I am perfectly comfy in my old and muddy jeans and various careworn fleece's and t-shirts, but I wouldn't like to be seen in public in any of my gardening outfits. I don't believe in doing anything at arms length and by the end of a busy day weeding and pruning etc I could often pass for a scarecrow!
As a gardener myself, i find that this time of year, the most useful thing I wear is a brimmed woolen hat(a bit like 'Radar's' hat from M*A*S*H),a good quilted body warmer,cargo trousers and a good set of long johns!
Well, I'm afraid it's good old jeans and t-shirt for me, along with jumper, either with holes in or paint all over the sleeves and hubby's National Geographic fleece in winter. Then in summer, I tend to wear my old linen trousers which are cool and comfortable and either a t-shirt or spaghetti straps, the latter sometimes with a light shirt over the top to protect my shoulders. Footwear is always old trainers but I'm not really a hat person, so I have to be careful if it's really sunny and make sure I drink lots.
I'm glad not to be the only one who wears old clothes for gardening in! I suddenly feel quite trendy. My garb tends to be layers of old clothing which can be adjusted according to the weather and how hard I'm labouring. For most of the year, footwear is almost always an old pair of walking boots. Can't stand gloves though as I like to feel the plants and soil.
When my daughters were teenagers it was quite satisfying to go out in the garden looking suitably shabby and muddy just to see the look of horror and disbelief on their 'street cred' faces. Now I am just shabby and muddy (and contented) because that is inevitable in the garden and my 'street cred' daughters have now grown up and have joined me!
Armani indeed. My gardening sartorial statement consists of heavy duty boiler suits 2 sizes too big acquired at regular intervals from the local NFU. Flattering they ain't, but they do simultaneously allow for serious layering in winter and protection from hoary sunburnt arms in summer. Best of all there's not the remotest danger of builders bum. And all those delicious pockets and loops - perfect for felcos, lables, seed packets, bits of string, the essential leatherman etc, while also the occasional repository for long lost delights. Only the other day I unearthed 2x £10 notes and an ancient pack of gauloises (untipped). Those were the days.
Scruffiness seems to be the order of the day among most of you - that and comfort. Very sensible. As a matter of interest - does anybody out there garden in wooden clogs or 'tackety boots'? (Reference to Oor Wullie who, for those of a Southern persuasion, is a long running cartoon character from the Sunday Post).
I garden in old pair of new style zip up dms, cheap jeans cost a fiver in the sale about 2 yrs ago and are now riding up leg, and long grey hoody to avoid builders bum. I feel like my soul is cleansed.
April to October - t-shirt and shorts, walking boots. November to March - body warmer with lots of pockets, old jeans and sweat shirt. Vary rarely a cap.
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