just who do women dress for?

today women's wear daily asks the legitimately thought-provoking question: just who do women dress for? i couldn't help but think about how this articles relates to our girl hot or boy hot column which examines the differences between what men find hot and what girls find attractive (or just adorably fashionable in many cases).

there were a few girl hot replies:
"Most women dress for their most fashionable friend." - Anne Hathaway

"Women always dress for other women. Women, first of all, dress to please themselves. Unless they're 16, they like to reflect what's going on with fashion and other women are interested in fashion. It is a fashion thing." - The Village Voice's Lynn Yaeger

and some boy hot replies, sort of:
"In Spain, women dress for men. I don't know what happens here. I think it's very tiring to have to dress to be sexy all day. It's horrible and exhausting to have to wear high heels for 24 hours."-Frank Doroff, senior executive vice president and general merchandise manager of Bloomingdale's

"Women dress for men. I do dress for myself because it makes me feel empowered, but I'm definitely looking for [husband] Rubin's expression, not his approval. I do use clothes to speak — how I dress is a form of communication for me." - Michael Fink, vice president and women's fashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue

some just boy replies:
"Most men don’t realize what’s going on half the time. If their friend at work wears the same thing every day, they wouldn’t notice. It’s not in the gene pool.­­"— Nigel Barker, photographer

some politically correct responses:
"I don't know for everyone else. For me, it's for myself. When you feel good about yourself, you feel good about everyone else." - French Vogue's Carine Roitfeld

"I hope women dress for themselves and not out of pressure to mimic someone or to be something they're not. They're also dressing for the special someone in one's life, but I don't think that's every day." - Michael Fink, vice president and women's fashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue

and then the somewhere in between mumbo jumbo which is probably the most realistic:
"Women want to look sexy and stylish. They certainly want to dress for the man in their life and there's always a little competition with other women. That is the truth because I spend a lot of time around women and clothes."-Ken Downing, senior vice president and fashion director at Neiman Marcus

"I'm such a quirky dresser. Everyone dresses for different reasons. Some women dress for men, some dress for their personal contentment and some for the other opinions of women." - Designer Isabella Tonchi

read more responses on WWD: All Dressed Up for No One in Particular

so when you get ready tomorrow night for your valentines date or any night for that matter bc valentines is sort of lame anyway (sorry to whoever plays into my valentines day by sending me flowers (an orchid preferably), chocolate (dark) and jewelry (sydney evan)), who are you really dressing for?

photo cred: gastro chic