| Q: I am heading off to a college reunion in early June. What to wear? No football games. No late-night dances. No looking for guys. We sit close and talk loudly. — Leslie, NYC. A: Speaking of psychology! The decision about what to wear to a college reunion is awfully fraught (at least for me). After all, who you were and what you wore between 18 to 21, and who you are now and what your wardrobe might contain are probably two different things, whether you graduated a year ago or 60 years ago. How do you reconcile the two? Especially given that we all also have the physical signifiers of age to take into account, and that what looks really great in New York, say, or L.A. or Chicago, might look kind of peculiar in the quads of higher learning. It’s hard to get too specific, but a few rules of thumb: Do not dress how you dressed back in the day, for obvious reasons. As Thomas Wolfe said, you can’t go home again. But also do not dress like you are going to the office, even if the suit is your security blanket, unless you want your old friends to stereotype you immediately (maybe you do). My general approach is the less branded the better, so that your clothes are effectively a blank canvas that allow you to tell your own story about who you are now — at your own pace. At the most general, that means comfortable shoes (you may be standing around). Maybe easy silk or jersey trousers with a blouse (think tailored pajama dressing), or perhaps a shirtdress. A scarf or long cardigan for evening in case it gets cold. The aim should be pulled-together, but also relaxed. — VANESSA FRIEDMAN |