I'm not sure if there's a thread on this already (least, i couldn't find it) but I'm just interested to know what has most come in the way of how you'd like to dress, in the past, or whatever. I don't really know if this is an issue... but it has been for me.

Two biggest things personally-- school system and climate. It's a law here that students have to dress in proper school attire (when in school, of course) up to year 12.

Attire is:

-the uniform, whatever design it may be, and almost invariably in a fairly disgusting colour(like yellow and green for example. most notably, there was a school with a white-based uniform but with olive polka dots.. I was lucky enough to have a white blouse and navy blue skirt.)

-white, or white-based shoes. (used to be only a genre known as "school shoes", but schools are getting a bit sensible and are starting to allow track/running shoes)

-hair. must be natural, no perming, no dyeing, though it seems like rebonding is kinda allowed. (ew, i don't like that anyhow) Length-- if you have a fringe it must not cover your eyebrows, if you have long hair it must be tied neatly, guys can't have long hair, hair gel not allowed except to keep the hair neat, etc. No hair accessories except for girls who need to tie their hair, in which case it must be a small, simple, preferably dark-coloured hair tie(since everyone is dark-hair here, mostly)

-needless to say, no accessories. No pendants unless there's a formal letter from a parent with religious reasoning, and in that case, pendants must be kept hidden IN the shirt/blouse.

Ok, that's all i can remember offhand where school rules are concerned. Nowadays I can wear almost whatever I want though, and expectedly most of the wardrobe(that i actually use) is black, and some accessories to go, and no one really complains either. However...

I'm from Singapore. AKA the epitome of the equatorial climate(and hazy and clogged up too, much thanks to the indonesian rainforests burning away). As such, there's sometimes a kind of a disparity between how i'd like to dress and how i CAN dress without perspiring my guts out(and omg it's SO HUMID *dies*). I have long, natural black hair, and i really can't leave an airconditioned place without tying it up, or I'd be feeling dirty, messy and Sticky in short order. Applies at night, too.

I can't sensibly wear as many layers as i like, even though i really love coats, i usually have to make do with a really thin cheffon(sp?) blouse as an over-shirt. I don't really care about how black is a good absorber (and supposedly emitter)of heat... nothing is gonna pull me from that colour anyway. but, still.

Needless to say, I'll probably never be able to get a corset and use it here(well, i've never seen one in any store locally, either), even though i'd really really love one. Well.

at least, that's it for me... heh.

Well, I am in Sweden so it's not hot here, atleast not in the winter. The summers can get hot sometimes with temperatures up to 35 degrees celcius and the winters is cold with around +5 to -10 degrees celcius.

I have the same style all around, if it's cold, I just wear some more under...

Black black black, some white and black black black...

I have long hair too and in the summer I can agree with you that it get's sticky etc when it's really hot. I have mine in a constant ponytail (the people who have seen me without this phonytail except on some very choosen pictures is as few as the fingers on one hand) and I find it very comfortable...

We don't have school uniform here and frankly, I don't really know if to think that it's good or bad system really. If we had it here, I would probably been thrown out of school for refusing to wear it, but on the other hand it's good when talking about rich and poor and the difference in between those two etc...

I find the climate in my country to be just fine for me regarding my choise of clothing. I never wear shorts and seldom t-shirts when the sun shines...

Gotta go to class now... Talk to you later! X)

My parents. They think goth is about worshipping the Devil and doing drugs. I've convinced them that "I'm not goth, I just like black." :b

My college doesn't have a dress code, but my high school did. We weren't allowed to have colored hair, hair ornaments, hats, non-Christian religious symbols, band t-shirts, sleevless shirts, and numerous other things.

I have to be careful at work, because I have to dress "professionally".

I live in Texas, and from February to November, the weather is so hellishly hot and dry that we have to ration water, and random fires often spring up, so I can't wear anything long-sleeved or leathery without feeling like I'm going to die of a heat stroke. Luckily, in December and January, the temperatures drop down to the 60's and 70's, so I can wear my warmer clothes.

Of course, money is always a constraint. I can only afford the cheap clothes, and it's hard to find something nice that's cheap.

Money mainly. As I don't have access to a sewing machine and haven't harrassed my costume designer friends to teach me stuff, I'm stuck buying clothing.

Mostly there are few cheap or medium priced clothing options that don't SUCK, either style, quality or durability wise.

I have no parental issues, as I'm well over the age of 18 and now don't even live at home anymore. They never really complained about it anyway, and I've gothed up to go to restaurants etc. before and never heard comments from them.

