The Women in your life

[Becky Blue]

I am interested in hearing whether your SO and the other women in your life now and in the past dress generally and whether the way they dress influences you at all. I am surrounded by Girly Girls my wife, daughter and daughter in law are all very Girly Girls and all dress well even casually. My wife for example puts on makeup everyday first thing and only takes it off at bedtime even if she is staying home all day.

Interestingly growing up was the exact opposite, my mother and aunts were the opposite, my mothers closet had nothing pink, nothing feminine, nothing remotely sexy. My mother only put on minimal makeup for special occasions.

I think my mothers lack of 'girlyness' did influence me as i really think of myself as a Girly Girl and i do enjoy being around the well presented women in my life nowadays.

[Stacy Darling]

I've been influenced by the powerful business dressing of my family, which is why I never dress that way!!!

I really can't think of a woman in my life which has directly had an impact on what I do choose to wear. A couple have had an impact on what I choose not to wear though!

Finding my own Goldielocks image!
Stacy!

[Tracy Irving]

Never really gave it much consideration. I don't think any of the women in my life were trendsetters for my fashion choices. I purchase and wear what I want.

[Brenda Freeman]

I love how my wife dresses and looks. She has definitely had an influence on me. My mom also wore pretty things and her lingerie drawer influenced me alot. Also women I have worked with, I look at them and get ideas based on what they wear.

[Elizabeth G]

Hi Becky,

My wife wears little makeup and while she dresses nicely it isn't overly dressy. Iwould say that she really doesn't influence me as I'm definitely more girly girl.

Elizabeth

[Cheryl T]

I have to say that the women in my life have had no effect on my style of dressing.
I dress to please myself, to be comfortable with who I am and to look my best whether it be in jeans and t-shirt or a long gown.

What I wear has more to do with what I'm doing, where I'm going and how I feel that day than anything else.

[bridget thronton]

Most of the women in my life dress for comfort (but dress well when they feel the need)

[Mistyjo]

Becky
I would say not to really.
My wife doesn't wear makeup very much and she dresses more for comfort.

[Sami Brown]

My wife rarely uses makeup, so in that regard, we are not alike. As far as clothing styles go, she does have an influence on me, but we aren't that close in styles. For example, I like polka dots because she likes them a lot. On the other hand, I try to choose styles that hug my body more, whereas she likes looser styles.

Our shoe styles are nothing like each other. She likes cowboy boots and a particular brand of sandals (Salt Water). She doesn't wear what I do: flats, sandals with heels, and stilettos.

Sami

[Teresa]

Becky,
I'm use to women just getting on with everyday life where dressing wasn't a priority . In some respects it's helped me to find my own identity to choose outfits appropriate to the circumstances , I like nice underwear but it has to be practical , is it comfortable to wear all day and does it help to keep things tucked out of sight . Bras are now chosen to perform the function they are designed for depending on your outerwear . I wouldn't say I'm a girly girl but I do like feminine clothes , trousers/jeans took some thinking about but I think I've come to a good compromise .

[Cassandra Lynn]

I'm the youngest of 4 boys, so no sisters to consider. Mom might have worn make-up in her younger years, but I don't recall seeing her with much on growing up and she wore the most basic of clothes too.

My first wife was middle of the road, but the second worked in the management office environment and had to look nice. She would down play the make-up a bit in everyday life unless we were going out, and her dressing was much less flashy on the whole.

I'm a fan of the feminine, girly girl, flowy dress/skirt look and definitely like a well made-up face. It kinda cracks me up to listen to my dad chewing out the gals on t.v. for wearing 'too much' make-up. I look at who he's talking about and see these amazingly beautiful women who look just fine and shake my head.

Don't get me wrong, there are ladies blessed with the kind of skin and bone structure that doesn't need all that much and that's great but I tend to like a bit of well done 'war paint'.

All in all, i'd say I wasn't influenced in my tastes by anyone close to me, just what I find attractive and personal preference.
Cass

[biancabellelover]

Hi Becky,

My wife takes great care of her appearance. She won’t go outside without putting her hair up, makeup and wearing something nice. She’s very fashion conscious and won’t just throw anything together; it has to co-ordinate and look presentable. Even if it’s just to walk the dogs. She is feminine but not a girly-girl. It’s only been in the past few years that she’s bought some dresses.

She has a large influence on what I wear. Firstly, she buys a lot of my clothes, or we go together to places like Savers to buy clothes together. I have very few male clothes (zero female clothes) that she doesn’t like.

