Text: Karina Matevosyan JUDGING BY ANDROGINE COLLECTIONS OF THE SPRING-SUMMER 2016 SEASON, WE ARE WAITING FOR A MIXING OF MALE AND FEMALE ATTRIBUTES. TIME TO UNDERSTAND WHERE ANDROGINITY TAKES ITS START AND WHAT THE CONCEPT "GENDER AMBIVALENCE" MEANES.
Playful dendism, as Robert Green called fashion without any distinction between male and female, in his book The Art of Seduction, first appeared in Chanel collections. The ability of Coco Chanel with chic to wear men's suits push the formation of androgyny. Today, every modern girl can wear men's clothes so as to look feminine in them. And here we are not talking about the feminization of men or the emancipation of women - it seems that women have ceased to win their right to be full-fledged players in the male world of business.
The reason lies in the fact that society has finally relaxed, but everyone at the same time wants to show their individuality. Although, of course, masculinity today is one of the main female trends. And this is a definite message to men, because, putting on men's wide trousers and shoes, the girl continues to look sexy and touching.
Recently, men's Fashion Weeks have become more interesting and began to set trends for women's collections. Be that as it may, modern fashionista do not just wear laconic and minimalistic things created according to the canons of a restrained classic men's fashion - they are increasingly trying on men's clothes directly: shirts, jeans, jackets and even suits. And sometimes, when you go to the men's department store, there is a persistent feeling that some collections of cunning designers sew specifically for girls. Perhaps this is a brilliant marketing move, and maybe not, but most brands, such as Hermès or Saint Laurent, in women's collections repeat the image of an exquisite young man who prefers simple and neutral clothes.
With all this, a denim jacket is a couple of sizes larger, a chemise that fashionable Carrie Bradshaw wore as a dress, a knitted voluminous sweater - all these items of his wardrobe look refined and sexy on the girl. So, the fact remains - men's things, ideally sitting on girls, are created by men's brands. The lessons on how to wear trousers and jackets were perfectly learned by all influencers and stars who, even on the red carpet, prefer strict tuxedos to luxurious cocktail dresses. It’s enough to recall Angelina Jolie’s chic performance at the 67th BAFTA award ceremony at the Royal Opera House.
In Saint Laurent's black tuxedo, she looked even more feminine and attractive than in the image of the aristocratic and noble Alice in the movie "Tourist". Mick Jagger's first wife, Bianca Jagger, wore a stunning snow-white tuxedo for a wedding with a rock musician. Thanks to a white suit worn over a naked body, the model Cara Delevingne finally secured the status of a naughty rebel. Actress Kim Basinger dispelled all the fears of mature women: even at age 60, you can feel and look young and attractive by wearing a striped three-piece pantsuit. And the stunning androgynous style of the “alien” Tilda Swinton will not be suitable for everyone, but something magical and infinitely attractive is present in every image of her.
Having completely washed out the boundaries of gender signs, designers Prada, Raf Simons, Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Moschino, N ° 21, Kenzo release both girls and men in the same images at their shows, clearly demonstrating to us that fashion is the same for everyone.
However, the Italian brand Gucci was the most curious of all. Its creative director Alessandro Michele, who headed the brand in January last year, in his first collection “Autumn-Winter 2015/2016” crossed out the glamorous past of the legendary House and released models of both sexes in androgynous outfits. It was almost impossible to distinguish whether a boy or girl was walking on the catwalk in transparent blouses with bows, wide trousers and strict coats. “My collections give you the choice to be who you are,” commented Alessandro. Such a bold attack was accepted by fashion critics and editors of leading glossy magazines with a bang - it was no accident that in November 2015 the authoritative British Fashion Council awarded him with a significant award in the field of design International Designer Award, calling it “a real Gucci phenomenon”. And in the advertising campaign for the Spring-Summer 2016 women's collection, Maison Martin Margiela shows with the naked eye that Galliano endows girls with masculine features - they feel much more power in their images than in men.
Surely, like everything in fashion, this trend will be temporary, and after some time everything will return to normal: we will get tired of the excessive simplicity of minimalism and will return seductive dresses and stilettos to everyday life (many, however, didn’t take them off ) But at least a few seasons ahead, we, windy and fickle women, will remain faithful to men's wardrobe items.
