Avoiding the pink tax - mens clothes for women?

I was looking at buying a new shirt today.  Same make, same cut, same fibre content.  The women's version was $49.99  The men's version was $11.99.

This got me thinking.  What if I could buy the cheaper one but a size larger, then adjust it slightly to fit me?  It could fit me better than the fifty dollar version ever would.

It's worth 12 dollars to give it a try.

Has anyone done this before?   Tips?  Tricks?  Cautions?  

I do that a lot. It's very easy to do. And men's clothes tend to be made better than women's, they aren't part of the "fast fashion" bit.

All work pants I buy are men's, I get them one size up, then take them in heavily at the waist, leaving the excess of the rest, which gives me lots of room to bend and move. The tricky part to that is men's pants aren't made for a woman's curves, I have learned what I'm feeling for as far as height up my back, when I take them in, I need them to start high enough that they will still hit me at the waist when it gets tighter. I have a fair amount of tail to cover, but not a lot of belly. The cut for most guys is if they have as much butt as me, they have a lot of belly too, and their butt weight is shaped very differently than mine. So I choose things that will work after I modify them for me. Took me a while to learn what I was feeling for when I tried them on.

Your mileage will vary based on your body shape, but do take into account how it will change when you put your modifications in. If you shop someplace like a secondhand store, take a pile of safety pins with you, turn a shirt inside out, start pinning darts, and see what it's doing to the rest of the fit. Doubt you can get away with that with new clothes though. I always have a sewing measuring tape and pins in my purse, I'm like that.  It's always easier to pin up clothes inside out.

Due to my big feet, I almost always buy men's shoes. It's great.

I'm definitely not a fashionista so for everyday clothes I wouldn't even make alterations. Most of the time I wear $8 t-shirts from Target, gets the job done.

Are you asking about dress clothes?

Stacy Witscher wrote:Due to my big feet, I almost always buy men's shoes. It's great.

I'm definitely not a fashionista so for everyday clothes I wouldn't even make alterations. Most of the time I wear $8 t-shirts from Target, gets the job done.

Are you asking about dress clothes?

Nah, just everyday stuff.  Base layers like long sleeve t-shirts.  Clothing that is boring enough I can wear out in public with the nicer clothes and it doesn't look obvious, then when it starts to get ratty, wear around the farm.  

Long sleeve T's are only weird in one way. Get a size that fits your bust and shoulders, and put curved waist darts in to make it hang right. BUT that weirds out the neckline. So be prepared to either take little pleats on the neck, OR one pair of pleats that make the neck smaller leaving the bust size, OR  (my favorite) get some of the elastic thread and sew a line of it on the neck, adjust it to fit right, then knot it off.

I did a shirt  long ago that I put a decorative casing on the neck, then ran a string in it, could be adjusted as my weight changed.

Great post. This is the reason I loathe clothes shopping. Cannot find the fit. I wear mens 5-11 tactical pants and add to the inseam so they are high enough. My luscious booty and thighs need room but then the gap in the back…I could fit a small child.  I haven’t yet learned how to sew and taylor so if anyone has any tips or resources for that I would appreciate it.
Also thrift store mens button downs or pearls are a great find. Even mens merino wool socks are better and mens 5-11 boots work great!

I do the same but opposite. I shop the womens jeans rack at the thrift store, because there's way more selection than the mens rack, and they are usually cheaper than the mens jeans. For me size 8 Calvin Klein skinny jeans are where it's at - no excess fabric flapping around my legs or bunching up in the top of my boots, and plenty of room in the hips for high-stepping over garden beds.

I don't like the way women's clothing is made because everything is meant to fit tight. Women's clothing is made to show off boobs, show off hips, etc.

I have never been at a place in my life where I have wanted to do that.

I like comfortable clothes so I used to make my own.  I like designing my own style.

Where I now live there is just no place for the sewing machine.  I also have decided that I have a closet full of clothes so I don't need new clothes.  I also can look in dear hubby's closet and find a shirt that he didn't like or that no longer fits.  I like that his shirts are too big for me.  I can roll up the sleeves, etc.

I will say that I only buy men's shoes.  Since I have a bunion women's shoes are too narrow even though I used to have narrow feet.  I now only wear flip-flops or sandals.  Even women's flip-flops are too narrow in my size.

Like the "avoiding the pink tax".

My sewing machine can't handle knit fabric.  It can only sew on wovens (it was made before commercial knits were a thing).

So I'm going to be sewing the adjustments to the top by hand.  It seems daunting but after having sewn a few tops from scratch, I find that it's quite quick to sew by hand and the backstitch is stronger than what the machine can sew.  

Jenny Jones wrote: I wear men's 5-11 tactical pants and add to the inseam so they are high enough. My luscious booty and thighs need room but then the gap in the back…I could fit a small child.  I haven’t yet learned how to sew and tailor so if anyone has any tips or resources for that I would appreciate it.

I don't have resources to offer  as I don't tend to read or watch sewing stuff.

