Are pant-wearing women cross-dressers?

Short answer to the title... yes.

Just kidding. In the modern world, most women wear or have worn pants.

But I'm not actually going to talk about something as petty and obvious as that.

The topic is much more personal: a certain fashion evolution I am (the new me is!) going through.

First, a few years ago, I began checking the material labels on clothing I was considering buying and was disgusted to see that they mix plastic into women's clothing and make men's clothing mostly out of natural fabrics. Natural fabrics last longer than plastics. They also keep their shapes better. My theory for the reason for this juxtaposition is twofold: first, that clothing manufacturers use plastic in women's clothing because it makes the skin-tight effect that women love possible; and second, making clothes lose their shape and break faster forces women to buy new clothes more often.

The first part of the theory I understand: women who have distinctive waists and butts can look really, really good in tight-fitting clothing.

And the second part... well, some women like shopping as an end in itself and value the activity over the quality and durability of what they're buying.

Second, a few years ago but still after the incident above, I found the image identity system that David Kibbe created in the 1980's. It turned out that I'm a so-called dramatic classic. This means that I look best in clothing that has clean and straight lines, sharp edges, and stiffer fabrics in dark and clear colors. Apparently, I should opt for high quality natural materials that look like I just bought them.

This brings us to earlier this week, when I happened to try on my partner's winter coat and was absolutely startled by how good it looked on me. Sure, it was a too big, but the shoulder pads were strong enough to hold the coat's shape. The color was dark gray (emphasis on dark) and the collar stuck up instead of folding down. The length was perfect - just above the knee - and the cut was straight down with no waist emphasis.

After this, things got a little out of hand. I went online and ordered three coats, three long-sleeve T-shirts, one shirt-shirt, and four knits - from the men's clothing section. I picked the smallest size they had (extra small, or extra-extra small when available) and am now waiting for a bundle of high-quality wool and cotton items.

Just saying... some women just look better in those stiff clothes that are made of high-quality natural materials. And those, while hard to find in women's sections, are abundant in men's.

If that makes me a cross-dresser, then so be it.

P.S. I also need to add shoulder pads to everything I own.