What Women Really Want: Is For Fashion To Be Functional, Diverse And Reasonably Priced
When I am sad or stressed, the only thing I count on to feel better is retail therapy. That is, when the cause of my stress is not my finances, of course. It’s a real thing, guys. Ariana Grande was right when she said “Happiness is the same price as red bottoms.” However, a lot of times I have ended up feeling worse, annoyed actually, after scavenging through fashion sites and stores. The reason is that the chances of finding what you like, how you like it and at a price your bank account can handle is a million to one.
Sometimes, the brand (intentionally) forgets to include your size in its sizing chart, IFYKWIM, and the other times, you simply can’t find a piece worthy of its hefty price tag. Plus, why don’t women’s clothes have pockets? Where do we sign the petition for it? There are a lot of such gaps in the fashion industry that women are sick of and want filled ASAP.
Maybe instead of Women’s Day sales on clothes, brands and designers should come up with features and ideas to make this shopping experience better for us. And we are not asking for too much here. These are very basic things like inclusivity and functionality in clothes that women really want the fashion industry to incorporate. Basically, what we want is for fashion to be more functional, reasonable and diverse, in every sense.
Also Read: What Women Really Want: Is To Not Be Judged And Shamed Anymore For These Things
Practical clothing
If you ever found yourself amazed by a woman holding her drink, phone, glasses, wallet and a bunch of other things in one hand while she unlocks the door or does some other chore, it’s because we women have evolved that way due to lack of pockets in our clothing. Men don’t have that problem. They have a dozen pockets or would simply handover their stuff to you to keep in your handbag, which according to them you didn’t need to carry a few minutes ago. Although we do have functional pockets in our jeans and trousers, there is a room for improvement in dresses, skirts and oh, the ethnic wear category. In short, we want pockets in EVERYTHING. Also, features like thick-thighs-friendly pants and less spacing between buttons so there’s no peek-a-boob? That would really help.
Size Inclusivity
We can’t believe we have to spell it out even in 2021. We should not be expected to ‘fit’ into the clothing that only caters to a few standard sizes, just because the product description says ‘stretchable’. We deserve clothes that accommodate our specific body shape and size and fit like a dream rather than being stuck with a dress that’s a little too tight or jeans that need to be held up with a rubber band hack we saw on those videos on Facebook. Fashion shouldn’t be about struggling or compromising with the clothes, but getting a truly flattering fit for your individual body type easily.
Wearability before trends
Being fashion-forward is good. But wearing what you like and feeling confident in it is better. Trends change too quickly and it’s difficult to keep up. And, that’s okay. We should be able to wear non-trendy clothes without being judged or shamed or called ‘grandma’ for not wearing what we are comfortable in it. I mean, aren’t we all finally understanding how fast fashion makes shopping expensive and harms the climate? We want fashion to be seasonless and not being slammed for not conforming to seasonal trends.
Price sensibility
Is it just me or the price tags on clothes and accessories in the women’s section are in fact, unreasonably higher than those found on the men’s clothing store? I am all for spending money on clothes that have premium quality fabric, exquisite work and time and effort brands and designers put in their lines, but I am surely not spending 800 bucks for a similar T-shirt that my boyfriend bought for 200 one floor up from where I was shopping. Rather than deceiving discount gimmicks and big sales events, we want fashion to be reasonably priced all year round.
Diverse fashion
Do you feel the options in workwear are annoyingly limited, cause same. There are some solid pieces, mundane colour palette and very few silhouettes and styles to explore. Also, we don’t want fashion to be ageist or sexist. Women over 40 can look hip and wear statement jackets and neons or dresses with lace and silk details, if that’s what they want. Plus, no, not all women are into feminine clothing that we only see floral prints and ruffles on the summer dresses and tops. Also, while we are at it, let’s make fashion more genderless? That’d be great, thanks!
Also Read: What Women Really Want: Is To Be Free From Beauty Stereotypes, For Good
