What other city has highly fashionable women walking around? NYC? Where else? I don't think DC is unique in this regard. Find me super fashion forward HOARDES of working women in another city please. Sure, the fashion magazines and art careers are most likely more fashion forward. Outside of those, show me a city where office drones dress fashion forward. I'll wait.

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.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from London and I think there's not much difference in the way that people in offices dress between the two cities. The main difference is that in London there are many more people doing non-office things (from models to musicians to whatever) and those people tend to look a lot more fashionable, which makes the whole city feel more on trend. Also, London is very different to NYC or Paris, in which women seem to me to be much better groomed, whereas I find Londoners to be less groomed but more edgy with their clothes and more likely to be wearing an unusual new trend.

I still find myself more drawn to British high street brands (Whistles, Jigsaw, Hush etc) than the US equivalents, and buy a lot online from there, so I guess I'm still straddling the two cities in terms of fashion.

As a Londoner, please tell truthfully, what is the collective British opinion on Boden? As an American, I feel like I could be mistaken for a chic Brit when I wear it. Hahaha... or is it "so basic"?

NP here, and I want to know this too. The few British friends I’ve asked have said it’s “very middle class”. Which, what does that mean? I feel like middle class means something different there than it does here. Please enlighten us!

"Basic" means plain and unremarkable in appearance regardless of income and upbringing. It can also apply to your personality and attitude. Not sure about the middle class designation since in Britain class is social. In the U.S. class is determined purely by income. I've only heard the term applied to women. For the most part women who are called basic don't believe that they are. I don't know anyone who brags that they are basic.
As far as the OP I see plenty of stunning and fashionable woman of all shapes and colors around town. Their comment is obviously based on a very narrow sampling, their co-workers, social circle or who they choose to pay attention to. Also, a lot of women in the area come from somewhere else so they bring their blah fashion sensibilities with them.
One problem is that overall this town is not kind to fashionable women because of the notion that intellect and fashion cannot co-exist in a woman. A woman can only be smart or fashionable and female fashion is considered frivolous. I don't notice men passing the same judgment. If a man has a dozen luxury watches or a dozen vintage cars and dresses well, he is cool. If a woman has a dozen Chanel jackets or a dozen high end handbags, she is vapid, wasteful and vain. She could have a law degree and people would say she only got one to buy expensive clothing.
Also, being fashionable is an invitation for ridicule in some workplaces. Show me an attractive, put together woman and I will find a dozen co-workers that roll their eyes and suck their teeth at her because she dared to accessorize and wear lipstick. That's their own insecurities and frustration, but that hatred is real.

Anonymous wrote:I miss wearing my Hermès here.

?? I most certainly wear my bags around and have seen them around too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from London and I think there's not much difference in the way that people in offices dress between the two cities. The main difference is that in London there are many more people doing non-office things (from models to musicians to whatever) and those people tend to look a lot more fashionable, which makes the whole city feel more on trend. Also, London is very different to NYC or Paris, in which women seem to me to be much better groomed, whereas I find Londoners to be less groomed but more edgy with their clothes and more likely to be wearing an unusual new trend.

I still find myself more drawn to British high street brands (Whistles, Jigsaw, Hush etc) than the US equivalents, and buy a lot online from there, so I guess I'm still straddling the two cities in terms of fashion.

As a Londoner, please tell truthfully, what is the collective British opinion on Boden? As an American, I feel like I could be mistaken for a chic Brit when I wear it. Hahaha... or is it "so basic"?

NP here, and I want to know this too. The few British friends I’ve asked have said it’s “very middle class”. Which, what does that mean? I feel like middle class means something different there than it does here. Please enlighten us!

Londoner PP again. Haha, funny that I know exactly what that means and I agree - but it doesn’t have any meaning here. It means it’s kind of boring and conservative, but not cheap. “Middle class” here is intended to convey people who are comfortably off, not wealthy but in good jobs, perhaps professional, who also shop at (if any of these mean anything to you!) John Lewis, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer... they may live in the London suburbs or areas in the South East. Think Kate Middleton, if she wasn’t married to a prince.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from London and I think there's not much difference in the way that people in offices dress between the two cities. The main difference is that in London there are many more people doing non-office things (from models to musicians to whatever) and those people tend to look a lot more fashionable, which makes the whole city feel more on trend. Also, London is very different to NYC or Paris, in which women seem to me to be much better groomed, whereas I find Londoners to be less groomed but more edgy with their clothes and more likely to be wearing an unusual new trend.

I still find myself more drawn to British high street brands (Whistles, Jigsaw, Hush etc) than the US equivalents, and buy a lot online from there, so I guess I'm still straddling the two cities in terms of fashion.

As a Londoner, please tell truthfully, what is the collective British opinion on Boden? As an American, I feel like I could be mistaken for a chic Brit when I wear it. Hahaha... or is it "so basic"?

