Is it that difficult to let people enjoy funding clothes they like to wear? The subreddit had 5.4 million subscribers. That's 5.4 million people who disagreed with your opinion. Hopefully that gives you some perspective.
If she wants a grundy, but casual game, get her playing a MMO like Guild Wars 2. It's horizontal progression so you are not competing to get better gear all the time. It's just casual grind to get fashion, new titles, achievements etc. I am sure she will be addicted.