Making the effort....inspiration for us.

[Mouse]

So this is a new game I am playing on my Tube journeys. This is open to all genders and sexes. "Has anybody really put effort into their look today and made the best of themselves in my judgement?" Of course, since it is in my judgement, there is a heavy bias to skirted looks, but you never know an outfit consisting of trousers may sneak in, but it would have to be out of this world good.

So winning today - Middle age woman, nice red top with a few ruffles, pale full green skirt with red lady birds all over it, red court shoes to finish the look. Only got a brief look at her as she exited at her stop, but I liked her skirt and what she put with it. Best look of the Mouse day in London.

Not sure if I am allowed to bring women into this section. But I look around, as I travel through the capital, for things I may want to add into my own wardrobe and there are more skirted women than men to get inpiration from. Having said that, there are very few men or women that stand out in an average day. It is amazing to me that the clothes, people wear, are so mundane. To be fair it is not just the men that are the problem, most women are just as boring, and they have less excuse.

Where do others get their inspiration from? If inspiration is low on the streets, where else should we be looking?

[STEVIE]

Inspiration is a funny old thing Mouse, and it can be sudden or severely long and tedious.
Must admit that I rather like the current fashion for close fitting shorts, but would I venture out in public?
The "Starsky" cardigan was 50 years in the realisation and that will see the light of day.
Tomorrow, I am travelling to Edinburgh, to find a new kilted skirt.
The inspiration, sheer bloody mindedness.
I have two already and, being cheap, not satisfying my requirements/wants, I won't say needs.
The bonus for me will be another middle fingered salute to the Braveheart tartan heritage brigade.
Yes, I am bitter, twisted and rather juvenile.
My award for today is to a lady who works in a favourite coffee house. On arrival for a shift, she has the most tasteful dress sense of pretty much anyone I know. Then she dons the uniform, pretty, but striking, no!
Steve.

[Myopic Bookworm]

I certainly notice when the occasional passer-by appears to have made the effort to be vaguely stylish rather than dressing like a lazy teenager. People of either sex may catch my attention in this way. Yesterday it was a man in his (?) thirties walking the dog in a pink hoodie and white shorts with a blue pattern resembling old-fashioned china: a nice change from the usual monochrome or mud-colours (or uninspired football kit).

[Grok]

This year in Seattle, summer seems either delayed, or else we have skipped summer and gone to early autumn. (In June!). We have had only a few sunny, warm days this year so far.

On those few milder days, there were a handful of women wearing dresses. I think that leads to an improvement in appearance-compared to most informal wear-almost by default.

Sounds rather meager, but that is the best I can come up with.

[Spirou003]

I must be a privileged one since each day I go to the office, I can't count women nicely dressed up because there's too much of them. As for skirts/dresses, always tens of them and probably closer from an hundred than zero. Each 2-3 months, I see a skirted guy whose outfit is not cultural (or not obvious) and who is not trans-looking. Even in the middle of the (not so cold) winter, women were still wearing skirts/dresses. Less numerous of course. Weather is not so good, though, I'm a little perplex.

[LiuBang]

I must be a privileged one since each day I go to the office, I can't count women nicely dressed up because there's too much of them. As for skirts/dresses, always tens of them and probably closer from an hundred than zero. Each 2-3 months, I see a skirted guy whose outfit is not cultural (or not obvious) and who is not trans-looking. Even in the middle of the (not so cold) winter, women were still wearing skirts/dresses. Less numerous of course. Weather is not so good, though, I'm a little perplex.

Do you work in a STEM industry? And/or is your office mostly men? Because I worked as a software engineer (mostly men), but my few female colleagues dressed like they were going to church on Easter Sunday. Even my lesbian teammate who did not wear makeup still wore long, flowy dresses and skirts and had fake nails done. Some of the other women often had a full face of makeup and wore wedge heels. Even in the winter my lesbian teammate would wear short, dark skirts over leggings and leather, knee-length riding boots.

I think women in STEM dress up better than non-STEM women because women in STEM are such a minority that they want to stand out in a sea of guys. They also know how scarce and valued they are as potential girlfriends in a field that's 75-80% men, and they will thus present themselves more nicely than say a female psychologist.

