Women wearing female clothes is not a very novel concept. Women wearing mens clothes is probably even less novel. Women wearing womens clothes designed to emulate those of the male variety–here sparks a bit of interest.
I used to have a theory about women being drawn to mens clothing for the sake of quantifying an absolute sense of equality among our gender counterpants–this is a typo I will not fix, the pun is serendipitous. I put said theory to sleep after reading an article in the New York Times titled, “What’s So Wrong About a Boy Who Wants to Wear a Dress?”
I wondered why it registered so universally alarming for a boy to want to wear a dress and yet not much at all for a girl to want to wear pants. Maybe we should use our own assets to quantify our power, I thought.
I should be fair though. This was a very easy conclusion to draw as the F/W 2012 shows had already previewed and the resounding noise of menswear in suit-formation had been broadcasted loud and clear through the tents, the Tuileries…the twitter.
Yes, outfits cut from the same cloth percolated through all four major fashion cities. In Milan, Prada reintroduced the notion of matching sets. In Paris, Prada (well, Miu Miu,) did it again. And not just outfits or even matching sets, suits. Pant suits. Those initially and originally intended for men were at last, now for women.
Not without, of course, a bit of credit to the purveyor of just this, Yves Saint Laurent–who created Le Smoking, the pioneering female suit, in 1966 in order to celebrate a more androgynous, powerful woman.
Vogue UK’s September Issue cover girl, Karlie Kloss lent a very complimentary suit-salute to Jonathan Saunders in book. This is interesting. Even in spite of it’s overwhelming male attributes: there’s a tie, there are printed socks, a conventional suit blouse inside the jacket, it’s a look artfully manufactured for the-us.
Now, I should be fair one more time. Dries van Noten has been doing this since his beginning. Last fall, less conventionally, he offered black (photographed here) and gray, with asymmetrical details, see: the enormous gold embroidered dragon at left. More currently–this past runway season, Rochas conjured up its interpretation of, let’s call it the summer suit, with one very high waist panty, a bustier bralette and riding cape.
Think Little Red Riding Hood if the big bad wolf were actually, I don’t know, Robert Pattinson? One more salute to socks as footwear, too.
And finally, already on the streets:
At left, myself in Zimmermann and at right, Natalie Hartley wearing what looks like Stella McCartney however may not be (Paul and Joe) and a pair of orange Thakoon cowboy sandals I’d have been able to spot from across the Pacific. (Images via Glamour, Stylesight.)
In conclusion, girls rule and boys drool. How many do you know that can successfully pull off brocade, panties, a plaid shorts suit, effectively anything that Karlie Kloss has ever advocated?
Sartorially speaking, ladies, it seems we have it all.
