This is not my idea; it’s my husband’s because fashion chic is not my forté. The color has to feel right. The fabric has to feel right. The fit of the clothing has to be right. Ten minutes or three hours later, I rip those clothes off because they don’t feel right, and my breathing slows down because I was frantic about the feeling. Matching clothing, which is the barest essential of fashion sense, gets ignored in favor of “feeling right.”
Right now, I am wearing a dark blue t-shirt with a complex art piece on it in yellow, red, mauve, and baby blue and my red, pink, and white plaid pajama pants and my pink and purple fuzzy socks. Today, when I went to work out, I wore that outfit with my brown and pink Etnies (fantastically comfortable skater shoes). Evidently, my color and pattern choices do not constitute an outfit. My daughter can attest to this when, as a teen, she started saying, “You’re going to wear that? Um, I think you had better change, Mummy.”
My husband joked that I need an adult version of Garanimals, which has animals on the tag so the wearer can easily identify which animal top goes with which animal bottom. Comfort and wearing the right-feeling color are huge issues. Maybe Garanimals and Soft Clothing need to collaborate to develop a line of adult Autti/Aspie clothing.
I will be an expert adviser for free clothing!
One last tip: Do get skater (skateboarding) shoes. I have a pair of black VANS and a pair of brown and pink Etnies, and both are über comfortable. Also, since with my sensory processing disorder, I wear the skater shoes because they are flat and stable on the bottom with good support on the inside so I don’t lose my balance as often. Mind you, I still never put my shoes on near the stairs.
[New Post] Garanimals and Soft Clothing for Adults with Autism/Asperger’s…if only. – via @twitoaster http://www.eileenparker.com/2010/04/gara…
I have horrible clothing issues too. Check out lane bryant, some of their new stuff is of different fabrics…if you can fit into a 14/16 or like things a little big maybe you can find something 🙂
i often wear my clothes inside out!– particularly night gowns!
also, i’ve just recently noticed that if i curl my toes under, to create more sensation at the tips of the toes, it seems to help with balance. i don’t really think it’s realistic, though, so i’ve been thinking of trying to invent something — a toe stimulator! — that i could wear in my shoes.
As always your insight explains so many things. Though my son is the one w diagnosed sensory needs, my daughter is the one who will come up with the amazing outfits you speak of with refusal to change…though for her it may actually be because she’s three. BTW. …I used to be “hysteria”. Take care.
Aileen!
Nice to hear from you. For those of you reading, check out Aileen’s blog at http://adventuresoftheperpetuallyantisocial.blogspot.com/
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When I first heard of Soft Clothing my reaction was ‘where are the adult versions!’. I would love one of their soft t-shirts, they look so comfy.
Fortunately, I work in IT so I don’t have to put on stiff scratchy office wear but can comfortably go to work in t-shirts, jeans and sneakers.
I am not autistic, but have OCD and other illnesses. And clothing bothers me excessively…I exchange things all the time, then rebuy the same. I am tormented by the labels on clothes and when clothes feel harsh! It would be great for someone to come up with a line of soft, soft clothes without labels. I sometimes think OCD is related to AUTISM in some ways. I used to take my pj’s off and put them on and take them off many times whenI was little girl