She will also let me know if my chosen ensemble works or not, and gives me fashion tips, as well as ‘when and how to wear’ things like cami’s, belts, and other accessories.

Michelle

[sometimes_miss]

None of the women directly in my life influence my preferences in female attire. It all comes from my childhood, when I was dressed in the clothing of my abuser's sisters. Essentially, that means nearly all of it is adolescent/early teen girl clothing type fashions. The exceptions are things that aren't available in xl adult sizes, such as bras & other foundation garments. Styles worn predominantly by middle aged and old women feel as alien to me as men's clothes.

[KatrinaK]

My wife is the sexiest tomboy in the world... she embodies the concept of tomboy-boho-chic... she wears a fedora as often as she does not... but she’s undeniably feminine while she does it. She’s actually an incredible woman and a (literally) world class photographer. The few times I have been accused of emulating her, I’ve been told off! So no, I could never pull off what my wife does. She’s one in a million and she puts up with me.

Lots of love to my babesie.

[Alice B]

My wife of 27 years is not and never has been a "girly, girly girl". She is an attractive woman, but that is not her style. One of my previous wife's was, but Was not an influnce. Neither was my mother. But I spent a career where beautiful woman were around all the time, with many hitting on me due to the nature of my carrer and I am sure that was an influence

[DIANEF]

My wife's dress sense is totally different to mine. She wears for comfort, leggings, baggy tops, ect. I really cannot remember the last time she wore a dress. My mother did dress well when she was younger, but it was my sisters clothing that really made me sit up and take notice, and putting on one of her dresses at 15 was a life changing moment. Ever since the full on 'girly' look has been the one for me (that is dresses, skirts, tights, et al; nothing that could be even remotely considered andro)

[Janine cd]

None of the women in my life have ever expressed truly feminine attributes. My mom wore dresses when she had to but favored slacks and sports wear. My younger sister was a tomboy. My wife never wears a dress unless it is a social occasion. I think that I acquired my taste for feminine clothes from my aunts and female cousins who were always close.

[Kiwi Primrose]

Firstly my mother then my wife influfenced my desire to dress. I still love the style I grew up with in the 1940s and 1950s. Both favoured lovely soft lingerie and stylish dresses.
My wife encouraged me in my interest, my mother didn't.

[Beverley Sims]

The girls next door when I was four and my four housemates, all girls who helped me lease a house when I was twenty.

They had the biggest influence over me I think.

[2B Natasha]

No. Not really. I had no sisters only brothers. My mother does not dress in a fashion I ever thought was interesting. She is her own women but she is all about lace and high necklines. That’s. It me. My wife doesn’t really dress like I do either or the other way around. She is much more body aware, and not in a good way. Then I am. She also has some hang ups about appearance that I don’t. Not bad. Just different. I’m not sure where I got my look from. It’s not from my job. The women I work with would probably come in their pajamas if they could get away with it! So I guess I just developed my own style as I grew up and what I liked more then anything else.

[Queen Bridget]

All the women I know dress like men. T-shirts, jeans and so on.

It baffles me that they don't take advantage of the huge range of options they have. But each to their own.

[IleneD]

Becky,

You're looking good as ever, girl.
Oh....... this is one of those issues that can and almost has received resentment. It is the hidden CD issue of "competition with your spouse"; the sense of "out-prettying" the woman. It is an area I tread lightly upon.
My beloved wife is the polar opposite of the girly girl. She kind of had it for many years, early in our relationship, but her sense of fashion, dressing well or making up faded. She wears almost no make up unless required by a special event. She had great natural skin and hair, BTW.
She openly shuns the entire Beauty Industry, the advertising, the negative body influence of the fashion industry..... all of it. I would almost think of her anti-fashion sense a form of radical feminism, though I know she has very little politically in common with them.
Her entire sense of color and decoration is NEUTRAL. She wears mostly blacks, greys or browns. No patterns, florals, or bright colors except a shirt/top on occasion. She''s the same way about color when it come to everything, however,; be it furniture, painting walls, decorating, car color, etc. Dresses and skirts are nearly off the fashion menu. She wears pants, jeans or warm up leisure suits most of the time.

Me?..... I am everything contrary. Color? Give me more. Prints, patterns, florals..... by all means. Dresses? I'm all about The Dress. So even given that my crossdressing is a little "out there" by itself, I am a bit sensitive to the fact that my exaggerated sense of color and dressing may generate negative feelings. [On the other hand.... I've noticed a distinct increase of color and style in her own dress recently.] I'm the same way when it comes to decorating or other furnishings. The more ornate and colorful (even weird), the better.

