Everyone dresses for someone, whether it be for themselves, members of the same sex or members of the opposite sex.
One of my dear friends says that she dresses for other women during the day, but dresses for her boyfriend/other men at night. She specified exactly why she dresses for other men when she's with her man:
"I want to look good for him. Not only in his eyes, but I want him to look good in everyone elses eyes. I want other guys to look at me and think 'Damn, she's hot. And look at the lucky guy she's with.' It's not a matter of me trying to attract other guys but rather that I want my boyfriend to feel proud he's with me."
I have another friend who dresses for her boyfriend when she is with him. She tends to wear flattering, fashionable clothes when she's on her own or with friends or at work, but because her boyfriend has repeatedly said how much he loves her in sweat pants and a baggy sweater (mainly because he's really the only person to ever see her dress down), she complies and actually enjoys wearing the occasional skater hoodie, cargo pants or "unfeminine" clothes.
I have other friends who like to dress up when they know they are hanging with their girlfriends, rather than with guys. They feel best when a girlfriend of theirs comments on their clothes. Then they know they look good and made a good choice.
A guy I know dresses completely for himself. Of course, he still asks for opinions on what looks good and what doesn't. And when his girlfriend mentions how much a certain shirt suits him, he will tend to wear that more often. But in the end, he dresses for what he likes and he doesn't give a crap about what other people think. It doesn't matter if the item of clothing went out of style a long time ago (say, a bandana for example) he wears it because he likes it and that's what makes him look good in the end.
I would like to believe I am a combination of all of the above*.
*though have been called a hippie once. Which I am SO not.