But what you can do with pants like that (all of the men's pants I buy fit me like that) is take two little V shaped pleats in the center of the back, about 4 inches apart, 2 inches on each side of the midline of the back waist. Get some safety pins, and fold some, try them on, adjust the pins (make sure you keep them even) and try them on again. I end up with my pleats about 3 inches long down toward my butt, and about 1 inch deep, which makes 4 inches off the waist, at the back, where you need it.  A pleat that is 1 inch, has the other half of it, then the matching one to make the pants hang right is the rest of the measurement, that's where I got 4 inches from. Start folding and pining, it'll make sense. If you need 3 inches off, 3/4 of an inch is the depth of the pleat.

I have some pants that I pinned very neatly and wore them that way for over a year before I got around to sewing them in. You don't have to be able to sew, pins are useful tools.

Anne Miller wrote:I don't like the way women's clothing is made because everything is meant to fit tight. Women's clothing is made to show off boobs, show off hips, etc.

... I like comfortable clothes so I used to make my own.  I like designing my own style.

... I also have decided that I have a closet full of clothes so I don't need new clothes.  I also can look in dear hubby's closet and find a shirt that he didn't like or that no longer fits.  I like that his shirts are too big for me.  I can roll up the sleeves, etc.

... Like the "avoiding the pink tax".

YUSSS!! And, I've reached a point in my life where my own comfort and sense of style matter FAR more to me than anyone else's opinion. I've a closet full of clothes that I love/hate, and started (VERY slowly) to take the ones that I most want to wear, and alter them to fit my style AND my comfort! Toward that end, I've made several old items new, and the compliments they bring, combined with all the inspiration r's sewing exploration posts offer, I'm gradually turning my wardrobe into something I love! The other cool thing is with a closet full of clothes I love, I'll have no compunction to hang onto clothes I hate, and those can be turned into other things we need or want, or gifted. (I rarely donate old clothes, anymore, because most of the organizations that take them struggle to sell them - even at garage/yard/tag sale prices - then they end up sending them to the dump, after they've sat a season or two!)

r ranson wrote:My sewing machine can't handle knit fabric.  It can only sew on wovens (it was made before commercial knits were a thing).

So I'm going to be sewing the adjustments to the top by hand.  It seems daunting but after having sewn a few tops from scratch, I find that it's quite quick to sew by hand and the backstitch is stronger than what the machine can sew.  

With the right needles, you are able to sew knit fabric on a sewing machine. Try Stretch needle or microtex needle. Works better with stable knits but can be done with stretchy fabric with some practice. I recently hemmed my leggings with two rows of straight stitches of all purpose threads (i.e. no zigzag, no twin needle and no wooly nylon) and the seams held up to 25% stretch.

May Lotito wrote:

r ranson wrote:My sewing machine can't handle knit fabric.  It can only sew on wovens (it was made before commercial knits were a thing).

So I'm going to be sewing the adjustments to the top by hand.  It seems daunting but after having sewn a few tops from scratch, I find that it's quite quick to sew by hand and the backstitch is stronger than what the machine can sew.  

With the right needles, you are able to sew knit fabric on a sewing machine. Try Stretch needle or microtex needle. Works better with stable knits but can be done with stretchy fabric with some practice. I recently hemmed my leggings with two rows of straight stitches of all purpose threads (i.e. no zigzag, no twin needle and no wooly nylon) and the seams held up to 25% stretch.

It doesn't work on my machine.  Much faster and longer-lasting to hand stitch it.  

Not being particularly well endowed in the bust area, I've never had a problem with wearing mens' shirts one way or another. But I did discover a couple of years ago that my husband's old chino style trousers that were (ahem) a bit small for him actually fit me perfectly! So rather than give them away I started wearing his old trousers myself. Unlike the ladies' styles of trousers that have gappy waists for me if they have enough space on the hip, the mens' styles don't gap. They also seem to have more fabric in the thighs as well, so much more comfortable for working in. Bigger pockets, thicker material.... They tend to be just a bit long in the leg, but that's an easy fix, or just roll up. I ranted about it at the time, but really wish I'd realised it much sooner.
I've almost given up shopping for new clothes just now and am making do with hubby's cast offs. They're starting to get a bit worn now, and to be honest maybe a bit tighter in the waist for me (I'm popping too many buttons!) but when I do go shopping I'll head for the 36" mens' trousers rather than the (UK) size 14s....What would be ideal I suppose, is if if he dropped back a waist size and I also lost a little round the waist, then we could share a wardrobe!

Although I don't buy men's clothes on purpose, I do collect some oversize shirts for the love of fabrics. One fitting issue with bigger shirt is that the sleeves will be super long and the armholes too low. And it's not cosmetic but it greatly reduces my arm mobility. An easy fit is to cut off the sleeves from shoulders and remove extra sleeve cap height. Also remove a smaller amount of shoulder seam and take in a bit underarm side seam to raise the armhole. Stitch the sleeves back and it's done.

If necessary, I have a shirt to demonstrate with photos when I have time.

I buy mens gloves because I have big hands and mens boots because I have big feet. Otherwise I am pretty feminine and wear a lot of conservative, form fitting dresses for work, etc.

