Clothing

I can't deal with any light colours. I just don't feel right. It's so nice to know that I'm not alone in this 

With clothes colours have to be exact and work together. If the colours don't work then I can't wear it and I'll have to wear something else.

Black is always good.

So is grey. White I find a little too dazzling, like snow almost burns my eyes.

I was so happy to come across this topic. I have just in the last couple of days decided to get rid of all the bright coloured clothing I have purchased in an attempt to fit in. I am only comfortable wearing black or grey, navy blue if I'm feeling bold! I am just starting to appreciate that I am autistic and I can wear whatever I feel comfortable with. It's such a relief. I hate tight clothes too. Baggy black tops are bliss. I am a better person when I'm comfortable.

Me too! It's not as much of a sensory thing for me though, I just like it. That's probably not a huge revelation given my profile pic and username but black everything saves a lot of time and effort!

I wear only black clothes. Black isn't bright, it doesn't mess with my eyes and it's not too hot or too cold. It just is. I've worn only black most of my life since I was able to choose my own clothes.

I don't really think about what I'm about to wear. I'd love to be a classy woman, wear really elegant stuff but choosing and making decisions are things I struggle with big time so I tend to wear jumpers, jeans and boots or trainers.

I go for simple not flashy clothes so I don't get noticed as well. It seems to work for me. I'd love to wear more exciting and nice clothes but it makes me uncomfortable and triggers my anxiety so it's not worth it for me.

Sorry for bumping the thread, but I wanted to drop in and say that finding a style that truly resonates with you can be quite the journey. Capsule wardrobes are a great idea – they simplify things a lot! I'm all about comfort and versatility too when it comes to clothing. I've also never been one to have a super-defined style – I tend to lean more towards casual vibes. It's all about feeling good while looking stylish.  Speaking of which, I recently stumbled upon this awesome online store Sedley.com. They have a fantastic collection of quality and stylish clothes that tick all my boxes for comfort and versatility. It's been a game-changer for my everyday look. Maybe you'll find something there that clicks with your vibe too!

I’m late to this but just wanted to say how much I love historical clothing and hand sewing and repairing clothing. How did your project go? What have you been making? I think it’s a great idea to do this. I only wear cotton clothing too by the way. 

Thanks for sharing!

Wouldn't know never done a coprate job.

Ha ha!  Probably a bit too much irony for this forum, but very much based on truths which some men hold close to their hearts!!!!

I enjoyed reading this. I could picture the exact type of man that you are describing! 

If you have to be very 'corporate' this was my guide (written in 2012 but probably still fairly valid) for formal 'corporate battle dress'.  It was just 'safe' for me to have a guide to stick to, rather than trust my judgement.  This assumes some element of tailoring (not necessarily made-to-measure but at least finished-to-fit by the tailor).  Hope it helps someone.   

Dark blue, grey or dark grey. NEVER Royal Blue (for some reason that's boy-racer/chav). 

Plain block colour, not patterned, pin stripe or check.

Pure wool and pretty much no other material other than crease-proof cotton for lightweight summer suits.  

Two front buttons, not three (clown suits have three, apparently).  

Slit sleeves (not mock slits) with four buttons on the sleeve (three indicates a cheap suit).  

Single or double rear vents, but deep ones (again, short vents indicate cheap suits).  

Never have a brightly coloured silk lining (chavs do that); always subdued.  

Straight cut trousers (NEVER drain-pipes), should sit on the shoes with a single, light, barely-there fold at the bottom/front of the shoe.  Well-tailored around the backside and not baggy in the thighs. The trousers should be cut slightly longer at the back of the foot than the front so they sit a few millimetres lower at the heel.  

No turn-ups. Trousers which crease at the crutch or knees are badly tailored.

No waistcoat / vest.

Never wear braces, always a leather belt, made from a single piece of leather (not strips of leather stitched together with card in the middle). 

Ask the tailor to discretely sew-up the side pockets to make sure you never put anything in them (ruins the hang of a suit).  

Shirt - light blue or white.  Never, ever, patterned.  For a couple of decades pink was considered racy but acceptable; you still see it, but it's too risque to be safe.   Crisp stand-up collar with slide-out collar stays (use metal ones, not plastic).  Double cuffs and cuff links. No breast pocket. Tailored shirts are always better unless you have a fuller figure. Don't do anything vulgar like have a button-down(!); button-downs are OK for weekends, but not for the office.   

Silk tie; can be coloured but not too bright.  Never wear a hanky in the breast pocket.  

Socks - black or blue, to match the suit; coloured socks are fine if you're confident and know what you're doing (I wouldn’t go there).  

Shoes can be traditional Brogues, Oxfords or Chelsea boots.  They must be black, and leather, with leather soles.  Traditional slip-on Moccasins with tassels are fine but they mustn't have pointed toes or patterns – very traditional Moccasin styling. 

Overcoat - wool, single breast or a mac.  Brands are (for some reason) OK on coats, if you can run to the outrageous cost of something like a Burbery (around £2.5K).  A formal silk scarf and black soft leather gloves with no pattern, or (worse) bits of protruding fur around the wrist etc.

Obviously, I wrote this partly with my tongue firmly in my cheek.  It's all completely stupid, and shallow, and it's an impenetrable code for the un-initiated. It’s a uniform, and it's ludicrously expensive. 

However, despite all that, for some jobs, in very formal environments, this guide will help you blend in, if that's what you want. 

If you blend in, it’s like wearing tribal war paint, or a uniform – you’re signalling that you ‘belong’.  People are more likely to focus on what you say and do, rather than be distracted by what you're wearing (because what you're wearing seems discordant to them, and signals that you aren't part of the tribe). 

If you understand the dress code and you’re confident then you can safely stretch the boundaries, and get away with it, but I never did and always stuck to the guide. 

I took early retirement from all that garbage and for the last decade have barely worn a suit, but I’m told this hasn’t actually changed much. 

I don't give a fig about brands but it's the safest way of getting it 'right' in a coporate environment.   

I use to care for brands now I prefer simplisty hence black less of an effort to get ready and shorter times in descion making

Been there before KP work sucks 

Yeah whereing suits would be the worst tbf I hate whereing suits or having to tuck in a shirt. I like my clothes baggy and loose fitting

I need to do this, especially for work. 

At work, I learned to have very few clothes but of high quality.  I stuck to either major brands or a local high quality tailor, and I learned to identify 'classic'.  At home, I stick to classics but bulk buy.  I never buy one pair of jeans; if I'm confident it's a brand I know I buy three.  Ditto trainers, shirts etc.  That works.  

For me it's Addias originals I always by them even when I'm buying we ones. Just change the colour every now and again. But I love supper vader high tops. Only downside is they don't look good with my black combat trousers. As I where combat trousers all the time now cause there so comfy