Anonymous wrote:Basic is a badge of honor in D.C., OP. Not a lot to really strive for here, yet easily impressed. You know the type.

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Anonymous wrote:When I first moved here, a relative tried to "educate" me how to dress to fit in: lots of MC andUMC clothing with obvious logos. One time I went out shopping and I was the only one person I saw without a North face jacket on.

For whatever reason the lemming / basic trend is very strong in the DC area. Lots of women being very catty if you don't dress to "fit in." People seem to delight in putting down or making fun of others; I'm middle class, not wealthy, and this is the behavior I have observed.

I've been made fun of by my relatives because I don't like any clothing with logos, I've been made fun of by strangers who didn't like me wearing brightly colored athletic shoes to the grocery store. I've been I insulted by neighbors because I am overweight (partially due to medical issues.)

Find it very puzzling, as there are people living her from all over the country and the world.

What? I have lived here my entire life and not only do I not own North Face, I do not buy anything with obvious brands on them. I don't know a single person who does this who lives inside the Beltway.

Live in Rockville; had the Northface experience in Bethesda. Maybe it's only people who live outside the beltway? I don't know.

What I do know if that I've felt more pressure here to look plain, wear branded clothing (which I don't do) and to be thin, than I have anywhere else in have lived in the US. Middle class, have never lived in CA or NY.

Can you elaborate on "feeling pressure to look plain"? I don't live in DC. And although most of my coworkers look plain compared to me, I don't feel pressured to conform.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I first moved here, a relative tried to "educate" me how to dress to fit in: lots of MC andUMC clothing with obvious logos. One time I went out shopping and I was the only one person I saw without a North face jacket on.

For whatever reason the lemming / basic trend is very strong in the DC area. Lots of women being very catty if you don't dress to "fit in." People seem to delight in putting down or making fun of others; I'm middle class, not wealthy, and this is the behavior I have observed.

I've been made fun of by my relatives because I don't like any clothing with logos, I've been made fun of by strangers who didn't like me wearing brightly colored athletic shoes to the grocery store. I've been I insulted by neighbors because I am overweight (partially due to medical issues.)

Find it very puzzling, as there are people living her from all over the country and the world.

What? I have lived here my entire life and not only do I not own North Face, I do not buy anything with obvious brands on them. I don't know a single person who does this who lives inside the Beltway.

Live in Rockville; had the Northface experience in Bethesda. Maybe it's only people who live outside the beltway? I don't know.

What I do know if that I've felt more pressure here to look plain, wear branded clothing (which I don't do) and to be thin, than I have anywhere else in have lived in the US. Middle class, have never lived in CA or NY.

Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry the dmv area women’s fashion is HORRIBLE!!

Women here consider an Ann Taylor dress, kate spade watch and purse and Tory Burch flats with a balayage hair in loose waves the epitome of being stylish.

Like ewww? For the most educated and wellnoff part of the country why is everyone here southern sorority girl??

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Anonymous wrote:Why? It's easier to prioritize everything else in their lives and to use those things as an excuse rather than try or flat out admit they don't know how to accentuate the positive. They cite their kids, their job, their commute, their classes, their inlaws, allergies. Most of it is lack of confidence and fear of being noticed. When I see a woman who looks good walking down the street, she radiates and people notice. Far too many women want to fade into the background. That's internal.

I don’t want to be noticed on the metro. Nothing good ever comes from that.

Anonymous wrote:Why? It's easier to prioritize everything else in their lives and to use those things as an excuse rather than try or flat out admit they don't know how to accentuate the positive. They cite their kids, their job, their commute, their classes, their inlaws, allergies. Most of it is lack of confidence and fear of being noticed. When I see a woman who looks good walking down the street, she radiates and people notice. Far too many women want to fade into the background. That's internal.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I first moved here, a relative tried to "educate" me how to dress to fit in: lots of MC andUMC clothing with obvious logos. One time I went out shopping and I was the only one person I saw without a North face jacket on.

For whatever reason the lemming / basic trend is very strong in the DC area. Lots of women being very catty if you don't dress to "fit in." People seem to delight in putting down or making fun of others; I'm middle class, not wealthy, and this is the behavior I have observed.

I've been made fun of by my relatives because I don't like any clothing with logos, I've been made fun of by strangers who didn't like me wearing brightly colored athletic shoes to the grocery store. I've been I insulted by neighbors because I am overweight (partially due to medical issues.)

Find it very puzzling, as there are people living her from all over the country and the world.

What? I have lived here my entire life and not only do I not own North Face, I do not buy anything with obvious brands on them. I don't know a single person who does this who lives inside the Beltway.

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Anonymous wrote:I have to admit that even our dc fashion bloggers are awful.

This brings me back to the days when I read Capitol Hill Style religiously and the riskiest thing discussed was how big your rectangular-looking bag would be and/or pearl size.

You don’t remember the lace bodysuit with no explanation of how to style, or for what occasion it would be appropriate?

Also, I remember her calling all her readers who asked for clarification idiots. In fact, I seem to remember her telling off her readers a lot. Those were the days. That blog still a thing?

It’s still a thing, but the series of bad life choices that used to be somewhat amusing in an eye roll-inducing way finally caught up to her. Belle’s current state of affairs is pretty depressing.

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Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of women here who think that putting effort into your appearance, doing your hair, enjoying fashion, etc. somehow takes away from your intelligence. It’s like you can’t be smart AND enjoy beauty things.

No, that's not it at all. There are a lot of women in DC who don't prioritize fashion and don't feel like they need to do more than look professional, because they have been raised and educated in a way that does not center on their appearance. But we don't gaf if you decide to dress up or have fashion as a hobby. Truly we don't. Just don't lecture us about being "basic."

You just proved my point. Again, just because one puts effort into their appearance and shops at non-mall stores and enjoys beauty does not mean they were raised and educated to “center on their appearance.” What utter poppycock.

You're misunderstanding. The fact is that many/most women in DC just were not raised in a way that makes them feel like they HAVE to spend a ton of time on their appearance beyond doing the minimum. The women who DO dress more fashionably are doing it because they enjoy fashion in and of itself. That's all I'm saying, and I TRULY don't care that you wear Hermes or whatever.