[QUOTE=tbchick84;7974321]
Sure I dress just like that to go to the barn complete with perfectly styled hair and makeup like the woman in the photo. [/QUOTE]
Oh, of course! This is what I looked like when I got home from the barn tonight: http://d21w1ago704mi4.cloudfront.net/full/ers-304094.jpg
:lol:
Even at work my sartorial style hovers between unmade bed and homeless casual. The clothes are just cleaner. :lol:
I cannot imagine wearing my Barbour coat to the BARN! Maybe a clinic or something, and not to ride in. It was far too expensive to get dirty. :lol: and it isn’t very warm. More of a spring/fall coat.
My barn coat is my old LL bean parka from 1999 over carhartts from around the same era. The stuffing is coming out and I have hand sewn it back together. Luckily my boarder shares my sartorial ethos and no one else sees us!
I just thought about this the other day when I was getting a pedicure nest to a woman dressed to the nines in her horse logo gear,it screamed"I have a horse!" She indeed confirmed my suspicions by informing me she had three nice dressage horses.I was also informed that"Diego",her assigned horse slave did everything and she didn’t even have to groom them! I remarked that I enjoyed grooming my Arab and it was our bonding time. That is why he puts up with me! Lol In Florida it is usually too hot to wear anything really cute. I ride in irredion tights and kerrits sleeveless shirts. I do have longer Goode rider shirts for cooler days(all 3 of them.)
I do crossover my quilted kerrits winter jackets and wear them for street wear.If I lived in let’s say,Virginia, I would probably wear nicer clothes!
[QUOTE=shiloh;7969788]
I used to board with a woman that would come to the barn dressed in white linen. She never got dirty - ever. 
:rolleyes:[/QUOTE]
I’ve known people who can do this, well, granted the white linen were bib overalls, but still… . Moi? Even if I don’t hug the horses, even if I don’t groom them or change a blanket, I come away dirty.
After I groom my horse, I have a clean flick brush for removing hair from my clothes. And when it gets really bad, I have a pair of Rosie’s coveralls in my trunk. Although I’ve found that grooming from a step helps keep the hair and dust from ALL landing on me.
Wear nice clothes to the BARN? Really???
1st of all, I can’t afford any nice clothes, because I have horses.
2nd of all, if I did have any nice clothes, I would not wear them to the barn, nor anywhere on my property. My little farm eats clothing. Shreds, stains, tears it all up.
3rd, I don’t have anywhere “nice” to wear “nice clothes” because those places are a bit pricey. (see#1 above)
And last, but not least, I used to wear really REALLY nice clothes, and it got to be such an ego trip even I could no longer stand to be with myself.
So I wear “just a cut above bag lady” to the barn and try to clean it up just a bit when I want to hit the grocery store or local latte shop. :winkgrin:
Default Do You Wear Nice, Cute, Pricey Clothes to the Barn?
In my dreams.
I sometimes think that people who wear the cute pricey horsey-themed clothes to the barn are posers.
My barn clothes are the nice clothes that have become too beaten and worn to remain in the nice section of my closet. Old faded jeans, turtle necks with tattered cuffs, old but serviceable sweatshirts and sweaters, old polar fleece tops and bottoms, regularly recycled t-shirts, winter jackets and parkas used year after year, and Walmart snow pants. I do insist on good technical thermal wear, warm hats and socks, unlined leather ranch gloves, and good boots/shoes. None of it ever crosses the line to my nice clothes. The dirt, hair and equine/mucking aromas make sure of that!
Maybe I am a poser. I am an amateur rider who surely cannot jump 3’6" without giving it a hairy eye. I have bad days were I am a trainwreck, but I also have brilliant days.
What is consistent? I buy clothes specifically for the barn and I strive to look tidy every time I go to the barn. Perhaps I am shallow, but when I am dressed nicely for the barn, I am more upbeat. I am relaxed, happy, and in a good mood. Who doesn’t like looking pretty? And this transfers into my riding. Since I originally started my barn stay in a good mood, when horsey is being a bit of an ass, my original good mood helps me get through it.
