Women/Clothing

[kbeth07]

Women's clothing.

Ugh Ugh Ugh.

Is it too much to ask that shoes have actual tread?
Is it too much to ask that the shoes with actual tread not be fluffy sneakers that make me feel like I'm wearing neon pillows on my feet?
Is it too much to ask that leggings not be sheer?
Is it too much to ask that skirts/dresses be at least semi-practical and not just for sex appeal?
Is it too much to ask that jeans not be designed to give wedgies in the name of individually showing off my sexy butt cheeks?
Is it too much to ask that the majority of shirts not be sheer and/or exceedingly flimsy?
Is it too much to ask that underwear come in packs of all the same colour, but not just white?
Is it too much to ask that bras have more sizing options?
Is it too much to ask that there be some sort of rough equivalency of sizing between various brands?
Is it too much to ask that not everything be ridiculously more expensive than men's clothes which actually require more material?

Ugh Ugh Ugh.

/rant over

Ugh, YES. Half of the time the sizing on women's clothing (at least the stuff that's geared toward young adults) is so uncomfortable. Jeans  ride up in the crotch and/or slip down when you bend over slightly, shirts are sheer and revealing, dresses barely cover one's butt... Not to  mention the totally shoddy quality at trendy stores like Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe. They're cute and cheap, but start to come apart very very quickly. I hate spending time trying to shop and coming up empty-handed and frustrated, but online shopping is so risky because you never know how it will fit. A 6 may fit perfectly in one brand and be too big or too small in another.

[Lyssa]

Women's clothing.

Ugh Ugh Ugh.

Is it too much to ask that shoes have actual tread?
Is it too much to ask that the shoes with actual tread not be fluffy sneakers that make me feel like I'm wearing neon pillows on my feet?
Is it too much to ask that leggings not be sheer?
Is it too much to ask that skirts/dresses be at least semi-practical and not just for sex appeal?
Is it too much to ask that jeans not be designed to give wedgies in the name of individually showing off my sexy butt cheeks?
Is it too much to ask that the majority of shirts not be sheer and/or exceedingly flimsy?
Is it too much to ask that underwear come in packs of all the same colour, but not just white?
Is it too much to ask that bras have more sizing options?
Is it too much to ask that there be some sort of rough equivalency of sizing between various brands?
Is it too much to ask that not everything be ridiculously more expensive than men's clothes which actually require more material?

Ugh Ugh Ugh.

/rant over

Adding on to please add pockets to pants that are actually functional - not everyone wants to carry a whole bag of stuff around just to have a safe spot for their wallet.

yes yes yes

Don't forget: Is it too much to ask that models might stay the same from year to year like men's do so once you find something you like you can keep buying it?

yes yes yes
They do it with shoes (mostly)--why can't they do it with clothes???

+100

I hate shopping for clothes for all those reasons. Online is slightly better than stores but still something I postpone for months. 

[MsAligned]

It's infuriating to try to find simple, high quality clothing these days. One place I can recommend is Duluth Trading Company. I bought two pairs of pants from them. One pair for gardening in the summer - their light weight hiking pants. A lot of pockets. The other pair were cargo type pants in a brown canvas for casual wear. Now if I could only find a nice pair of black dress pants for work!

[ash7962]

@RFAAOATB - as far as wearing men's pants goes.. I've thought about trying to find some of those super tight hipster jeans to see if they fit me just so I can have pockets.  If men's skinny jeans can have pockets why can't mine?? 

As far as general clothes shopping goes, last year before I found MMM I spent about 1000$ on clothes.  I will accept all face punches, and here come my flimsy excuses.  I had recently entered the work force and also built up a bit of cash (even in my non Mustachian phase I had an emergency fund), so I felt I could do it.  I also hadn't shopped in years, and all my clothes were ones that my mom had forced me to buy in highschool.  What everyone says about finding a fit that is flattering for you is true, and I've always hated shopping because finding a good fit was always super hard for me because of how petite I am.  To give you an idea, I once was looking for a pair of khaki pants and upon finding a cute pair I showed my Ma.  She took one look and burst out laughing because they were supposed to be capris (not pants). 
Anyway trying to keep it short, but last year I stumbled upon this place called White House Black Market.  Very classic looks and one of the only adult professional clothing type stores I've found that has xxs and 00 pants.  Plus their employees help you put together outfits and suggest things that would look good with what you've picked out.  I know its all so that you will buy more, but honestly I always feel so lost when I'm clothes shopping that I love just having someone do it for me.  Oh, and also their clothes seemed like much better quality than some of the other stores I'd seen.  Maybe I was going to the wrong stores but in the other stores I had been to the fabrics seemed SO thin!  I was thinking it wouldn't even last me a year.

