Anything outdoors in the summer throws me. I would like to find some shorts FFBO but shorts make me look and feel like Sponge Bob. Luckily I don't do all that much outside, but every time it comes up I'm in trouble.

The depth of my wardrobe is more of a WHICH should I wear rather than WHAT. I have a painting "capsule" (ancient denim shortalls and several old tees that have all the paints in my house on them somewhere). Like how I call it depth instead of massive excess?

I love this question and this thread! Desmo April, you ROCK!!! What a fantastic weekend you have planned. Congrats -- and good luck!

My life is full to bursting with events that puzzle me. As I get more used to my various roles (and build the wardrobe for them) I'm getting better at figuring out how to handle the situations that tend to throw me. But here are a few of the ones that have knocked me for a bit of a loop in the past:

1. Writers' festivals where I am both a volunteer and an invited reader. On the same day. And need to dress for day and night at the same time. No opportunity to change. I have to feel comfortable for up to 16 hours at a stretch. Look approachable and in charge (for the daytime and/ or volunteer duties). Look interesting/ memorable for the presentation.

Yeah, right.

2. Conferences with my colleagues in the fitness business. Need to be casual and ready for fitness activities, but also warm enough in the air conditioned frigid hotel meetings. And while I hardly need to look corporate, I don't want to come across as a slob.

3. Presentations while I am travelling. Especially when I don't know in advance that I will be giving said presentation. Sometimes I have had to go out and buy something to wear. What can I say? A girl's gotta do what she's gotta do.

4. Invitations to teach -- in somebody's home. When my students are strangers. And mostly older women.

5. City travel where I will be on my feet from 7 am until 11 pm, mostly walking, but also going to galleries, nice restaurants, and theatre, and want to look fab throughout.

It makes me very sad that people are not participating in activities because they won't wear X or Y.
You don't have to have the perfect outfit, because honestly aren't the memories of doing something worth more?

Laura I'm going to see Queen/Adam Lambert too! I AM SO EXCITED. I'm going to Vancouver, but am tempted to also try to see them in DC.

So I've been to a couple of stadium rock shows lately (Muse most recently, we had NIN tickets but got the flu the day before, arghhh...) -- but it's that mix between you are a dot in a sea of humanity with lots of walking and standing in line, and you want to dance to the best of your ability without falling off your ledge. I usually do cool/tough boots and work up from there with an outer layer I can take off. Also usually you are buzzing afterwards and want to go out somewhere to drink so it's worth dressing up a little.

You know what I find strangely hard to figure out? Potlucks with people you don't know but want to make a good impression on. Maybe that's like Rachylou's house warming party. I want to look casual, but also nice, but also more approachable/friendly than trendy/fashionable, but also interesting.

Well it seems like lately getting dressed for ANYTHING is throwing me for a loop. Just when I get some basics in my closet, the weather heats up and totally throws me for a loop. I've got some basics - pants, layering t's, a couple workhorse toppers, but now, BAM, I can't wear those formulas bc it's hot. I started a thread about it the other day. I'm working on my shopping list since now I need to add some summer-appropriate things. Seems like it's never over (the shopping, that is...me, complianing about shopping? Surprising even myself).

My life is much like Suz's - my job is WFH most of the time, but I do have to travel, sometimes on short notice, to other climates, unknown walking situations, etc. I have to have a capsule of business appropriate clothes, which I have covered. It's the day to day stuff I'm struggling with (again). GRR!

I'm also a lot like you, in that my S.O. will expect me to be ready in a flash necessitating formula dressing and little standing and staring at the closet. Most of the time I have to be able to walk my behind off so comfort is key and heels are out most of the time, like it seems for you, too. I was pretty good until we got hotter weather. Now I'm back to square one again.

Anyway I ramble. Your concert sounds fun. I liked the guitar tee but you have time to think about (and seek out) what you want for the look for that evening

I was just thinking about this! Baseball games are one of the big things I always feel awkward dressing for too, and I was actually just at one on Saturday. It's hard to make sure I'm dressed for the weather, and I always want to be really comfortable and wear nothing I'd be too upset about getting mustard or ice cream on. Then our team's main color is red, which I don't have a huge amount of. So I always feel like I'm pulling really random combinations of clothing for something that should be simple. And it's always extra fun to dress for if I'm going there straight from work.

Dressy daytime occasions that aren't work-related are always kind of hard, too. Family events are too, but maybe that's just me. I feel like I need to wear something that looks like a typical, thrown-on casual outfit, but also really polished and flattering.

I haven't been clubbing in ages (and it's honestly not like I ever went that often), but I have no idea what I'd wear if I did. The last time I went was a '90s night, so I managed to fudge it with a basic black dress, clunky sandals, and cheap butterfly barrettes in my hair.

Summer is such a challenge for me so I would say anything I would feel comfortable with

Aubergine, you bring up another one - theme nights either at a party or event of some kind. Last year a GF requested we go to boogie nights for her birthday at the casino dance club. I have since purged everything I wore that night. So if a 70's dressing theme comes up again I may be screwed lol.

