This lovely thread is giving me all the feels - I want to call all my friends up now! It also sounds like many of us don’t have many fashion-minded friends and it makes me feel like I’m not the only one “going it alone” in RL.

This certainly has been fun to read - and to see how "the same" many of our lives really are. I'm lucky to have a bigger circle of friends that I see (well, saw) regularly - probably because I have lived in this city my entire life - but really, most women tend to dress for their lives and their environment . Trends, fashion etc - not the focus of their day-to-day. Not mine either at this point in life (as I sit here in 3 year old denim shorts and the same faded camo printed t I wore after work yesterday too - lol) .

So interesting to read all the responses!

Last night I had a gallery reception (I was one of three artists presenting), and I didn’t know what to expect in terms of attendance. One of my friends emailed me yesterday that she had planned to attend but in light of resurging covid cases she decided to stay home. I totally respect that. Turned out that we had a good attendance — not too quiet but also not overflowing. A steady stream of people coming and going for almost four hours (that’s a long reception — I was hungry and tired of being on my feet by the time a couple of my friends I haven’t seen in a decade showed up at 7:50 when we were starting to shut things down).

But anyway, my point is actually observing what my peers wore, as this was the first unmasked reception since Feb 2020.

Dresses and sandals were the predominant look: knit midi sleeveless dress with flatforms, cotton boho sundresses with flat gladiator sandals and flip flops, a cute Title Nine go-everywhere dress with sandals, a fitted bodycon midi with high platform sandals… One woman was wearing black crop pants and a long sleeve blouse and I felt for her as it was rather warm. It was 90ish degrees at 4pm, and the gallery doors were left open, so it was warm in there the whole time (I really hope there are not photos of me looking sweaty and unkempt because I started to feel that way).

It will be interesting to see if fall/winter brings much of a change to what my friends are wearing compared to last year or the year before. It seems everything has become more casual, but I’m not interested in continuing to make my wardrobe more casual — I want to step it back up again. I wonder how many other people are feeling that way, as opposed to wanting to wear athleisure everywhere.

Fascinating question.

One of my closest friends (age 59) is quite conventional in that she wears heels with dresses, sneakers with jeans, etc. Not much of a fashion risk-taker.

The other is 70 and dresses to accentuate her voluptuosity: clingy knits, plunging necklines, always in heels, you get the picture. Do I have any friends who dress like me (a little street, a little RATE, mixed with a little girly or traditionally flattering)? I think the answer is no.

This has been such an interesting thread to read. I appreciated especially what Greyscale said early on about being interested in fashion/style but not existing in "feminine culture." That really resonated for me, a good articulation of something that I have long felt (and felt similarly ambivalent about).

I don't have a very wide circle of people that I see regularly, even pre-pandemic. I did have one friend who I would talk about fashion with but we have very different styles and we've drifted apart. I can't think of anyone in my regular social circle who has a very distinctive personal style -- whether that's trendy, preppy, classic/polished, or quirky. But I'm reluctant to draw conclusions as to whether people are interested in style or not. I am not sure that anyone who has a regular acquaintance with me would think that I am particularly interested in clothes. My execution often doesn't really match my interest/intentions, and given the demands of everyday life I suspect that's true for a lot of people.

Janet - your curiosity about the ongoing prevalence of athleisure vs a move toward dressing up again is interesting . I know the media is full of articles about this - vis a vis the return to working in an office , but that’s a diff situation , isn’t it ?

My entire lifestyle has changed so much in the last 12 months that going back to dressing up every day simply isn’t going to happen . But for events and going out for dinner and drinks ? You bet I’m getting my good stuff out !

That’s very true Sarah. You can’t discern interest or the nature of the interest by what people wear necessarily. Anybody seeing anyone from the bakery would be all ‘there goes another one wearing their gym clothes on the street - and left their shower cap on to boot!’ We wear the bouffant hair nets. You have to wait for the once a year company party to see what people really think about fashion!

Janet- I'm with you. I'm enjoying having something to dress for, and I hope more people join me.

I'm a SAHM who rarely dresses up anymore since we've had no where to go...but I am going to look forward to wearing more dressier pieces when things start to open up a little more. That said I can never swap comfort for fashion so i'm enjoying more comfortable looking things being in fashion. I don't think I can wear pointy high heels again...the flatforms or slight heeled platforms look comfortable. I'm enjoying the look of the baggier jeans too.

SarahD8, I'm another one where my execution does not fit with my ideas. I can style many things in my head and online using mood boards or pintrest. I never manage to get all the pieces though and even if I do, I don't suppose I have too many occasions to wear stuff right now...I definitely do need to dress up more though, i'm always the scruffier looking one at school events (Mums dress up so much, I was shocked when I first moved here). I just don't know how they keep themselves looking pristine.

It looks like most of us here have few if any friends interested in fashion or trends. But it seems that many of us have friends who have a particular style that we can articulate. To me that signals that they know who they are and are happy in their skin. All good, right?

For example, one friend is tall and slender with extremely long legs. For as long as I’ve known her she has worn cropped pants and tunics or midi length dresses and skirts, all in mostly jewel tones. She knows how to dress her body. Her wife is close in height but with much different proportions. Her style is classic and tailored and a bit like a school principal—because that is what she was, lol. And another person I know looks like an ad for Athleta/Title Nine/REI.

