Does your S.O. get it?

[Stu]

My wife has been making disparaging comments lately about some of my classier pieces and it has me abit befuddled. This is a woman who did time at the Fashion Institute of Technology, but she frowned at my spring tan glen plaid Canali suit the other day, saying " I didn;t like that suit the other day, that one with the squares."

I had to explain that a spring glen plaid suit in tan is a wardrobe staple. Then she turned her nose up yesterday and would not let me leave the house in my sage odd trousers and pale yellow knit shirt. I told her about the importance of odd trousers in the wardrobe and said if she didn't like them, she had an assignment this weekend: Dig through my closet and find me some shirts to pair with them, because the odd trousers are staying.

Anyone else have similar clothing battles?

 

[bigbadbuff]

Luckily mine has the same tastes as I do, so she very, very rarely dislikes something I like. With her it's always $$ though- I can certainly remember the days when she would think I was crazy for spending $100 on a dress shirt

She's come a long way but not quite there yet. It's certainly helped that I've drilled into her head 'quality over quantity' and bought her TONS of things in that vein to help her along...

 

[Drinkwaters]

The saying goes, often right, seldom wrong when it comes to my wifes opinion about my (Her) wardrobe blueprint of my sartorial splendor, according to what she is observing. I will admit that I have assembled outfits that she had serious doubts about and in the end agree with her critique. She normally will say I look like a bag of balloons and should reconsider. But, stubborn as I am about my creations I lunge forward and make her miserable and not wanting to be seen with me in public.
I agree with you about standards and probably she has a differing point of view as to how she wants her man to look, especially when in her company. Look, we are creatures of habit or what we've been told is correct. I know many of my clients will only wear combinations I've shown them at the point of sale, it is usually when I visit their closet and suggest that that can also be paired with that.
I think that your compromise with her will only fair for the better and she will look upon your combinations as just that, compromise. It is the only virtue I know of that keeps marriages together.

 

[Mr Checks]

Sadly, she doesn't like this new habit. However, it's the first passion I've ever had that helps me personally, and at work, so it's stayin' and she'd better get used to it.

Seriously, I'm also taking the route of buying her some nice things. She's built a bit like J-Lo, so she's hard to fit.

 

[gorgekko]

This is why I remain single.

 

[Charles Rogers]

It's certainly helped that I've drilled into her head 'quality over quantity' and bought her TONS of things in that vein to help her along...

Hahaha, nice job but you could be sending mixed signals.

 

[johnw86]

I'm incredibly lucky. My wife is tolerant (even understanding and...gulp...supportive). She thinks I look best when well-dressed, and she's right. I've got an oddly shaped body and a good suit hides many of my flaws. Perhaps some of you look good even when not carefully dressed?

 

[The_Foxx]

great topic-- as for me, my wife only knows a portion of what i pay for things/ what i own, as i'm quite good at telling "half truths" and changing the subject. at least, I think i am.

luckily, she appreciates the way i dress and the compliments and respect my clothes garner from others, but she often rolls her eyes at the details of John Lobb shoes, Brioni stitches, or why anyone would contemplate spending hundreds of dollars on a slick closet (maybe my next venture...)

However, I find i can always get a laugh out of my wife/ my family/ my inlaws, when i say dramatically that "I'm just a simple man, of simple tastes...."

 

[johnnynorman3]

I think my wife appreciates the fact that well-planned purchases -- i.e. an Oxxford suit in a staple fabric that looks great on me for $800 -- is a much wiser purchase than buying several crappy suits over a period of 6 or 7 years.

I think what irks her is probably the closet space I take up (I'm approaching about 1/3 of our total closet space -- she thinks she should get about 3/4).

 

[Rabbi Mark]

I might be the only one on this board whose S.O. spends some multiple of what I do on clothes. She's a model so she gets quite a bit of it for free, but will think nothing of blowing several hundred dollars on a new bag -- of which she already has several dozen, all in mint condition, all very stylish.

And don't even mention shoes. I have about twenty pair, which I think puts me in the top 1% for my gender, but she just laughs when I ask her about her shoes. I think she thinks they're Kleenex.

But I can't complain -- this is all on her own bank account; I wouldn't dare buy her an article of clothing.

 

[rdawson808]

I am also in the lucky bunch. My girlfriend complete understands and even supports my vanity (as I call it). She thinks I look wonderful dressed up. And now that she is finished with grad school (commencement this last Sat) and will be working, she'll be spending on herself as well. We go well together.

bob

 

[kabert]

My wife has recently made a comment or two about shoes -- "is that 'another' new pair of shoes?" and the like. I made the mistake also, recently, of buying a pair of shoes from an EBay seller who only ships to "confirmed" addresses, meaning it had to come to my house. That one led to something like, "I think you may have more shoes than I do." But, I can't complain. She's generally wonderfully nonchalant about the clothes and shoes that have my closet rather full. I think (no, I'm sure) it helps that we have three 3 checking accounts -- mine, hers and a joint one. I pay for my various clothing/shoe credit card (and wine...) purchases from my account. So, she has absolutely no clue how much I spend on shoes and clothes. I can't imagine the tyranny of having just one joint family account.

 

[JBZ]

My wife is generally very understanding (although, like kabert, I do get the eye rolls with regard to shoes). One thing that has helped me (and I'm about to commit heresy here) is that I don't ever purchase suits anymore. I am full time business casual, so I don't have the need for new suits (and I own enough so that, on the social occasions when I do where one, I'm covered). Not having to buy new suits on a semi-regular basis really keeps costs down.

The only time in recent memory when she put her foot down is when I told her that I wanted to buy a new suit for my sister-in-law's upcoming wedding. The response I got was, "Why do you need a new suit? What about the suits you already have and never wear?" (quite frankly, she was right - darn it). Other than that, though, she's pretty cool about the whole thing, and she likes the fact that I try to look good when we go out.

She also has a pretty good eye for things, and she's stopped me from making a poor sartorial choice from time to time.

 

[Luc-Emmanuel]

Well, she'd better : a wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband, like God intended.

.luc

 

[thinman]

My wife has recently made a comment or two about shoes -- "is that 'another' new pair of shoes?" and the like. I made the mistake also, recently, of buying a pair of shoes from an EBay seller who only ships to "confirmed" addresses, meaning it had to come to my house. That one led to something like, "I think you may have more shoes than I do." But, I can't complain. She's generally wonderfully nonchalant about the clothes and shoes that have my closet rather full. I think (no, I'm sure) it helps that we have three 3 checking accounts -- mine, hers and a joint one. I pay for my various clothing/shoe credit card (and wine...) purchases from my account. So, she has absolutely no clue how much I spend on shoes and clothes. I can't imagine the tyranny of having just one joint family account.

Three checking account. kabert, you're a very wise man.