what would russell do: "look twins"

In a small town, what do you do when someone else is wearing the same clothes?

The other day I passed a guy on the street wearing pretty much the same outfit as me. Our shirts were identical and we were both in jeans. I smiled, silently congratulating him on his style choices, walked on and didn’t look back. Thankfully this was a simple run-in on the street, but at times it’s been someone in the same meeting where there is no escape.

In any other town this may be a fashion faux pas, but I’ve come to accept it as a fact of life here in the ‘knife. There are very few places for men to shop in this town, one high-end (and I use the term loosely) shop, one practical store and two low-end chain stores. One of these stores is off-limit as a friend of mine once said to his niece, “Honey, we don’t buy shoes at Wal-Mart!”

Unfortunately the numbers are against us; someone in town is going to have bought the same clothes as you. Sooner or later they will be wearing the same outfit on the same day and your paths will cross.

I think my reaction above is the appropriate response, but what if the clothes look better on the other person? Is a simple acknowledgment enough, should you go home and change?

Also, if you are a co-worker of people in this situation, don’t go around clapping your hands together and saying “look twins” or making proclamations like “wow, you guys are dressed alike”. We know already and don’t need it pointed out.