I've been wearing a shirt and tie since I was 18. The only t-shirts I own are the oversized ones I pick up on random occasions (get them as a bonus when buying something for example) and I only ever sleep in them.
This isn't to say I wear the same shirt an tie. Obviously I own dozens but the point is when I dress in the morning all I have to do is:
- grab any socks and pants,
- grab any shirt, trousers and jacket (they are all toned down and guaranteed not to clash),
- and now (the ONLY time I exert my half-asleep brain) pick a tie that isn't too offensive
You are dressed for any occasion, regardless how (in)formal. Never need to think about what to wear, don't need to own different clothes for different occasions, never need to buy new clothes simply because of fashion changes - shirt and tie has been around for decades and is likely to stay until well after I'm dead. The only time I buy new clothes is when I retire old ones due to wear and tear.
Served me well all my life. Never felt overdressed and my friends forgive me if I ever am but the point is that perfect strangers will react positively and are more likely to treat you well and trust you.
Don't you ever get too hot and sweaty wearing a shirt and tie all the time? Do you still wear a shirt and tie to very casual occasions, like a baseball game or a night in playing video games?
I'm being perfectly honest here - I don't own other clothes. This way I can fit all of them in a tiny closet and it makes life easier when moving.
We don't do baseball in the UK but I get your meaning. You can always take the tie off - instant casual. With the local climate there's little chance of getting too hot but I don't wear a sweatshirt underneath the shirt so all I need to do is take the jacket off and unbutton the collar in case the sun makes an appearance in between the fog and the drizzle.
Actually, I did have a problem once, something mentioned here a couple of times. Riding a bicycle would snag the trouser leg occasionally. Fixed that with a safety pin.
While I agree with you that going the more formal route can actually make this easier (you can dress an outfit down by just ditching the tie), I am going to have to disagree that you can just grab any old socks and pants and have them not clash. :)
The big distinction comes in with the belt and shoes colors. A lot of colors of gray I wouldn't wear with non-black shoes and belts. The socks that I wear also depend on if I'm wearing black/dark gray pants or something more Earth tone.
Certain colors work a lot better together than others. While purple can go with black or dark gray, it really pops with brown.
What I have found is that you can never own too many white collared shirts. You can wear them several times a week and no one will notice. You can wear them with a suit, with dress slacks, with chinos, with jeans, etc. A white collared shirt is always a good decision, except when eating Italian.
All my socks are black or at least dark so I don't have to rifle through them. I'm guessing you're American and by pants you mean trousers but it's a lot funnier to think you don't.
I bow my head in respect of your colour coordination. Myself I can hardly tell colours apart let alone match them. I make sure I don't have any vibrant colours so I don't have to make those choices and just make sure the tie has some common theme with the shirt. When in doubt I pick one of the black ones.
I don't know why Americans decided to go with pants over trousers.
My socks are usually only a few colors, and I never seem to have enough. I think my only real life hacker tip for clothing would be to always have way more socks, underwear and undershirts than you need.
I can usually find pants, a shirt and other accessories. But socks? I'm always scrambling to find some.
This isn't to say I wear the same shirt an tie. Obviously I own dozens but the point is when I dress in the morning all I have to do is:
- grab any socks and pants,
- grab any shirt, trousers and jacket (they are all toned down and guaranteed not to clash),
- and now (the ONLY time I exert my half-asleep brain) pick a tie that isn't too offensive
You are dressed for any occasion, regardless how (in)formal. Never need to think about what to wear, don't need to own different clothes for different occasions, never need to buy new clothes simply because of fashion changes - shirt and tie has been around for decades and is likely to stay until well after I'm dead. The only time I buy new clothes is when I retire old ones due to wear and tear.
Served me well all my life. Never felt overdressed and my friends forgive me if I ever am but the point is that perfect strangers will react positively and are more likely to treat you well and trust you.