Desi
Once King
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wait you sure that you do not have that the other way around?
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Should Women Shop More Like Men?
- Thread starter lucy92
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wait you sure that you do not have that the other way around?
nope, i am not sure, i want to think that way.... considering how much clothes i have. i am sure that men stole colors from women.
KhaoticKharma
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I certainly think there is a gender discrepancy, but as a firm believer in "evolutionary psychology is BS invented by chauvinists," I would chalk most, if not all, of it to availability and marketing. While the men's department may almost rival any women's department in size, women also monopolize "accessories" and men's shoes tend to be two or three rows at best. Commercials and ads for department stores play on Lifetime and run in Glamour and Cosmo; the message is sent loud and clear that women love to shop, and since fashion changes season to season, they should shop for what looks good for that season.
I really question how accurate it would be to state, however, that women love to shop and men don't. I have two male friends, neither of whom are homosexual, that are fashion victims of the highest order- if Kanye West is wearing a foxtail, one of them is going to buy a foxtail. If David Beckham was spotted wearing a pink Armani tie, you bet one of them will pull up a tab and find that tie on eBay before you can say "trend skank." Meanwhile, I will buy five of the same thing if I love it (white v neck tees, I'm looking at you), and I really only buy things that already go with a few other things I own- while my mother and sister love nothing more than to pick up whatever looks cute when they shop, and don't just shop for something specific (and hate shopping with me, who only shops when she needs/want to learn more about something).
To sum up: There are trend addicts in both genders, and those that are more personal style driven as well. Any gender differences could probably be better chalked up to marketing and gender norms, not any inherent differences.
I really question how accurate it would be to state, however, that women love to shop and men don't. I have two male friends, neither of whom are homosexual, that are fashion victims of the highest order- if Kanye West is wearing a foxtail, one of them is going to buy a foxtail. If David Beckham was spotted wearing a pink Armani tie, you bet one of them will pull up a tab and find that tie on eBay before you can say "trend skank." Meanwhile, I will buy five of the same thing if I love it (white v neck tees, I'm looking at you), and I really only buy things that already go with a few other things I own- while my mother and sister love nothing more than to pick up whatever looks cute when they shop, and don't just shop for something specific (and hate shopping with me, who only shops when she needs/want to learn more about something).
To sum up: There are trend addicts in both genders, and those that are more personal style driven as well. Any gender differences could probably be better chalked up to marketing and gender norms, not any inherent differences.
supermodel
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oh god, regardless of what's natural or influenced by marketing,, i wish they did! i almost avoid inviting my friends to go shopping with me unless it's strictly for social purposes, seeing as how, for most women i know, hitting the mall for just 1 t-shirt usually is turned into a day long adventure ending most often NOT in success, but 3 or 4 purchases. which i find very surprising, considering these girls browse through what seems like ALL the racks downtown....
ughhhh, such a headache, and that's coming from a girl
ughhhh, such a headache, and that's coming from a girl
blueorchid
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fashionista-ta
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I'm not sure men ask questions like that ... but what you have there is poor-quality SAs, and that may not change according to the gender of the person in front of them.
My retail experience was in a store that was mostly menswear with a few things for women. I completely agree that you can find better quality for less money in menswear. A lot of that is because men wear a uniform. The patterns barely need to change from season to season.
I saw some men who were really insecure about shopping, like giving any thought at all to what they were doing was a threat to their masculinity. I remember one guy in particular who complained that his stuff didn't match ... but hello, when you run in and snatch the first thing and dash back out, of course it won't match. When I asked him to bring a couple of his suits in so that I could match them properly, he looked at me like I'd suggested he run naked down the street.
mikeijames
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i agree with the spirit of this article although some details remain laughable. i'd like any many to go out and find a cashmere cardigan as cheaply as a woman can find one. or a tailored blazer.
i've always lived under the assumption that mens clothing costs more because men, generally, buy less clothes. even than most fashionable man still buys the basics and puts his own spin on them. many women -- and i have never understood this, but i witness it perennially when i shop with my mother, sister, and legion of female freinds -- will go out and buy a disproportionate amount of 'trend' clothes. you give a man $10k and free reign in soho and i don't care if he's the most conservative or the most edgy, he'll come back with a certain number of pants, a certain number of jeans, a certain number of shirts, a certain number of shoes, a certain number of jackets. however, give a woman that same $10k and depending on the woman, you'll have them all come away with completely different things all, for the most part, in a year, who'll be dissatisfied with what they own.
