Peer pressure and style.

[henlake7]

How much of an effect do you think peer pressure has on your fashion choices?

Just curious as I was thinking about this today and realised I pretty much dress myself in a vacuum!
I live alone so no partner or kids to judge. Best friend and relatives know nothing about fashion but are generally supportive. Work colleagues and I all wear uniforms so no input there. Obviously I see what's in the shops but I don't think I'm unduly swayed.

It makes me wonder if I would leave the house in some of my outfits if someone was standing behind me going 'eeeesh....are you sure you're wearing that!?'😂

None, never have. I'm not at all elegant or stylish and I don't keep up with fashion. I seem to be more comfortable than most people with bright colours and patterns because I feel boring in dark colours and simple clothes. I did work for 9 years at a place with a dress code and I toned it down a little while there as it was a fairly conservative business member association and the office was quite public facing, but I've got more back to myself since then.

I so rarely have friends who care terribly much about clothes! So it would be frustrating if I relied on them for fashion ideas. In my family in the past I was the general wardrobe supervisor. Less so now.

In one past profession I was influenced more by male colleagues in handmade Savile Row suits than by my fellow female colleagues. I thoroughly enjoyed swanning about in expensive black or dark grey suits and blindingly white shirts. Plus Manolo Blahnik or Ferragamo court shoes. In another profession I was surrounded by people half my age; although I was conscious of how they dressed it probably only influenced me in terms of informality - I wasn’t interested in shopping where they shopped.

Now I’m semi-retired and live in a grand and glamorous university city where there are three distinct constituencies of dressers. Other mature academics: good dresses and a variety of shoes from hiking to Ganni. Rich tourists: expensive-looking outdoor gear. Undergraduates: floor length wide jeans and hoodies or jumpers. I find I’m buying clothes with long leisurely urban walks through woods and parks and cobbled streets in mind, and consciously trying not to look too ‘dressed’.

I’m very interested in clothes but not fashion per se. I love people watching, seeing what other people are wearing, but my basic style doesn’t necessarily change because of what I see. Is that peer pressure. I live with my DP. He wouldn’t notice if I went out dressed as Liberace, let alone a barrel leg versus wide leg!

None, never have. I buy what I like. Two years ago I lost 2.5 stone and have managed to keep it off. Since then I have taken more of an interest in fashion and how to style items. I did a clear our of stuff that was well worn and have started again in terms of keeping a wardrobe that is seasonal and then packing it away and just adding one or two new items as things get worn and donated. I try to dress for my shape,to flatter my body and choose items that work with what I already own. It's a minimalist wardrobe but I like colour so currently am wearing lots of burgundy,olive, brown, navy, tan and cream.

Well I wouldn’t describe it as pressure but I’m always watching what other people are wearing, - in particular noting what I like - and of course it influences me, it’s why I do it.

Peer pressure, not really. However my wardrobe changed a lot when I worked in Notting Hill and hasn't changed back.

What would peer pressure be amongst adults? I remember being in school and there being bitchy comments, and understood that those who dressed a certain way belonged to a specific set, so they were unlikely to vary, etc. I guess some will carry those early harsh lessons about supposed acceptable behaviour on into adulthood. I also know most of my friends do not have time for thinking about clothes, but I don't see any peer pressure amongst the adults I know at work and socially. I know this happens in the media, but is this something others come across personally?

I didn’t interpret the OP’s question as being focused on negative experiences? Just whether observing the people you’re around at any point, and any feedback you receive on your style has influenced the way you dress.

Not peer pressure no. My friends dress very differently from me and each other. My female work colleagues are as a whole not super inspiring either (nor am I to them!). It’s a fairly middling mid level office job type place.

I think well dressed people are quite rare tbh. A couple of people stand out to me - a very senior leader with amazing colouring and a tall angular shape she really leans into (a bright Tilda Swinton vibe), a client of mine who embraces colour in an inspired way.

I am much more influenced by, well, influencers tbh. In a positive way. I know ‘wearing vs styling’ is a bit hackneyed but those kind of reels have encouraged me to put a bit more polish on how I approach things but also helped me work out how to actually do it. my teen dd is also someone I pay attention to because she has a natural ability to dress herself well. As does my husband actually. So I pay more attention to their views than anyone else.