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I too have been thinking how nice it is to see a topic near the bottom of the board take off - and such a good topic too, so germane to the overall tenor of the site! As to feminizing the male wardrobe, I have taken a step I’d never thought I would take and have bought myself a skirt - a midi pencil skirt. Here I need to give credit to @CAT for being a positive influence with his outfits, although our tastes are very different. I’ve always liked the look of long skirts paired with tall boots and have increasingly wanted to have something other than skinny jeans with which to pair mine. And so I decided to give it a try - and also to experience the novelty of wearing a skirt, something I’d never tried. in short, I love it. In fact I’m surprised by how much I like it and even more how natural it feels wearing it. Again, it’s a longer skirt, down to my calves which is something that suits me. I’ve never been a fan of mini skirts and have no desire to wear or try one - it’s just not me, and not because I’m being self conscious. The midi pencil skirt though very much is me - surprisingly so. I feel very comfortable wearing it, physically and emotionally. And it works really well with my boots. I can definitely see myself acquiring more of these skirts. I really like them.

I'm sure they would be shocked if you showed up in a three piece suit...

For whatever reason, I'm working on the upper end of my range as far as heel height goes. I now own way too many shoes that are in that 4 1/2 - 4 3/4" range to not be comfortable in them. I'm noticing two things: 1) Yup, you've got to wear them, and wear them often to start to feel comfortable in them. I still don't go for walks yet, but I wear them for an hour at a time or so, not sitting down. You do get used to them eventually. However, 2) for some physiological reason, the higher the heel, the more bowlegged I become. This is not attractive. I still haven't quite determined the cause, but I'm not going to give up just yet. If I lie on my back and put my legs and feet together doing leg raises to work the abs, I can touch my knees together throughout the full range of hip and ankle motion. When standing in 12+ cm heels, I can't. Evidently, there is something fundamentally different going on there, and I ought to figure out what it is. So yes, height matters, but not in the way the OP intended to discuss.

I never would have believed that a subject WAY down here at the bottom would take off like this. It must be due to our newer members. Thank you new members, by the way. Although I rail against the inequality, I often voluntarily conform to traditional male standards. I wouldn't mind wearing a tank top, but I figure if I do, I'll either look like a Freddie Mercury wannabe, or . . . well, the possibilities don't get better, they get worse from there. Therefore, I always have at least a t-shirt with sleeves and a high collar. The high collar is so that you don't get thick tufts of hair sticking out of a v-neck or scoop neck. I already shave way too much, I ain't shaving my chest also. On a different subject, @bluejay, where on earth does one actually buy a pink suit (and all those other colors)? And do they have one in a 36 short? 😆

Animal prints are fun. I have several I wear to work often. A leopard print hoodie (men's) in green/brown, leopard print sherpa, and a new cheetah print vest. All three get compliments from both men and women whenever I wear them. But I agree, women have more latitude with what they can wear. I wonder what would happen if I showed up at work in an asymmetrical off-the-shoulder top and a mini skirt? 🙃 Or would they be just as shocked if I showed up in a three piece suit, with tie, ... ?😁🤨

I wanted to expand on this a bit as it leads to a point worth making. @Shyheels is correct in noting women's clothing offers far more choices in terms of colors, cuts/styles, fit, versus men's clothing. As a result, women do have far more ability to express themselves in what they wear whether it is in a professional, business casual, or a relaxed setting. This, in turn, leads to greater acceptance of what women "can" wear in professional/business casual settings when compared to men. I make my case via a pair of camouflage pants. I have struck up a casual friendship with a woman who works in another unit in another part of my office building. She often dresses in what I would describe as "relaxed professional" attire - well fitting jeans, a solid color sweater, "appropriate" make-up and accessories, and modest trainers (for footwear - no flashy colors, etc.). One day not too long ago, she was wearing a black sweater, matched with camouflage dress pants, and black loafers. The pants were clearly dress pants due to their cut, style, and fit - they were certainly not fatigues nor aerobic style tights/leggings. I commented to her that I not only loved her pants but that she wore them into the office in a very stylish manner. She mentioned from where she purchased them (which was a higher end department store) and a short time later, I purchased a very similar pair but from a different store. When the weather warms a bit, I intend to wear them to the office with a some sort of maroon or black top and loafers or kitten/low heels. I expect that no one will notice/care and if I do so and head out somewhere after the end of the day, to receive a compliment or two. I would tend to believe that as women have far more latitude to express themselves via the clothes they wear, wearing a pair of camouflage dress pants to an office will not receive much attention. If a man, however, should do the same, that would clearly be noticed and depending on a variety of factors, may very well be frowned upon even if a relaxed dress code where in place. I will not be shy in suggesting that when it comes to attire in professional environments, women have a much greater ability to express themselves via the clothes they choose to wear. I am indicating that, yes, there is a double standard in place where, in certain situations/environments, male conformity in attire is expected or even demanded. Not that I am at all trying to disparage, belittle, or insinuate any negative comments towards anyone, but at my building, the only men I occasionally see in camouflage attire are the heavy maintenance workers (e.g. HVAC, plummers, etc.). Although my superiors have established a reasonable dress code for all employees, I would tend to believe that a man wearing camouflage fatigues to the office would not be welcomed. This is the result, in part, of certain clothing holding certain stereotypes for men and women. Camouflage pants/shirts, etc., for a man are "automatically" fatigues but more 'houte couture' for women. Just to prove my point, I recently purchased a well fitting, knee-length camouflage skirt I wore to the office yesterday with rather plain, 3" heel, knee high black leather boots. From my point of view, I felt the outfit looked quite fashionable but I did not receive any comments on the outfit as there were very few other individuals in a work station (still digging out of a snowstorm and arctic cold). I would also make the same argument for animal print clothing and cargo pants as well.

4”-5” heels or boots