I confess I don’t really know what “basic” means (and this thread didn’t really clear it up for me!) But in this Londoner’s opinion, Boden has a reputation for being a bit frumpy and “mumsy”, if that’s a word here. It’s not fashionable but will nod to the current trends in a safe and comfortable way. That said, there are often one or two pieces each season that will get picked out by fashion magazines and bloggers. I think it’s conparable to how J Crew is perceived here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from London and I think there's not much difference in the way that people in offices dress between the two cities. The main difference is that in London there are many more people doing non-office things (from models to musicians to whatever) and those people tend to look a lot more fashionable, which makes the whole city feel more on trend. Also, London is very different to NYC or Paris, in which women seem to me to be much better groomed, whereas I find Londoners to be less groomed but more edgy with their clothes and more likely to be wearing an unusual new trend.

I still find myself more drawn to British high street brands (Whistles, Jigsaw, Hush etc) than the US equivalents, and buy a lot online from there, so I guess I'm still straddling the two cities in terms of fashion.

As a Londoner, please tell truthfully, what is the collective British opinion on Boden? As an American, I feel like I could be mistaken for a chic Brit when I wear it. Hahaha... or is it "so basic"?

NP here, and I want to know this too. The few British friends I’ve asked have said it’s “very middle class”. Which, what does that mean? I feel like middle class means something different there than it does here. Please enlighten us!

Anonymous wrote:I'm from London and I think there's not much difference in the way that people in offices dress between the two cities. The main difference is that in London there are many more people doing non-office things (from models to musicians to whatever) and those people tend to look a lot more fashionable, which makes the whole city feel more on trend. Also, London is very different to NYC or Paris, in which women seem to me to be much better groomed, whereas I find Londoners to be less groomed but more edgy with their clothes and more likely to be wearing an unusual new trend.

I still find myself more drawn to British high street brands (Whistles, Jigsaw, Hush etc) than the US equivalents, and buy a lot online from there, so I guess I'm still straddling the two cities in terms of fashion.

London is both the political (and finance) capital and the center of a lot of the arts/fashion. DC and New York are separate centers, not even accounting for cities larger than DC that have different focuses - L.A. or Chicago.

Anonymous wrote:I'm from London and I think there's not much difference in the way that people in offices dress between the two cities. The main difference is that in London there are many more people doing non-office things (from models to musicians to whatever) and those people tend to look a lot more fashionable, which makes the whole city feel more on trend. Also, London is very different to NYC or Paris, in which women seem to me to be much better groomed, whereas I find Londoners to be less groomed but more edgy with their clothes and more likely to be wearing an unusual new trend.

I still find myself more drawn to British high street brands (Whistles, Jigsaw, Hush etc) than the US equivalents, and buy a lot online from there, so I guess I'm still straddling the two cities in terms of fashion.

As a Londoner, please tell truthfully, what is the collective British opinion on Boden? As an American, I feel like I could be mistaken for a chic Brit when I wear it. Hahaha... or is it "so basic"?

I'm from London and I think there's not much difference in the way that people in offices dress between the two cities. The main difference is that in London there are many more people doing non-office things (from models to musicians to whatever) and those people tend to look a lot more fashionable, which makes the whole city feel more on trend. Also, London is very different to NYC or Paris, in which women seem to me to be much better groomed, whereas I find Londoners to be less groomed but more edgy with their clothes and more likely to be wearing an unusual new trend.

I still find myself more drawn to British high street brands (Whistles, Jigsaw, Hush etc) than the US equivalents, and buy a lot online from there, so I guess I'm still straddling the two cities in terms of fashion.

Anonymous wrote:Some of the posters here are denigrating fashion as anti intellectual which is not the case at all. Fashion is a form of self expression which is a form of art which does require a type of intellect, just not the same intellect as writing a legal brief or doing surgery or whatever. I would love to be fashionable but I lack time, money, and energy. Something has to fall through the cracks and unfortunately it is my appearance. Am I happy about that? No, but I have learned to accept my own limitations and be happy despite that. I can also appreciate another woman who looks good and makes an effort without denigrating her. Do you! At my federal agency I see lots of stylish women, they just happen to be people of color.

I didn't see anyone denigrate it as anti-intellectual - just that it's not something professional women in DC feel *compelled* to care about, which is a good, liberating thing! For those who do care, knock yourself out. Women of color still face prejudice in the workplace so that's likely why they feel more compelled than white women (black men too generally look sharper).

Many women I know here just don't care about fashion, myself included. I exercise to maintain my figure and spend a good amount of money on beauty products to take care of my skin, but don't really have any interest in shoes/clothes/handbags, and really hate shopping. I tend to wear a lot of basic black to avoid having to match things.

Honestly, I think it is a point of pride that we are essentially in "uniforms." In some other countries, even professionals wear uniforms - Japan, some Eastern Europe. We replicate that with our sheath dresses, cardigans, twin sets, and blazers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I miss wearing my Hermès here.

Why? Wear whatever the eff makes you feel good. Lord knows there is enough to make you feel shitty in the world. I saw a woman yesterday on 18th with so much spring in her step, maybe 60, with a very simple outfit (cropped khakis, I dont even remember the shirt, like a tee/sweater combo and bright red low top chuck Ts. It's the little things. If its Hermes for you, rock it

I sometimes wear my Hermès scarf with a simple shirt, a blue jean, lightly dressy shoes and, most importantly, my charm.

Ha! Are you the type who also talks about “a pant” and “a boot”?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?