All of these things will help when we finally see each other IRL while maybe wearing masks and sporting COVID hair. The clothing style will signal, Yes it is the person I think it is.

My New Hampshire female friends mostly lean into the tunic and capris look for summer, on the athletic side. In the summer I tend to either wear shorts or dresses. Like most of you, I get the comments about how I'm "dressed up". My best friend here is an artist, and while she's not into fashion, per se, she has a wonderful eye for fit and color combinations that suit her. I have another friend nearby in Massachusetts, and she never used to pay attention to her self-presentation at all, until she became a real estate agent, and now she has been leaning into patterned dresses all the time.

This is a fascinating question. Most of my close friends live at least 3 hours away. The people I see here do not seem to be interested in fashion. That could be because we get together for activities like hiking and yoga. Out on the street, people are dressed very casually. My friends wear slim-cut jeans, boyfriend jeans or army pants with a tee shirt or boho-type blouse. Footwear is usually Birks or sneakers.
When I go to Hamilton, I tend to dress up more. I wear more make-up, wear more jewellery, bring out the nicer sweaters and jeans. My friends there are the same. I haven't been there for over two years, so I don't know what they are wearing now. I saw a picture on the weekend of a woman I know wearing a pair of straight-leg jeans (Frame), navy blazer, fashion sneakers and tee. Her outfit looked very polished. Everything fitted perfectly. That really makes a difference.
Not very many of my friends are interested in fashion. My sisters are, but they live far away. Mr. SF has a good eye, but he is not always willing to go shopping with me. YLF fills that void.

Beautiful discussion, thank you for starting it, Lisa P.

While most of my friends are casual, I do have a few who are interested in fashion, color and fabric. Interestingly, and regrettably, I've seen less of these dear ones this past year as I've spent more time with immediate neighbors and colleagues.

A central fashion topic across the board (even among friends who care less about fashion): masks, where to buy, how to wear, how they feel and fit. As recently as a few weeks ago I was wondering what to do with the handmade fabric masks we'd received as gifts and that I wore daily early in the pandemic. My memories of wearing these masks are touched with heartbreak and can-do spirit. Today I'm testing out a new triple-layer fabric mask (that is also fashionable!) recommended by a colleague as I commit to more in-person work at the same time impacts from the delta variant are rising.

Masks are still a top of conversation here too.

Yes, they are a central fashion topic!

How to dress in public after zooming all year came up for a bit as people started getting out and about more after vaccinations but that topic was short lived. I'm seeing a lotta people still living in comfy clothes and making do.

Since I'm looking for distraction thought I'd chime in (if you read Off Topic you'll know). Anyway, for the past couple of years I've been doing quite a lot of music - playing with other musicians, singing, writing, etc. and making mostly new music friends. Before this, most of my friends were quite a bit older as I live in a rural retirement area. This has really changed the way I dress. I don't have a need to dress for indoors/AC for the most part since nearly all the music things I've been doing are outside and it's warm or hot here much of the year. Any light jacket or long sleeved item has mostly been just sitting in the closet.

Most friends I have now wear very comfortable, light weight clothing not really focused on fashion trends - but they seem to try to have a "style" which may just be considered "Texas country musician". Lots of white and shades of white or pale colors to keep cool. Lots of hats - cowboy hats, sun hats, fedoras, caps, etc. Often they have a sort of signature style - interesting graphic tees, vintage jeans with flares, etc. Women wear a range of what I call "bohemian" styles - loose flowing, sometimes slightly layered with a sleeveless top under a flowing light sheer shirt dress, a good amount of jewelry. I see a lot of women in maxi dresses at music events. A lot of the men seem to wear some jewelry too, silver, leather bracelet styles. Men wear button downs more than I used to think - many do wear t-shirts but if they are performing musicians they often try a bit harder to look good.

Very interesting to read the responses. Most of my friends are not into fashion. One who is dresses very colorful but not trendy at all. The other always wears nice clothes but often at least one size too big. Most of what I see when out and about is the same old thing - skinny/slim jeans, capris, hip length or slightly longer tops. As for me, most of the time I dress more for function (hiking, kayaking) but I still like to look nice. Since I hope to retire in June 2022, I am currently not buying anything dressy. Any chance to go out on the town, however, finds me reaching for my favorite trendy outfits.

Fun thread! Most of my closest friends are at least a bit fashion conscious, partly because some of them are YLFers! Funny story: I was at an outdoor party over the weekend and the hostess and I were almost twins in olive sleeveless jumpsuits with metallic sandals and fun necklaces!

This has been such a lovely thread to read. Thanks for starting it, Lisa. I wish we could all meet up at a big YLF party in some non-masked future!

SarahDB, that was an interesting observation about our aspirational style not necessarily being visible in what we wear. I think I still fall into that category, too, a lot of the time. And cjh and Sal -- very good point about not really knowing some friends' fashion sense when we only really see them for outdoor activities. My few Victoria friends probably think I dress in hiking gear all the time.

Sarah that's an excellent point! Guaranteed no one is looking at me thinking I have much interest either, beyond looking neat and relatively up to date in the general sense.