One of the things I very much like about this forum is that the community is so accepting and supportive. And that there isn't a generally accepted set of "style rules" here, but a lot of encouragement for each member to explore her (or his) own unique sense of self-expression through wardrobe, with a big dose of emphasis on "dressing for the life you actually have."
So many of the people here whose look and outlook I most admire, style themselves in completely different ways. I see that as a good thing, because we all have different bodies, appearances, lifestyles, levels of activity, climates, likes and dislikes.
I notice that when someone puts time and care into choosing hair, makeup (if they wear it) and clothing that makes THEM happy and suits THEIR life, they almost inevitably appear happy and attractive to me.

Omg. Slay me now. That's immortal Anna!

I went to REI last week, which venture reminded me that my entire neighborhood is 'Dressed by REI'... coffee supplied by Peet's. It's more bird-watchers' gear than Fabletics, which maybe makes the difference. But anyways, I'm on Team LisaP. It's a definite aesthetic and you can be more or less stylish within the continuum. It's also appropriate to the lifestyle everyone leads...hiking down from the hills with the dog to get to Peet's, lol. I mean, most people do put on their lagenlook to attend the latest reinterpretive Shakespeare rendition... Auto-Tune King Lear and stuff.

On the other hand, the neon jogging capris do look awful wrong here. Mesh panel leggings don't go with the potholes and sidewalks torn up by tree roots AT ALL. Just too fresh and new looking.

Also: We don't have good restaurants anymore, so that doesn't matter. What would you wear to eat a chili relleno filled with mac n' cheese anyways?

ETA: I probably wouldn't like my math teacher to wear jogging capris and matching sports bra, but I hate seeing people struggling to walk down the sidewalk in their platform stilettos equally...

I'm not usually offended by other people's fashion choices unless they are extremely revealing. Period.

For me, I have to say that I never wear gear intentionally out as my day wear. However, I often end up out in the world in my gear because I never go to yoga or barre and then go home. There are always other stops - groceries, post office, Staples, what have you. And I don't do hair or makeup for yoga. I don't feel at all at my best on these outings but I feel spiritually great after yoga so that must count for something. This is just not my favorite style of clothing; it's functional and what I wear really before I get dressed for the day. But not what I wear before I go out. If that makes sense.

I guess we really are a suburb of CA. When I got my haircut last time, I wore my Patagonia raincoat, and my stylist said I looked like my outfit came from REI. I wasn't wearing any exercise clothes, though.

Rachy, BTW, they call it "birding".

AG, that video made me laugh harder than anything that wasn't Melissa McCarthy this month.

Still laughing at that video, Anna!

I'm not really a fan of gear --and that includes hiking, golfing, riding, skiing, and biking as well as yoga/gym gear--worn outside of its environment. To my eye, it makes the wearer look weirdly clueless about what works for different environments and activities. A golf jacket and pair of yoga pants on a ski trail generally isn't a good idea. Same goes for gym wear at the opera (yes, and on opening night, if you can believe it!), or biking shorts and top on a receptionist in a lawyer's office.

That said, today's gear has come a long way from the baggy hiking pants and bulky ski wear we used to wear. Many pieces integrate well with mainstream fashion and can be styled in a way which downplays their gear orientation. And sometimes it's just practical to wear my golf gear to Costco on my way home to pick up a bag of oranges and a jug of laundry detergent instead of making a second trip across town.

But I've also discovered that it's those moments when I'll inevitably run into an acquaintance who I'd really prefer to have met when I looked more presentable, so I try to keep that kind of gear-wearing to a minimum. I also keep hearing Angie's voice saying "Wear the heck out of your nice clothes!" so I pull my "good" clothes out for regular wear instead of automatically reaching for my gear.

So I guess I'm on the fence. Wearing gear isn't a crime, but it isn't something I'd want to do very often because I think gear rarely looks good outside of its native environment on an adult woman.

'Birding, birding, birding' ... Got it! Don't want to embarrass Lilypup at Peet's!

