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.

[MsUnderstanding]

It's called fashion darlink. The tight, bright, ripped, ornamented look is a thing amongst some folks, a bit TOWIE, a bit trashy pop star, a bit Kardashian. It's all very hyper feminine and looks ridiculous to me too.

[SylviaPoe]

What we did thirty years ago was make our own clothes.

[SylviaPoe]

Well, tbh, stretch clothes have been around since the sixties.

So what did we did sixty years ago was make many of our own clothes.

[wrappedupinmyselflikeaspool]

Can I just say a quick thanks to everyone who has offered their thoughts on this subject, it's a shame it's being detailed a bit because I've found all the responses interesting. but that's internet chat for you. These are just my thoughts on women's wear, my general musings about women's fashion. im really pleased it has sparked such a debate. Mumsnet has a lot of cultural power so maybe we will see more practical shoes, jackets and trousers with pockets and dresses with sleeves in future? I'm sure there must be people working in the fashion industry on mumsnet.
I'm signing off now for a well earned curry. See you soon. Wrapped

[wrappedupinmyselflikeaspool]

*derailed autocorrect

[noeffingidea]

What did women used to do before clothes had 'stretch' in them?
Most women wore girdles, bras that shaped their breasts into torpedos and these waspy waist things, or even all in one body corselette things.
Nah, give me clothes with a bit of lycra in.
Somersetter good point about the makeup. Though I must live in a town of scruffs because I don't see that, at least not day to day. Same with high heels, I rarely see a woman wearing high heels. Perhaps it's different in a formal work enviroment, or going out at night.
In any case, with makeup I think the tide will turn eventually, women will get sick of the expense and cut back on it.

[CountFosco]

The impracticality of most high street clorhes aimed at women is a discussion that comes up frequently on the S&B board. Funnily enough there most people agree with the OP and the discussion there is a lot less bad tempered with no Pangloss telling us everything is wonderful.

There are several issues, firstly the fairly recent move from natural fibres to synthetics that predominantly impacts women's clothing. It was initially driven by a failure in the cotton harvest and the manufacturers trying to maintain their margins. But mens clothes have not been affected this way, the first thing I do when I buy clothes is check the label for the textile mix, DH can quite safely assume his clothes are 100% cotton/wool. For women's clothes you have to leave the high street and go online or look at the more expensive brands. And that includes COS (which I love), for a lot of people the clothes there are more expensive than they can afford, there's no store nearby and P&P is expensive and returns are a faff (not helped by their European returns label).

Second pockets. Again this is a cost saving by manufacturers as a PP has said. Women's clothes are generally tighter fitting than mens and so there's a concern about 'destroying the line' that means there's less incentive to keep pockets. But I want a decent pocket to e.g. stick my house keys in when I do the school run or put my phone and a pen in when I go to a meeting at work. I don't want to carry a bag around in those situations. I have a pair of trousers that has 4 pockets, all of which are too small for my phone. What is the point of that?

Thirdly shoes. I do actually think things have got a bit better here recently since flat shoes are having a fashion moment. But we all know 'business attire' generally means more restrictive clothing for women. A pencil skirt and heels is not as practical as a pair of trousers and there are still some employers who insist women wear skirts and heels (Aren't flats banned from the red carpet at Cannes?). Same at formal social occasions, there's the expectation that women wear more colourful, restrictive and impractical clothing than men, not to mention the expectation that you get a new outfit for these events. For every wedding/funeral/anniversary party/formal meal out DH and I have been to for the last 20 years since we got married, DH has worn the same suit, the (admittedly expensive) suit he had made for our own wedding. I couldn't even guess how many outfits I've had in the same time but I know I've spent more money.

Now I like clothes and enjoy spending time and money on them. But there's no doubt that fast fashion results in daft excesses (the cold shoulder trend), a move from natural materials and a drive down in quality that disproportionately affects womens clothing. Trouble is, how many of us are prepared to actually pay the cost of British made, properly cut clothing made from natural materials and then to wear those clothes until they wear out?

[MismatchedCat]

I am someone who is prepared to pay, but even then it's becoming increasingly difficult to find natural fibres. Even the higher priced shops like Hobbs, Jigsaw and Brora are full of synthetic blends and loosely attached buttons now.

There isn't really a mid range womenswear market anymore. It's just a choice between cheap fast fashion, expensive fast fashion
and super expensive margaret-howell type designer clothes.

It's all so depressing I had to buy a sewing machine and I'm now learning to make my own clothes.

[YetAnotherSpartacus]

So glad there are others who loathe synthetics.

Women's clothes are generally tighter fitting than mens

This annoys me too. Why must everything be stretch or otherwise tight fitting for women when men have the choice of clothes that just ... fit.

[TitaniasCloset]

Haven't read all the thread.

If you look at pin up and soft porn pictures of women, baring in mind most MTV videos and promotion for female singers images would come under soft porn nowadays, the women look and act silly. It's ridiculous.

They have done similar photo shoots where men act like pin ups, and it's just hilarious they look so silly. But female sexuality in this day and age means all of this, behaving in a hyper sexualised (silly) way. And we all buy into it and when we want to look sexy and attractive we act this way, in photos or in the bedroom.

My other issue is that any sort of a heel bloody kills me and makes my feet bleed. But high heels are seen as more glamorous sexy and 'together'. So I still feel obliged to buy a pair from time to time. I look better in them, I'm short and they lengthen my leg, but I cannot wear their comfortably at all and given a true choice I wouldn't bother at all.

But I don't give that much of a shit about how I'm supposed to look so I just won't do or wear these things, and that fuck you attitude comes with age I think.
Yes, fuck you fashion people!!!

[Ktown]

I agree that clothes look barmey. Particularly the milk maid off the shoulder tops and cut outs.
But women’s shoes are so much better and nicer. Flats are just great now. And healed ankle boots for me are completely comfy.

[deydododatdodontdeydo]

My other issue is that any sort of a heel bloody kills me and makes my feet bleed. But high heels are seen as more glamorous sexy and 'together'. So I still feel obliged to buy a pair from time to time. I look better in them, I'm short and they lengthen my leg, but I cannot wear their comfortably at all and given a true choice I wouldn't bother at all.

No true choice? Plenty of women, probably most of this forum, me included, never wear heels.
Why would you wear an item of clothing that "bloody kills you"?
Sure, there's societal pressure, but I don't believe you don't have a true choice.

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

Sure, there's societal pressure, but I don't believe you don't have a true choice

Of course there is. I find the idea that someone (it is never clear who) is constantly policing what women wear and forcing them to wear clothes they don't want to) utterly bizarre.

You only have to look round any office, train, bus or high street to see it is not true. Women quite happily ignoring all these obligations and rules which are supposedly imposed on them.

So far as formal occasions I think there is huge delusion about how much anyone notices or cares what anyone else is wearing.

[TitaniasCloset]

I hardly ever wear heels but I do have lots of pairs shoved up in the top of my wardrobe. I do feel pressure to wear them for certain occasions although I don't wear them on an everyday basis. I'm not working right now but if I was I would feel I need to wear heels and somehow get used to the pain. That's how I feel, I'm not making a point just saying how it feels for me.