Other than that I've had jobs in which you are of course restrained. I had a waitressing job in an upscale restaurant that meant I had to wear a suit it was a very dark navy, almost black... I borrowed it off a cousin, but I was free to buy my own and could have had black. I wore a white blouse under it, as that was the best one I had for the job. Other jobs have included office work. Mostly I wore all black, though I do make a more concious effort to occasionally spruce it up with a bit of colour (purple, burgundy etc.). Corporategoth if you will... the flourishes, embellishments and make-up are just toned down to look neat and 'professional'.

Though in my day to day goings on I currently have no restrictions as to clothing, but usually I just wear something that's easy and comfortable (and black). I'm currently at home most of the time, behind a computer, so how I look is of little importance and the need to dress up is gone... and I'm lazy, so I don't feel like bothering to dress up when I'm not going anywhere.

Lilith

My allergy to wool has hampered my style the most, since I have a major attraction to army sweaters, but can't wear them.

SS

What has kept me from getting a full on gothic wardrobe??
jobs, mostly. and it really looks silly to be dressed in crushed velvet when you workat a fruit stand.

That and money. I don't have the cash to go out and get a new wardrobe when I feel like it so I'm always parcing clearance racks for good clothes. I have the essentials. Black pants. Black skirt. Black boots. A good deal of tops. A homemade duster.

In the past, when I was 14, my mom gave a lot of my black clothing away to the Goodwill thinking that it was contributing to my depression. I didn't even realise consciously that I wore a lot of black until she put it out in her attempt to make me feel less depressed. I don't blame her, she didn't have too many resources available to figure out what was really wrong.

After that, it was a slow building preocess.

But anyway, not a whole lot impedes me now except for cash or time. Cash to buy the damn things or time to make the damn things



~blood rose~

For me, like others, it has been my job(s) I've had. My personal style tends to run a bit on the see-through clothing side, so that obviously doesn't fly in Corporate America. I just end up wearing black a lot of the time. The last time I looked remotely goth-ish at work (this had to be over a year ago), I scared a client. She thought I had somehow slipped past security and was there to steal a computer. Stupid cu... Oh where was I? *ahem*

Also, like others, money is an issue. I've been buying fabric and notions lately to make my own stuff, but even then it can add up if I'm not careful. And I was so mad at myself when I didn't read the instructions thoroughly on a pattern for this Mandarin shirt I'm making. I had laid the pattern on the wrong side of the fabric and so the whole front was reversed. I was able to re-use most of the cut pieces, but a lot went to scrap too. #( So, yeah, money is a factor.

Money...or rather lack-of. And, having next to no good stores up here (and parents really iffy about ordering ANYTHING off the 'net) *rolls her eyes*

Work, time, work, money, work and the fact that the vast majority of our client contacts happen to be conservative Japanese executives.

I wear a lot of black pants, and often a black suit jacket. Today I have on a red sleeveless top, since it's randomly hot for the last day of September here.

Lack of money and for a long time my figure (yes yes I know silly)as lot of the stuff I liked was not made for my chest and I was very shy about wearing clothes that draw attention to me ...I got over that and my former boyfriend who hated any thing that draw attention to fact I was not slim

Well.. I have quite some strong views on clothing restrictions in our western society ;-) I won't bore you by repeating them, but you can read This if you're interested..

-larne.

The biggest hamper on buying the clothes and accessories I'd like to further develop my style is lack of money. My experience with uniforms hasn't been too bad. At my groundskeeper job we wear uniforms, really they're just a dark green T-shirt and ball cap that say "Erie Metroparks" on them, and we also have to wear jeans and work boots. My highschool didn't have uniforms and since I've always been a T-shirt and jeans type of guy (practicality over fashion any day), I never really had much trouble with the dresscode.

My school's dress code. I'm not as upset about it as most, seeing as I'm not interesting in showing my cleavage or my underwear, but it's still irritating. I end up wearing black pants (I have five identical pairs) and a black polo shirt almost all the time.

Pretty much what everyone else has been saying:

Work and/or lack of money! It can get a bit frustrating when I spy that gorgeous article of clothing and I know that I cannot purchase it, not right away anyway.

Larne, this was a thread about what the things are that currently *do* restrict your style, not your views on the forced restrictions by employers etc.

Not interested in the fact that you hate that your style can get restricted by school/employers, we just want to know what exactly restricts it at present, if anything.



Lilith