Pour Homme Pour Femme
A blazer, a trenchcoat, a tuxedo, a pair of jeans and a bowler hat. Are these items you would find in a man’s closet or in a woman’s? The answer is: both. The trend of women wearing menswear has been for decades considered chic for several seasons, and can still be seen on the runways. Balenciaga, Balmain and Marni are just a few examples of fashion houses giving their take on the menswear trend 2013. How has this trend evolved through time?
During World War I many women were forced to step in and do “men’s jobs”. That was something that changed the way women dressed, since the female wardrobe at that time wasn’t as practical as it needed to be. It was only natural to glance inside the male closet for inspiration. Some women openly wore both pants and blazers as well as cut their hair short and even smoke cigarettes, just like men. The novel La Garçonne (The Tomboy) was released in 1923 and became a big hit among women fighting for their freedom to live as they pleased, which came to increase the popularity of dressing androgynously.
In the 1930s the trend was spotted even in Hollywood with names such as Marlene Dietrich and Katherine Hepburn sporting the look. It was through this that the male wardrobe became more accepted to be worn by a woman. Still it was to be adapted into a feminine take.
After World War II the feminine silhouette was brought back, mainly by Christian Dior who introduced “the New Look”. It supposedly reached all the approval it gained due to the fact that using a lot of fabric helped keeping the mind off the troubled years Europe had just left behind; something that menswear couldn’t compete with. However it didn’t take long for androgyny to re-enter the runways and the mindset of the fashionistas all over the world. During the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s it was interpreted in many ways; the hippie, the punk rocker, the popper and the grunger are just a few examples of styles created during these times.
In the 21st Century the ”Tomboy” is even more free to dress how she likes, not forced to stay within one specific genre. You can choose to add a feminine touch whenever you borrow something from a man’s closet, like adding a crystal cuff or mixing a preppy blazer with an oversized shirt. Why this trend works so well, is always an individual perception.
