Lisa, that is such a major pain about the jacket. ARGH!!!

I think I'd be doing what others suggested and treating work clothes like scrubs. You wear them for the duty and then take them off and don't look at them again. For me, that would mean buying (possibly) athleisure for work, or the simplest, most functional black top/ pants I could find.

And sure, you can crossover for hike/ walks in some boots. I do wear (even my white!) Lagunas on some relatively flat trails...but it's limited, at least where I live. As for Amy, well, she is probably risking her neck already in those slides with slippy socks on the NYC streets, so I figure she has a higher tolerance for that stuff, LOL.

I've had periods throughout my life where my wardrobe was markedly bifurcated, but it never really seemed to be that much of an issue, until the rise of fast fashion, inexpensive clothing, and my discovery of secondhand stores.

What I've generally found over the past dozen years is that, when things are bifurcated, I would vastly prefer one side of my wardrobe over the other.

One thing that helped with the frustration, was to keep the less-enjoyed work wardrobe compact and manageable. For example, when I had to wear scrubs

(which I detested), I limited it to two sets - and I would bring something I liked, to change into before leaving the office for the day. It allowed me to shake off the stress and unpleasantness of my job, and feel like I had a fresh and happy start, even battling traffic on the drive home. And if the weather was cold, we were allowed to layer long-sleeve neutral tees underneath the scrubs, so I chose neutral shirts that I really liked and would happily wear for the fun half of my life as well.

Post-pandemic, the bulk of my wardrobe flows interchangeably between casual, and dressy. I swap out bags, shoes, accessories, and outwear as needed, depending on how relaxed or how fancy I want to be.

I have some specific activity capsules - yoga, gardening/hiking, post-pool/beach, and very cold weather. I try to keep these capsules pretty lean and streamlined.

What a fascinating discussion! I could repeat exactly what Tanya said. There's nothing wrong with bifurcation. It's like having the right tool for the job: a wrench could drive a nail, but a hammer works much better. Like Tanya, it's usually better for me to identify the right type of garment for a particular activity. And my preferences take a strong hold, too: Even when I'm doing the dirtiest of work (like edging the yard or cleaning the garage), I don't reach for ill-fitting or uncomfortable clothes. Instead I have hard-wearing, cooling, and fun and pretty clothes on hand.

On the other hand, I also strongly agree with SarahD8 about the barrier that a change of clothes can be to doing an activity, like her neighborhood walks. I do the same as her in not changing. When I work from home, my clothes are suitable for a brisk walk down the sidewalk and around the duck pond. So no pajamas, and in the heat, I wear a lightweight dress that won't be damaged from some inevitable perspiration. If I had to change clothes and then change again to go for a walk, I can guarantee I'd hardly ever get out the door. I make myself change for yard work because I know how filthy I can get! (I usually end up with dirt on my face and grass in my hair when edging.)

So I find I'm pulled in two directions: Bifurcation is inevitable and good, but on occasion, over-specialization is detrimental and leads to clothes that just aren't used. That's the part I can probably thin down a bit.

Lisa, I agree with others that the key in your situation is to treat the work uniform/black just like scrubs or another literal uniform. You don't want to wear those pieces after hours anyway, so it's just not part of your wardrobe.