Editor's note: This article appeared in the January 24, 2011, edition of Quirk's e-newsletter.
The modern woman is often asked to wear many hats: career-woman, devoted wife, loving mother, housekeeper, cook, etc. So perhaps it will come as no surprise that women are looking to simplify where they can, including their wardrobes. Whether they're looking for a business suit, sweatsuit or a little black dress for a night on the town, women are shying away from dry-clean-only and ironing-required clothes, according to data from Chicago research company Mintel.
In fact, three-fourths of female clothes shoppers say they avoid items that require a trip to the cleaners. Meanwhile, 59 percent are loath to purchase clothing that has to be hand-washed separately. Women ages 65+ are even more likely (68 percent) to pass on fashions with tags that bear the "hand wash separately" mandate.
"Dry-clean-only or hand-wash-separately account for one more errand or household chore that busy women simply don't have time for," says Kat Fay, senior beauty analyst at Mintel. "When you consider the demands of work, family obligations, children and a social life - some women may just find it easier and less time-consuming to purchase an item that doesn't have specific cleaning instructions."
So if women are turned off by dry-clean-only or hand-wash-separately garments, what clothing attributes constitute the perfect fit? Eighty-four percent of female clothes shoppers are seeking easy-to-mix-and-match separates, while 78 percent are drawn to classic styles that don't go out of fashion and 71 percent are looking for items that don't have to be ironed.
"From what we've seen, most women want to look great without much fuss. They're looking for clothing that's easy to accessorize and layer but can also transition seamlessly from work to an evening out," says Fay.