A strict sexual orientation in clothing at all times and in all parts of the world was important. For example, in ancient India, wearing clothes of the opposite sex was considered a serious crime, for which the death penalty was imposed. And in medieval Europe, the Maid of Orleans, Jeanne d'Arc, at the church court, one of the arguments for her connection with the devil was just her wearing "wrong", that is, men's clothing.
The women's wardrobe acquired the obvious characteristic features of men's clothing almost a century ago - in the twenties of the last century. The beginning of the 20th century brought the mass employment of women in production, and all these romantic tricks (corsets, frills, shuttlecocks, crinolines) only interfered with the working woman. Naturally, the gaze of emancipated women turned to men's clothing. And by no means for the sake of shocking and self-affirmation alone. It was just much more convenient and comfortable.
The first women in trousers and jackets shocked and shook the moral foundations of society. However, a whole kaleidoscope of revolutionary events quickly changed public consciousness. And many shocking things soon became commonplace. Ladies' clothing, in which men's ideas were used only as a piquant or, on the contrary, an absolutely functional addition, gradually from an extremely fashionable novelty became everyday and even classic.
But sooner or later, a woman becomes bored with wearing items of clothing that have long been won from men. Everyday life is boring. In the wardrobe of the first hundred women on the street, ninety-nine must have trousers. And they have not seen anything free and shocking in this for a long time. And then Haute Couture inevitably returns to once again challenging the entire male world. A man's suit is put on a woman so that she looks as feminine as possible.
At the same time, images that have long been played out in high fashion are resolutely rejected - an asexual androgyne of the end of the last century, a perverted bisexual or teenage unisex with a complete suppression of sexual function. Indeed, in the history of culture and show business in the memory, first of all, they remained as the most seductive women in emphatically masculine suits.
At one time, such different actresses as Marlene Dietrich, Louise Brooks, Madonna, Katharine Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot, Liza Minnelli won the right to wear classic men's suits. And one of the most curious trends of the current winter season has to do with nostalgia for these great women in their prime. Nostalgia and the desire to revive their shocking sexual brilliance. And it is probably no coincidence that Eddie Slim, the creator of menswear and accessories for the Dior Homme line, is one of the brightest designers of women's clothing today.
Men's clothing in women's collections this season is presented in a rare variety. These are almost traditional trench coats, and captain's pea coats that came from last winter, and bomber jackets, and woolen blazers, and snow-white shirts, and ties, and vests, and two-piece suits. All this individually is often present in women's collections. But it is in this season that it all comes together.
The most "men's" collection, perhaps, was presented by Lagerfeld. His Fair Lady is incredibly sexy even in the image of a modern office loyal knight with a laptop at the ready. A classic suit made of fine, expensive wool, a white shirt with an accentuated oversized rigid collar, a strict black tie with a metal clip, a vest with a low armhole, a straight or slightly fitted trench coat, smoothly combed hair, a minimal amount of makeup - and all this is spiced up with a certain amount of irony.
The Scandinavian duo Viktor & Rolf celebrated their 10th anniversary with a very interesting collection, where they used many successful finds from the past. In particular, it was they who mixed the classic male cut of suits with feminine glamor and elegance in a bright style. The white men's shirt gained puffy sleeves, the sharp-edged collars of classic blazers became two-three-layer, and their length was shortened. As a result, a business man's suit turned into a feminine elegant outfit for going out.
Another design duo, D&G, also made a retrospective of their past collections. This emphasized the fact that the bestsellers of the past years showed the models with well-known faces to the whole world - Linda Evangelista, Amber Valetta, Naomi Campbell. In addition to very feminine flowered dresses and sexy corsets, they presented variations of almost gangster male pinstripe suits. Performed by thirty-year-olds - "elderly" by the standards of Haute Couture - supermodels, men's clothing does not bear any aggression and is devoid of the sign of asexual unisex. These are clearly feminine and feminine clothing.
There is a lot of men's and in two collections, which are based on retro traditions in the spirit of the forties - Prad and Miu Miu. A purely masculine style can be seen here in everything - in colors (an abundance of beige, sand and brown), in drawings and prints (small cage, plaid, "chicken foot"), in fabrics (tweed and wool), in wardrobe items (white shirts, boots, hats, jackets).
Even in the haute couture collection, men's cut has become one of the most interesting trends this season. Elegant white tuxedos from Ungaro, very sexy worn right on the naked body, frankly cite the shocking tuxedos from YSL, which at one time simply shocked the fashion world. The shape of the tuxedo can be seen even in some completely classic little Chanel suits. True, it is barely guessed, complemented by fur edges, flounces, frills, piping, buckles, rhinestones and sequins.
Tom SHULGINA.
Especially for InterModa. RU