Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with wear

How can a guy dress more sexy?

oxit — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:19:46 -0800

How can a guy dress more sexy? Being a guy I have a good understanding how women can dress more sexy, but for myself I have little clue. How do I dress more sexy for the opposite gender?

I have a decent wardrobe of things that I bought specifically for their looks and I do actively combine them so that they fit together and I supposedly look good. Still I wouldn't say it or I ever look sexy or hot.

If this is a stupid question, because (1) I already do look sexy, or (2) I have to behave sexy instead or (3) ... feel free to let me know, also.

[Background: Central Europe, 30-ish, average sporty, fashionable, and outgoing, healthy BMI]

Will the cheese in my fridge outlast a pair of Pumas?

blueberry — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:28:31 -0800

Am I expecting too much from a pair of Puma sneakers? I recently got some brown and yellow Pumas and liked them. However, a couple of days ago—about 7 weeks to the day since getting them—enough of the tread is gone that a hole has formed in the air-filled "cell" heel. Now I get that squishy "fsshhh" sound each time I put my left foot down.

This is my first pair of Pumas (and I was planning on buying more in the future), but are they not for everyday use or something? Should I have only been wearing these indoors on carpet? I'm a student, so I walk between classes and around downtown a bit, but it's not like I've been cross-training on broken glass.

Fellow Puma-wearers—especially those Pumas with the air-filled "cell" heel (this not my shoe, but you can see a similar example here)—do you usually get more than 7 weeks from your Pumas? Or was this pair just perhaps defective?

What to wear to a wedding on an apple farm?

Pineapplicious — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:26:22 -0800

I'm invited to a wedding in October on an apple farm in the upper Hudson Valley, NY. We will be in a drafty barn and outdoors in the late afternoon into evening. The wedding invitation says to dress "dressy casual". It is going to be cool to cold. So, what do I wear? I'm female and in my mid-40s.

How long can you leave your iphone turned on without damaging it?

leemajors — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:22:29 -0800

I've taken to using one of the apps available in the iphone app store as a desk clock. It sits on its dock, charging, with the display on all day. At the end of the day when I leave work, it feels warm. Am I doing it damage by keeping it on for so long every day?

Re-tireing Too Young

Kid Charlemagne — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 09:42:24 -0800

I've got some extreme irregular tire wear going on with my trailer and, when in doubt, query the hive mind. So I bought one of those cargo trailers they sell at the big box hardware stores. Use it mostly for recreational purposes. Coming back from our last trip I noticed that the edges of both trailer tires looked brutally chewed, sort of like you'd expect if they were routinely under inflated except much worse.

I can't find evidence of anything rubbing against anything, and while they were a few PSI low, the damage I'm seeing is more significant than I'd expect from that. So before I replace them and chew up another pair of tires, does anyone have any thoughts on how to prevent this?

Source of creaky sounds in an older model vehicle plus general maintenance questions?

limonade — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 18:26:01 -0800

Source of creaky sounds in an older model vehicle plus general maintenance questions? I have a car that is well over 10 years old. It's a Honda and I've always gotten regular oil changes and other critical maintenance, so I hope to have it run to another 80,000 miles (until it reaches 200,000 miles).

I have a few different questions. First of all, the car has started making rather creaky sounds towards the rear. It sound sort of similar to what you'd hear riding in a big school bus. Just as the car hits bumps in the road, things sound creaky and a little bit loose. What would this most likely be?

Second, how important is maintenance of the outer body of the car to making it last? For example, I've had some rather large dents and other things that I just left as is. I don't follow the dealer recommended maintenance. But I am religious about oil changes. What is the most essential maintenance for making a car last?

Finally, at some point I will have to get a new-to-me car. What are the best ways to maintain the appearance of your car over time? Since I live and park on the street in a city that has a lot of snow, my cars have always a beating and after a while, they just look scratched up and worse for the wear. I'm wondering if there are any simple and expensive tips for maintaining their appearance and new look longer or if really, on NEW cars will stay looking new for long.

Cute Hat or Cootie Hat?

cachondeo45 — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 09:09:37 -0800

Found: 100% acrylic (super cute, made in USA) winter hat on the (mostly abandoned) street in 20ºF weather (on New Year's Day). I washed it. Can I wear it? Not to be a cootie phobe, but do you think it's safe to wear now? My thoughts were that the cold probably killed any cooties, and then I washed it, but I wanted to check with the more experienced hatted hive mind just in case.