so, in that way, i do believe, there's wisdom in the words of the author with respect to buying quality basics. buying a perfect little black dress from dolce and gabbana or the perfect pair of crocodile pumps from ysl for a girl makes just as much sense buying the perfect black suit from dolce and gabbana or the perfect pair of crocodile lace-ups from ysl for a guy. it's up to the individual how, where, when, and why to wear those things.
i've always lived under the assumption that mens clothing costs more because men, generally, buy less clothes. even than most fashionable man still buys the basics and puts his own spin on them. many women -- and i have never understood this, but i witness it perennially when i shop with my mother, sister, and legion of female freinds -- will go out and buy a disproportionate amount of 'trend' clothes. you give a man $10k and free reign in soho and i don't care if he's the most conservative or the most edgy, he'll come back with a certain number of pants, a certain number of jeans, a certain number of shirts, a certain number of shoes, a certain number of jackets. however, give a woman that same $10k and depending on the woman, you'll have them all come away with completely different things all, for the most part, in a year, who'll be dissatisfied with what they own.
so, in that way, i do believe, there's wisdom in the words of the author with respect to buying quality basics. buying a perfect little black dress from dolce and gabbana or the perfect pair of crocodile pumps from ysl for a girl makes just as much sense buying the perfect black suit from dolce and gabbana or the perfect pair of crocodile lace-ups from ysl for a guy. it's up to the individual how, where, when, and why to wear those things.
D
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i think one of the most charming things about a woman is her shopping habits and all that vanity and drama that comes with it. Most husbands pretend to hate it but its one of the things they miss the most when their women leave them.
fashionista-ta
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^ Maybe I do shop like a man, because I don't know that much vanity & drama come with it for me 
I'd like to think I shop like a woman with her head screwed on straight.
The point is though, what is the quality of that cheap cashmere cardigan or 'tailored' jacket? Good tailoring and good cashmere come at a price ... typically more for women than men. And perhaps some of that is justifiable ... women are certainly more difficult to fit than men.
I bought something recently in a designer department that on the second wearing developed a hole. I was going to have my cleaners fix it, but this thread made me think, No man would put up with that kind of crap
So I e-mailed my SA to see if there's another one.
I'd like to think I shop like a woman with her head screwed on straight.The point is though, what is the quality of that cheap cashmere cardigan or 'tailored' jacket? Good tailoring and good cashmere come at a price ... typically more for women than men. And perhaps some of that is justifiable ... women are certainly more difficult to fit than men.
I bought something recently in a designer department that on the second wearing developed a hole. I was going to have my cleaners fix it, but this thread made me think, No man would put up with that kind of crap
So I e-mailed my SA to see if there's another one.ErnstLudwig
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I agree the most important thing about the quality of a cashmere cardigan is the fabrics (which are expensibe) or you end up with a fuzzy hell.
veto, if you want a perfect fit RTW suit it's nearly impossible without alterations by a tailor.
When I worked in men's wear I was mortified by the percentage of men over 30 who shop with their mothers... and also how many of the solo shopping men who returned items saying that their girlfriend didn't like it . - This really changed my definition of what it means to "shop like a man"
(I know that this is probably not the case of all male TFS:ers )
. - This really changed my definition of what it means to "shop like a man"(I know that this is probably not the case of all male TFS:ers
)i would certainly rather be sold to like a man. i would prefer that the things i am interested in buying be located in an accessible location on the ground floor and right by the door, as it is for men. i would prefer that the advertising tried to appeal to my sense of value and quality. i would rather clothing be designed to flatter my body rather than expose it at every conceivably vulnerable spot.
i wear my share (or more than?) of men's clothing - pants, sometimes shoes, my glasses (they always slide down my nose because they're too wide, but darn it, they're worth it). this is because of the consistently better quality and fit that i find in men's clothing for the money.
i'd rather there be a legacy of educating me on quality and construction, the way there at least used to be for men (where that went i don't know, but it lingered longer in men's wear than in women's it seems).
so i can't speak for all women, but for me...the answer is yeah.
i wear my share (or more than?) of men's clothing - pants, sometimes shoes, my glasses (they always slide down my nose because they're too wide, but darn it, they're worth it). this is because of the consistently better quality and fit that i find in men's clothing for the money.
i'd rather there be a legacy of educating me on quality and construction, the way there at least used to be for men (where that went i don't know, but it lingered longer in men's wear than in women's it seems).
so i can't speak for all women, but for me...the answer is yeah.
