Go Androgyny

Go Androgyny

BureauUpdated: Friday, May 31, 2019, 08:05 PM IST
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Androgyny makes the line blur between male and female fashion. SAPNA SARFARE tries to dig deep into this gender-crossing trend, which is back in style.

Fashion is about looking good, also crossing the lines of what is acceptable, and what is not. Fashion these days, is about blurring the lines between men and women’s fashion. Androgyny has successfully blurred this gender fashion divide. It goes beyond gender typecasts to make one look neither boy nor girl. This fashion trend has again caught everyone’s fancy.

Androgyny is definitely not an easy fashion trend to follow. , who happens to be Gionee India Beach Fashion Week Designer this year, feels that androgyny can be called the holy grail of existence. “Playing with gender is something that is big news in fashion right now and it’s unique in its own way as it offers a different dimension to the world of fashion. It also possesses similar penchants to their androgyny counterparts to cross the boundaries of traditional gender roles, thereby accumulating experimental material with elevated flexibility and creativity as a consequence.”

To cite Shibani Sanghvi, CEO-Founder of Divaat.com on the interesting androgynous fashion, it is a way to

dismantle typical notions about gender. “It can range from a purely aesthetic description to an individual’s deeply rooted identity, which is what makes it an interesting fashion perspective for all.”

A dicey trend like androgyny brings in a fat chance of wrong assumption. Shibani finds the misconceptions mostly include losing one’s identity of gender, lack of sex appeal, rebellious fashion statement or an indication of certain lifestyle choices or a subconscious longing to belong to the opposite sex, which can be ridiculed as society stereotypes gender associations. “However, the art of unisex power dressing has recently seen a shift in the cultural and social world of fashion with people being more innovative and expressive of their personal style and choice, especially with the new interest in feminism that feeds into the fashion world.”

Riddhi agrees and feels some find androgyny to be the highest social faux pas as to admitting uncertainty of one’s gender. “This is because as a social community, we are bound to the idea that gender influences everything that we do and people get labeled as gay/lesbian/homosexual. Worse still, for a society that is finally coming to terms with the breaking of the gender binary and gender fluidity, it is still rather difficult to widen the gaps between what is ‘Male’ and ‘Female’.”

Remove all the misgivings of this rather intriguing trend and understand the myriad ways of wearing it for formal or casual occasions. Riddhi suggests women could go for tuxedos, ties, bowties, blazers, hats, waistcoats and formal shoes. “For men, they could pull off some printed chinos, have half sheer pants or feminine coloured floral shirts or even polka dotted skinny jeans and paneled tube style shirts.”

Cast member Anne Hathaway poses at the premiere of the film “Song One” during the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2014, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP)

Cast member Anne Hathaway poses at the premiere of the film “Song One” during the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2014, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP) |

Shibani wants women interested in androgynous fashion to experiment with structured garments and proportion like longer coats, blazers with skinny lapels, close-buttoned shirts and fitted suits. “A more casual look could include oversized tees, boyfriend jeans and jackets tied around the waist. However when dressing androgynous, it’s preferable to keep accessories feminine like a dainty neckpiece, sky high stilettos or a statement clutch with a pop of colour.” For men, she suggests the girlfriend look, which is a rage on the catwalk in Milan & Paris this season. She adds, “Designers like Jean Paul Gaultier, Gucci, Saint Laurent, Prada and Givenchy are showing menswear collections with high heeled boots, proffered skirts, pussy bow blouses and chiffon tops with a general prevalence of feminine colors.”

You can go all androgyny even in terms of accessories. Shibani considers accessories like geeky glasses, bow ties, clunky footwear and caps to go well with androgynous style. Riddhi suggests one to go for suspenders, sunglasses, hats, tie lips, cufflinks, brogues, satchels, necklaces, ear cuffs and bracelets.

In terms of androgyny designs by other designers, Riddhi loves the amazing androgyny attires by Moschino and

Indian Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh (C) dances during a promotional event for the forthcoming Hindi film ‘Bajirao Mastani’ directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali in Mumbai on November 28, 2015. AFP PHOTO / STR

Indian Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh (C) dances during a promotional event for the forthcoming Hindi film ‘Bajirao Mastani’ directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali in Mumbai on November 28, 2015. AFP PHOTO / STR |

Giorgio Armani. Shibani reveals that Gaultier, Ann Demeulemeester, Martin Margiela, Comme des Garçons and Helmut Lang made androgyny as one of fashion’s defining characteristics in the 1980s and 90s. “Also, for several years, Phoebe Philo at Céline has specialized in understated, structured mannish tailoring for women. Even the London department store Selfridges has recently opened a completely new department named Agender, which carries unisex merchandise by 15 different designers. Veer NYC is another brand that has pulled from men’s wear, women’s wear and has exclusive unisex lines. At Divaat, we too have been experimenting with androgyny by designing structured blazers, rugged leather jackets, boxy tops and fitted pantsuits that ooze sex appeal for the edgy androgynous woman.”

Celebrities too have created a stamp on the fashion world with their androgyny style of dressing and lifestyle. Talented actor Tilda Swinton is well loved for her unique way of androgyny dressing. Male supermodel Andrej Pejic is the poster boy for androgyny and has appeared for shows of Jean-Paul Gautier and Marc Jacobs. Model, actor and designer Milla Jovovich of Resident Evil Series fame got eminent for her androgynous features. Actor Jared Leto too is quite inspiring courtesy his androgynous looks. The film American Dallas Club for which he won the Oscar had him appear as a transgender n suffering from HIV. Former French swimmer Casey Legler got success in modeling thanks to her boyish features and fantastic height. Actor Glenn Close marvels everyone with her acting prowess, especially in the film Albert Nobbs. Most must remember Jamaican actor, singer and  model Grace Jones, courtesy her fabulous androgynous looks.

Now that the advice has been shared, remove the gender limits and go androgynous. It’s all about wearing the right style and look your best.

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