Comment by cballard | Hacker News Reader

Comment by cballard | Hacker News Reader

I feel like there is a conflation here of dressing casually[1] and dressing like a slob[2]. The former understands silhouette, color (often lack thereof), texture, etc., but eschews traditional formal attire.

> The only thing I will say is that there's still a bit of a gender hangover, where women are singled out for wearing clothing normally associated with men.

Wait, what? This is the opposite of how it is. It was a big deal when that celebrity kid wore a dress[3]. Women wearing denim, an oxford shirt, or sneakers is not even something people would notice as "off". Black jeans are practically a uniform for women in NYC.

> I don’t know if it will happen, let alone sometime soon, but self-cleaning fabrics, I think that will be a thing.

Not exactly self-cleaning, but merino and synthetic technical fabric is very hype currently.

[1]: https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&q=apc+lookbook [2]: http://www.theonion.com/article/iowa-fashion-week-begins-315... [3]: http://www.etonline.com/news/165398_jaden_smith_wears_dress_...

I think your perception of what dressing casually is will be dramatically skewed by where you are in the US -- as will what you deem to look slovenly. I think that the two are relative -- dressing casual for your location is doing something to distinguish yourself from the lazier crowd.

I also think that using lookbook models as examples of casual dress is going to be excessive outside of fashion hubs. Their clothes are tailored well, layered appropriately with appealing, seasonally appropriate color schemes -- outside of a well curated closet, these aren't going to be looks that you'll pull out every day. And if your wardrobe is well selected, you probably are dressing a little more than casually.

Also, I would say that skinny jeans are a pretty gender agnostic article of clothing now. And again, I think location comes into play. You're going to see a disproportionate number of women wearing sundresses/skirts in the south etc. I do think that in larger cities this is much less of a thing.

Maybe this is a telling indication on myself, but the pictures in your first link look significantly stranger and off than the picture in the onion article, text aside.

Formal wear has basically evolved into a costume that is used for specific events (weddings, funerals, and the like). It's hard to imagine someone dressing like that every day, with the complicated layers of nonfunctional and expensive items. Maybe that was the point.

Casual wear has largely evolved into clothing easier to mass produce and fit close-enough off a shelf. Paired with a general decrease in cost and clothing is less of an investment than it once was.

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