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I dress for myself. I try to look put together most of the time. I am not dressing "for men" besides on a date - really with the goal of looking like I put in effort for our outing and didn't just roll out of bed. I tend to be pretty preppy, but with an edge. I wear a lot of classically shaped dresses. Or a nice top and pants - sometimes leggings.
I do notice certain items are more noticeable to women vs men. This doesn't impact what I wear. I recently got a pair of shoes - flats - menswear inspired, python panel on the inside; these shoes are a hit with men and women. The women are my age or younger, the men are my age or older. It is an interesting juxtaposition.
When I pick out my outfit it is really a matter of thinking about flattering - most of the time - and what is fitting for the things I am doing on that day. I have grabbed a few items that are less flattering - maybe a bit too loose - because they were interesting for some reason. Generally I try to keep well shaped shoulders - but maybe looser the rest of the way.
I do not always dress to accentuate my silhouette. Sometimes I am just not in the mood to attack attention that way. Or I cover up with a cardigan. It is probably a leftover relic from way too much street harassment as I younger woman. I guess I would say I am aware of what some men may find more appealing, and if I am not in the mood for that sort of attention, I make different choices. But I am wearing those things, it is not a conscious effort to "attract." I really just like feminine shapes for my clothing - fitted dresses, pencil skirts, fit and flare dresses and so on.
While reading another post titled How Much Does Fashion Matter To You, I thought about a question that always was stuck in the back of my mind. Do women dress more to impress other women around them, or more for the opposite sex? Now I already know a vast majority of women (or people in general) will say "I don't dress to impress anyone", but I'm looking more for the insights of others.
You can't generalize. For every woman who dresses to entice men, there is another who dresses to impress her peers, and another who dresses to please herself. And there are women who dress to make a statement about themselves. I could go on and on.
Older women generally dress more for comfort, but many of us also like to look stylish. But some of us don't.
Here is a website devoted to women of age who dress to make statements, or to express themselves, or to make a style statement.
While reading another post titled How Much Does Fashion Matter To You, I thought about a question that always was stuck in the back of my mind. Do women dress more to impress other women around them, or more for the opposite sex? Now I already know a vast majority of women (or people in general) will say "I don't dress to impress anyone", but I'm looking more for the insights of others.
I think it depends on the woman. People dress for a wide variety of reasons which may or may not have to do with others. It also depends on the context. For instance, a woman that is looking for a job might want to dress to impress the person who is hiring, etc.
I'm not a woman, but in most cases, when I dress, I think mostly about myself. When I wear clothes that I like, it is because I want to feel good. If people are impressed (they often are), then that is a bonus.
I'm not going to lie, I sometimes dress with others in mind. I know when I'm going to turn heads, both women and men. I know which women will be complimentary and I know which ones it will **** off.
I had an event this past weekend and I knew there would be a couple of women attending that aren't so nice. SO I made sure I looked really good to let them know where I have the upper hand. (They wouldn't even say hello...mission accomplished. ) I can't help it that some of the men noticed too.
There are times when I specifically won't dress up or wear something because I don't want too much attention. Because I'm tall, I find things can look a lot differently on me than the average woman (I tend to look more dressed up) and I do find some women put their guard up. And then there's the issue of my bustline. I try not to wear fitted clothes, again because I don't want too much attention or to come across as trying to flaunt my body.
I just want to say that a woman can dress nice and attractively for herself (and yes, the opposite sex on certain occasions), without her outfit being revealing or low cut. As I've mentioned before in this forum, I mainly wear fitted tees and jeans. If I'm going to a specific event or meeting, then I keep that in mind when picking out something to wear.
We're all different shapes and sizes here...and the same outfit can fit each person in a different way.
When I was younger, I dressed for other women because I wanted to be stylish. Now that I'm a senior and don't have much of a figure, I tend to dress for comfort so primarily dress to please myself although I try to keep style in mind. But I can appreciate women with good taste and enjoy people watching in airports, on travel, and in upscale restaurants/shops to see what trendy women are wearing these days. My favorite style is a very classic look with a little bit of edge. I would never dress to impress men. They have terrible taste - they prefer that women look like streetwalkers or prefer some oddball very outdated look (e.g., ruffles, bright prints).
Years ago, when I worked in a department with 3 men and 12 women, I was very aware of my dress sense and it was important to me that I looked stylish, classy and elegant, not a hair out of place. And I certainly didn't wear the same outfit more than once in a 3 week period.
However, after a massive downsizing, it was just me and the 3 men. Almost overnight, I changed. I no longer cared what I looked like, to the extent that I had before. I gave little thought to the nuances of what earrings to wear, styled my hair less, sometimes I didn't even wear makeup (oh, the HORROR).
The conclusion I arrived at, is that I was somehow dressing in a way to not be judged by women. When I told someone else this anecdote, they came to a different conclusion - that I was subconsciously competing against the other women, for the attention of the men. I am not sure if this is true... in my mind if I imagine it's just a department of women, I think I would have behaved the same. Who knows?
When I was younger, I dressed for other women because I wanted to be stylish. Now that I'm a senior and don't have much of a figure, I tend to dress for comfort so primarily dress to please myself although I try to keep style in mind. But I can appreciate women with good taste and enjoy people watching in airports, on travel, and in upscale restaurants/shops to see what trendy women are wearing these days. My favorite style is a very classic look with a little bit of edge. I would never dress to impress men. They have terrible taste - they prefer that women look like streetwalkers or prefer some oddball very outdated look (e.g., ruffles, bright prints).
Please don't generalize like that. Not ALL men want their SO or are attracted to women looking dressing like that. At least not once we get to a certain age where we focus on MORE than looks.
Here's a different spin: When I was 18, I asked my college roommate's girlfriend why she was dressing up so much to go out with him, when she's already in a solid relationship. She replied that she's gotta look good enough that other girls don't think that they could steal him away.
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(They wouldn't even say hello...mission accomplished. 
