Serious question: when was the last time you put on a going-out dress? (And no, your Morticia Addams costume on Halloween does not count.) Well, if a new survey is to be believed, an increasing number of us are ditching the party frock for sensible skinny jeans.
A study commissioned by Voucher Codes Pro – you know, the online coupon site your mum is obsessed with – found that dresses are our third go-to outfit for going out, ranking behind skinnies and even jumpsuits. In fact, out of the 2,156 women surveyed, 57% said that skinny jeans were their favourite nighttime look.
The report also found that more than half of respondents own fewer dresses this year than last, which seems to suggest that women aren’t just staying away from buying new dresses – they’re actively chucking old ones out.
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So are dresses really on the decline? Honestly, I’m not surprised. As Bustle writer Erin Mayer points out, there was once a time when a Herve Leger bandage dress was the last word in clubbing attire. Or, you know, the cheapest and closest approximation – I remember when I once turned up for a night out in that classic American Apparel u-neck dress, only to realise that my two best friends had also turned up in the same frock. (It wasn’t even in a different colour. We looked like a girlband on a very low budget.)
There are obvious drawbacks to clubbing in skintight 100% cotton spandex: how do you slut-drop to Rihanna without flashing the dancefloor your pants? How can you avoid “hem creep”, in which you look down in the middle of a conversation with a fit boy only to realise your dress has slid up to above your arsecrack? And where the hell does your beer belly even go? (Answer: it gets forcibly squashed into your spleen, making you both gassy and nauseous.)
But then Kate Moss came along and offered an alternative, injecting some high-fashion glamour into drainpipes, that old punk standby. In 2005, Topshop introduced the Baxter skinny jean and sold an average of 18,000 pairs in the first nine months. The rest, as they say, is history.
Now, research in America has suggested that consumers are taking to wider fits and sportswear-influenced joggers and tracksuit pants. But ask any English girl to give up their skinnies for good, and I’d be wager you’d have pry them out of her cold, dead claws.
In 2005, Topshop introduced the Baxter skinny jean and sold an average of 18,000 pairs in the first nine months
They’ve become so ubiquitous that they’re not even a thing – putting on a pair of skinny jeans is the wardrobe equivalent of beans on toast for dinner. It just happens by default, like sartorial comfort food: familiar, comfortable and appropriate for any occasion.
Dresses, on the other hand, conjure up images of an overly preened, pre-Entrepreneur of the Year Victoria Beckham in Roland Mouret and trussed-up sixth formers in tulle Miss Selfridge prom dresses. It all screams a bit too try-hard. But maybe that’s just me?
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.