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11 situations where it’s okay to look like crap

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Looking your best is a great feeling.  But being dressed to the nines at every single moment?  That’s taking it too far. There are many situations where it’s plenty acceptable for us to look like a stylistic dumpster fire.  Sometimes it’s smart to remind yourself that in order to “clean up real good”, you have to get dirty first.  Keeps you in the realm of reality. Feel free to dress it down… way down… when confronted with these circumstances. 

1. Working out very early in the morning

If you start your workout before 6am, don’t even worry about combing your hair.  Deodorant?  Yes.  No smelly tees either.   Matching socks would be nice (but not required… it happens).  You want to be courteous to those around you at the gym, but look… if you’re lifting weights while the cows who share your time zone are getting milked, then you’re not there for a fashion show.  Wear what works best, get in, and get out.

2. While watching a movie at a budget theater.

Sticky floors and leather soled shoes are a nasty combination.  That, and getting up from watching Taken 2 only to realize you now have gum embedded into the tail of your super 130s wool suit jacket is all kinds of unfortunate.

3. Inside a tent

Camping or circus, now’s not the time to think about how your clothes look.

4. At Costco

Surprisingly, Costco isn’t a half bad source for affordable style (some swear by Kirkland’s dress shirts), but shopping there can be an all out battle.  Especially if you can’t get out of there.

Its costco Dress for itCostco.  May the shopping Gods have mercy on your soul…

5. Giving your son “the talk”

A power suit will only exacerbate this kind of awkwardness.  Better to discuss such things in t-shirts and jeans over a grilled cheese sandwich.  And try not to use the word “exacerbate” in the conversation.  Might give the poor kid a heart attack.

6. Black Friday Shopping at 12:01 AM

What are you doing there anyway?

7. At a Gwar Concert

Lotta fluids at those things.  More fun than Black Friday shopping every time.

8. On a Greyhound

Blend in.

9. Spring Cleaning

You’re going to use bleach at some point.  Maybe it’s in the soft scrub or some other cleaner.  But the likelihood that you’ll get it on a favorite pair of casual shoes, or that t-shirt that fits perfectly, or whatever… it’s so high that it’s best just to wear that pile you’ve been meaning to get to the thrift store.

10. At the shooting range

“Well get a load of James Bond over here!”

11. Halloween

Being the always-dressed-up-guy in your circle of friends who then goes as James Bond for Halloween is awfully cheesy (yet if you’re somewhere in the middle, there are a few well dressed options with a decent factor of ridiculousness).  Now’s the time to go full Sponge Bob.

Your turn guys.  You can’t be well dressed all the time.  In what scenarios are you more than okay going full dirtbag? Does it involve a style guilty pleasure?  Leave it all in the comments below.  (Top Photo: Adam Engelhart)

Filed Under: Clothing

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Comments

  1. Yeah, I’ve come to terms with #11 in recent years. Wearing a suit every day to work, and then wearing a suit for Halloween looks lazy, not bad-ass.

  2. I think taking a board/bar/entrance exam should qualify as well…who the hell wants to dress up for that nonsense?

  3. I would argue that if you are really working out- saturated with sweat, breathing hard, and grimacing from exertion – you are never going to look great, morning or otherwise.

  6. I have wondered about this recently. I know that you’re not supposed to be wearing gym shorts out of the gym but in the winter, for someone that is still in college and just out and about, would wearing jeans with running apparel (thermal zip neck long sleeve and softshell running jacket) be acceptable? I understand that as you get older, you need to dress less like a little boy but sometimes, proper winter gear is just great and sporty for school and other irrelevant stuff.
    Say… something along this line? (Replace the tights for jeans… and err, an equivalent male outfit)
    http://womensrunning.competitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/cold-weather-running.jpg

  7. 12. Moving

    Like today I have to go pickup a bathroom vanity and countertop. I’m definitely not dressing up for that.

  8. Funny. Yes, and in general, I think if you get some spidey-tingly sense that maybe you shouldn’t dress up for something, then don’t. It’s always a balance–there’s good taste and there’s good sense.

  9. Instead of reading your comment thoroughly, I looked at the picture and wished I knew what she looked like in regular gym clothes… you know, for science. Anyway, I think you asked about the male equivalent of this getup. I’d say it’s a track suit or a wind suit – they can be cheap (Walmart) or expensive (Under Armour or North Face). Running in jeans is a bad call. You won’t get the range of movement you need, the breathability you need and if you run for long enough, it may even cause a rash. Honestly, if you don’t get horrifyingly overheated and uncomfortable running in jeans, you’re not running right.

  11. You can look decent at the range. Khaki pants, dark microfiber polo, polished boots, 1.5″+ basic belt. Baseball style hat highly recommended to keep stray brass falling down on your from hitting your face.But the best way to look good on the range, handle your firearm safely, know and practice the range rules, and be a good shot.

  13. Agreed- especially if the range is a sporting clay (or skeet/trap) range- I see that like golf- there’s an appropriate attire to it. I don’t think it’s out of place if you walk into a zero range in a suit. And like you said- know what you’re doing and follow the rules!

  14. YES. So much opportunity to rip, tear, or scratch something. Focus on getting the goods from point A to point B. And if that means you have to push a piano up your girlfriend’s front steps with mainly your face (because the dudes at the top are starting to lose their grip), then it’s best not to be wearing your good sunglasses.

