachment to their work clothing in previous postings at all, and definitely not in my post (below). Guess I'm a weird-o or something.

Anybody else have trouble parting with work clothes?

Not me. I got rid of my formal work clothes (for meetings, conferences, etc) shortly after retiring. I saved one "little black dress" for funerals but that was all.

My everyday work clothes were another matter. I used to wear polo shirts and long black slacks. Well, the slacks became too big (due to losing weight) so I got rid of them several years after I retired. I always liked the polo shirts when I worked, and back in those days I wore them casually as well, but somehow I just wasn't wearing them at all after retirement. I think they reminded me of work. So after about a decade I got rid of them, too. I bought a bunch of Lands End ladies' t-shirts which I wear instead.

And then there's Marita:

I retired 6 months ago and a great joy was tossing my work clothes!! Pared down all my closets by about 3/4s.

 

[Aerides]

I think women are more likely to have picked clothing for work that can also do double duty and be worn for non-work stuff, so there's more overlap between our work and personal wardrobes, especially in days of business casual. And good lord the prices... a nice blouse for a woman is going to almost always be 2-3 times the price of any typical men's dress shirt...The gender price disparities in clothing are really annoying. For example, there's a great quality 3-pack of t-shirts that costco kirkland brand carries for men - zero equivalent for women. I too would like to buy a pack of nice t's for that price!

And I think with married couples, in general, women do more of the shopping for their spouses clothes as well. Not all, of course, and some men do have their own sartorial tastes, but, a good chunk.

So (again, generalizing, there are always exceptions) = men are less likely to feel as invested personally in their work clothing.

 

[W2R]

I think women are more likely to have picked clothing for work that can also do double duty and be worn for non-work stuff, so there's more overlap between our work and personal wardrobes, especially in days of business casual. And good lord the prices... a nice blouse for a woman is going to almost always be 2-3 times the price of any typical men's dress shirt...The gender price disparities in clothing are really annoying. For example, there's a great quality 3-pack of t-shirts that costco kirkland brand carries for men - zero equivalent for women. I too would like to buy a pack of nice t's for that price!

I think this is one of those "speak for yourself" situations. I got two dozen polo shirts on sale for $1.44 each at Academy, and those were my office casual work clothing. Actually that was the same place most of the guys at my work got THEIR polo shirts. Maybe you didn't, but broad generalizations have a habit of not holding true when extended beyond the person who comes up with them (IMO).

And I think with married couples, in general, women do more of the shopping for their spouses clothes as well. Not all, of course, and some men do have their own sartorial tastes, but, a good chunk.

And I think some/many men are very particular about what their wives purchase when shopping for their work clothes. At least, my ex sure was! He even made me return black men's dress socks because he didn't like the brand I bought. And here I thought they were all the same.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

From the previous postings it appears that women have more attachment to their previous w*rk wardrobes then men do. It must be a women boomer thing that we had to work extra hard to be taken seriously in our chosen professions. I know it was true of me in finance. For men you have been wearing suits practically all of your life, I can understand the joy of parting with them. For women I can see in time more casual wear and equality in the w*replace may change this.

Obviously, people are different (regards as the sex) but while I was able to purge almost ALL my clothes, my DW has held on to her work wardrobe for YEARS...and she hasn't set foot in an office since 2013 (maybe some in 2014?) but still has the stuff. She has mentioned that she should take some of it to a "dress for success" place so maybe I need to remind her of that idea.

 

[ugeauxgirl]

From the previous postings it appears that women have more attachment to their previous w*rk wardrobes then men do. It must be a women boomer thing that we had to work extra hard to be taken seriously in our chosen professions. I know it was true of me in finance.

I also worked in finance and started at 25. I did have to work hard to be taken seriously. Besides being female, I was young, and looked much younger than I was! Honestly it was a work disguise for me as I have always been most comfortable in jeans and a ponytail. I ended up donating or throwing most of it away. Plenty of space in my closet now!

 

[citrine]

I had my car packed with all my work wear the last day of big pharma....I dropped the clothes, shoes, and pocket books off to the local women's shelter right after I had my goodbye cake party!

 

[brett]

Anyone else feel like if they get rid of the work clothes it will jinx you and you will have to go back to work?? I kinda do. And im super picky on dress pants so the idea of starting the hunt for them over again makes me shudder. They remain in the closet taking up lots of rack space as an insurance policy. Ugh. I rarely even go in there. Playclothes live in a drawer in the bedroom and that's all I need since covid. Occasionally I want a cardigan or diff sandals.

Just the opposite. I found it incredibly liberating. I did keep one pair of gold cuff links even though I no longer had a dress shirt with French cuffs. They were a gift from my spouse. Seven or eight blue suits gone along with misc jackets, dress shirts, etc. Less clothing to move, more room in our closets.

Plan to take them, along with a some of the gold jewelry that DW no longer wants or needs and sell them to a refiner.

Now it is jeans or shorts depending on the weather.

 

[Pointby2]

I had a closet full of work shirts emblazoned with the corporate logo that had either been worn only a few times or were brand new. The logo was of a popular brand (like BMW or Porsche) but I couldn't bear to wear them or toss them. I eventually gave the red and white ones to my wife and she made a distressed American flag out of them, framed it, and put it in my man-cave as a reminder of my days there.