[Spirou003]

I indeed work in that domain, and all the women I'm aware about their marital situation are already in a relationship, but that doesn't explain all the women in the street. When I was at the university, the girls in the class were much less noticeable than this (and the same: all already in a relationship)... or I did just not notice, I was always at the first rank and too focused by the speech

[LiuBang]

I indeed work in that domain, and all the women I'm aware about their marital situation are already in a relationship, but that doesn't explain all the women in the street. When I was at the university, the girls in the class were much less noticeable than this (and the same: all already in a relationship)... or I did just not notice, I was always at the first rank and too focused by the speech

Would you say then that it has nothing to do with whether a woman works in STEM or non-STEM, women across the board in your area just dress up nicely?

[crfriend]

Would you say then that it has nothing to do with whether a woman works in STEM or non-STEM, women across the board in your area just dress up nicely?

Well. given the overwhelming evidence that indicates that women do not dress up nicely any longer in the general population, I'd be tempted to indicate that we have a sampling error in your particular location. Look wider afield and see what you perceive.

[LiuBang]

Would you say then that it has nothing to do with whether a woman works in STEM or non-STEM, women across the board in your area just dress up nicely?

Well. given the overwhelming evidence that indicates that women do not dress up nicely any longer in the general population, I'd be tempted to indicate that we have a sampling error in your particular location. Look wider afield and see what you perceive.

OK, I'll look beyond Cedar Rapids.

Oklahoma City--lived there for two and a half years. Granted not every woman dresses up nicely but if there's someone dressed up nicely it's probably a woman.

San Diego--I've lived here for the past year. During the warmer months on my street and at the supermarket, lots of women in skirts/dresses. Among couples walking down the street, the woman is usually dressed better than the guy.

Belgium--Went to Ghent and Bruges on vacation last year and I guess Spirou's right when he says nicely-dressed women are everywhere in his country. Once again, among couples, the woman is usually dressed better than the guy. By a large margin.

I cannot name a single city I've visited in which among couples, the women isn't the better dressed one than the guy.

[Spirou003]

I'm living near Charleroi, working in Brussels (by taking the train), and today I was at Mons (again by train), all in Belgium. I paid attention to how women are dressed (as usual), and I've quickly lost the count when starting walking in Mons. Not that they're all nicely dressed up - I've not waited two minutes to see a tomboy - but the percentage of nicely dressed women is high enough to make them noticeable. This is without taking in consideration the people I've seen at the "salon de l'érotisme" at Mons, where the rate was much higher (both sexes, I've seen much more than ten kilted men)!
Less than two months ago I was in Nancy (France) with a friend, last year I was in Louvain la Neuve (Belgium), I've been a few times in Famiflora (gardening store) at Mouscron (Belgium) last two years and same than above: easy to find a nicely dressed one.

Maybe, Crfriend, could you live in an area that is not favorable for women levelling up their attire?


Off topic: I took the occasion today to buy a "kilt" in the salon (it was nice enough and not expensive) which I wore the whole evening. Now I've tested to wear a skirted-garment by less than 15°C without sun, and after some time I'm feeling cold. This confirm my initial thought: skirted garments are for warm days only in my case

[crfriend]

Maybe, Crfriend, could you live in an area that is not favorable for women levelling up their attire?

It's perfectly possible I live in a "style wasteland". However, extricating myself from it would be an almost Herculean task given the logistics of moving me. Thus, all I can do at the moment is mourn.

[Grok]

Elisabetta and Moonshadow recently under took the big job of moving to the Seattle area.

This area is pretty much a wardrobe waste land.

I can think of one exception among men. Occasionally, you see a man in a Utilikilt. This is supposed to be the blue jeans of kilts, but these men seem to show a little pride in their appearance. Yes, the colors tend to be on the dull side, but the rig can be described as "dressy drab." Which, sadly to say, is a step above what most people wear.

[STEVIE]

It's perfectly possible I live in a "style wasteland". However, extricating myself from it would be an almost Herculean task given the logistics of moving me. Thus, all I can do at the moment is mourn.

It's possible, you do Carl, but that just raises the odds of being Plumed Peacock among the Drab Hens.
The real pity is not their sense of style, it is their lack of vision and their unseeing attitude.
I have a horrible sense that my feelings on that score are about to become even more jaded.
Steve.

[denimini]

Not too much inspiration where I live. Many men and women wear "stockmen" outfits, of which I suppose a lot are graziers. An OK look but nothing I aspire to wear .............. apart from the elastic sided boots and hat. Funny, I have a couple of RM Williams mini skirts with the bull horn emblem leather patch on them, as they are a renowned brand of station outfitters ........... just missing the khaki or blue shirt with patch pockets.