Shall I just go in naked? How to dress for an interview in an art school

slimeline — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 01:34:22 -0800

I got an interview for a post of a senior lecturer in a art school in London, my role will be the head of theory studies in one of the creative departments. What shall I wear for the interview? I will be interviewed by both students and staff. All the students think they will be the next Damien Hurst. I want to look creative and approachable, belonging both to the art world and to the academia, and easy to get on with. I know this school quite well as I was a post-graduate student there ten years ago and later I taught part time. The atmosphere is very relaxed; some lecturers wear casual trousers and jackets, others are showing off disposable income and style – I remember one lecturer wearing a big gold angel on the lapel of his leather jacket. I think that style is highly appreciated there and potentially can be significant for the outcome of the interview.

I am male 43, 13 stone, 5'7, shaved head, people often tell me that I look quite intimidating, and i don't want to come across that way in the interview.

So I was thinking smart suit with dress boots, shirt with a print pattern, no tie. But the thing is that I know very little about suits – I don't even own one. I wore a suit 3 times in my life. In my current job I wear chinos and a shirt, but then it is a boring technical university.(In a moment of panic I thought of ordering a Savile Row suit, luckily they take three months to make and I only have two weeks - not that I could afford one anyway).

So what shall I wear? Does my suggestion sounds reasonable, or shall I go for something more traditional / casual? And if I go and buy a suit, will an off the peg suit be good enough? And how do I choose the right style? As I said, I am a suit virgin. I had a look at Marx and Spencer website, and this looks nice, but I am not sure if it will be appropriate.

Thanks for taking the time and for your help.

How can I save my sole?

There's No I In Meme — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 07:45:04 -0800

Why do I wear down the heel of my shoes so quickly?
I ground the rubber on the very rear-most part of the sole (slightly to the outside) down to nothing within 4 months on every pair of dress shoes I buy.
Is there anything I can do other than take them for repairs? I'm an average-sized male with no foot / leg problems and tend to walk relatively little in the nice dress shoes I am wearing down. I don't think there's anything remarkable about my stride or the terrain.

Sneaky sneaker savers?

cholly — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:11:48 -0800

Has anybody got any idea/strategies/proven methods to stop my orthotics tearing up the inside of my new shoes? Ok, so I've just retired a pair of Converse One Stars only 6 months after I bought them. My previous pair of DC shoes lasted 8 months and the DC's before that 7 months. My shoes have followed a similar pattern before this as well.

The problem is that my custom orthotics first tear up the bit of the shoe behind the heel, and then break the plastic support bit inside it (which I normally then stick some gaffa tape over and it will get me through for a bit longer). But then the hard plastic of the orthotic starts cutting into the walls and base of the shoe, and then they go from being mega comfortable to downright annoying.

Part of the problem is that my foot is rather wide and so my orthotic is always just wider than the original insert that come in most shoes, which is what causes wear on the walls of them.

I just bought a very pretty (and pricey) pair of Nike Dunk sneakers and I'd very much like them to last a little longer than my last few pairs of sneakers have. I really hate having to spend upwards of $120 on sneakers every 6 months.

So I know that some of you will just tell me that I need to buy cheaper shoes. But we all know that's not going to happen (and anyway, cheaper shoes fall apart even sooner than these).

As an aside: the Australian dollar is doing brilliantly against the US dollar at the moment. If anyone knows of any good shoe websites that will ship to Australia, I'd be very interested in hearing from them. =)

Why do some people wear shoes indoors?

pravit — Mon, 26 May 2008 14:03:14 -0800

Why do some people wear shoes in the house? I was raised in a (East Asian) household where we took our shoes off after entering the house, so as to avoid tracking dirt and mud around the carpets. I'm aware that South Asians, Middle Easterners, some Europeans (Scandinavians at least) and even some Canadians do this as well.

However, growing up in the American southwest, I noticed that most people don't bother taking off their shoes when they enter their homes, and some even lie on their beds with their shoes on. There were a few people with very tidy homes who insisted that people take off their shoes, but they were exceptions to the norm. As far as I can tell, wearing shoes in the house seems to be mainly an American and British thing.

I'm curious why exactly people do this. I can understand that some people don't care about getting a little dirt on the floor, but from a comfort perspective it seems that it would be a lot nicer to walk around on those carpets and lie on the bed barefoot. I always look foward to taking my shoes off after coming home (and I'm a guy!)

From a convenience point of view, it doesn't take very long to take off shoes. I can see wearing shoes just to run in and grab something, but my question is more about the people who basically don't take off their shoes until bedtime.

But I'm wondering if there is also a cultural reason - do Americans/Brits see wearing shoes as a necessary part of being presentable, like wearing shirts and pants? Is going barefoot akin to walking around shirtless, or walking around with your fly unzipped?

Or is it because I was present - e.g. they might normally take off their shoes, but feel it is weird to take off their shoes in front of a guest (for the cultural reasons I mentioned above)?

