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Tuesday, September 26, 2017

The Feminine Differential - Wearing Pants


Wearing pants/slacks presents a dilemma.  If I wear pants am I really venturing into the feminine differential?  I had a recent conversation with a girlfriend and she mention that she did not wear either skirts or dresses any longer.  Pants had become her go-to choice.  After she mentioned it, I cannot say that I have ever seen her in anything other than slacks.

Yesterday, I featured two cute dresses. In the same post I mentioned that to my own disappointment, I was typically wearing pants more often these days. Why pants - to better blend. 

The fashion layout above highlights stylish Banana Republic Logan-Fit Pants that I purchased last week. However, I did not buy then because of the color - it was the fit. The fact that they are pink definitely put them into the feminine differential area. However, based on my friend's aversion to anything other than pants I started to wonder if my "wanting to blend in" is a developing trend? Are skirts and dressing becoming a novelty, just special occasion option?   

I tried to find a reasonable survey taken among women. What I did find was a small sample, limited female survey:



Pants always 46.67%
Pants mostly; skirts for special occasions 20%
Pants mainly; skirts sometimes 26.6%
Pants and skirts about equally   0%
Skirts mainly; pants sometimes   6%
Skirts mostly; pants for special occasions   0%
Skirts always   0%

What do you typically wear and why?  Give me your comment and I will compile our preference.

9 comments:

  1. as a 66 year old in transition on HRT for 17 months I have had trouble finding pants that fit properly that don't look ridiculous in the rear end, in that I lack padding in hips and bum.So as a result I have found myself gravitating to skirts and dresses more and more, which is fine in that for many years I would have loved to have that option.Though the ease of pants are wonderful they are not always the best choice for a transgenderd women.For me it's 75% skirts ND 25 PANTS.

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  2. I think that there's a cultural element to be considered. I live in Seattle, home of the Grunge Movement, and jeans and leggings are still commonplace. I actually wear jeans most of the time, but not (consciously) with any grunge in mind. Throughout the summer, I'm more apt to wear capris, but sundresses or maxi dresses are welcome respites on the hotter days (yes, we do get temps in the 90's, and we had no precipitation at all for more than three months straight this year - contrary to popular belief). So, climate probably has something to do with it, as well.

    When I used to go to the local trans social group meetings, I almost felt compelled to wear a dress, as about 90% of those in attendance wore them. When we would go out en mass for drinks, we were often the only ones wearing dresses. Of course, I don't know that blending was on their minds at all.

    Anyway, if you are compiling data, I would say that I wear pants most of the time and skirts sometimes (and dresses for special occasions). Some days, I may wear all three, changing to be appropriate for my activity.

    My mother used to tell me that, when in doubt, it is always better to be overdressed. I tend to go along with that, except that I am coming up on the same age she started wearing pull-up elastic waist pants almost every day. I'm hoping I never do that, myself, but she did still manage to look fashionable in those pants. At some point, then, accessorizing is probably more important (if not more easily changed) than the clothing itself.

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  3. For me it would be Skirts & Dresses Mostly -Pants somtimes with padding I like the look & feel of pants more & more-
    also at 70 yrs old Pants have grown on me- no need to always wear a dress to feel Female

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    1. I assume that it is you, and not your pants, that are 70-years-old. Otherwise, they may really look as though they'd grown on you. :-)

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  4. I also live in Seattle as it turns out. I’d say I’m about 75/25 pants/skirts. But my “pants” are skinny jeans, leggings, that, along with my tops, shoes, and accessories are obviously from the feminine side of the store.

    At 61 I just want to be authentic - true to myself - and appropriate to the occasion. But I also recognize that skirts are a woman’s prerogative and sometimes I just wear them because I feel good in them. But not for yard work!

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    1. We may have come across each other, Emma, but we didn't notice because we're dressed like all the other women in Seattle.

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  5. I'm another Florida gal and try to dress to fit in. So for me it's pants most of the time (does that include crops and shorts?) But I love to wear skirts and dresses when I can .... so I guess I'm in the pants mainly / skirts sometimes category,

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  6. I'd say I am 50/50 on pants vs skirts/dresses.
    Pants are usually either jeans or black slacks - Whenever I strive for a more elevated look I go for a dress.

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  7. This penchant for women wearing only or mostly pants is a reflection of changes in American society and not for the good. I certainly understand the comfort factor, although that is debatable too, but the grunge look has taken over and doesn't reflect well on the image of American women. I'm retired living in Merida MX and the women here still care about their looks. At any given time in the local malls, 40-50% of women will be in dresses or skirts. They certainly are cooler than slacks or skinny jeans. But in following fashion bloggers from other countries, this convenience factor seems to unfortunately have taken over American fashion. Does it come down to the attitude of "no need to look female". That is so sad

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