Significance

• Cities are usually where women sport the cutting edge fashions that make urban life synonymous with the mainstream. Trends, experimental designs and even wacky fashions are often born on city streets. Designers may also look to the streets for fashion inspiration, either pegging something someone is wearing and turning it into a big hit or getting inspiration from the cityscape itself. Lots of metal, plastics, busy patterns, advertising billboards and even skyline portraits on shirts, skirts and suits have been examples of this in the past.
  
  

Function

• Urban clothing should do more than simply look flashy; it has to withstand the city environment. This means clothing that will stay fresh and unwrinkled through sudden downpours, packed subway trains and buses and urban smog are always a plus. In addition to the sudden downpours, some city environments are soaked with unbearable heat and humidity in the summer as well as frigid, slushy weather in the winter, and clothes should be able to withstand those conditions.
  
  

Types

• Different types of urban clothing for women include outerwear, business clothing and weekend wear. Urban outerwear works best if it is sleek, chic and not bulky. Ski jackets and down-filled vests the size of a small pumpkin are discouraged. Trenchcoats, tapered wool jackets and sporty rain gear are a must. Business clothing includes power suits, vintage ensembles, maxi-dresses and any combination thereof. Weekend wear can range from skinny jeans and cozy sweaters topped with furry boots, to evening gowns that the queen herself would envy.
  
  

Time Frame

• Folks who take a walk down any city street in the day will find a strikingly different fashion statement than those that meander about at night. Some women have the day-to-night transformation down to an art, and can turn their mundane power suit into clubwear with a few simple adjustments. Adding a dash of sparkly makeup and a headband that sweeps back the hair is a start, as is trading in the sensible pumps for drop-dead boots and the suit jacket for a sequined vintage wrap. Just because women are out for a night on the town, however, should not mean they should be half-naked. Extremely short shorts or micro-minis without tights, skimpy lace lingerie worn as shirts and string bikinis are not favorable choices unless the woman is going for a night out in the red light district.
  
  

Geography

• New York City is definitely the place where most anything goes. This massive fashion mecca, home to many international shows and the garment district, will be OK with the latest styles, last week's styles, last year's styles and styles that haven't even hit the runway yet. Nobody will bat an eye at fashions ranging from three-foot glittery Mohawks to people wrapped in trash bags to keep out the rain. Other cities may be a bit more conservative, especially smaller ones in the South, so it's best not to sport the Mohawk or trash bag look in Amarillo, Texas, or even Miami. Artsy looks are generally accepted in every city scene, but wacky looks are often not.