Study Reveals Men are Twice as Likely as Women to Dress Up For the ‘Gram on Holiday

Buying new clothes for our holidays means we look and feel good making memories in the sun. But, how much would you say the average Brit spends on new clothes and accessories for trips abroad? Or perhaps, which parts of the UK are buying the most for their holiday wardrobes? A new survey conducted by fashion e-commerce retailer SilkFred reveals all.

This city spends more on their holiday wardrobe than anywhere else in the UK

With a quarter of survey respondents saying that the last time they had been on holiday was within the last 6-12 months, so who is spending the most on their holiday garments? SilkFred found that 1 in 10 people in Oxford spend £160+ on holiday clothes each time they go away, the highest in the UK. Along with being the highest spenders, sun-seekers in Oxford are the most likely Brits to dress up on holiday for their social media followers.

With Oxford taking the top spot, Glasgow (7%), York (6%) and London (5%) round up the top four cities with the highest average spend on their holiday wardrobes. In comparison, Aberdeen are the savviest with their pre-holiday costs as they spend the least on holiday clothes each time they go away. Spending just £1-£20 on items for each trip.

The study also brings to light that 44% of holiday goers in Belfast buy 6+ items for each holiday, the highest percentage across the UK. Newcastle follows closely behind in second place with 43% of locals purchasing 6+ new items for each holiday.

Top 5 clothing items the UK splashes out on for holidays

When asked which clothing items they would be the most prepared to spend more than usual on when purchasing garments specifically for their holidays, these are the top five ranking items:

Rank Clothing Item
Percent willing to spend more than usual
1 Comfortable shoes 29%
2 Sunglasses 16%
3 Shorts 16%
4 Bikini or Swimsuit 15%
5 Shirt 14%


Other interesting findings:

  • Men vs women: Men are twice as likely as women to dress nicely for social media posts on holiday. The study also found that a third of women take a spare set of swimwear on holiday compared to just 1 in 4 men.
  • Guess how many Brits DO NOT take a spare pair of underwear on holiday? Results from the survey found that almost 40% of us don’t take a spare set when abroad.
  • Leaving the packing to the last minute: SilkFred reveals 1 in 3 Brits buy their holiday clothes just 2-3 weeks before jetting off.

For more information on the holiday wardrobe study, please visit SilkFred.

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