Dressing like a gentleman is not considered a new ‘thing’ anymore, with mannish trends becoming very popular season after season. But, like everything, its beginning can be traced back to a precise moment in time, the 1930s, when women used to wear suits composed by skirts and jackets. The pioneer of the mannish look was Marlene Dietrich, known for her slack suits. The actress didn’t just wear them during many of her movies, she also chose slacks for her public appearances.
A fundamental step forward happened during 1960s, when Yves Saint Laurent created what we still call the androgynous look, by making models wear a tuxedo. Fashion photography followed the path and made the look even more mannish by adding some interesting details such as slick hair and typical boyish poses. Helmut Newton brought the influence to life by photographing androgynous styles for most important magazines of the time. In some of the last shows for next season, Prada and Gucci above all, designers seemed happy to play between genders by mixing typical girlie details with more masculine silhouettes.
