I’ve struggled with this idea over the years myself, that I dress primarily first and foremost for myself, for my own pleasure, comfort, and moods, and secondly for the pleasure of other women (or men who may appreciate sartorial choices). If a man finds pleasure in my outfit, more the merrier! Through my days as a club ho and party girl, my ensembles were always much more for the women than for the men…
Yesterday, amidst all the rain, I had half a day on the university campus. In that rain, a delightful young English woman stopped to ask me about my shoes, where I got them, and who they were by. (Had I been prepared, I’d have handed her a card and written down his name! Fluevog, oh glorious bastard!) While my coworkers are used to this regular bit of my wardrobe, it was a pleasure in my day to find they had a new admirer….
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
i know i definitely don’t dress for men! they don’t what they really want when it comes to how women dress. well straight men anyway.
.-= jennine´s last blog ..Whose shoes? … and bag? =-.
What a great post! (I want to see the picture of those shoes…)
I HATE getting lewd looks for men. I dress for my pleasure only. And, of course it’s nice when other women notice!
.-= Leia´s last blog ..Wellies =-.
I dress totally for my pleasure! I did say once to my sister though, after she was very surprised because a girl at a concert told me I was gorgeous & well dressed, “That’s a huge compliment, it means a whole lot more coming from a lady than a man!”. If a woman hits on you, you know you did something RIGHT, haha.
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..Pretty Good Things =-.
I have to admit that I love getting compliments from other women. I agree with Michelle. It’s the highest form of flattery. Although a gay man’s compliment is even better!! I’m proud of my husband for being observant of good style. I think this comes from understanding and appreciating good design in general. While some may question his sexuality after hearing him utter the word “perwinkle”, he’s just not afraid to let people know he admires beautiful objects. I mean, look at his wife! HA!!
I agree with Sandra & Michelle – compliments from other women are the highest form of flattery – as are nods of appreciation from men with good style taste.
I love a good, sincere compliment. Very flattering, indeed.
.-= Alicia´s last blog ..Mixed Up =-.
It is easy to dress for men, it is not easy to dress for myself or for women. I like a challenge. I don’t dress for the approval of others. Even if I want to attract attention, I still dress for me.
Still, love being complimented!!!! And it’s an interesting quote. Though I don’t think we’d gop naked (think of the cold!), we’d be in short tight clothes. Hmm I wear short tight things anyways….
I agree that most women dress for themselves and for other women, otherwise we’d end up seeing a lot more “maxim”-worhty outfits coming down the runways.
.-= IdStyle´s last blog ..Recycled Style Project: DIY Fall Fashion =-.
I love that quote and I agree with it, but I’m more of a percentage (like 75% for myself and 25% for others, can’t quite cure my self of self-consciousness).
And I’m always very secretly pleased with myself when a stranger inquires where something is from. :)
.-= The Clothes Horse´s last blog ..Down South =-.
My boyfriend has a background in design, and his aesthetic eye is really, really helpful in styling outfits. He’s also good at giving critiques: he may not like what I’ve done with an outfit, but he can understand why I did it and what I was trying to achieve aesthetically, and give me feedback toward that end.
He is an exception to the rule, though. In general, the boys I know don’t really get it, but the girls always do.
.-= amanda lee´s last blog ..The Album That Changed My Life =-.