Regardless of colour, do you think women's clothes are designed to make women look ridiculous?

[wrappedupinmyselflikeaspool]

I notice it more and more as I get older and I certainly used to wear ridiculous clothes myself when I was younger, but I don't think the same applies to menswear.
I look around on the street, on the train etc. And notice that a majority of women's body shapes do not suit the way women's clothing is designed to be tight and body hugging, stretchy, bright, cut out, cut up, decorative and ornamented. Heels, make up and dyed and teased hair add to an overall slightly comic effect. The women have to fit the clothes not the other way round. A minority of women look goodish in this get up and a minority wear t shirt and trousers and flats, as the men do.
Menswear in comparison is mostly practical shirts, trousers, jumpers, flat shoes. I started buying jumpers and socks and occasionally shirts from the menswear section a while ago. They are so much nicer.

[Trills]

I can see why you would say you can't wear Birkenstocks or DMs to a wedding. But not smart flats.

I wouldn't say I'm especially rebellious in my clothing choices but I've never felt out of place in smart flats at a wedding and never had any comments.

[Alexkate2468]

I agree with a pp about it being an issue with some women not being able to dress their body shape. I also agree that there can be some beautiful, well cut, practical clothes if you have the means and are willing to pay higher prices. Personally, I love fashion. I enjoy high end collections and admire them as I would art in a gallery (although I do understand that it wouldn't be practical for everyday life). I love woman's shoes that are dainty and feminine whether they are flat or heeled. I like having the option to buy these items. I love to experiment with makeup and hair styles and to dress up when I feel like it. I don't feel pressured to do it and I really don't care what others think of me (I can also quite often be found in jeans, a hoodie and trainers if that's what I feel like that day). For me it's about options. If there e more practical options available too, that would be great. It's about catering to different tastes I suppose.

[SomeDyke]

Ditto with very interesting article, Milli!!

BTW, there are/used to be some folks making suits for butchs, which was taking the standard 3-piece and adapting it to a womans shape. Okay, IF we were all rich enough to afford a tailored suit, we could all do it..........

Anyway, apart from considering my new career possibilities, I just HAD to go and order myself another pair of DMs for winter..........

I must say, POCKETS, pockets, pockets seems to be the rallying cry! But then you need clothes of a style of fabric and tailoring that they actually work to carry the stuff you need to carry. Back in the dim and distant past when I was younger, there was quite a thing with feminists who made clothes for women, with snazzy fabrics, pockets etc etc. I had some stonking feminist-print trousers made at one point, which Andrea Dworkin (name-drop, name-drop!), greatly admired when she was doing a book signing................

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

Lass if you comfortably wearing court shoes all day, then I'd wager you've been wearing them for years and your feet have adapted. Years of wearing pointed or heeled shoes (which push your toes forward into the front of a shoe) changes the alignment of your toe joints

You are assuming that "women's" shoes means heels and points. There is a huge range and variety of shoes. This idea that there are all these terrible women's shoes and the only sensible option is Birkenstock is just nonsense.

I have flats, low heels, a few high heels, pointed toe, round toes, square toes. The common factor is they are shoes which are designed to be pretty. They are also comfortable and I can walk in them.

[wrappedupinmyselflikeaspool]

Some Dyke Andrea Dworkin admired your trousers! You should get that on a badge and wear it always

[wrappedupinmyselflikeaspool]

Grills, yes I suppose it depends on the shoes really, also the general stylishness of the person wearing them. I think maybe the conservativeness of the wedding and the other guests? I’m from quite a conservative family and area originally and those people get dressed up to the nines! The wedding I did wear Birkenstocks to was a marriage between two men where the wedding breakfast was served from a fish and chip van and the after dinner entertainment was a troupe of fire eaters so... maybe not your average do

[wrappedupinmyselflikeaspool]

*Trills

[geekaMaxima]

You are assuming that "women's" shoes means heels and points.

Nope. You explicitly mentioned court shoes, which have some heel. Almost all shoes are pointier than the natural shape of feet.


I have flats, low heels, a few high heels, pointed toe, round toes, square toes. The common factor is they are shoes which are designed to be pretty. They are also comfortable and I can walk in them.

Bully for you. But why is it so hard to fathom that other women don't find them comfortable? And are annoyed that the vast majority of women's shoes are similarly uncomfortable because they deform the bone structure in your foot!


I never mentioned Birkenstocks, btw. Other Brands Are Available

[Apileofballyhoo]

I've thought a lot about shoes in recent years, with a kind of sadness that people actually start to deform their feet from quite an early age, though girls/women force it more. I get DS's shoes from //www.happylittlesoles.co.uk as he has flattish feet and research pointed me towards barefoot shoes. Since then I've got a few pairs for myself from vivobarefoot. Interestingly, their men's and women's are mainly the exact same. I have quite long feet and ordered one pair of men's that were on sale.

My DM's toes are terribly bunched together. Mine are fairly ok, but I never worked in a formal wear work setting where heels or court shoes or narrow loafer types were a requirement.