    Good luck with the move.

  15. Funny- the Facebook page is a little off from the live site… looks like you guys reconsidered the Bad news as a time to look like crap…. I thought the same thing and realized that I’m probably already dressed for a reason when I get it – then I look like crap….

  16. The alarm goes off, and the dog is waiting and whining. I get up, pull on yesterday’s undies and dog-walking outfit (sweatpants, hoodie), and take him up the trail in the dark. I’m barely awake, he does his business, we come back, then I get in the shower.

    There’s a difference between dressing up and dressing appropriately.

  17. James Bond is referenced a lot in all this, but really, if you look at Casino Royale and Skyfall, yes, while Bond often cuts a dashing figure in his suit or tux, the key thing about him is that he dresses appropriately, for the context he’s in. If it’s a situation that calls for a suit, that’s what he wears. If it calls for sweats and a t-shirt, he wears that. That’s the lesson I’ve taken away from the recent Bond flix.

  20. I went straight to an indoor range from work on a Friday wearing dark jeans, a button up shirt, and a sportcoat and got many strange looks. But I can go shoot clays in a tweed jacket and no one notices.

  21. What about moving? I moved this weekend and was a dusty, sweat mess after about 25 minutes.

  23. Let me try again. Yes, I do enjoy tripe. I’ve had it in Pho and in marinara. You’re welcome.
    .
    Ok, all joking aside, I actually read your question this time. IMO the track jacket (or whatever you’d like to call that style) becomes less and less acceptable as a non-athletic-setting garment as you get older. Can you still get away with it in college? Depends on the college, but probably. Would you look better is something else? Almost undoubtedly (there’s a good reason they become less and less acceptable). There are plenty of guides to lightweight jackets, so I won’t list alternatives here.

  24. Same age group as you, and I see guys doing this all the time. I do it occasionally when i’m somewhere between “out of bed” and “not yet showered so lets not dirty good clothes”. On some it can look great but on most it looks bad or like you’re lazy and I think frankly that college aged guys use this as their go to outfit far too often. As to aging, I completely agree that older men should not do this. I loose a lot of respect for men who are obviously past college age dressing in american eagle, A&F, sweats, old gym clothes etc. Ask yourself, would Ward Cleaver wear this? (this doesn’t include clothes designed for a sport you’re actively participating in (gym shorts at gym, lycra/spandex if you’re biking).

  25. Can you do it? Yes. Is there any alternative? Yes (shirt or henley/heavy sweater/peacoat/gloves/scarf). Does half-gym half jean look good? Not at all, it looks lazy. “proper winter gear is just great and sporty for school and other irrelevant stuff”…don’t confuse winter clothes and winter sport gears.

  26. I think it’s perfectly acceptable. Depends on where you live though. Down here in FL it doesn’t get too cold but sometimes you need something over a shirt and a peacoat is way overkill, and quite frankly, ridiculous looking in FL. You can look athletic and causal without looking like a dirtbag.

  29. Same thing on the Gulf Coast, but even then, there should be rules. Like no neon anything unless you are directing traffic or a participant in an actively occurring athletic event.

  30. To be clear, I am talking about the stylish and functional running or weather jackets here, not a slouchy high school hoodie or anything. Sometimes when it’s a little too windy or rainy outside, a light softshell or windbreaker just feels nicer than a waxed cotton or trench coat because of the lightweight fabric and technology that goes into a proper running or outdoor jacket.

  31. I think you should get a pass if whatever you are doing will ruin your clothes anyway. Working on the car, yard work, painting, cleaning bathrooms, burping babies… whatever.

  34. there are exceptions. i’ve seen guys wear skin tight tri-shorts, shirtless. dude, you’re at the gym. save the cameltoe for kona.

  35. Seems to me most of the time what I wear during a move gets so dirty and sweaty that it’s never the same again…washer or not. I have donated several things to the landfill this way

  37. When you’re sick and at the pharmacy to pick up a prescription or some medicine. I think you get a free pass. Besides who wants to get phlegm all over their nice wool suit anyway?
    The plasma center. It doesn’t take much to be the best dressed one there anyway, so why over do it?

  38. It’s required to wear a suit for the Virginia Bar Exam, which I took in late humid July. Wore a cotton seersucker-esque suit so as not to sweat even more in case I didn’t know where the questions were going. I think the suit made more of an impact than whatever knowledge I stored up in my head for that exam.

  40. When moving, when doing yard work. The list for not dressing well is probably as long as the list for dressing like crap.

  42. An Adidas track jacket is a go-to choice for me. I’m actually wearing a navy blue one with a red fitted tee and a pair of 514s right now. It’s partly out of necessity, as I lost my only thick cardigan and have yet to find one I like enough to replace it.

    However, I do genuinely like the classically athletic style of throwing an old-school track jacket on for a quick trip to the corner store. It feels like something I’ve seen pictures of astronauts or olympians of yesteryear wearing (though that may just be cultural osmosis of the Six Million Dollar Man), and if it’s good enough for them it’s more than enough for me.

    While I’d certainly not advocate making it a cornerstone of your wardrobe – and I’d also agree with @diversification:disqus that it gets less and less acceptable as you get older – if it fits good, feels good, looks good, and is a style that’s been around long enough to be a classic, then it’s perfectly acceptable for a college beer run. Pair with some AO cropped aviators and imagine you’re grabbing a beer in Cape Canaveral.