Clothing for Women

Stylish women often regard hiking with disgust, even hiking town-to-town in Europe and staying in hotels each night. Part of this disgust might be due to unstylish clothing sold at outdoors stores. Hiking pants, in particular, are designed for men, and typically have very wide, very unstylish "elephant" legs, plus clothing is festooned with unsightly logos, cargo pockets, unnecessary zippers and other gewgaws. Primary advantage of hiking pants is protection from swarms of mosquitoes, which can bite through stretch-knit leggings, and from bitterly cold winter winds—instead of wearing protection from such harsh conditions, why not pick a more comfortable time/place for hiking? I therefore recommend following clothing layers for women's lower body:

Nylon stretch-knit bottoms to protect from cold. Widely available at outdoors stores in black, sometimes available in other colors. In warm weather, use pantyhose cut to mid-thigh length rather than underwear, to reduce inner thigh chafing, which is a major problem with some women while hiking.
Short pants, preferably nylon. Seat should be sturdy enough not to tear when sitting on abrasive rocks. For whatever reason, stylish-looking women's short pants, suitable for outdoor use, are much more widely available than stylish long pants.
Nylon or polyester skirt. Alternative to short pants if wearing stretch-knit bottoms.

Upper body clothing at outdoors stores usually acceptable. Typical layering would be:

Nylon or polyester/nylon safari/trekking shirt. Or have shirt custom-made of 100% nylon. Avoid lightweight fabrics, like silk, which will not stand up to abrasion from backpack straps. Avoid cotton and hemp, which take forever to dry.
High-loft polyester insulated jacket or pullover.
Poncho for protection from rain, from cold dry wind, and to provide privacy while adding/removing stretch-knit bottoms from under short pants while on trail. Very unstylish piece of gear, but then trying to be stylish in rain is pointless. Hood of the poncho will need to be kept in place by hat of some sort. Ponchos work better than rain jackets because they have better ventilation and protect backpack and neckpurse as well as body.

Many women object to hats because of how they mat hair. Solution is to use hat which fits loosely, optionally bundle hair up on top of head inside crown of hat, then hold hat in place with chinstrap.

As discussed elsewhere on this website, trying to keep feet dry in mild temperatures doesn't work. If wearing rain pants and boots with goretex liners, footwear will get wet from perspiration. If not wearing rain pants, rain will run down legs into boots. Better idea is to wear lightweight fabric hiking shoes/boots and lightweight socks, so that footwear will dry quickly when rain stops. Socks can be either all-synthetic or a lightweight blend of 30% nylon, 70% merino wool. Merino wool doesn't dry quickly, but it is comfortable and doesn't cause blisters even when wet.

Neckpurse will have to be custom-made, but this is easy job. Pick fabric that looks good both hiking and in city.

All clothes (with possible exception of socks) should allow for rapid drying. Ideal fabrics: (a) stretch-knits should be nylon: (b) insulation should be polyester; (c) shells should be nylon or polyester. Avoid cotton, hemp and other slow-drying fabrics. Avoid down insulation, which is nuisance to clean.

Must assume that clothes worn while hiking will get wet and/or dirty. Therefore bring along another full set of clothing for walking around city after washing hiking clothes and hanging them up to dry. Calf-length skirt probably better idea than pants.

If planning to stay in huts or refuges, extra clothing should include base layer of lightweight stretch-knit, which serves as sleep wear and for wandering around hut. For warmth while wandering around hut, in case insulated jacket is wet, wrap yourself in sleeping bag/quilt.

City sandals/shoes should be designed for extending walking on concrete and stone pavement.

All clothes other than rain clothes and insulated jacket should be easy to clean in cold water in sink, using same soap/shampoo as for body, and able to drip-dry overnight in damp conditions, without needing ironing. Lightweight merino wool/nylon blend socks will not dry overnight, especially not in damp conditions, but such socks can be put on wet and then walked dry without causing blisters.

Rain clothes, insulated jacket and sleeping bag should be easy to clean in bathtub or washing machine, though cleaning should not normally be necessary for these items.

Towel, if any, should be very small, like 12"x12", with sewn-in loop for hanging from backpack to allow drying during day. Large towels are heavy and tend to mildew. After wiping with small towel, put on sleep clothes and use body heat to burn off remaining moisture. Towel only needed if staying in hut/refuge. If staying in hotel, towels provided.