I love gear! I feel excited to wear it for the adventure that awaits. I am so excited that there are so many stylish options. I think it reflects a lifestyle. There are days that I am looking at working at home, cleaning the house, afternoon yoga and an evening hike for example. When I consider the day I am either looking at 4 outfit changes or just putting on my gear and being done with it. If you want to live an active lifestyle gear jus make it easier and is probably the reason so much nice gear has been created. I do think stylish gear looks nicer than baggy sweats and that is what I opt for as I like to look somewhat put together. I am just as excited to throw off the gear and get dressed up for dinner. As long as I'm having fun with fashion I'm happy.

Jeanie, it sounds like you are describing wearing gear for appropriately gearish purposes rather than living in gear. (And I love your infectious enthusiasm for dressing for the activity at hand. I too can relish throwing on a velour tracksuit before rolling up my sleeves in the kitchen.)

It's the "throwing off gear and getting dressed up for dinner" step that seems to have fallen away around here, the belief being that if you've spent a fortune on those yoga pants, you're already "dressed up." I'm saying I disagree.

Is it just me?

This discussion is making me want to go drop a bunch of money at Lululemon and wear some colorful ultra-fancy workout duds to the fanciest restaurant in town, just to prove the point that.........

It is nobody business what another person chooses to wear!

In this time when, even in modern progressive countries, laws are being written about what women may and may not wear in public, it makes me extraordinarily uncomfortable when a conversation veers into this territory of having expectations surrounding what other people - but especially women - wear. Even the casual suggestion that the social contract includes the expectation that we be "visually interesting" to others makes me shudder.

As every one of us knows, there is a long sordid history of fashion and modes of dress being used to keep women "in their place". So I personally celebrate that we are at a juncture at this moment in our society where women have the option to attire themselves in clothing that allows them to stride through this world freely, easily and completely unencumbered. At least one person here has expressed the opinion that wearing "gear" makes her feel empowered and in a mood to get things done. Exactly what wearing a power suit or perfectly tailored sheath dress (sleeves optional <grin>) does for others. Hooray for any mode of attire that yields this result!

And let's be honest, the particular clothing being discussed here is mostly form-fitting and shows off the body. So, whether intentionally or not, any discussion of its suitableness inevitably raises the implication that objections just might be related to body-shaming and/or the notion that women have an obligation to attire themselves "modestly" (as opposed to choosing to do so). And I'm confident that no one is this lovely group wants their comments to be interpreted in that manner!

Whether any of us individually care for it esthetically or choose to embrace it for ourselves or not, I would suggest that it is HUGE progress for women that these functional, comfortable and, for some individuals, empowering, choices are readily available.

To anyone who's read this far, thanks! And special thanks to April for introducing this topic and allowing me space to share my humble opinion.

Thank you, Ryce. It's not just you.

Monitoring other women's conformity, including "saying nice things" aka compliments (signaling approval), is a powerful method in which most women are socialized to keep each other in our places. Of course, no-one wants their comments "to be interpreted in that manner," but awareness is painful work.

Thanks for speaking out.

That's one way to look at it, Ryce. I personally have become accustomed to gear and like it. To the point where normal trousers on the street look odd to me. I personally wear leggings every day for the bakery. I much prefer them to the saggy traditional chefs' outfit.

On the other hand, I was raised Edwardian. I miss formal dining and seven course meals and dressing for dinner. Eating my Lean Cuisine-sized meals, which take longer to cook than eat, lacks a certain something (besides food, lol). It was like a dance, a ritual dedicated to the highest ideals of civility and humanity. The highest ideals take effort, which my leggings simply do not.

On the third hand, hehe - speaking of Aliens - one day I'm sure we'll reach T'Pol fashion. Just because. I used to think that was silly, but my mind has been changed. Even if Jolene Blalock hated wearing the costume.

http://www.thegeektwins.com/20.....k.html?m=1

Ryce, I appreciate your thoughtful comment (which I heartily second) and appreciate this thought-provoking thread.

Ryce, as much as I endorse your right--and the right of any woman to wear whatever she wants, from a burka to a bikini--I also think it's impossible to prevent others from thinking their own thoughts about the suitability of what a person has chosen to wear.

