Masculin/Feminin: Wearing the New Wave

Run the gamut of the gender spectrum with your style and blur the lines between masculine and feminine fashion. In this fashion sojourn, we traverse through a landscape that pays homage to iconic moments in history, rebellious subcultures, and cinematic masterpieces, all converging into a symphony of expression teetering the edge of the future. Our journey commences with the sleek rebellion of Yves Saint Laurent's "Le Smoking," setting the stage for a collection that challenges conventional norms.

From the grunge resurgence to the beatnik existentialism reminiscent of Montmartre, each ensemble is a testament to the fluidity of identity and the ever-evolving language of fashion. Check out as we unravel normative gender modes with a narrative that defies expectations, celebrating the harmonious coalescence of masculine and feminine aesthetics, and creating a visual anthology that transcends time, culture, and more.

Look sleek and slick in black slacks that evoke Yves Saint Laurent’s revolutionary “Le Smoking” look that bent gender way before it was acceptable (here, I have chosen a pair from the house of Saint Laurent, bien sur). The natural pairing to these tuxedo pants is a crisp white shirt, but here Valentino has enhanced the classic menswear staple with exuberant rosettes detailing each sleeve for a feminine fall. We pull it all together with a pair of patent leather loafers, the chunky treads taking the shiny shoes from dainty to durable.  

Grunge glam is coming out of the garage again. While the 2000s are having their comeback moment, the ‘90s are still hot as well, with the Seattle-style stealing scenes left and right. This Rick Owens statement piece is loud and proclamatory, an updated version of the Nirvana plaid flannel shirt. Adding a twist (literally) are the Veronica Beard paper bag-waisted khakis. This look wouldn’t be heading in the right direction if we didn’t include some classic Birkenstocks on the feet, here in an unexpected clover green to perfectly clash with the verdant hues of the coat. But more cacophonous contrast is found in the finishing touch: a striped Fendi backpack evoking afternoons after high school. 

Nouvelle, quelle belle! The theme of this trend is ostensibly based on Jean-Luc Godard’s masterpiece of cinema plastique masculine/feminine, so we had to throw in some midcentury silver screen chic. Invoking the Situationist International and the “children of Marx and Coca-Cola” this look blends the gender binary as well as high and low culture. The graphic prints from the Balenciaga cap to the JW Anderson skirt evoke ‘60s Paris, not all kicky berets and matelot stripes, but pharmaceutical packages and skin care unguents with dense bold and yet still impossibly chic typography. Centered Is a boyfriend sweatshirt with one of modern cinema’s greatest achievements—The Big Lebowski—front and center.

In light of being awestricken by a certain award show snub of a certain doll, leaving us heartbroken, only to reward the toKEN male character with a nominal…iKEN well…it’s just ironic since that was the plot of the movie if I’m not mistaken. Anyway…to brighten the mood here’s a darling look that combines both genders of those plastic powerhouses of perfection, all rendered in sunny Southern California neons. 

Beat-chic combines the existential and fashionable. The unisex uniform hearkens back to smoky French cafes and discussions of emphathicalism and bongo beats but serves as a perfect and practical combination of masculine and feminine with an all-black look of skinny jeans by Frame, an oversized Toteme turtle neck, Valentino Garavani beetle boots, all topped off with one of the season’s trendiest accessories: a black beret from Brunello Cuccinelli.

Speaking of beats…one over-the-top way to embody masculine meets feminine style is to throw the entire gender binary out the window like the Club Kids did. A subversive subculture in New York during the 1990s, they celebrated hedonism and outer style with little regard to orthodox ways. Go wild mixing the 90s, the '60s, and today with bold prints and exaggerated shapes that defy gender, pairing this polka-dot Carolina Herrera blouse with Christopher John Rogers’ boldly patterned pants and coat, a Jacquemus bucket hat and Valentine Garavani hot pink platform boots.

On the court or in the locker room, surmounting the gender binary is our biggest goal. Sportier looks always edge more masculine but combining a feminine silhouette like Mugler’s corseted hoodie is the perfect amalgam of masculine and feminine style, especially paired with futuristic kicks from Balenciaga and intricate yet easy shorts. 

Masculin/Feminin, a new way of wearing the New Wave, lingers with resonance through boundary-defying fashion. Our exploration transcends the limitations of conventional gender norms, presenting a tapestry woven with nostalgia, rebellion, and avant-garde allure. Hopefully, this can reset expectations and leave you with a profound understanding that fashion, like identity, is a dynamic and ever-evolving canvas.

The ensembles showcased, from the beat-chic existentialism to the audacious defiance of the Club Kids, remind us that true style knows no confines. Masculin/Feminin serves as an invitation to embrace the spectrum of individuality, celebrating the freedom to express oneself beyond societal expectations. In this tapestry of styles, we find not only the intersection of masculinity and femininity but an ode to the perpetual revolution of personal expression through the art of clothing.