His or Hers

Unisex dressing reaches new sartorial heights

Androgyny has been a mainstay on the catwalk and in campaigns for a while now: women in masculine suiting, slicked-back hair and heavy overcoats or men in skirts and crop tops like those seen on the runways of J.W. Anderson.

But this season sees the trending shifting, as the the lines between feminine and masculine dressing cross. From Kenzo’s his or hers tiger sweatshirts and Givenchy’s Rottweiler T-shirts to Saint Laurent’s entire unisex collection, both sexes want in on the action and brands are only too happy to oblige.

Research has shown that almost half (48%) of Britons have worn their partners clothing, with 40% of women and 34% of men polled having admitted to donning their other half’s wears. The trend is particularly popular amongst younger fashion lovers with more than three quarters (77%) of 18-25 year olds and 61% of 25-35 year olds admitting to wearing clothes meant for the opposite sex.

The cultural shift has progressed over decades, from the original ‘Power Suit’ dressing women of the 80s with exaggerated shoulders and the YSL ‘Le Smoking’ tuxedo – it was a sexualised masculinity of women, breaking down stereotypes of gender and traditional roles.

In the noughties, even the modern man is getting in on the action, with many men opting for the slimmer silhouette typical of womenswear.

Our Clean Slate photo shoot examined what it meant to dress with ambiguity, blurring the gender boundaries in the name of style – you can take a look here.

Celebrities have also jumped on the bandwagon, with the like of Pharrell Williams, Marc Jacobs, Kanye West, Jared Leto, Rihanna and Rita Ora all being snapped in apparel designed for the opposite sex.

Key items in the trend include bomber jackets, polo necks, leather tops, hi-top trainers and brogues.