Ah! The rock/blues concert. Been working on that, one (in 3 weeks!) All I need is the right T (either a cool image or some bling) and an envelope bag that has a strap or chain (for cross body) that can be tucked away (to look like a clutch.)

It seems like a lot of these fall into the category of "need to appear all things to all people." Or we perceive it that way. We want to be this AND that. You know, our grandmothers never had these issues. It may go hand in hand with the casualization of life. Back then, if it was a tea, they had their gloves and hats and tea length dresses. You know? I'm not saying I want to go back to that era, but things were easier in a way.

As for rock concerts and ball games, yeah. Those are hard, too. I haven't been to either type of event in quite a while, but I do go to hear live music in local venues. That's usually easier -- some kind of jeans and jacket outfit will do it.

Mo, that's funny! I'm not sure what I'd have done if I had to pull off another decade. Certainly not the '70s, although I could probably do the '50s semi-well with my wardrobe.

I was once invited to a "glam punk-rock victorian steampunk" wedding.

O_o; what do you wear to THAT?

How cool, rabbit! My MIL is a HUGE Adam Lambert fan so it'll be a lot of fun, I'm sure. I haven't been to a big concert in years. Probably I'll end up in a pair of jeans, boots, and a t-shirt of some kind, maybe with my faux leather jacket, even though it will be July.

Lyn* - your best corset, welding goggles, and gold lame boots, of course!

I ended up wearing a purple dress that had a corset lace back, victorian-inspired boots in brown, and a bright green top hat with goggles - drat; wish I had a picture.

Fun thread Mo, thanks for asking the question.
I like Anna's point, that you don't need to put together a perfect outfit.
I can, at a pinch, range from ritz to red dirt so random events don't faze me.
Not these days, anyway.

Had to come back and resurrect this thread. 3 days ago DH came home and we decided to take a short trip to a nearby town. Left Tues, came back Thurs so not so long. Trick was that their weather is hotter than ours. Highlighting my lack of summer clothes. I made do and had to be packed and out the door within 2 hours of deciding to go. It just reminds me I need to be ready for anything. Fwiw I took one floaty skirt from nyco circa 2008 with a plain white (too short sleeve) tshirt. Also took one of my two pairs of shorts I'm not crazy about paired with a Mexican traditional handcrafted shirt. It all worked but I def need some new summer stuff.

Thanks for the thread. I kept thinking about it as this all unfolded.

Well, apparently a ceremony that requires "morning dress" at Westminster Abbey is a really random occasion that I was not expecting!

Otherwise I think I am pretty good for having clothes for random occasions, with the possible exception of things that require serious gear. These days I work out almost exclusively at home so I don't really have much outdoors or even acceptable-to-be-seen-in-public gear. (Like, I work out in a sports bra with no top over it most of the time so occasions that require gear tops confound me, LOL.) But I'm not sporty at all, so I don't do many things that require true gear. I do need to get new hiking boots though; my timberlands bit the dust a couple of years ago and I have been just wearing trail runners for hiking, which is not really ideal.

One such even that I recall was when we were invited to go tubing on a river a couple of summers ago. Well, obviously the bikini was the starting point, but then I needed something to go over that since we had to walk to the starting point through some trails, and of course everything had to be OK in the water. Ended up in a lightweight tank and some running shorts, I think. Plus there was a rule that you couldn't wear flip flops or go barefoot, but I also didn't want to wear something like sneakers that would get waterlogged. I think I had to borrow some Teva-type sandals from someone because I had nothing that would work.

Some occasions that pop up from time to time for me:
--random business-y events for J's work. I got a suit last year which comes in handy for these things, either as a full suit or as broken up separates. Or a nice skirt with blazer is usually fine too.
--symphony, often right from work. And yes, I walk/subway there to someone's point upthread. I wear my black riding boots when it's very cold, pointy booties when it's cool, and flat or low-heeled sandals when it's warmer.
--baseball games. Jeans and a tee/sweater generally works fine, although the weather can really throw a wrench into things. (Night games can get really cold and day games can get really sunburny, depending on where you are sitting). I do need to replace my red tee though as I decided yesterday (when I went to my first game of the season) that it was too tight. I don't really go to any other types of ball games except baseball so I don't need any other team colors but red.

Well done, Diana!
I still could use a better 'sporting event' mini capsule. Perhaps just the right top or tee would do it. But, again, we see lots of teams (A's for me, Twins for BF, Giants for all our friends) that team colors doesn't really work. Ah well, maybe just a generic baseball tee of some kind . . .

Anything formal, like Diana's morning dress occasion. Our lifestyle does not include that and I've purged everything. Also surgeries/breaks. They always demand a different fit/cut of clothing and are so unexpected.

Oh, I thought of another - clothes to wear to/from a massage that aren't schlubby. But it can't be 'good' stuff either, since you're likely to get oil on it. For me, this is a rare (once a year maybe?) occasion, but I bet regular goers have an outfit or two just for this.