Womens clothing and shoes

[Doctor Q]

Hooray for me!

I bought Mrs. Q three tops and a pair of pants a few weeks ago, to surprise her, because I happened to be near a store with stuff I thought she'd like. Since I can't trust the labels to give me a straight story about the sizes (due to the crazy ego-stroking "size deflation" in recent years) I hold up clothes in the store and imagine I'm folding laundry at home, to see if the size seems to match. (I still use my almost-secret folding technique, by the way). My shopping system works most of the time, and in this case two blouses and the pants her fit perfectly. Three out of four isn't bad.

Picking colors is hard because (a) she likes some colors a lot better than others, (b) most clothes she likes are separates, so I have to figure out what matches what, and (c) I have lousy color vision. So I use another almost-secret technique: getting gift receipts!

I have a mixed but tolerable record with blouses, pants, dresses, jackets, etc., but I've never tried buying her shoes. I'd have no idea about color or style even if I got the size right. I know my limits, so her surprise gifts never include shoes.

 

[zelmo]

I hold up clothes in the store and imagine I'm folding laundry at home, to see if the size seems to match. (I still use my almost-secret folding technique, by the way).

I amazed my wife when I showed her your amazing folding technique. She still folds laundry like this, and I and still mystified.

Sorry for the OT post, folks.

 

[OutThere]

Shoe selection for men is really weak. Takao is spot on with the shoe statement. Finding the last pair of shoes I bought took me 8 stores and 4 months. I'm not kidding. I could have done the online shoe dance, but that would have been even more of a pain.

It's not like the shoes were particularly rare or, I thought, hard to find, as they are a key part of a young preppy wardrobe.

As far as sizing goes, however, boy am I glad to be male. So easy to go in and pick out the waist/inseam that fits my measurements. None of this 2, 4, 6, 8 who do we appreciate business. Also, I've heard from lady friends that the ego-massaging-for-fat-people size inflation has caused some serious problems for smaller people.

 

[furcalchick]

Shoe selection for men is really weak. Takao is spot on with the shoe statement. Finding the last pair of shoes I bought took me 8 stores and 4 months. I'm not kidding. I could have done the online shoe dance, but that would have been even more of a pain.

It's not like the shoes were particularly rare or, I thought, hard to find, as they are a key part of a young preppy wardrobe.

http://www.nbwebexpress.com/products/M574GS_lg.jpg


As far as sizing goes, however, boy am I glad to be male. So easy to go in and pick out the waist/inseam that fits my measurements. None of this 2, 4, 6, 8 who do we appreciate business. Also, I've heard from lady friends that the ego-massaging-for-fat-people size inflation has caused some serious problems for smaller people.

finding proper shoes in my size is much simpler for me in the mens section than womens (and cheaper), so maybe not as much. i don't understand why most shoe companies think all women have tiny feet (most stop at 10-12).

and the women's sizes, yes, that has to be fixed. when my mom was growing up, she was really skinny (like size 0), and they didn't have that back then, now they are making these cuts and sizes in stupid ways. like i said earlier about my breasts, i have to get xl just to fit my breasts properly. why not have measurements more tailored to real women than to an image of a woman of a flat chest and short legs.

 

[Abstract]

Sometimes, if you're a guy and you don't want black, navy blue, or red, you'll probably have to go to the women's section to find the equivalent. The women end up with cooler colours. Takao is right about the shoes. It takes me ages to find some shoes in colours other than black, tan, or grey (if suede) unless you buy a from a trendy company that usually ends up being more expensive.

However, by and large, I do agree with you. Women get limited more often than men with regards to colours.

 

[RedTomato]

Me and my partner also struggle with buying clothes. We're both a bit smaller than average, so we end up in kids clothing stores trying on their stuff. We're 31 and 40, and we wear stuff that was made to fit 14 year olds

H&M kids stuff goes up to about age 14, and that's their largest size and it fits us. the nice thing is there's no VAT on kids clothing in the UK, so everything is quite a bit cheaper than adult clothing - and the designs are more trendy

My partner can't buy adult trousers as they are all too baggy - she buys pedal-pushers or 3/4 length trousers and wears them like normal trousers. Ditto skirts. We had a hard time finding a ballgown recently, and finally found one in 3/4 length from Karen Miller in Regent Street (yes, next to the Apple Store )

 

[furious]

Thank god I live in Australia. None of this hoopla over here. Only choice is Surf brand of Street brands.

I do agree with the colours statement. I wish I could get plain coloured shirts with no branding or printing.

 

[Mord]

And BV, you're absolutely right about having difficulty finding clothes when you have an unusual shape. I hate how some designers think we all have the same proportions!

I have the opposite experience, most stuff seems to fit me ~perfectly~ and I'm left wondering where all the 6'3" 168lb women who are shaped like me are.

 

[iRachel]

I have the opposite experience, most stuff seems to fit me ~perfectly~ and I'm left wondering where all the 6'3" 168lb women who are shaped like me are.

Lucky! I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum - I'm about 5'4", which makes pants very difficult to buy. I'm just a bit too tall for most petite sizes - the cuffs generally rest at the tops of my ankles, but if I try the regular size on, there's two extra inches of material hanging off. Generally, I end up having to hem the regular size pants. the worst, though, is trying to find capri pants - the "petite" ones fit more like long shorts, while the "average" ones look like bad-fitting trousers!

 

[devilot]

I was talking to someone about the whole menswear vs women's clothing color options, specifically the controversial Crocs . I want a nice neutral dark navy, and he wanted the bright funky colors. And both of us were disappointed to see that in most stores, the color and size combos we wanted just weren't an option.

So yes, Lau, I whole-heartedly agree.

Which isn't to say that I don't automatically dislike pink or other "girly" colors. But it is frustrating when you see whole seasonal lines/ displays of "girly" colors. Argh.

 

[takao]

oh and having a shoe size of 9 1/2 doesn't make life easier since hat size is the most likely size for being already out of stock

also it's matter of how big the town is you are living.. in my hometown the cloth selection essentially is boiling down to looking like a 40-60 year old with suits etc. _or_ looking like Mr. Bmw 318 driving- techno listening - tribal tattooed - "i buy hair gel in gallon sized bottles" - chavs

no wonder most guys i know are ordering shoes and tshirts online regularly

 

[Leareth]

I usually have no troubles getting shoes; I take a 9.5 womens, 85% of women take a 6.5-7.5 shoes size. Generally when the store is on their last pair its my size so I get it at a good discount. and it seems larger size shoes come in non girly colors...

Also helps that Vancouver has a huge asian population and most of the women have tiny feet and fit the tiny clothes. I actually saw a -1 size the other day. and what is with XXS ? who is this supposed to fit , barbie dolls?
the smaller sizes sell out and the bigger sizes get discounted...
I am pissed off thought that size ten is considered "plus size" and "curvy"

I buy most of my day to day shirts in the mens section - not because of the colors but because of the cut - i hate the tiny cup sleeves and belly baring lenght of womens shirts.

For my other clothes I shop at Mountain Equipement Co-Op ( mec.ca)
they have most of their clothes in the same colors for men and women.