They say ‘it is man’s world’ (even though feminist would beg to differ). However women have proven time and time again that the world of fashion is their forte, and it seemed the male folks raised the white flag in acceptance. But have they indeed accepted this? Do they not think to themselves, “We can own this too”
Androgynous trends have been gracing the run ways, with female models in boyish outfits. They prove that sexy can come in masculine shades too. Is that the case for men? Can they prove that girlish outfits can look nothing short of, well – dapper?
Designers certainly cross gender boundaries. The skinny jean trend, for example, was welcomed with arms wide open by women – because it was a step away from ill-fitted jeans, but then designers thought, ‘oh well, guys could rock this trend too’, and gave it to them on a platter of awkwardness. Some men weren’t persuaded into giving this trend a go, because according to them, “it jacks them away from their masculinity” and it isn’t for “grown men”. Bottom line is anything skinny and skimpy should strictly be for the ladies – according to them. This hypothesis has however been proven false by certain personalities, they’ve made a strong statement with their style which somehow tells us there shouldn’t be any limitation to male fashion – men can pull off androgynous style too, like crop tops.
The ‘sexy’ male crop top isn’t a 21st century creation. Pop artists, Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael, were photographed wearing printed white crop tees in the 80’s, 1985 to be precise. This probably joggled the creative memory of designers such as Calvin Klien, J.W. Anderson, Astrid Andersen, and Sibling, to explore the possibility of this throwback trend becoming mainstream, as they sent male models down the runway donning crop tops.
Designers aren’t the only ones pushing the ‘style’ envelope a bit far. One artist who attracted media speculation and cyber-fashion-frenzy this year – at the Coachella festival which is an annual music and arts festival that features many genres of music and showcases popular and established artists – was Kid Cudi; thanks to his choice of costume. He came up on stage wearing a crop top! Well, Cudi is known for bending the gender lines a bit, so this didn’t come as much of a surprise to many.
However a lot of such ‘bending’ has been done by different artists (and rappers) such as Kanye West; in his leather skirt, A$AP Rocky; in his t-shirt dress, P. Diddy and Snoop Dogg; in their plaid – Scottish inspired – kilt. They seem to be finding solace in feminine styles. Even though, these outfits are strictly worn for stage performances and appearances, the fact is that these celebrities are trend setters and it is only a matter of time more men will be willing to take this style baton and run with it.
Androgyny in fashion is a welcome development, but it remains to be seen if some of these trends will survive.