Does fashion affect our relationships? The results of the female survey

What is the relationship between women and fashion in Europe? What idea did our users have about dressing? And how do trends intervene in the necessary pleasure of buying and wearing clothes and accessories? According to the results of the female survey. com on women and fashion, 25% of Italian women change their style according to market trends, while the French (44%), the Spanish (37%) and the Polish (39%) are more influenced by the trends. in short, they believe they have a more personal style, not necessarily dictated by passing fashions. German women, on the other hand, declare that they always have the same style (44%). Despite this certainty, 66% of Italians would still like to know how to renew plus your own wardrobe.

When we talk about clothing we are fond of, the situation changes. Here the commercial soul of trends is neglected, in favor of the dear, old garments of a lifetime. The Italians (40%), the Spanish (36%) and the French (35%) are fond of their old pair of blue jeans , while the Polish and German women are more interested in a special jewel.
When we talk about essential items in the wardrobe, the distribution is more varied: the black dress, simple and chic, is the essential item for Italian women (24%), as Coco Chanel taught (see our gallery on black dresses ) It is no coincidence that the petite robe noire is the essential item also for the French (28%) and the Swiss (29%). The simple shirt and passepartout is the essential garment of the Spanish and Polish women, while German women always keep blazers and leather jackets in their closet (both favorite garments by 23% of the interviewees).

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When it comes to money, and how to spend it on fashion purchases, the interviewees from all countries line up: they all take advantage of the sales to go shopping, and in any case they buy clothes and accessories only when needed. The Polish and German women, on the other hand, declare that they shop once a month, regularly (40 and 37% respectively). All European women, however, spend between 500 and one thousand euros a year.

Where do Europeans go shopping? As we can imagine, it is the mid-range brands, such as Zara, Mango, Benetton and so on, that dominate. Online shopping seems to be on the rise, and favorite e-commerce sites are Zara and Forever21, followed by Asos and Topshop. When you ask the interviewees what they find most interesting in online shops, the answer is practical: almost all of them appreciate the advice on what to wear according to their shape, as happens with the feminine tool, Body Expert (see here) . There are fewer, but still a substantial chunk, of women who rely on the web to peek at street style and fashion tips from famous or less famous people, images from fashion shows and fashion services.

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When you ask European women what it means to be a fashion addict, you are divided again. For 38% of Italians, closely followed by Germans, it means knowing how to combine clothing and accessories. For the French and the English, it means being fashionable, always aware of the latest trends. 35% of Spaniards and 52% of Poles, on the other hand, have a more practical view of the issue: being a fashion addict means spending a lot of money on clothes, slipping the concept into that of the fashion victim.

To the crucial question "Do you think fashion affects your relationships?", Respondents gave a surprising answer, stating that it is an important factor. 37% of the Spaniards, 44% of the Germans and even half of the French women interviewed think so. The Italians are in agreement with this statement to a lesser extent, 43% convinced that fashion does not influence interpersonal relationships. All Europeans are however in agreement in affirming that fashion is an important factor, because everyone attaches great importance to the image of others, starting with the appearance and way of dressing. Some European countries think that the way of dressing is more crucial in France than elsewhere, even if the Italians themselves, along with the Spanish and Swiss, think that the judgment aesthetic over the others is more frequent in Italy. Ultimately, Italy and France, the two homelands of fashion, are also the places where others are judged for style.

And the reference fashion icons? They seem elusive.Almost none of the contemporary icons proposed seem to appeal to the interviewees, proof of the segmentation of tastes compared to the past, when all women would have been divided between Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. In today's ultra-varied world, European women seem to gather, to a small extent, around Victoria Beckham (especially Poland and Italy), while Kate Middleton, of course, is much loved in Great Britain. And the others? They are mostly actresses, especially those most involved in fashion, thanks to advertising international and excellent collaborations: Blake Lively, da Gossip Girl a favorite of Karl Lagerfeld and Gucci, Emma Watson, from Harry Potter to its sumptuous red carpets between Burberry and Louis Vuitton, and Miranda Kerr, a full-time model even outside the Victoria "s Secret catwalks. Icons, in short, are always those that the market itself manages to produce, and they are all the more loved the more fashion and other media manage to work in synergy.

Blake Lively