Style
My experience with Styling
StyleEvening peeps,
I just wanted to give you a short post on my experience with styling as a whole. I have always enjoyed styling, this includes my friends and myself. Recently I went on two trips, one to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and the other to Vienna, Austria. I went with two of my friends, one whom studies alongside me at the Fashion Retail Academy (Kelsey). My other friend I met at school, his name is Kavun.
As my blog grows and develops you will most likely hear their names a lot as I tend to attend a lot of fashion events with the two of them and they also are usually my models for assignments and projects. If you follow me on social media, you will almost always see them so keep an eye out as they are some really cool individuals!
During my stay at Amsterdam, I used styled Kelsey on many occasions. Generally, Kelsey likes a basic style, so I decided to let her borrow my oversized distressed jumper which I bought from BoohooMan. I mean.. it would be oversized on her because it fits me normally haha! Of course, all day I would be requested to take photographs of her because, what else do you do on holiday! Here is a picture of her wearing the outfit I styled in Amsterdam Central.
With Kavun, he always comes to me for advice on his outfits and clothes as I usually tell him he wears the same outfits or items of clothing which is very true. I ended up using the majority of his clothing that he brought with him.. because I packed about 20 outfits for myself and was determined to wear them all!
I decided I would let him borrow my Supreme bumbag as I did bring 3 different ones with me. Bumbags are seen as unisex accessories, in the past they have been seen to sway more to the female market however in the past couple of years they have become a unisex garment. Kavun also wears Nike Air Force 1’s which are a popular trainer for both genders, especially in the UK.
With regards to styling, I really enjoy making outfits and bringing out the confidence in people, especially my friends. This is why I always love them seeking advice from me and I always will give it, even if they don’t ask.
Similarly to styling, I did a bit of work experience at House of Fraser, and if anyone is interested in finding out a little more about my time at House of Fraser, feel free to contact me!
I hope this article finds you well!
Mitchell x
Girls wearing Boys clothes
StyleHello lovely people!
To follow on from my previous article, I’d like to discuss girls wearing boys’ clothes. This phase has been round a little longer than boys wearing girls clothes as it has been seen as more socially acceptable than boys in girls’ clothes. Tomboys and wearing your boyfriends’ clothes are usually the most popular aspects of girls wearing boys clothes.
It is often noticed that men and women who wear clothes that are tailored to the opposite gender are mistaken for crossdressers. Crossdressing is an activity, people can do it on their own or can go to events as a crossdresser. This generally doesn’t affect someone’s gender, but it should be seen that if someone is a crossdresser they usually want to appear as the opposite gender, which is why they will wear clothing that symbolises the opposite gender more obviously, wearing dresses and heels for example. It is more likely that males are crossdressers than females.
Therefore, females wearing mens’ clothes could be seen as a form of comfort. Girls wear their boyfriends’ clothes typically to feel closer to them and perhaps to see if they care. Mens clothes are typically bigger then womenswear. Therefore, if a female wanted a dress down look they could perhaps wear a boys hoodie or sweatshirt which would appear much baggier on their physique.
Today, Tomboys are most likely drawn to explore their gender because it is so popular in the media. In the past however, it wasn’t like this at all. It was about the style they liked and felt comfortable in.
“An energetic, sometimes boisterous girl whose behaviour and pursuits, especially in games and sports, are considered more typical of boys than of girls.” – Dictionary.com
The definition of a Tomboy.
During World War Two, social status’ changed including the roles of women. Women were mainly classed as housewives before the war, cleaning and looking after the children. During World War Two and even slightly after, the husbands and sons were ‘shipped off’ around Europe to fight in the war. This meant that women had to work in the factories, meaning they had to produce weapons. Therefore, fashion had changed, boiler suits, cargo pants and dungarees became popular garments for women in the war. This is another way women have worn clothes designed for males in the past.
In addition to Tomboys, which we have come to the conclusion is more than just a girl who dresses less like a girl, and more like a boy. It is also about their behaviour which tends to be more ‘boisterous’. We have also discussed crossdressing loosely, which we have ultimately defined as more of an activity rather than a style.
Now I would like to introduce the androgynous style. The androgynous style is simply an individual who would like to avoid stereotypes of a specific gender. Not only does it hold close connections with the LGBTQ community, but it also is connected closely with feminists. Anything can be androgynous, it can be a really simple outfit.. but this outfit could speak a thousand words, even if the individual isn’t intending on portraying a particular message! It isn’t only what you wear either, it is how it’s worn also.
Of course, androgynous style and crossdressing can be terms used with the male gender also.
Some people identify with some of these styles, some people identify with all of them, some of you will identify with one and perhaps you may not identify with any! It is good to know however, the different types of styles when it comes to girls wearing boys clothes. I have seen on many forums that parents can be worried about their children wearing clothes and liking toys of the opposite sex. SO WHAT! At the end of the day, children are children, they are learning and growing up. The best thing in my eyes to do, is let them grow up happy and open about their styles, identities and genders.
