Clothes (S03E26)

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This episode’s vocabulary

• Fashionista (noun) — a devoted follower of fashion.
• To take an interest (phrase) — to be concerned or curious about something.
• Baggy (adj.) — (of clothing) loose and hanging in folds.
• To reassess (verb) — consider or assess again, in the light of new or different factors.
• Unconventional (adj.) — not based on or conforming to what is generally done or believed.
• Industrious (adj.) —diligent and hard-working.
• To stitch (verb) — make, mend, or join (something) with stitches.
• Neurotic (noun/adj.) — someone who is always frightened or worried about things that you consider unimportant.

We have also added these words to a “Quizlet” set for you to study and revise in your free time: bit.ly/quizlets03e26

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Questions and Answers

Maria: Are clothes and clothing fashions important to you?

Rory: Not really, I’m not much of a fashionista, but recently I’ve been looking at some cool stuff that’s key that keeps being advertised on Instagram, and I’ve been taking a bit more of an interest. But it’s definitely not the most important thing for me.
Maria: What different clothes do you wear for different situations?

Rory: Um. Well, I suppose I’ll dress formally for proper work occasions, and then informally whenever it’s… you know, just, like, day to day work. I’m quite lucky in the sense that I don’t have to wear, like, a uniform or a suit and tie or anything like this for the kind of work that I do right now.

Maria: Do you wear different styles of clothes now compared to 10 years ago?

Rory: Oh, definitely, yeah. I used to wear clothes that were much baggier, for example. But now, I suppose they’re a bit more close fitting, a bit better fitting in general, probably. Indeed, after some prompting from you Maria, I decided to reassess my wardrobe, so it’s panned out quite well in that sense. So yeah, I’ve definitely changed my fashion tastes over the last 10 years, over the last decade, for sure.

Maria: Good for you, Rory. I’m proud of you. When I saw…

Rory: You’re proud of me for doing exactly what you told me to do.

Maria: Exactly, yeah, because when I saw you for the first time, you were wearing some what… dirty, torn jeans…😤

Rory: I was a bit of a mess.

Maria: You were! Were you in this Gothic stuff? Like into Goth thing?

Rory: I attempted to be a Goth for a day, but then I realized it would be… the demands are a bit onerous, to be honest, especially in terms of the makeup. So, no.

Maria: Do you think the clothes we wear say something about who we are?

Rory: A wee bit… I think I’ve noticed that if people dress more unconventionally than they tend to be a bit more free thinking and a bit more creative, whereas people that dress more formally tend to be a bit more… what’s the word… They’re a bit more organised and sort of industrious, work and task oriented. So, yeah, it says a little bit, but I don’t think it’s the defining feature of people. Also like are people this way because of how they dress or do they dress because they have these kinds of personality traits… But it’s definitely… There’s some connection there for sure.

Maria: Do you often buy clothes?

Rory: Um, well, still not often enough. Usually I wear things until they fall apart and even then I can stitch them back together again in some cases. But I’m going to start trying to buy clothes more often just because I’m kind of getting into fashion. Not seriously, but there are some nice clothes out there that I think I would like to buy.

Maria: Rory, are clothes important to you?

Rory: Well, I suppose in the sense that they keep me warm and looking reasonable and then they express a bit of my personality — yes. But I don’t think it’s, like, the most important thing by any means. I think it’s more important to have, like, a decent character, for example.

Maria: Do you have your favorite pair of jeans that you hang on to?

Rory: Yes, I’ve got two favorite pairs of jeans, actually. They’re sitting next to me.

Maria: Oh, all right 😏 What kinds of clothes do you wear?

Rory: Um, I usually just wear… Well, since we’re talking about jeans, I usually just wear jeans and long sleeved shirts, for example. That’s what I’ll wear on a daily basis just because it’s comfortable. And then if I’m going on a night out or something that I might wear a slightly nicer dress shirt, for example. But it’s usually this combination of jeans and long sleeved shirts.

Maria: Would you ever spend much money on clothes?

Rory: Um, up until recently, I probably would have said no. But lately I’ve been spending more money on clothes just because… I have it now. And I kind of like trying on different things now. Like I say, it’s not the biggest thing in the world, but it’s still quite cool to look good.

Maria: Yes. I agree. Do you think men and women have the same view of clothing?

Rory: No, not in the slightest. In the main, obviously, people are unique and different, but in the main, men tend to be more relaxed about what they wear, whereas women… Well, they’ve got a much greater range of options in terms of what they can wear, (women) tend to be more neurotic about getting the right combinations. Although it does pay off in the end because a lot of people are quite well dressed. You’re well dressed, for example. But I think men and women, generally speaking, have very different attitudes about clothing. Which is ironic because some of the main… like, leading fashion designers, are men. But then they are outliers. So that’s probably not the same as the majority of people.

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