[kiblebuka]

A question for all you women:  How much a pain in the ass would it be on a social and comfort level to wear men's jeans,pants, and button up shirts when shopping for women's clothes would give you a headache?

I'm guessing plus side: functional pockets, cheaper wardrobe.
con side: less flattering fit, social awkwardness.

How far off the mark am I on this one?

I used to wear men's shoes when I worked in retail, because finding comfy women's size 11 pieces of cloth and rubber to stand in all day is NOT easy. Most stores only go up to 10, and they had to be 100% black.
The only men's clothing I wear are like, graphic tees. I don't know my pants size and am not the most comfortable trying them on in a store (also carrying them across the store to the women's fitting room). For business shirts, they're just...so different in look. Also the shoulders would fall off me and the chest probably wouldn't close up.

[Roots&Wings]

I still have pants from when I was in high school (8 years ago) that work just fine.

I think I've got you beat. I still have shirts from when I was in high school. My favorite: homecoming 1996. My shirt is old enough to graduate high school.

Pants from high school, well, I was a zero then, and not anything close to that now.

I still have a shirt that I still wear sometimes from high school :)  I think its about 18 years old.  Still fits though lol!

Yep!  Same here.  And my 16 year old jeans from high school that I now fit back into.  Glad I didn't throw those out...I hate keeping unnecessary stuff, but my weight has fluctuated a bit over the years and I'm now basically covered for all pants possibilities between a girls size 16 and women's 6.  Since I don't own a ton of clothes, they don't take up that much space.

I've also found that girls shoes and pants are cheaper than women's (e.g. a girls shoe size 6 = women's 8, and girls pant size 16 = a women's 2-4).  I've not had luck with men's or boy's.

[crazyworld]

I am very curious about the goodwill/thriftstore purchases that folks here talk about. I have been thrice now and all I see is rows of crappy clothes. Cheap to begin with, worn for some time and discarded because they are faded/piling/mis-shapen etc. Maybe one item might catch my eye, as being new or almost new, but of course it is never the right size. I am petite - maybe that's the problem? It is hard enough finding petite sized clothes in regular stores.
Also, online, the sizing is a huge problem. Even stores that I have purhcased from before. Then one pays for shipping, sometimes both ways.

[Elliot]

I am very curious about the goodwill/thriftstore purchases that folks here talk about. I have been thrice now and all I see is rows of crappy clothes. Cheap to begin with, worn for some time and discarded because they are faded/piling/mis-shapen etc. Maybe one item might catch my eye, as being new or almost new, but of course it is never the right size. I am petite - maybe that's the problem? It is hard enough finding petite sized clothes in regular stores.
Also, online, the sizing is a huge problem. Even stores that I have purhcased from before. Then one pays for shipping, sometimes both ways.

I think the area you live in makes a difference. The Goodwills around here pretty much only have stuff that's stained, scratchy, and or sized bizarrely.

[midweststache]

Quote from: crazyworld on Today at 08:50:51 AM
I am very curious about the goodwill/thriftstore purchases that folks here talk about. I have been thrice now and all I see is rows of crappy clothes. Cheap to begin with, worn for some time and discarded because they are faded/piling/mis-shapen etc. Maybe one item might catch my eye, as being new or almost new, but of course it is never the right size. I am petite - maybe that's the problem? It is hard enough finding petite sized clothes in regular stores.
Also, online, the sizing is a huge problem. Even stores that I have purhcased from before. Then one pays for shipping, sometimes both ways.

I think the area you live in makes a difference. The Goodwills around here pretty much only have stuff that's stained, scratchy, and or sized bizarrely.

Alternately, if you live in a city that has a lot of thrifting options, people scour those stores daily and the good stuff goes quickly. It's worth it to talk to the employees and get a feel for the busy times of the year, donation-wise (usually end of seasons) and try to orient your visits around those times.

[gaja]

tl;dr: my body is shaped like a potato on stilts. Feel my pain.

Your body shape sounds just like mine! I've learned to wear dresses 90% of the time due to never finding pants that actually fit my waist AND the rest of me. Plus, being taller than average doesn't make too much of a difference with dresses, but makes buying pants a nightmare unless you like cold ankles.