There is huge amounts of controversy on gender and style, and there always will be. Recently it has changed, due to changing attitudes and a change in what is socially accepted around the world. I think the change has been dramatic and a change what all societies have needed and I truly hope we keep moving forward!
My final point on todays post is to please always be yourself. Do not let anyone tell you what you can and can’t wear if an outfit helps you to express yourself and make you happy.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you liked this post.
M 🙂
Boys wearing Girls Clothes
StyleA really popular and increasing style is boys wearing clothes that are designed for women, but also look cool and stylish on boys or men. These include crop tops, Meggings/Leggings, mesh t-shirts, lace t-shirts, cyclist shorts and women’s jeans.
Crop tops have recently come back into fashion after being popular in the 80s. They are seen as more of a female garment as females are tended to be more socially accepted when showing off their body, such as their bellies. This fashion statement is more accepted for men who are part of the LGBTQ society as they tend to be more confident with trying out new fashion trends, especially when the garment has the connotations of being more feminine and for the female market.
An arising issue has been hyper-sexualisation of both genders. Men are able to go out shirtless, whereas women socially can’t, but females can wear crop tops and show their bodies off if they have certain body parts covered, but men can sometimes be shamed when wearing clothes that show off their body, these include crop tops, cyclist shorts and mesh or lace t-shirts.
This is perhaps why heterosexual men tend to not stretch out and try new fashion trends of fear they will not be accepted into society, however we are coming into a new era of acceptability and appropriateness where men wearing female clothing is acceptable and can be worn in appropriate situations like fashion shows or fashion weeks, popular events and exhibitions for example, to make the individual stand out.
Lace trends have come into fashion for men, lace has always been seen in womenswear and lingerie prior to being used in mens fashion.
Rihanna is a good example of a designer creating a collection designed for women but styled on men and is also purchased by men also. Rihanna was the creative director of womenswear for Puma. She released her first sports-luxe clothing collection in AW16 in which she pushed gender boundaries to the max. All clothing was in women’s sizes however as it was styled on men it was perhaps more acceptable for men to purchase it and wear it as well.
Use of a Choker on a male model 
Use of a Jumpsuit with lace
Asda George have produced a waist trainer (corset) which is designed to mould the male figure. These garments have historically always been for women. Perhaps due to the new figure coming into popularity of having slim waists suggests that these fashion garments will become more popular in the coming years also. These were priced at £10!
Director of womenswear and accessories at Selfridges, Judd Crane – “Clothes are becoming trans-seasonal and lines are rapidly starting
to blur. For instance, we sold a lot of Givenchy girls’ sweaters to
boys because they liked the graphics.”
I hope this post has cleared up some controversy based on stereotypes and gender specific clothing. I think people should wear what makes them happy and comfortable in themselves, don’t you?
Until next time!
M
What is Unisex?
StyleUnisex has recently become a phenomenon in the fashion industry. It is huge. Men and women being able to purchase clothes from the same section from a store isn’t seen as exciting or perhaps a step forward, but it is. Gender equality in the past century has been on a rise, women being able to pursue careers, men wearing makeup and so on.
Exclusive unisex brand (Collusion) for Asos, for the coming of ages.
The Etymology of the term Unisex dates back to 1968
“sexually indistinguishable or neutral” – Etymonline.
I would like to investigate why it is so popular now, and it wasn’t in the past. Unisex is designed for both sexes to wear, meaning the fundamentals of the clothing isn’t suited to either gender, hence sizing being perhaps oversized and clothing perhaps doesn’t cling to the body like it would do if the garment was gender-specific, for example around the bust, as males wouldn’t need this.
The direct definition of unisex from the dictionary is ‘of, designed, or suitable for both sexes; not distinguishing between male and female; undifferentiated as to sex: unisex clothes.’ – Dictionary.com
Unisex clothing first worked its way into popular culture around the 1950s, and what is thought to have affected this is the change in roles within World War Two, while men were away fighting, women began working in factories, therefore wearing worker clothes. Society and culture has always tended to say men and women should dress differently. This starts as early as being born, the use of pink coloured garments for girls, and blue for boys.
“Unisex clothes are absolutely becoming the new normal in high street fashion. We’re seeing more and more major brands acknowledge that clothes do not have a gender – whether that’s launching specific unisex ranges, or removing gender-specific signage in-store and simply letting their products speak for themselves. This is really what fashion should be about, free from judgement and based on individual self-expression.” – Nick Duffy, Current Affairs Editor for PinkNews.
Haute Couture was first to create unisex clothing, it begun in Paris where synthetic materials were used which didn’t already have gender specific connotations, designers such as Paco Rabanne and Pierre Cardin were amongst the popular designers to create unisex garments. In recent years, fast fashion retailers and department stores have followed this cultural trend.
Many retailers and brands have designed unisex clothing, including Zara, Collusion (Exclusive to Asos), H&M and more. H&M have recently made a collaboration with Stockholm brand, Eytys, which is overly unisex.
Post from HM’s Instagram account including a short video and description of their recent collaboration with Eytys.
I really hope you found this ‘introduction to unisex’ post informative!
Have a brill day..
Mitch x
Universal Style 