The morning closet calculation: what do you actually wear when you're planning around sweat?

Hey everyone. Hannah here — 22, Columbus, finishing my senior year with an iced coffee in one hand and a slightly damp notebook in the other.

I've been thinking a lot about how much mental energy goes into just... choosing what to wear. Not fashion-energy. Logistics-energy. My hands and underarms are moderate but persistent, and my morning routine has turned into this whole calculation: dark colors for hiding underarm marks, natural fabrics for breathability, but also layers in case I need to tie something around my waist or pretend I'm cold. I have a whole section of my closet that's basically "shirts that have betrayed me."

The real thing I'm curious about: how do you handle the wardrobe rotation when you're dealing with sweat?

Here's my current barely-functional system:

• Bag backups: I keep a spare shirt and a small towel in my backpack. Has saved me before labs, before coffee meetups, before anything where I have to shake hands.
• The antiperspirant timing dance: Applied at night, washed off in morning, reapply... sometimes it works, sometimes I wake up with irritation and have to pivot entirely.
• Fabric trial and error: Linen shows sweat the fastest but dries fastest too. Cotton hides it longer but stays wet forever. Synthetic blends? Sometimes magical, sometimes a plastic-wrap disaster.
• The "just in case" cardigan: I have three. They're all black. I am bored of black.

I'm especially stuck on dating outfits — trying to look like I made an effort while secretly engineering for maximum concealment and quick-change potential. First date last month, I wore a breezy button-up that I thought was safe. Nope. Spent half the date with my arms clamped to my sides trying to decide if I could nonchalantly put my cardigan back on in 75-degree weather.

What are your actual go-to pieces? The ones you reach for when you know you'll be anxious, or it's humid, or you can't control the room temperature? Any brands or fabrics that have genuinely worked for you? And how do you balance "clothes I like" with "clothes that won't make me more self-conscious"?

Would love real lived-experience replies — especially from anyone who's found something that actually feels like them and not just a sweat-hiding uniform.