Posted in: History of fashion
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| 1970 Advertisement One of the lovely things about being female in the modern world is that we can wear trousers all of the time if we want to. We can pair them with shirt, jackets and flat lace up shoes, short hair, waistcoats and a moody look. These models look very feminine, but comfortable. I love that we have the choice. Personally I tend to wear masculine shoes despite a fairly feminine aesthetic as I like to be able to walk and run. Men’s wear can emphasize femininity too, and elements of traditional male clothing can stop senior women looking too girly. I find it unacceptable that in this day and age men do not feel able to wear a skirt or dress. Sometimes a loose unstructured lower garment is just what we all want to wear. Many men drift around in dressing gowns that look like wrap round dresses, at home. Eddie Izzard has suggested, ”Women wear what they want and so do I”, to explain his desire to wear dresses and nail varnish. The unisex trend of the 70s, and later the Metrosexual look, implied men wearing more feminine fabrics, colours and styles. When women first started “borrowing” their boyfriends cardigans, jeans and shoes it was a fairly radical act of defiance. For comfort and style. Here is Coco Chanel. Although, in the 1920s and 1930s, wearing a men’s hat or tie, tailored trousers or a Breton top with casual pants was slightly shocking, it soon caught on. A more determinedly masculine look was pursued by others. Katherine Hepburn, for example. She wore jeans in the 1930s when this was unheard of, and usually paired her tailor-made strides with flat, masculine shoes. She was an individualist, with a 5’7″ athletic frame and an angular face and bodyline. Just the sort of shape that looks great in menswear. |
I enjoy the look of a woman in menswear, especially when she blends in a touch of the ultra-feminine. It's the style I always imagine I would want to have.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm still patiently waiting for the reverse to become "acceptable": for men to be able to blend feminine pieces into their wardrobe, because they like the way they look or feel on their body.
Until then, I'll continue to daydream about all the outfits I would wear in every situation in life...if money and wardrobe space were limitless haha
The reverse is acceptable when you accept it and wear it. 3 years ago, I started wearing dresses, skirts, long hair, and makeup along with my masculine clothes. I'm not crossdressing either, as some would call it, because I'm male and they're my clothes. So I just decided to live my life like the future already exists, and now it does. I live in the U.S. South, and I've had zero issues, no bullies, mostly compliments (not that I'm looking for those).
DeleteLife is short. Wear the clothes publically. Be the world you want. The only thing stopping you is you.