LITTLE ROCK — Q. Yesterday while I was at the mall I bought myself a new sweater. When I took it out of the bag, my wife said, "Not another blue sweater!" I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I realized I have something that's just about identical. Why would I do something like that, and do you have a good excuse for me to not return it?
A. For most of us, clothes are not just clothes. Certainly, when shopping, we consider what are the basics in our wardrobe for work and weekend and what are the extras, and there are often other things that enter the picture when we decide which clothes to buy. But an indefinable something always clinches the deal. Somehow, our clothes express our inner selves and inner values, or at least we hope they do.
When we shop, and also when we select something to wear that's already in our closet, various emotional and not-so-rational components of the decision-making process come into play. Women have always been aware of this. They have categories of clothes for different occasions and for projecting different messages: businesslike, elegant, chic, sexy, soccer mom. Women prefer the particular designers and manufacturers who fit their comfort level and who most clearly help them send these signals. Men, on the other hand, areusually less conscious of making such choices.
Just as the cars people choose to drive are part of how we identify ourselves, so too are our clothes. They're an important part of how we define ourselves. They help us express our image to the world. And of even more importance, if we know how we want the world to see us, we can pretty much control that process by selecting clothes that send the specific message we are aiming for.
While many of our decisions are on an unconscious level, some aspects of our choices result from clear thinking and conscious decisions. Color is a good example.After a certain number of years of looking in the mirror, as well as getting feedback from others (compliments, in particular), most intelligent people have figured out what colors make them look their best. Then, if they use good judgment, they decide to emphasize those flattering colors in their wardrobes and they avoid the other colors that either bring no positive response or that result in such questions as, "Are you feeling OK?" or "Have you beensick?" These remarks are shorthand for, "You don't look good in that color."
Sometimes our decisions about what to buy don't make much economic sense. We see an item we like, we may have a few at home that are similar, we certainly don't need it, but still we buy it. Something about it triggers an inner need or some longtime desire or maybe even a current whim.
If the item is expensive - such as a suit - we should pause and think twice before making the purchase. But if it is not expensive, the cost can be overlooked or ignored. We might as well indulge our whim. Why not? Life is short. If buying something small and inexpensive brings us pleasure beyond the moment, there does not seem any compelling reason to deny ourselves.
In your case, that second sweater could serve as a backup (or a "jinx" against damaging your favorite), or it may be something you are more comfortable taking on trips, leaving in a vacation home, or wearing in situations where it may be damaged, knowing your security sweater is still there.
Q. You recently wrote about underwear called Equmen that was made of a combination of fibers that included spandex. I've often seen labels that mention spandex and wondered just exactly what it is. Can you explain? And can you tell me why it makes clothes fit differently?
A. Spandex is a strong, elastic, manmade fiber that is frequently blended with other fibers to make them stretchier. It is compatible with virtually any fiber or yarn - cotton, wool, rayon, nylon, polyester and linen. Made from combining several chemical ingredients into a stretch fiber, "Spandex" (the word is an anagram of "expands") was invented in 1959 by DuPont scientists as a substitute for rubber. DuPont's own trademark name is Lycra. So Lycra is always spandex, but spandex may or may not be Lycra.Spandex is the generic name used in the United States and Canada. In Europe it's called "elastane."
Spandex can stretch four to six times its relaxed length and then retract to its original size. It can stretch repeatedly and recover fully without sagging and bagging. Pretty much the next big thing in slimming, compression and performance garments, the material has advantages over rubber: It is more durable, less expensive, weighs less, is more colorfast, drapes better and has greater wrinkle recovery. When spandex is one of the components in a garment, you can expect comfort, movement and shape retention that won't wash away.
The material has affected the clothing market in underwear, swimwear, support hosiery, sportswear and even dress clothes by truly changing the fit and comfort of clothes. As a personal example, I never wore jeans before the introduction of spandex: I had always found that any jeans that looked good did not feel comfortable, and jeans that felt comfortable did not look good. Then I discovered that jeans made with spandex fit me differently and were far more flattering.
As another example, men who wear the Equmen undershirts (which have a higher percentage of spandex than most other compression undershirts) report that their pants fit looser because the spandex brings about a streamlining and reduction in the midsection. Heavier men may get a greater slimming effect, but they might also feel more constricted.
As to whether clothes that include spandex are comfortable, there could well be two opposing responses. Some would say that "a bit of give" (compression) makes for a more comfortable fit. Others might argue the point and say that too high a percentage of stretch (too much compression) is too confining and too restricting. Another negative comfort factor: Spandex is not especially "breathable" in warm weather.
A positive feature claimed by manufacturers of clothes made with spandex is that they help support the body's muscles and therefore improve posture. I'm not sure that definitive tests yet totally prove this point. It probably requires more than the addition of stretch fiber. In the case of some of the more intensive support undergarments, designers build in strategically placed sections of ribbing to accomplish this feat.
In essence, adding even a little spandex somewhat changes the fit, the performance and the aesthetic characteristics of a garment.
And adding a lot can make a major difference. Even so, it is wise to restrict the larger percentages to underwear and sports gear.
Dressier clothes should never be too form-fitting.
Send your questions for Male Call to: lois.fenton@prodigy.net
High Profile, Pages 47, 50 on 08/30/2009