The Style Files : Androgyny - Fashion's New Love Affair!
When Raf Simons Dior’s former Creative Director unveiled his womenswear collection in March (for A/W15) it was an androgynous collection interspersed with a dark sexual energy. He showed tweed trouser suits where long, broad, double-breasted jackets were balanced with cropped trousers and patent leather shoes, leaving a sliver of seductive calf on display. Masculine proportions came in ladylike tones. Simons' collection for Dior, masculine balanced with a feminine twist, spoke volumes about a look that’s taken over the season.
It wasn’t Simons only who championed this newly feminised menswear influence, it was evident in several collections where men's tailoring was juxtaposed with uber feminine touches, particularly in evening wear. At Givenchy, peplum jackets with tapered trousers, creating hourglass silhouettes, at Prada trouser suits with floral and crystal additions.
High heels and tight dresses seem to have no real place in this season's look for the modern woman. This season's love for menswear isn’t restricted to imitation but reinterprets it to suit the needs of the women wearing the trend.
Our understanding of menswear influences on womenswear fashion has largely been shaped by the likes of Katherine Hepburn in wide mannish pants, Bianca Jagger in the iconic white suit and of course Yves Saint Laurents revolutionary Le Smoking.
These visuals cemented menswear in the popular imagination as something that could look daring, glamorous and strong on a woman but never quite natural or easy. However in the 21st century we are becoming increasingly aware that gender is not a binary and the way we choose to present ourselves as individuals shouldn’t be constrained by the artificial divisions of society.
Womenswear designers showed their love for men's tailoring through suits, jackets and tailored pants making them day-to-night essentials for women but in ladylike ways. Everyone from Saint Laurent to Gucci and Stella McCartney had irresistable interpretations of womenswear influenced by traditions of men’s tailoring.
A stylish solution to the great feminist debate perhaps?
Text by Minoli Ratnayake
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