Marmaduke from 'Carpoolers'

It's virtually impossible to keep the delicate balance of both fool and philosopher. On television, it seems you either get one or the other. But with Marmaduke Brooker, from ABC's Tuesday comedy Carpoolers, we are blessed with a man-child who is both seer and seersucker. (That's a clothing term; don't send letters.)

At 22 years old, Marmaduke, played by comedian T.J. Miller, still lives at home to the delight of his parents and the audience. This general lack of responsibility tends to allow him a fascinatingly preadolescent outlook in the wardrobe department. When we first met him in the pilot episode, he was only half-dressed in a sport coat, a dress shirt and underwear. It turns out that for Marmaduke, pants aren't always necessary. Like a toddler at the beach, Marmaduke goes for whatever feels right at the time.

And it's that attitude that we keep preaching here: be comfortable and own whatever you're wearing. Marmaduke is perfectly at ease in a bathrobe and slippers out by the mailbox as he is in a beekeepers outfit in a mall food court. Everything feels perfectly natural. Remember when you were little and all you wanted to do was wear your Halloween costume everywhere you went, even though it was September? That's our boy.

Carpoolers costumer Rani Cunningham has a blank slate each week and happily turns this savant into everything from a banker to beekeeper to beachgoer, sans the beach. But his clothing choices aren't constantly fashion fodder. He still wears the typical 20-something uniform of jeans and T-shirts. But a pair of Wranglers and a graphic T-shirt are definitely his least endearing selections.

So how do you pull together Marmaduke's look? First we suggest you purchase something moderately odd such as a lab coat, hospital face mask and a head mirror, then go about your business as though you were still in your jeans and T-shirt. Another nice touch is the matching shirt and shorts look -- the more obnoxious the better. Though we wouldn't call Billy Brick's match sets obnoxious, they are certainly a bit out of the ordinary. In fact, a great rule of thumb from the WWMW (What Would Marmaduke Wear?) files is that if a toddler would wear it, so should you. That means don't be afraid of color or costumey options or cliches. He's as close to a cartoon character as the name suggests and you should be too.

Sometimes something as simple as a hat can give you that Marmaduke vibe, and we suggest a French Foreign Legion hat from Costumes of Nashua, along with a nice pajama top and a pair of sleep pants and shearling slippers. It's that bizarre type of comfort that'll have your parents asking you to move out.

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