Gender-Bender Trend At Loewe, Gucci And Others

[freestyle75]

Hi,

 

I stumbled upon the following page in the current fall/winter edition of the German style magazine "Best Fashion", which I scanned in and translated into English language for you.

 

What do you think of the outfits presented? Wearable or rather not? (Click on the picture to enlarge)

 

Personally, I would go for some of that stuff, but - simply because it cannot be worn everywhere - the prices are simply way too high for something I won't wear out that often. I really like the LOEWE outfit (if you go over the top, why not all the way). If you buy some of that stuff in the women's department from non-designer brands (and sometimes even from designer brands), the same outfits / looks can be achieved at 1/15th to 1/20th of the price.

 

On the other hand... you can probably get most of that stuff in January 2016 at 50% off...

 

[JeffB]

Heck, I don't know if ANYTHING you'd see models wearing on runways and catwalks can be worn in normal settings, not even on Rodeo Drive, Soho or the French Rivera, but that's just my opinion. While it does appear that gender bending is becoming more than just a fad when it comes to fashion, it's still a long way from being the norm, or whatever passes for same, and, I think that will only happen when more downscale designers start turning out clothing you don't need to take out a second mortgage on your house to afford. As for freestyler so like me, I'll be more than content to shop the Ladies aisle at Sears or JCPenney for what I need.

[robbiehhw]

I applaud the degenderization of clothing in our culture however it occurs. Personally, i choose to shop on the women's side of the store, but these are super cool. On the inexpensive side of the market - H&M had a men's skirt for awhile, perhaps they will revive that.

 

I really like the knit sweater dress with boots.

[mtnsofheels]

Thanks for the fashion links and translation Freestyle75. Very interesting styles. Not what I would say for an older guy but certainly exciting changes coming up. If I was 20 years younger....dang...I would be all on to those! Good reading.

[Heelster]

Thanks for the fashion links and translation Freestyle75. Very interesting styles. Not what I would say for an older guy but certainly exciting changes coming up. If I was 20 years younger....dang...I would be all on to those! Good reading.

 

I'm with you on this one. 30 years younger and living in a metropolitan area - - Hec yes.

 

My age, living in the sticks with the right wing Neanderthals - - -Oh hell no.

[freestyle75]

 

If I was 20 years younger....dang...I would be all on to those!

 

Well... I am 40 now, 4 years older than you minus 20 years

My hair is already pretty gray, and I am keeping it short, so I am not the typical youngster-looking type. Even at my age, my first instinct was to say "geez, if I was 20 years younger...."

 

... continuing the sentence, I immediately told myself: If I was 20 years younger, I would be 20. I wouldn't have the money to buy this stuff and I wouldn't have the courage to do so. I would still have the attitude to care too much about what other people say, or just what they potentially *could* think about me.

 

Now, at age 40, I finally have the courage to wear something like this and also the money to buy it. Well - not the Loewe stuff (yup, that's really pricey), but I went out this weekend and got myself the "Marlene trousers" from a different (German) designer. Also not cheap, but probably half of the Loewe price.

 

 

So... HOW did I buy these?

I put on one of my highest pair of high heel boots, put on my favorite pair of flared jeans (black boots, white jeans, white short-sleeved shirt) and went to that premium designer store at a city nearby, similar to Saks or Neiman Marcus in New York.

I walked into the women's department, browsed a few things till a sales-lady hit me "can I help you sir?".

I showed her a copy of the article (the one I posted here) and said that I was looking for the Marlene trousers in a black color, with a more wool type finish, so already from the winter collection (I got Marlene trousers, but these are made of a satin-like material, which is something you can wear if you are going to a club, not for everyday wear).

 

So... I wasn't sure whether the sales clerk actually understood that these were for ME. She was very helpful in showing me several models until we hit the one that I posted above. I asked her whether she still had (US size) 12 available (on the rack there were only sizes 6 and 8, so she looked it up and told me she would have to go to the stock room. Soon after she returned, holding the pants on a hanger. She took them off, and started to fold them... which was the moment when I went "just a moment... I would like to try them on, you know?"

 

She was a bit surprised, probably because she was also new and didn't know how to deal with the situation... , but said "oh...oh yes, sure. Come with me." So she took me to the cabins, where she started talking that she really liked these wide trousers and that she had sewn herself a pair of culottes just the other day. As I also like to sew as a hobby, we started talking about sewing and stuff. It actually became quite a nice conversation.

 

As the trousers were just a tad too long, she got the tailor of the store to shorten them. I can pick them up in about two weeks (when I am going to be there again anyway). Shopping for this was a total "non event".

 

Now I only have to find a matching top / blazer / whatever to wear with them... 

[robbiehhw]

Beautiful trousers. I'm really looking forward to wearing more flared stuff this coming season.

[robbiehhw]

See this story from London fashion week. Time to get on those dresses AND those heels:

 

http://mashable.com/2015/09/23/unisex-fashion/#xoTKzdcMJaqq

[freestyle75]

See this story from London fashion week. Time to get on those dresses ANDthose heels:

Hi Robbie,

thanks for the article, it really is a confidence booster if not only we (in this forum) are telling the mantra that we can wear this, but that this is now also catching up as a trend in fashion in general. When I look at the designs for "gender-neutral" clothing though, I think that the designers are really trying a bit too hard to make it fit to everybody, in a sense of "every body". After all, I am sewing my own clothing as a hobby, and girls just do happen to have a different body form than guys. So the one-size-fits-all approach for unisex clothing often leads to quite "rectangular" cuts, so neither guys nor girls clothing has much of a form or definition left. But it's exactly that which I like - I like my coat, jacket or shirt to be fitted, and not hang loose as if I was just in the first semester of fashion school. I also wouldn't like clothing to become totally gender-neutral at all, as a well fitting dress on a beautiful girl is as nice as a good painting to look at.

So... I see this as a first step. Maybe the first step for the general public to become more accepting is to move into the "neutral", boxy-cut territory before moving into more (currently) feminine looking things.

anyway - thanks for sharing!

[Gudulitooo]

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