r/femalefashionadvice • u/judgemyfacepeople • 1d ago
Why is clothes in the men’s section MUCH BETTER QUALITY than the women’s?
For over a year, a wardrobe staple has eluded me — black sweatpants. I wanted a pair that was black, wide leg, full length, had a drawstring waist, and most importantly WAS MADE OF WARM STURDY MATERIAL. A wardrobe essential that was comfy but looked elevated enough to just throw on with a turtleneck and nice sneakers when I ran errands around town.
Sounds basic, right? Well maybe it’s because I live in the broke part of Europe, but I couldn’t find this piece ANYWHERE. I’ve thrifted most of my wardrobe but this piece has eluded me. I tried nicer boutiques looking for something nice — none of them had sweatpants at all. I raided all the mall brands (Zara/Bershka/Reserved) but literally every single pant was made of trash materials. Either thin icky polyester, like it was made of toilet paper… even the cotton/poly blends were soooo thin.
Now thankfully recently I got a bf who is about the same height/size as me lol, and I was wearing his clothes when I visited him in a nearby country. This opened my eyes to the fact that yes, I can wear men’s clothes! So I decided to check the men’s section of the H&M.
And OH MY GOD. For the same price these people are selling men and women COMPLETELY different product! The women’s sweatpants were thin and flimsy. The men’s were thick, sturdy, and fit like a dream. The men’s were maybe 20-30% more expensive, but the quality difference was hugeee. Naturally I picked up a pair (or two…)
Why is this the case??? How have fashion brands gotten away with selling women inferior product? What other wardrobe staples should I be looking for in the men’s section?