I'm very glad women aren't forced to wear ridiculous clothing anymore.
That said, I do CHOOSE to wear dresses almost all of the time and have done for the past 15 years or so (I'm 39). I choose stylish dresses or skirts for work. I wear a cotton dress with an apron to do housework. I might do the same for gardening; it depends on the weather and the laundry situation.
Slacks are a rarity for me. Sometime when it's very cold I'll wear them, but more often I just wear boots.
Pants are for working out, yoga, sleeping, puttering around the house (sometimes) and emergencies.
I love hats but don't always wear one out (except if I'm going to be outside for any length of time). I don't wear gloves except when driving, and then only to shade my hands from the sun.
But I would never presume to tell others how to dress. I do not believe style of dress has any impact at all on the quality of my work, and I would NEVER work in an office that had a strict dress code requiring everyone to dress up.