Workplace Fashion Faux Pas

We've all heard the stories. A big party hosted by the boss... You want to make a good impression and want everything to be perfect. When you and your lovely wife arrive and are greeted at the door by the boss's wife you discover that she and your wife are wearing the exact same dress. Gasp! This is the epitome of a social embarrassment to many women. Men aren't quite as bothered by such things.

Okay, usually.

This week a similar situation happened at work. Here's how I recollect it.

First of all, the hourly folks that work there all show up at 6am. The people that work in the office, however, show up at all kinds of different times. Some are salaried and some are hourly, but their schedules are pretty flexible. Anyway, Scott wandered in as one of the first office employees to arrive. He's a great guy and is always upbeat, and as he took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack behind me he said good morning to me in his usual chipper way. I didn't think much past that at that particular moment.

A little while later, Tenney (I'm not sure if that's short for Tennyson or what) shows up and goes by me into the office.

(Hey, wait a minute... Isn't that the same shirt Scott was wearing?)

It's pretty common for someone to wear "almost" the same shirt, but I was thinking more than "almost" at this particular time. Now I was intrigued. I got up and went into the office and took another look, memorizing his shirt, then I went back out into my area and sat down. Scott was out in another area of the shop and soon wandered by on his way back into the office. It was a dead match. I could hardly contain myself.

"Nobody told me there was a particular uniform we had to wear today," I said, stopping him on the way in.
"Huh?" he said with a puzzled look.
"Are you and Tenney pretty close? Apparently you collaborated on what to wear today... You'd better go have a look," I warned.

He gave me a "don't tell me" look and went into the office. While he was gone a few other folks came and went by my area and of course I had to fan the flames:
"Have you seen Scott and Tenney this morning? You haven't? Go take a look."

After a little while it had spread like wildfire and everyone was joking about it. I have to admit they took it pretty well. I don't think it mattered a whole lot to Tenney, but Scott (and many others) probably didn't really care to be associated with Tenney too much (he doesn't seem to really do anything), let alone having it look like they were twin sons of different mothers (Scott is on the left):


I'm not sure which is more embarrassing really, to find out that

• someone else is wearing your exact shirt
• someone you don't really care for has the same taste in clothes
• you both shopped for them at WalMart.

Judges?