I've also heard foot odor suggested, but I honestly don't buy that the vast majority of Americans have foot odor problems (and even if they do, it seems like a chicken-and-egg problem).

I realize there may be a variety of reasons why different people don't take off their shoes, and I'm interested in hearing all of them. I don't mean this to be chatfilter - I've honestly been curious about this for a while, and I'm not trying to promote my own views about it (sorry if my question came off like that).

Am I doomed to buy three pairs of sneakers a year?

goingonit — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:45:58 -0800

What are some durable everyday men's sneakers? I walk a lot and I shuffle my feet. I've been wearing New Balance shoes for awhile (usually I buy the "casual" or "retro" ones like 574s; I know they're not the best but I like the style and find them comfortable), and I find I tend to wear holes in the soles after about 4 months of daily use. What sneakers can I buy that I can wear every day for more than four months?

I can't dress myself!!!

bolognius maximus — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:25:18 -0800

What to wear? I don't want to commit a fashion faux pas... I am having dinner at Charlie Trotter's in Chicago this weekend. But I am a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl, with little experience 'dressing up'. I thought that I could wear this really nice black dress I have, but should I wear black tights/stockings, or a color? Are black shoes ok, or would I be violating the spring dress code? Or do I need to go out and start fresh? Any helpful thoughts on fine dining?

Formal Christmas Attire

sir_rubixalot — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:57:24 -0800

So I am looking for ideas as to what to wear to this year's company Christmas party. The theme is Naughty is Nice. I am not looking for anything too naughty, but more along the lines of something formal but outlandish. Any place that I could rent something for one night in the San Francisco area would be perfect. I have a couple of ideas, suit with a tophat/cane, maybe a leisure suit, anything that would turn heads. Oh yes, I am a guy and I am not too into the assless leather chaps/gag ball/leather thong.

Where to get a business wardrobe?

phaedrus441 — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 05:24:14 -0800

Where can I load up on *cool* business clothes? I am moving overseas for a year and need to be wear suits to work EVERY DAY. Right now I have one suit (charcoal color), and probably two dress shirts and ties that I am not embrassed to wear (as well as one pair of nice Kenneth Cole shoes to wear).

My company says that three suits is the minimum (I'll be in Japan and perhaps I could just buy more there-- drop a line if you know much about that). They also said that it's best to have shirts/ties to last two weeks.

Where should I go to load up? Money, of course, matters, but I want quality, too. I thought about Jos A Banks or something like that and I think I could get everything I need there, but it'll be too expensive (plus I'm a 24 year-old and want to be fashionable, unlike the middle-aged golfers that all work at my office).

Also, bonus points for the shirts that don't need ironing ;)

Where should I go? Should I just buy some cheaper suits someplace that I could replace if they wear out? Should I spend more and get better quality/style? How many should I buy now vs. waiting?

Since it's Tokyo, it'll be hot in the summer, but not *too* cold (not much snow) in the winter.

My time frame is...Now. I leave in early May and want to get this nailed down.

Thanks!

How to dress at a Mexican wedding?

kmel — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 17:16:28 -0800

Going to a nighttime wedding in Mexico -- what do we wear? Our American friend is marrying a Mexican woman in Monterrey. It's safe to bet the ceremony will be Catholic. So, what do I and my husband wear? Can either of us wear black? Anything else we should know?

I'm... Too casual for this shirt? (UK)

badlydubbedboy — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 06:40:36 -0800

I have to go on a few job interviews for web producer positions in the UK. I've got a suit, and a collarless black jacket/suit which I quite like and isn't too far off the norm. But I need a good shirt. What colour shirt should I go for? White? Blue? Lilac? Should it be a "name" shirt eg Boss, Ralph Lauren or will any good quality shirt do?

What to wear to a job interview?

medpt — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 22:38:51 -0800

I'm interviewing for a developer position at a software company in Silicon Valley in a couple of weeks. The dress code there is casual. What should I wear to the interview? I don't have much of an instinct for fashion; left to my own devices, I think I would wear khakis, a button down shirt, and a tie. This feels really boring. Plus, is a tie necessary? Are there more interesting or stylish options? Can you recommend any specific retailers?

I'm meeting with several people over 6-7 hours, so I'd like to be comfortable.

I'm male, mid-twenties, medium build.

Crud-tolerant DVD players?

NortonDC — Wed, 22 Dec 2004 13:59:54 -0800

Crud-tolerant DVD players. My new-ish Sony commonly locks or hiccups on Netflix discs, but I've read that other people go years without problems, and googling reveals that Sony players may be particularly prone to this. What models or brands of DVD players (not PC drives) are good at handling worn/scratched/dirty discs?