Maybe the two young women who came to opening night at the opera dressed in Lululemon and flip flops (with rather grubby toes) felt empowered, or maybe they deliberately chose to defy the dress code for such an event, or maybe they just were clueless, but regardless of their motives, their choice of attire did make them look very odd given the rest of the crowd was in formal and semi-formal attire. What was interesting, though, was the snarky looks directed towards that pair were not from the 55+ crowd. It was actually the 16-30 group which seemed most annoyed at their attire--especially when their oversized backpacks swung around and almost knocked over a couple of elderly women as the two galloped up the stairs towards their balcony seats.

I'm having a hard time thinking of their outfits as huge step forward for women's rights, but this Edwardian (nodding to Rachylou) is starting to see the funny side, so maybe that's progress of a sort!

I dunno. Young women at the opera in yoga pants and flipflops + huge backpacks make me think they're students or travelers who unexpectedly got a chance for cheap or free tickets and didn't have time to go home and change/didn't have dressy clothes with them. Would I personally want someone to pass up a chance like that because they didn't have the "right" clothes? No. But other people will feel differently. In any case, I feel like that's totally a different thing than April's original example of a woman in yoga pants at the post office.

What Angie, Joy, Gaylene, and Staysfit said, though when I was in MEC with DS#1, he looked around at the silver headed folks roaming the aisles of gear and announced "Mom! These are your people!"

I do the 'gear to gym and back - with a stop to pick up coffee cream' and the 'destination bike trip - with stop at pastry shop and back', but generally I can't get out of my gear fast enough. I'm even struggling with wearing my puffer for other than to and from the gym! If I shower at the gym, I change into street clothes, and these aren't another set of gear. That's just my preference, and my personal feeling that gear is task specific.

I'm pretty tolerant of what other folks wear, but sometimes shake my head when there is a lack of decorum. This may be personal, but frankly I I draw the line at flannel PJ's worn outside the home.

Ah, minimalist, you are on point as always! Did you know I was thinking of you and wishing I possessed a fraction of your eloquence when I typed the above?

ClaraT, thanks. It IS a stimulating discussion, no?

Rachey, I think it's interesting that most 20th century movies about "the future" tended to style all the actors in very sleek, body-conscious clothing not unlike some ot day's fitness wear. i guess the future is now.

Gaylene, My immediate thought on reading your anecdote were exactly the same as AndreaH's. A couple of decades ago, someone likely would have declined to attend such a performance if due to a last minute tickets/lost luggage/whatever they didn't have "appropriate" attire. I do think it is a good thing that people don't feel so constrained today and don't allow something so inconsequential as their clothing options to require them to forego an opportunity. I have a suspicion that community norms are part of the difference in your and my opinions on this subject. In my city, when someone, especially if they are young, comes to the opera and for whatever reason gives off the vibe of not being a "regular" patron, they are typically received with a great deal of warmth and enthusiasm. People are inclined to chat them up, ask if they are enjoying the performance, etc. Because, to be honest, out here on the prairie, the majority of folks wouldn't dream of attending an opera even if they were given tickets for free. So we are pretty pumped when someone is open to the experience! And if they are travellers as your young women with backpacks may have been, we hope they'll go home with a positive impression of our local company. I gather your city has less need to grow your audience, based on your comments about the "16-30 group". We can only dream of having more than a handful of attendees in that age group at any performance.

Wow -- miss a couple of days on the Forum and get woefully behind in my reading.

Applauds Ryce and everyone else ...

Well, the opera situation leaves me stumped, because I get hung up on respect for the musicians and for other guests.

Many times, an evening at the opera or symphony has been my only respite from months-long heavy workload, combined with family obligations (illness, weddings, funerals, and so on), and whatever else was going on. More often than not, I've ended up in exhausted tears because for other guests, generally in the "regular patron" category, it was just a casual time to chat, rattle their jewelry, and perform hygiene routines. This has been the case in several cities, and especially pronounced in pricier seats.

Truly, I don't care what they're wearing. The young women with backpacks might not have known to ask coat check whether they could leave the packs there. That sort of thing doesn't bother me. But relative quiet in which to enjoy the performance BY MUSICIANS WHO'VE DEDICATED DECADES OF STUDY AND PRACTICE has apparently become too much to ask.

I'm hoping that this rant is fully off-topic for the thread, and not just an example of an area where my own awareness of being an oppressor is non-existent.