Currently we reside mere days into the FW17 Menswear season, already basking in the aftermath of such superior collections as Prada, Man, and YMC, to name a few. This is where insurgents prick up their ears, as more often than not, menswear acts as a prelude to the favourited following womenswear season. It is important to many enthusiasts to stay two steps ahead of what's in and what's out, it's an unforgiven trope amongst many. Over time, acquiring knowledge of the moves being made aids in hopping onto bandwagons before they leave the station - understanding the difference between already surfaced trends, and those that are still stuck in the underbelly. Dropping a few female models into your menswear show is far from ground-breaking, but the real act of rebellion which was displayed in many forward-thinking presentations so far this season, is the subtle yet effective deconstruction of gender confinement. "What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today when human contacts go so fast. Fashion is instant language." once said the legendary Miuccia Prada, a pioneer for elegantly going against the grain when it comes to standards in the industry. It works on a sliding scale, ranging from something as seemingly insignificant as erasing the "female silhouette" to such an unlawful act as running a man down the runway in a dress. Whichever way you look at it, it's been done - which beg's the question, what's next?
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| A male model wears a feminised, off shoulder ensemble at Hood by Air Spring 2016. |
Though for women now, it's not enough to drool in awe over Raf Simons' perfectly tailored Dior suited ladies - they are pushing boundaries of their own. Androgyny has always been a hit, ever since the glory days of models like Agyness Deyn and pre-transition Andreja Pejic -- bending the scope of gender fluidity, becoming accessible to copious versatility and the stuff of a stylists dreams. Acting out in such a way was seen as incredibly outrageous, and many designers were praised for their inclusion of non-binary or "genderless" looks. Nevertheless, as ever, when a big splash is made on the runway, it inevitably trickles down into the lives of us commoners, into our beloved high street stores and mass-produced magazines. Now we want a taste, we want to be cool, too. Of course, none of us are high fashion models, and we cannot pull similar stunts as they do, so we find our own socially acceptable ways to play into the wave. Tucking an XL Ralph Lauren polo into your straight leg Levis jeans, or lacing a pair of industrial style boots to your petite size five feet - you become a part of the movement.
We even see this uprising of gender fluidity on platforms as seemingly restricting as Stardoll. Where there's a will, there's a way. Below are just a few looks on my doll exodus27 wearing "mens" clothing on a female shaped doll;
It's a fun notion to play with, one that opens up unlimited doors to new and creative ideas. Styling yourself in such a way that overpowers a strict regime is not only empowering, but also interesting and beneficial to your self progression. Being a creative soul means getting bored easily, and though trends may come and go, gender-bending flies way above the radar and is undeniably here to stay. Experiment while it's still vaguely raw. History repeats itself, and this shift in fashion is being propelled at perpetual velocity right before our eyes.
Whether you see it or not, we are all a part of something much bigger than just self expression. Something that has become so established, is still in it's essence a radical statement which, depending how you look at it, rages against stereotypes and prejudice. How far will we push the normalisation of undefinable fashions? This is only the tip of the iceberg.
Jailer