So yes. I school in tailored sportsman that conceal my lumps and bumps. I wear a polo, or some “plain” V-neck shirt/long sleeve, or a super fine merino sweater, or a flannel/button down, or a down vest to look polished.
I buy these clothes for no more than $40 an article (Sans the TS breeches; I double them as my show breeches, though). I buy from Banana Republic, Gap, or J.Crew outlets… or sometimes Uniqlo has awesome sales.
Why do I do this? Because it is my way of being committed and showing dedication. When I look frumpy, I feel frumpy. Not because of how people perceive me. I really give two craps less if people think I look overdressed. I do this for myself.
Maybe it’s just me… I spent three days in a row cleaning 30 years of junk (bad junk with bird poo) out of my family’s 200 year old barn. Hauled 2 hay wagon loads of scrap lumber to the burn pile. Sat there and had a beer. Wore the same blue jeans, bandana and fire resistant hoodie all three days. Dusted myself off, removed a layer, blew my nose and put on some lipstick… stopped by a family get together at the fire hall Sunday afternoon and was not the worst dressed person there. My sister-in-law even commented… “nice fashion statement, Coach purse and Bogs boots… what have you been up to today?”
I don’t think I repel dirt any more than your average person. When you start with nice clothes and take care of them… I will say that I don’t buy jeans with fake wear patches in them. I put real ones in. And when I show up in public wearing equestrian fashion its the real thing.
ETA: :lol: when I re-read ^that^ I thought: "I sound like either The Most Interesting Woman in the World, or a Pretentious A$$ and I’m not The Most Interesting Woman in the World :lol:
[QUOTE=pony baloney;7976593]
I sometimes think that people who wear the cute pricey horsey-themed clothes to the barn are posers.[/QUOTE]
And sometimes I think people who wear ratty oversized sweatshirts and stained breeches to the barn are slobs. I wasn’t just going to volunteer that uncharitable opinion, but since you snarked first…
[QUOTE=SmartAlex;7969407]
I buy the nice, cute pricey clothing. I figure if I’m going to be covered in horse hair, slobber, poop and smell like last weeks’ gym bag that I may as well look like I tried underneath all that. The fabrics and cuts wear and look so much better after years in a barn. I am extremely particular about my riding clothes. I won’t even let my husband wash them. They were carefully chosen and I love them.[/QUOTE]
This is me. I like to feel/look my best when I am riding. it just makes me feel good.
This is my barn jacket- it isn’t crazy expensive, but I feel great in it and it keeps me warm. http://www.doversaddlery.com/ariat-landgraf-jacket/p/X1-40943/?ids=g5yk3ecop2ixy0mex0mip5rp
Whoever the enabler was that posted the FITS Allie jacket, I am seriously disappointed that Google searches are not turning up ANYTHING! Dressage Extensions only have a small in black available.
http://www.dressageextensions.com/images\large\64892.jpg
So sad.
Some of my clothes are specifically bought for riding, while others are not. Cold Gear Under Armour has multiple purposes, especially in the Canadian winter. :winkgrin:
If I didn’t have to muck (and could somehow get my horse to not use me as an unexpected kleenex) I would probably dress more nicely. There is just no good seasons IMO for looking good at the barn. Spring=shedding, summer=sweating, fall=shedding again, winter would be ok, except my barn jacket makes me look like a baked potato (so warm though!) and I look ugly in hats.
I can pull off a semi cute fall outfit with a quarter zip + ear band for head warmth. But that only works if my horse is blanketed and not licking me with her alfalfa lips! I do remember looking like less of a slob before I had to muck- we muck into tubs that I have to lift into a spreader, so I generally get something foul on my shirt in the lifting process.
TL: DR I ride at a private farm where hardly anyone witnesses my ratty outfits, and I focus my efforts on looking cute at work.
These shoes would go great with the jacket!!!
http://www.zappos.com/lucchese-m4635-pearl-multi-stud?ef_id=VLfWlwAAAXJODT8R:20150202145353:s
I buy nicer clothes for the barn than in my real life! However, I don’t think I have ever paid full price and am a true bargain shopper.
Since I wear scrubs to work and don’t go out much unless I am with horsie folks my barn clothes are my nice going out clothes too:)
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