Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I walk my elderly dog in my neighborhood multiple times per day to avoid accidents in my apartment. I don’t pay much attention to my appearance during these outings. I admit that often my outfits might give the impression that I just rolled out of bed (which I did): bed-hair, a wrinkled T-shirt and some pull-on shorts or pants and bedroom-ish slippers.

A recent plane trip makes me ask you a question. Some travelers on the flight were wearing what appeared to be PJ pants and bedroom slippers and I thought they looked sloppy and inappropriate. So, I concluded I should do better when appearing in public on my dog walks. But how?

--Laura Y.

Dear Laura: Walking your dog is hardly a walking-the-red-carpet event. But, if you are now self-conscious about appearing to be a slob, it won’t take much to look less sloppy.

Hair a mess? Put on a baseball cap. Think your pants look like PJs? As long as they aren’t flannel with bunnies or Zzzzz’s on them, it seems to me they probably pass as pants. Footwear? Fuzzy slippers might read “bedtime” but other slip-ons—flip-flops, shower-slides—are totally acceptable street wear. T-shirts are fine.

You’re over thinking this.

As for what to wear on a plane, that definitely requires more clothing than I’ve seen on many men and women on recent flights. But that is a different issue and not likely to change any time soon.

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: Headline I saw recently said, “Is an $88 white T-shirt worth it?” Why would anyone pay that kind of money for a T-shirt?

--Portia T.

Dear Portia: I’ve seen a number of stories ranking plain white T-shirts with extravagant price tags. NYmag.com’s shopping feature, The Strategist (among others), reported that Carmy Berzatto (actor Jeremy Allen White on "The Bear") often appeared on the show in white Ts from Merz b. Schwanen (merzbschwanen.com ) where cotton Ts go for up to $105.

My short answer: Paying those prices for a white T-shirt makes no sense. I recommend Hanes Ts which go for $8 to $10 apiece or on sale at 10 for $24 at Target ( target.com ).

Angelic Readers

In response to your reader Melody L. who complained about men loading their pockets with so much stuff that they drag their pants down and show off their bare skin, David M. writes: “I used to be the guy with a big wallet in my front pocket. Solved by getting a Ridge wallet ( ridge.com, $95 and up). Not much larger, in width, than a credit card. I have 10 cards in it, with a money clip on the other side. Designed for a front pocket. Highly recommended.” (From Ellen: There’s a huge array of “slim wallets for front pockets” offered online at prices starting at $4.99. I’d be scared of losing all-important cards in one awful incident. Suggestion: Take photos of everything in the wallet--and phone numbers to cancel credit cards--and keep in a safe place. Based on sad experience, be prepared for a painful few weeks of misery trying to replace all that stuff if the worst happens.)

Reader Rant

Alice S. laments: “I ordered a bra and when I got it and tried it on, I could barely hook it. I measured it and it measured many inches less than the size it is supposed to be! It was an expensive bra!" (From Ellen: Unfortunately, sizing on many things—bras are no exception—varies tremendously. Obviously it is best to try before you buy but that often is impossible. Reading online reviews can alert buyers whether items run large or small, but even then there are no guarantees that the item will fit. Postage paid free returns are a godsend but are getting harder to find.)

©2026 Tribune Content Agency, LLC