Men's dress shoes can also be desperately uncomfortable, and I've seen DH pulling his off complaining. But usually he wears comfortable, casual brown suede lace-ups as his work is more chinos than suits.

I've also noticed the pockets as my DM and I inherited DH's clothes when he put on weight. I did find that jeans weren't as stretchy comfortable in some ways as they didn't have any elastane. But they fit so much better room wise! Even though I'm a pear shape and they shouldn't, but they are no much roomier around the arse and hips that they do. The denim is stronger too so you feel more covered wearing them, and lumps and bumps aren't as obvious as in clinging women's jeans.

[Pastacube]

there is a lack of classy dressing. i see women dressed in awful outfits though to be fair they probably think my androgynous is hideous.

I just find plain colours and a good cut with clothing it simple. you can accessorise with loopy jewellery if you so wish. i have always preferred the utilitarian fashions of the 80s. uniqlo is great for this

[Rufustherenegadereindeer1]

My toes are pretty much where they should be though my dm's were dreadful

But i had a pair of shoes from M&S the other day which were touted as being very comfortable

They are agony

Still wear them but only if i am walking from car to restaurant and back

[CountFosco]

For lovers of flat shoes I give you en brogue. Pockets are an issue, I've just spent the last 2 days with no pockets and it has been a complete pain in the neck. Jeans to work tomorrow!

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

But why is it so hard to fathom that other women don't find them comfortable?

I don't .It is the ridiculous hyperbole I find so irritating and silly.

And the patronising faux- disbelief comments like "why do women wear them"-(said with reference to ballet flats) why would that be so hard to fathom ?

As for the "can't wear flats to a wedding" t
line - seriously who do you (general you) think notices or cares? More hyperbole to give you (general you) something to complain about.

[Apileofballyhoo]

On the other side of it, when I borrow DH's t-shirts and jumpers I don't find them as soft and comfortable as my own and I feel a bit sorry for him. I tend to buy tops in a 12-14, though I'm more 8-10 in a top, because I don't like them fitted.

[SylviaPoe]

I disagree OP. Most men in the UK do not dress well or carry out basic grooming or exercise, and look dishevelled, shapeless in their baggy clothes, unwell and unattractive.

Very many women look gorgeous.

[Rufustherenegadereindeer1]

I bought a primark mans jumper last year

Lovely

Washes well, hasn't lost shape

Might buy a marks cashmillion one to try as primark doesn't seem to do v necks anymore

[hahahaIdontgetit]

No, I buy clothes to flatter my shape, in colours that suit me. Some women’s clothes are ridiculous (or would look ridiculous on me), but so are some men’s clothes.

[grasspigeons]

I dress like a bloke most of the time. I agree more of the clothing men
wear is fit for purpose. It's about practicality for the situation and your actual body shape. There are some occasions where men's clothes are a bit odd (very hot days when some men have to wear a suit designed for winter) but women seem to get the totally impractical option more often.

[TheLongRider]

For those seeking pockets, COS tend to have decent sized pockets in their dresses.

I wear cycling kit and some cycling kit manufacturers are guilty of the "shrink it and pink it" crime. My winter jacket has one less rear pocket than my husband's equivalent. Having said that, there are some good companies out there. I'll recommend some if anyone is interested

On shoes, I won't buy anything I can't run for a bus in or cycle on my commute bike with flat pedals.

[OlennasWimple]

I had some similar thoughts today about women's clothing. I saw a woman wearing a pair of very unflattering leggings: they were nearly flesh coloured but sheer so you could see her black knickers through them. She wasn't slim, but these leggings made her look huge and both showed her underwear and made her look as if she wasn't wearing anything. I'm pretty certain that wasn't the look she was after.

Then of course I felt bad for thinking that she looked terrible, as I am a good liberal lefty and didn't want to body shame. But then I started thinking about comparable men's clothes, and really couldn't come up with anything other than cycle shorts (which are worn for sports only, not as casual clothes in the way that leggings have escaped the gym and made it into every day wear). Women's clothes are either comfortable or flattering - there's very few garments that genuinely do both

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

Most men in the UK do not dress well or carry out basic grooming or exercise, and look dishevelled, shapeless in their baggy clothes, unwell and unattractive

Very many women look gorgeous

I would not quite go far as that but think very few men dress well. The horrible ubiquity of jeans.

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

Women's clothes are either comfortable or flattering - there's very few garments that genuinely do both

I could not agree less. That is the sort of hyperbole I am referring to. I don't possess any clothes which are not comfortable. Perhaps I'm being vain assuming that they are flattering but I get lots of compliments about them.

[SylviaPoe]

Some jeans are okay on men, as long as they fit properly.

[southeastastra]

cos is just an expensive version of crappy hennes

[OlennasWimple]

Lass - I should have added a corollary: Women's clothes are either comfortable or flattering - there's very few garments that genuinely do both unless they are expensive