One of the interesting things I’ve noticed is that when I’m sharing our StyleHop business model I’m often greeted with skepticism around our five-star ranking system. “Women won’t want five star rankings in fashion – they don’t want to dress like everyone else,” I often am told. Interestingly, this theory is espoused by both fashion novices and fashionistas alike.
The truth is I don’t buy it. Women may not want to dress like “everyone” else but they most certainly want to dress like “somone” else. In my own experience working in the New York City fashion district the last five years, almost all women (especially those who are really into fashion) follow a relatively safe formula when it comes to fashion – learn what the trends are and wear them in a way that’s appropriate for both the occasion and that will be admired by your peer group. End of story. The goal here for vast majority of women out there isn’t to take fashion risks but to minimize them.
If you think about it, buying fashion really is a high risk affair. What one wears is a reflection of who they are yet there are all these constraints to contend with: height and weight, body type, the weather, the season, the trends, and peer validation – that’s a lot to consider when buying a dress!
What I noticed working on 7th Avenue is that the most sophisticated, in-the-know fashionistas in the industry all tended to dress alike. My theory on this is they just had more knowledge than your average woman about trends, appropriateness, how to get peer validation in fashion, etc. They knew the craft of how to translate the trends, how to successfully pull together outfits and they could anticipate the reaction of their fashion peers. However, most women are not nearly as skilled or confidant when shopping for fashion. And I think there is an argument that much of the fashion diversity you see out there isn’t so much “individual expression” as it is a less informed assessment of how to correctly pull together all these variables when buying fashion.
At the end of the day, I think every woman would love to be admired by her peers for her fashion savvy. For some women this may be by dressing just like her friends. For others it may be dressing different. But even that friend that dresses different than her friends is getting her fashion inspiration from somewhere. She’s certainly not making it up, right?
Would love to hear other’s comments on this topic. Do you think all women want to dress the same?
