GENDER BLENDER PART II
As I continued my gender-wise observation during LFW, gender neutrality became less visible on the catwalk as there were less designers showing men and women collections together than in NY.
I have to kick off with Burberry of course.
Christopher Bailey calls it : “Sep 2016 Collections Men & Women”, not SS17.
He found his inspiration in Virginia Woolf’s book “Orlando”, saying:
“And above all, it feels as tho ugh it speaks to us today with utter clarity in its merging overlapping male and female…”
We saw a lot of Shakespaerian frills, cuffs, dressing gowns, pyjamas and lace for both men and women, as if he was creating a new personality, moving towards the neutral gender.
I quite liked J.W. Anderson’s androgynous sportswear presentation where the puffed, oversized trousers and bomber jackets gave the girls muscular shoulders.
The kaki army, camouflage print, parka-hoodie presented by MM6 Martin Margiela was also a proper example of a unisex garment.
But London being London had already redefined men’s fashion back in the sixties.
A certain Mr Fish loved putting capes, pajama suits and silk pussy-bow blouses on young men’s bodies.
Remember Mick Jagger wearing plush, velours flared trousers and high button collars during his gigs? Or David Bowie wearing Fish’s “man-dress”.
I have to say that Mr Fish is still present in London’s SS17 shows. It’s in the clothes and garments, but it’s also an attitude, a mentality gradually emerging across decades.
Moreover, London has always expressed dandyism and eccentricity amongst men and women. This will only become more developed and expressed given that London’s menswear entrepreneur, Mr David Mason, purchased the rights to Mr Fish’s name and will relaunch the line soon.
“You have to think differently before you can dress differently,” Mr Fish said. Men are more willing to change and experiment with their clothes nowadays. They are no longer afraid to show their feminine side. Women are also willing to change and experiment but I think they have already been doing this for a long time with designers creating more androgyny and sportswear outfits.
Therefore, through fashion, both sexes are brought closer to each other. As if a new gender, a new blurred consciousness of what it is to be man or woman can now emerge
Whether you’re a woman or a man, whether your style is more male or female, more and more designers invite you to choose the garment that suits you fine.
I can only applaud this evolution .
Let’s move on to MFW.
To be continued.
TeDe
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