Here is the size L men's shirt I quickly modified on one side for demonstration. Noted after taking in dropped shoulder seam (2 inches to 1 inch) and raising armhole, there was no more tugging when the arm moved (look how much the side was pulling away from CF on the unmodified side). I didn't trim any fabric so the inside view showed how much fabric was taken out. Bust ease is 8 inches so it's oversized and no bust darts necessary.

I did modify another men's summer shirt to be fitted with added darts. In the picture you can see extra fabric was added to raise armhole, plus the side seams and hems were restitched. It might've been faster sewing from scratch in this case.

Happy stitching.

I have been avoiding the pink tax for decades. I have almost always bought mens shoes due to my feet being wide. I usually wear a men's 8 in shoes. However I have noticed lately and so has my husband that mens shoes especially those made in China and other Asian countries are getting narrower.  So sometimes i have to go a men's 8.5.   Thankfully, my husband had me try Keen Boots last fall.  I actually comfortable in the women's size 10. The toe box is roomy and doesn't cramp my toes at all. I bought the Keen hiking boot of the Steen variety.  They are holding up well and i can put my orthotic arch support in them. On the Keen website you can search for orthotic friendly boots and shoes.  Later last fall, I bought pair of the Keen Cincinnati work boots for wearing on the farm. They are heavy but tough. They handle mud, and snow without a problem. They aren't insulated but they are very warm.  I am hoping I get years of use out of both of these boots.  So since I was trying Keen boots on in stores (Duluth Trading and Rural King) and finding the right fit, I bought a pair of their Houser slip on shoes/camping slipper from their website when they went on sale.  I really like them. You can wear them around town, they are warm and they are orthotic friendly.  If you sign up on the Keen website, you get notices of sales and end of season closeouts.  You can also sign up for the Keen corps and if you volunteer or donate money they give you points to get discounts on your boot purchases, which is great because Keen boots are not cheap. They are made in US. They also have some boots and shoes that are made from harvested waste from other companies.  Makes me feel a littler better.
The other amazing thing is that my feet, knees, and hips feel better.  

I don't like tight shirts. I actually have very wide shoulder for a woman. I have big shoulder muscles and biceps, Womens shirts just don't allow me to move and work the way I need to. Men;s XL in tee shirts, long sleeve T's and sweatshirts.   I don't bother taking them in at all. I also buy mens socks and men's sweat pants because they have pockets in them.  For some reason, womens sweat pants rarely do. I also sometimes find men's shorts that fit. I wear shorts as soon as it gets about 68 degrees out.  I typically pick up men's T-shirts and long sleeve T's when they are on clearance at Rural King. T-shirts are sometimes marked down to 1.99.  

I was wary at first, but I did invest in some pants and shorts at Duluth Trading.  I bought one pair of the winter flexpedition pants several years ago. They are still going strong and are very warm. I only need to wear long johns when it gets below 30 and is windy.   I later bought a pair of the Tech pants at Duluth and they are a little lighter weight but have an amazing amount of pockets, many of them that zip shut. I was happy with those pants so I bought a pair of the fire hose flex pants and they work great too and they have great pockets. I wore the first pair for a year or so and they had no wear showing so i bought another pair. Both pairs are several years old now and still going strong.  I wear them doing farm work and they still wash up nice enough to wear to town.  You can buy women's or mens at Duluth Trading. The womens pants have been fitting very nicely.  I can't complain at all. I will buy more because they are lasting so long and wearing so well.  It is great to have pants that last that I am not having to replace all the time. I am actually spending less on pants now than when I was having to replace my four or five pairs of jeans every year when they wore out.  So for me that Duluth pants have been worth the investment.  I just hope that Duluth doesn't start watering down the quality.  I have not tried their Noga pants yet.  The two pairs of shorts I bought from Duluth are great and are on their second year of wear at least. No rips, lots of pockets.

I do have some jeans/pants that I bought at Costco years ago that were made by Gloria Vanderbilt. They fit great and they were pretty tough. I quite wearing them when I started wearing the Duluth trading due to comfort.  I don't think they sell the same  Gloria Vanderbilt jeans/pants at Costco anymore.  

Just so you know, I have small farm, I have  goats (about40 adult goats), chickens, cows, pigs, rabbits and horses and dogs. I have a big garden. I fix fence, wrestle goats, haul compost etc. I build chicken coops and chicken tractors. I butcher my own animals, so I am really out there using my gear on my farm. I sometimes even do oil changes and stuff on my one ton truck.  

I  hope this helps, your mileage may very.

Pearl Sutton wrote:

I did a shirt  long ago that I put a decorative casing on the neck, then ran a string in it, could be adjusted as my weight changed.

Many t shirts have neck ribbing that is folded. I cut a little slit in the inside layer of the back , then run narrow elastic through the channel created by the layers. I put it on, adjust the elastic and knot it. It looks like the original if it's not drawn up too much, with the added bonus of not allowing the neck to stretch out over time.
You can whip stitch the slit closed but I never do, since it never seems to want to unravel there.