So what is it with this assumption, even in the friggin' COMMUTING forum, that people who get around by bike must be cheap and/or poor and/or uninterested in spending money on anything besides bicycles and basic subsistence? That may be a stereotype in some places, but ain't no reason we should be propagating it ourselves, right?

FWIW, I'm a 31-yr-old woman and have been a bike commuter since I was ten. I'm definitely a crusty bikaholic, but that doesn't mean I can't or won't spend money on the "finer things in life", like food and concerts and and vacations and whatever. Actually, not having to pay for a car is a good reason why I can afford things like that.

I'm fortunate to have always worked in casual work environments where I can dress however I want. I basically have an entire closet full of the same outfit.
But for those who work in more formal environments, I'd go so far as to say that in many cases, it may be easier for women to find outfits that are both reasonably functional for bicycle commuting and acceptable for work than for men, because women's dress codes have more options while men's are stricter. Basically, men must wear suits with button-down shirts. Women can wear various combinations of skirts, pants, tops, cardigans, etc, made of a wider variety of materials in a wider variety of materials. Granted, I don't know really anything about shopping for or wearing any of that stuff, but I gotta think that more flexibility in the expectations of what you wear has to help when you have to find something that works.