Lisa, especially when the dress is not SO low that the cami becomes part of the look. Often I just need an inch or two of coverage, in which case the cami looks fussy and unintentional.

It makes no sense that most winter dresses, and dresses in general, are sleeveless. And that so many skirts are way too short. I'm 5-7 and I want a 22 inch skirt. 21 is OK; anything less than 19 is a dealbreaker. And why camis are so revealing.

"Like skinning a fruit" -- LOL, Suz. EXACTLY like that.

The cami-with-dress issue -- how about when you've carefully planned a dress outift to avoid Visible Panty Lines, and then your cami hits at just the right spot to suggest a huge pany line?

Such a great thread! This collective catharsis over very real annoyances is almost satisfying to read. And I can't but agree with you guys on each one thing mentioned.

About very short dresses: maybe because these dresses aren't dresses, but just very long tops? (lol)

If that were the case, then what to make of the very short skirts?

(Meant for women with no curves?)

Very long sleeves and pant legs: it's gotten too expensive to calculate the average leg length (like, 32 and 30). Somewhere some finance wiz in an office figured out they'd save that much more if they cut out this feature in garments, passing onto us the burden of having it hemmed. Could that be?

Uncomfortable high end shoes: not enough complaints! When we think about feet, too much importance given on foot fetish and sexiness, not enough on actually walking.

Low necklines: Yes I know!!! I've seen many of my students sport that look with no cami. You can do it at 19. Not at 45! And then finding a good, low- neck long-waist cami is almost impossible. I've thought of actually taping the dress to my chest so it wouldn't move towards indecency. But then it bulges with every move. Can't win on that one. Except keep an eye out at the store and NOT buy if the neckline will be causing such headaches when dressing up in the morning.

See through summer tops: Same problem here! And I'll add: low cut arm holes, where others can see your bra strap from your side. Does it mean that I'm not supposed to wear a bra with those?

Agree on low cut arm holes. And the whole "visible side boob" thing so prevalent on red carpets (upon which I never trod but...). Despite the wag of the finger from the fashion police on side boob, I suspect most of these women planned for it. It was not a wardrobe malfunction.

Low cut armholes are a major irritation to me too. I can't tell you how many times I've taken a sleeveless top to the tailor to have the shoulder seams taken up a bit, just to mitigate the bra- and underarm-exposing opening.

Wow, so some how all the short ladies complaining about dresses being too short for them made me feel an inch better. I don't mean that in a mean way. I just don't do dresses because what is the point, I am 5' 10".

Marketing clothing as the same style/cut as the previous year but changing the sizing. I ordered my third pair of jeans in the same size I have always worn. I didn't even try them on. I wouldn't have been able to get them over my knees. I compared them to my two older jeans, 1 & 2 year old, and they were 3-4 inches narrower in the hips/thigh. Really. I wear a 29. I would have needed something way above the available size.

@Aubergrine - I seem to struggle with summer shoes being super casual or super dressy or the worst really boring/basic too. ugh.

Yes for short dresses, sleeveless winter dresses and low-cut armholes.

(Also I know that long sleeves and pants don't make sense and I feel bad that they don't fit most women, but homg it's so great trying a shirt and the sleeves are actually long enough.)

I know I'm late to the party . . . but here's a formal-wear issue that's always puzzled me:

Men (who usually generate a lot of body heat and tend to be warm) are expected to cover up in heavy layers for fancy occasions - long-sleeve shirt, necktie, suit coat, long trousers, and sometimes even a vest.

Meanwhile, women (who usually generate less body heat an tend to be colder) are expected to dress up in a short "little black dress" that often has spaghetti straps, plus bare legs and open-toed heels. Even if she wears hose, they don't add much warmth.

I didn't get a chance to read the thread, but here is my short list:
- Why do women's shoes not follow the form and function of feet?
- Why are they selling bathing suits, cropped pants, and tees when it was -17F yesteday?
- Why do so many summer clothes require an extra layer underneath because they are so sheer?
-Why are the bottom of high end shoes so slippery? Can't they spring for soles that don't make them ice skates?
-Why am I paying for designer goods made in China?
-Who decided seasonally confused was fashionable? Bare ankles in winter = frostbite.
-Why don't stores stock sizes greater than 12 when they carry them? Makes me think they want my money but don't want me in their stores.

-Midi does not mean mid-thigh

-Mini skirts are not work wear.

That's all for now

Why are Winter sweaters paper thin?

Why is sizing inconsistent within the same brand?

Why are plaids and stripes almost always not matched up at the seams?

Why are facings not sewn down?

Why don't they make some (at least some) wide width shoes with narrower heels?

Why is every plus sized sweater also LONG? I was looking for a regular sweater the other day in a 16-18. To me a crew neck cardigan sweater should cover my waistband and the top of my jeans pockets....the crew neck cardigans I was finding were dangling to mid-thigh and looking VERY grandma-ish. I'm not ready for the rest home yet.

Thanks, April!
It makes no sense that....
....clothing prices are going up and yet quality is going down, WAYYY down (hmmm, somehow this reminds me of the price of gas....)
....even though retailers are making all these flimsy, see-through clothes, I can't find a decent slip to wear under dresses.
....people are trying to market "silk" clothes to me that are actually made of rayon or polyester. I'm looking at you, Anthropologie. I'm found the same thing with "wool" (actually acrylic). Aren't there laws against false advertising?

What works for me with the low-cut V-neck tops is buying some cheap bandeaus on eBay -- the ones that are just a circle of stretchy polyester, like a truncated tube top -- and wearing one as a fill-in underneath. They come in lots of colors (though I usually wear black) and are much easier to wear than a full camisole if you are big on top and run warm. They do have a certain breast-binding effect but I'm okay with that, since they've made it possible for me to wear (winter or summer) tops and dresses that were off-limits before.

Summer tops that are see-through &/or have really low arm holes are my main ones too.

Ugh, I have skinny calves, and last year's skinnies were all too big in the calves....this year they are so small I can't wear them!

I actually like layering in the summer. My office is freezing and I run way cold, so camis are my friends. I wear them even when my tops aren't sheer!

On the sheer thing: why do none of the straps on tanks or camis actually cover my bra straps?

Why is it so rare to find plus-size tops with actual long sleeves? The 3/4 length drives me nuts.