"I don't agree with the stereotype of women being fragile (as suggested by some apparel makers). Women have the same courage and heroic spirit as men. We are free to show our true personality," she says, adding that high-heeled shoes and skirts are inconvenient for daily use and action.

She majored in preschool education, as advised by her mother, but Yao now works for a design company in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, a field that interests her.

Xuan Yanmin, 34, a public service worker in Hangzhou, buys new clothes every season. Sometimes she visits both womenswear and menswear stores to pick up jeans, loose T-shirts, overalls, pullovers, pencil pants and boots.

She says male apparel is more comfortable, although the designs aren't as diverse and fitting of body curves as womenswear.

She reads fashion magazines and posts on Sina Weibo to learn more about fashion. Sometimes photos of women wearing business suits and high heels in offices impress her. "They look vigorous, confident and resolute at the workplace."