Yep. I almost exclusively wear dresses now. Not only are they more comfortable and flattering, they don't get dirty/smelly as fast as trousers do. Went on a three week car trip with my girls this summer, where we only packed dresses, and it was much easier than travelling in pants. http://travelelectric.blogspot.no/

[NoraLenderbee]

 I'm 5 feet tall and athletic, not very curvy, and there's no way men's clothing will fit me--it's shaped wrong, plus I'd be swimming in it. Boys' pants are way too narrow in the hips and thighs, as are teenage-girl pants. I've bought a few shirts and sweaters in girls' sizes, but most don't work for me. For the record, I usually wear size 6 Petite in women's clothes.

A (female) friend of mine used to wear boys' jeans because they fit her long-legged, narrow-hipped shape better than women's jeans. I know some large women who like men's shirts. It's a very individual thing.

[HP]

I had to wear boy's pants as a tween/teen for "modesty" reasons and it was so ridiculous. Baggy in the front due to lack of external genitalia, tight/wedgie in the back due to having hips (so much for "modesty" really) and then a giant waist that would gap in the back when I sat down (awkward). Never again!!!

I do wear unisex t-shirts when I'm doing hard physical labour and when I was pregnant I wore men's t-shirts during the 3rd trimester, I am a teeny 5'0'' and my husband's mediums were surprisingly accommodating and comfy. But when I'm not pregnant I prefer clothes that nip in at the waist a bit so that I don't look like I'm being engulfed in my clothing (especially since I'm a small person). I feel more comfortable/confident doing that.

[sunnyca]

I'm 5 feet tall and athletic, not very curvy, and there's no way men's clothing will fit me--it's shaped wrong, plus I'd be swimming in it. Boys' pants are way too narrow in the hips and thighs, as are teenage-girl pants. I've bought a few shirts and sweaters in girls' sizes, but most don't work for me. For the record, I usually wear size 6 Petite in women's clothes.

A (female) friend of mine used to wear boys' jeans because they fit her long-legged, narrow-hipped shape better than women's jeans. I know some large women who like men's shirts. It's a very individual thing.

I feel your pain.  I'm 5 feet tall as well, and buying clothes is a pain.  I'm somewhere between athletic and curvy, and most clothes don't tend to fit well. For the record, I'm usually a 2 petite in women's clothes. 

I should really learn how to tailor my own clothes.  That would make a huge difference in how my clothes fit.  My clothes really aren't very flattering now. :(

[4alpacas]

I am very curious about the goodwill/thriftstore purchases that folks here talk about. I have been thrice now and all I see is rows of crappy clothes. Cheap to begin with, worn for some time and discarded because they are faded/piling/mis-shapen etc. Maybe one item might catch my eye, as being new or almost new, but of course it is never the right size. I am petite - maybe that's the problem? It is hard enough finding petite sized clothes in regular stores.
Also, online, the sizing is a huge problem. Even stores that I have purhcased from before. Then one pays for shipping, sometimes both ways.

I'm too lazy to deal with Goodwill/Thriftstores, so I can't comment on how the stores are around me.  Have you tried eBay?  You'll pay less than an upscale consignment, and it's easy to find your size.  If they don't have what you're looking for, set up an alert.  I was able to purchase a bridesmaids dress through eBay (had the color and style number) in my size ($40 vs. $120 new).

[zsmith]

Love this thread and it's very timely, as I just had to make one of my two annual shopping trips to stock up yesterday, and I'm pregnant so I think I'll be in for a few more expenses in the clothing department this year. Any tips here would be much appreciated.

It was also funny because I commented to a very non-mustachian friend that I had plans to go shopping on Tuesday and she actually laughed at me because she couldn't remember the last time I said I was going shopping - ummm sorry I don't shop for recreation, but rather for things I actually need.

So I was able to get six new-to-me and professional (easier said than done and I need to look nice for work) pieces that I can wear for a few more months anyway and again after I deliver for around $75 (I also had a $25 store credit from selling items). To Crazyworld's point, while I love the Goodwill, I find a consignment store will have some higher-quality items that I can wear for work and then I can supplement with Goodwill items.

[flamingo25]

I rarely buy clothes and find it stressful.

Fortunately my job allows casual dress so I don't have to be too picky about what I buy.

I buy most of my clothes at Goodwill and sometimes at Plato's Closet. Plato's is targeted towards teens but I'm petite so sometimes their stuff works for me.