It's a wonder we've endured for 4 decades. We're such opposites in many ways, but in love.
Thanks, Becky.

- - - Updated - - -

So true, Bridget. So true.

[cdsamswife]

Im gonna chime in... and say I probably domt influence Sam's style of dressing at all... I barely ever wear any makeup, dress more for comfort and never owned a pair of brand name shoes till after we got married whereas Sam had a dozen pairs...... I also have some lolita style dresses that i like to wear around the house once in a blue moon but Sam sticks to very nice and pretty casual girly outfits.... His style is more... "girl going out on a date"... not too flashy... not business like.. not too formal... but put together and girly for sure...

[alwayshave]

None of my sisters or mother were/are particularly girly. My wife was extremely girly until she had some health issues, gained some weight. Now she exclusively wears pants. I did like her style, but I don't dress like her.

[rachelatshop]

Hi Becky, My wife is the only girl in my life unless you count my online girlfriends. My wife was quite girly when we first got married then she got lupus and gained a lot of weight and now mostly wears pants and only occasionally wears a dress. I dress much more girly. I think I want to look like my image of a girly girl.

[KC Samanatha]

Becky what a fun question!
I know my wife and my sister have influenced my look a ton. Most of my fashion ideas come from what my wife and her appearance for sure.
I am a subtle make up wearer, much like my sister and wife. Neither really use a ton of eye shadow or mascara. Tho we all use a lot of foundation, probably to hide wrinkles. lol

[Isabella Ross]

Becky, my mother really never influenced me at all, and I had no sisters. I don't think my desire to wear my mom's clothes when I was a child was influenced by her; it was simply that I wanted to feel and look like other little girls, and those clothes were the only ones available to me, I suppose. I think I was more influenced by the Sears catalogues we received! As for my wife, she is a girly girl, and I love the way she dresses. But her influence on me is more direct, in that she often buys me things...she knows that I like to try to be really pretty and girly, and so buys me clothes that even she probably wouldn't wear...chiffon dresses and the like.

[NancySue]

Interesting thread. My mother always dressed nicely...prim and proper. She always wore hose and, I, occasionally would peek and watch her put them on. Yes, when young, I tried her hose and have been hooked ever since. I eventually outgrew her high heels. Moving forward, my supportive wife is very “girly-girl”. As a former fashion model, she’s helped me in every facet of my dressing. Recently, she hardly ever wears hose or heels...comfort is#1. We have similar tastes in clothes.

[lingerieLiz]

I grew up in a time that girls wore dresses to school. My sisters wore nice clothes and popular styles at the time. I inherited last years outfits from them. Since they taught dancing they had several formals etc. They both were girly. My mom too. When I was out working on my own I worked at a dept store which sold nice women's clothes. I dated a couple girls that were models and they taught me a lot about looks. My wife was very girly, but by then I was set in my style. I've owned lots of women's clothes over the years. I bought top quality clothes that for the most part followed classic lines.

[DanaR]

My mom always dressed up, wore dresses and makeup. My wife and daughters don't. My wife always tells me that I can be the one into makeup and being a girly girl, as she isn't interested in it at all. That doesn't mean that she doesn't borrow things though.

[mbmeen12]

I am interested in hearing whether your SO and the other women in your life now and in the past dress generally and whether the way they dress influences you at all

My GG does buys things for me but is practical as working outside and gardening......My Xs were more tomboys and very little influence.

[Stacey-J]

My mother wasn't particularly girly, her style has inspired me to never own anything that could be found in her wardrobe. My SO isn't super girly but taught me a lot, we share some similar styles and even have a few matching things (she wears it better obviously) however I'm the only one who wears any pink.
I took a lot of styling cues from my childhood best friend, she always had the best clothes (and the reason I own SOOOO much tartan!). Definitely more of an alternative/punk thing than anything else.

I try to style most of my wigs after her hair too. One day I'll be able to do my own victory rolls as glorious as hers were.....

[Jenny22]

Mother and older sisters, no effect. Wife even more so. She only used lipstick when we went out, but never any additional makeup (we probably saved a small fortune). Me? Lipstick and jewelry every day in house, but I will wear makeup (no foundation), and hair if destination driving or going out with forum friends for dinner. Even at my age, I dress in a younger style, a little on the "girly-girl" side. Dresses are preferred though I have many skirts and tops.