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Americans are spending less on clothing

bloomberg.com

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Re: Americans are spending less on clothing

#91

Post by yardie »

dandare wrote: post #8

European here: when visiting my company HQ I was surprised how casual Americans dress for work. I am not saying devs should wear suit and tie, nothing like that, but even my bosses boss* was wearing what looked like a rumpled sweater with worn out jeans. And I don't mean like fashion statement rumpled and worn out, more like the "great depression" crumpled and worn out. Jules and Vincent in their new t-shirts would f…

I lived in the fashion capital of the world and most of the cities workers, outside the fashion industry, wore pretty conservative clothing; blacks, blues, browns. This came as a shock to me, an American, who expected bolder fashion choices. Coming from the tropics my fashion sense were bright colors. And over the next decade of living there I was slowly subsumed by those conservative colors.

Re: Americans are spending less on clothing

#92

Post by bitcurious »

B-Con wrote: post #11

tl;dr: They buy less in quantity and value expensive brands less. This is in line with the "spend money on experiences not stuff" trend we're watching rise in popularity, particularly in the younger generation. People aren't flocking as quickly to flaunt their status via possessions, particularly in clothing. The right $20 shirt can look great and last you forever. I found a $8 t-shirt and $20 pair of pants that I li…

>I replace my daily shoes ~annually. I wear the same thing to work and at home.

If you mean to say you have one pair of shoes that you wear daily, you should buy a second pair and alternate. This will allow your shoes to dry out between use which will increase durability and reduce smelliness.

tl;dr: 1 pair : 1 year, 2 pairs : 3 years.

Re: Americans are spending less on clothing

#93

Post by bigmanwalter »

danmaz74 wrote: post #60
MandieD wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Women's clothing is generally terrible - fragile, thin fabrics that snag way too easily and pill up after a few machine washings. Oh, and random shiny things and frills sewn on. On top of that, we get to pay extra for the privilege. I want simple, unornamented women's size and proportioned tops and trousers made out of the fabrics men's clothes are.

My impression, as a husband and father who admittedly doesn't shop very often, was that lots of women's clothes on sale - obviously not high-end ones - are all the things you said, but relatively inexpensive and supposed to not be used a lot of time, with the idea that you buy many and change them often.

Also women build outfits. So a new dress requires a new purse and jacket sometimes.

Re: Americans are spending less on clothing

#95

Post by dboreham »

randcraw wrote: post #88

IMHO there are three clear causes for this trend: 1) US business fashion is increasingly casual. Ties, skirts, suits, coordinated outfits, scarves, leather soled shoes -- all are passe, even in button down East Coast Fortune 100 companies (other than for aspiring managers or those in banking/finance). 2) Color is passe. Shades of black and grey dominate wardrobes, especially in large cities. Thus fewer accessories ar…

Sweat Pants should be trending up then!

Re: Americans are spending less on clothing

#97

Post by mc32 »

Maybe people are slowing down the fashion cycle and keeping their clothing longer and not tossing them after a season.

Buy quality and keep them for years. Except of course for those items from the 2000s.... The oversized fashion, even Hollywood could be embarrassed by those ridiculously oversized outfits.

Re: Americans are spending less on clothing

#98

Post by drret »

iiv wrote: post #76
dagurp wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "But in Sweden we dress down compared to other countries." That's very surprising to me. To me, the Swedish think more about their looks than any other country.

I don't think they are contradicting statements. My impression is that Sweden is more casual, but also more calculated, while continental Europeans are more formal but just throw on a suit and are done with it.

This is basically any trendy city though - you could say the same thing about Brooklyn or Paris.

Re: Americans are spending less on clothing

#99

Post by eesmith »

drret wrote: post #90
eesmith wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not quite 20 years ago I did my first consulting work in Europe. I was concerned as I did not have business clothes. I had only worked for and consulted for companies in the western part of the US. I knew that European dress standards were higher than the US, and even that East Coast standards were higher. When I visited my sister's then-Big-Five company she had me change my socks as I apparently wasn't dressed up en…

> I visited NYC once in fall, and was surprised that I was the only one wearing a white T-shirt. The same sister commented that it was after Labor Day, and in that part of the country they don't really wear white once summer ends. This isn’t really a thing. Plenty of people wear white sweaters, coats, etc. in winter.

That visit was 15 years ago.

Style do change. As https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/labor-day-white-fashio... writes (in 2016):

> More recently, fashion magazines have moved away from the rule and regularly put out suggestions on how to wear fall and winter whites. A 2011 People poll shows nearly 60% of respondents would totally wear white after Labor Day, and 30% would consider it, depending on the outfit. That means only about 10% of people thought white was totally verboten.

That poll shouldn't be taken as anything more meaningful than to get an idea that it was a thing for some people, even recently.

Do you have a better explanation for why I didn't see anyone wearing white in early October in NYC?

Re: Americans are spending less on clothing

#100

Post by rossdavidh »

perseusprime11 wrote: post #67
bballer wrote: post #58

With the exception of shoes and jackets I buy all my clothes at Goodwill. It's awesome! Every couple of months I spend around $20 dollars and I always have nice new tee shirts, button ups, pants etc. You wont believe how many nice clothes people simply give away. Plus it makes me feel great knowing I'm contributing to reuse and giving money to a company that helps employee less fortunate people.

I wish more people follow your lead.

Have you been to thrift stores lately? They're pretty crowded, at least a lot of the time. I think a lot of people are doing this. Income inequality might also play a role; 20-somethings unable to get a good job are much more likely to buy used than new.
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