My extreme example would have been, "Wouldn't we all make fun of someone in clothes woven from gold."* But I think I sorted it out. I kept my train of thought going so anyone else in my position might see. *this was my first clue that I'd made an error, I needed an extreme example to make a case
I think clothing is fair game if it's something someone clearly chose to wear. I'll make fun of someone for wearing a Nazi uniform, for example, but I won't generally assume that someone's everyday clothing is a fair target because I don't know what led them to dress the way they do.
this, exactly. if they look like a clown I might point it out, but otherwise I save my comments about fashion for compliments the key takeaway here is - focus on the actions themselves, not the person you can call a fool out for being a fool, but don't call them ugly.