My MANy Bags News #82

WWD Article: Men's 2009 Fashion Trend - Girl On Guy

Here's an interesting article about the growing trend of male fashion and how men shop. Men shopping/wearing women's clothes is not unheard of. But unless you are shopping for dresses, I feel it is acceptable for guys to make an attempt to acquire 'suitable' items from the fairer gender for their closet. It all comes down to discretion and taste. Finding what suits you without making you look like a drag queen is crucial.

A woman and a men's body is different and hence the way the clothing is cut. Always find pieces that is neutral. If it hugs at the wrong place, it can look exceptionally awkward. The trend of skinny jeans is a good example of guys tapping on women's trends. Guys have since shop for skinny fit jeans in women's department before the fashion designers decided to spare us the 'awkwardness' and put the designs officially in the men's department.

I welcome the idea of playing with accessories from the women's range. They seem much more exciting and varied. Good examples are bags and jewellery. Having said that, careful selection will ensure you do not end up being too flamboyant. At the end of the day, a man must still look like a man:-) That is what makes the 2 genders attractive, regardless of your sexual preference.

Here's the article from WWD highlighting the trend. Read on:

Recently, a confident contingent of guys has been making strides into the girls’ arena, seeking everything from basic T-shirts to trendy pieces, jewelry and accessories — all the while retaining masculinity. And with the support of a growing group of retailers and designers, they are making a case for raiding the women’s department.

For some among their ranks, the primary motivation is a question of fit. “I’m a rather small person, so a lot of the time, if I can’t find something that I would buy in a men’s section of a store…and if I want something and it’s cool enough and it doesn’t have too much darting, I’ll totally buy it [from the women’s side],” explains jewelry designer Eddie Borgo. He frequently mixes Alexander Wang cardigans and women’s blazers from thrift stores with white Hanes T-shirts and vintage Wranglers and Levis 517s. A recent purchase: a pair of Camilla Staerk black moccasins.

Borgo has a kindred spirit in a fashion executive who, as a result of his petite stature, gets creative in honing his simple, slim silhouette (though he prefers to remain anonymous about his girly clothing excursions). Though he likes lean men’s sweaters and blazers from Jil Sander and Prada, baggy, too-big men’s jeans don’t cut it. And so he has no problem looking to girls’ denim for his fit solution, specifically Helmut Lang’s cropped boyfriend style and the skinny cut from Uniqlo.

“I’m 5-foot-4…and there are limited collections I can buy,” he says. Denim wasn’t his first such foray: He also owns a light blue Uniqlo Windbreaker. “It has a very minimal design, the color was beautiful and I think that’s why I bought it,” he explains. “There’s no specific feminine design that makes me feel awkward.”

Size is not the only drive behind many of these intrepid male customers. A judicious mix of women’s clothes can lend a sleek, androgynous line often unattainable with exclusively men’s items.

“All my rock ’n’ roll friends, we’re all wearing girls’ jeans. They fit better,” says stylist Keegan Singh, who achieves his skinny-leg look with Rock & Republic and Cheap Monday cuts.

Source: WWD