During my big purging binge this past year, I got rid of all of my dress clothes. I didn’t have much left to purge other than what I bought for dating in 2022:
- Black blazer
- Black leather dress shoes
- Two button down shirts
- One pair of jeans
- Two leather belts
- A nice sweater
I had been keeping these clothes so I had something nice to wear on dates and in case I ever needed to dress up for a funeral or social event.
I dress up literally twice in two years – both times for dinner dates in 2022. Since then, I hadn’t pulled any of these clothes out of the closet.
They looked good on me and were in pristine condition. But I never wore them during my normal activities because they weren’t as comfortable as my standard, athlete/rock climber wardrobe.
Before I gave them away, I tried wearing each item for at least a few hours. THis confirmed I was never going to wear them outside of special occasions – which I hadn’t had in two years.
Sometimes I think about this. What if I’m invited to a party, a funeral or have a date? Am Going to show up in sneakers and my dog walking clothes?
Yes I am.
Or, if I feel it’s really necessary, I can always buy a dressier outfit.
It’s weird though. All of my life I had “dress clothes”. When I was little, I had church clothes and “school clothes” that I wasn’t allowed to wear to play in.
When I was a teen buying my own clothes, I mimicked my peer’s fashion styles so I could look cool and pick up chics (ha). I had special outfits for dates, dances and occasional dressy events.
When I moved from entry level labor jobs to white collar work, I wore dress shirts, pants, ties and suits every day for decades until “business causal” became acceptable in the late 90s. Even then, I would dress up for date nights with my wife. It was fun to dress up for each other then go to the movies and a nice dinner.
I don’t miss dressing up. I prefer casual clothing.
But sometimes, I do miss date nights. I miss watching my wife put on makeup and do her hair and get dressed for a night out. I miss how she smelled. I miss how she’d make my heart skip a beat. I’d tell her how hot she looked. She would melt into my arms, give me a big wet kiss and then wipe the lipstick off of my face while smiling. We would talk and laugh and hold hands. Our date nights were rituals of anticipation, desire, love and joy.
Those were special times. It was much more than dressing up.