[paul cotter (OP)]

The sheer quantities of clothing items the boss has collected over the years we have been together is baffling. New items are constantly added to this already voluminous collection with some items hardly worn at all. I have pointed out the wastefulness of such a practice with the response being "you are male and don't understand". I wonder what the latter day philosophers(such as the eminent Alancalverd!) think of this predicament.

[alancalverd]

"Goeswiths".

The problem often starts from the bottom. One wet day, you discover that your strappy summer sandals really aren't suitable for standing in the rain, so you buy some cheerful red lace-ups. But you can't wear them with  a skirt and stockings so you buy some socks and a pair of jeans, but now you need a belt to hold up the jeans but that ensemble doesn't go with a cream handbag  so you buy a brown one for shopping and it looks ridiculous with a yellow cardigan so you need a blue sweater but that has a plunge neckline so you need a new bra and black is so nice but you can't possibly wear a sheer white blouse over it as you aren't a student any longer so a sensible red linen blouse sets off the sweater and as it's cold perhaps a chiffon scarf. All a bit dowdy now, so some big earrings to reflect the shoes but it's still raining so perhaps a leather jacket? Very biker-chic but you won't have time to change before going out to dinner so just add some heeled shoes so you can leave an impression on your friend's wooden floors, but they look ridiculous with socks and jeans so we need a skirt and tights. Keep the red blouse and ditch the blue sweater. Perfect, but not with a leather jacket, surely? So add a cream woollen coat. And a black handbag to match the shoes. And less flamboyant earrings.  Not sure about the scarf.......

And tomorrow is an office day. Grey suit, white blouse, no problem, but not with red shoes and a cream coat, surely?

Invited to a formal dinner with an erstwhile Boss, I watched her work through a dozen agonising permutations and then discovered that my dinner jacket had miraculously shrunk over the past several decades. Walked into the gents' outfitters and said "dinner jacket". Salesman looked at me and said "Rack on the right, try 46 regular. Blue or white shirt?"  Job done in 10 minutes, served as uniform in a dance band, will probably wear it in my coffin.

[alancalverd]

Just remembered another instance. The Original Boss was taller than the average woman and being perfectly proportioned, always complained that the range of shoes in any size above 5 was limited and mostly uncomfortable. Worse, her specialist nursing dissertation had been on foot health and mobility.   

One day she accompanied me to a gents' shoe shop. I concluded my business in the usual 10 minutes ("black or brown, sir?") then suggested she could try a pair of mens' desert boots - soft suede with a rubber sole.

Response: "These are wonderful. Perfect fit and the most comfortable shoes ever. But I couldn't possibly wear them."

As the other Mrs C observed in the OP,  the Y chromosome prevents comprehension of such matters.

[paul cotter (OP)]

At the age of 72 an understanding of what makes the xx crowd tick still eludes me and I guess a life extension of several hundred years would not help.

[Billy Fisher]

I get where you're coming from with this discussion. One of the things I've noticed, at least from my experiences with my partner, is that it's not just about having "so many clothes." It's about having the perfect options for all moods, events, and self-expression. She has her "go-to" outfits that work for casual times but then collects a bunch of pieces to mix and match for the right look or vibe. And yeah, some stuff is barely worn, but it seems part of the process for her.

[Petrochemicals]

Fashion, I am led to believe that clothes have a life expectancy of 6 months.

[paul cotter (OP)]

I have a shirt that the boss bought for me 40years ago, still ok but getting a bit limp. It probably does not have much useful life at this stage but I do wear it occasionally.

[alancalverd]

Likewise a sweater that the previous Boss knitted for me. Funny thing: we went to visit two of her old friends we hadn't seen for  a couple of years. I was wearing said sweater as we got off the plane, and met him wearing exactly the same garment, knitted by his Boss at almost the same time, 1700 miles away. No collusion, just an extraordinary coincidence of taste and motivation.