Feminin/ Masculin

Plus how wrong is right

Remember recently when I wrote about how I actually love our current trends? Well one “trend” that I am especially grateful to get to participate in is the way that so many great clothes and outfits have a sort of gender-less quality to them. Trousers, button downs, blazers, etc. Perhaps I shouldn’t say “gender-less” because actually all of the aforementioned items actually have a strongly masculine history (save for the last 20-40 years).

So, I guess, I’m grateful that fabulous, tailored pieces are mainstream for men and women.

That being said, I recently got an email from Massimo Dutti for their new Men’s Spring Collection and color me inspired! The styling from this new campaign includes so many silhouettes that I already have in my closet but, these images, had me looking at them in a whole new way. (Upon re-read, this sentence sounds so sponsored but I can assure you that this humble newsletter is not ;))

Feast your eyes;

Not two days after seeing this image of a knit polo, I found myself in Old Navy eyeing the men’s knit polos and their men’s campaign imagery was equally inspiring.

I had fun playing around in my own closet with tailored pieces and monochromatic looks.

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On a (somewhat related) note; I’ve been thinking a lot about the “wrong shoe theory” and how it extends to our whole closet. To briefly explain, Allison Bornstein, is credited for naming this styling tip wherein you pick the unexpected shoe choice in order to give an outfit more edge.

I think the reason this tip has us all in such a choke-hold is because the friction of something unexpected in an outfit really does give you an extra edge.

But, while Allison Bornstein made this tip super digestible (more on that in a moment), she also had a great platform to take in to the masses. All of which leads me to my recent favorite styling tip from, none other than, Amy smilovic from Tibi shared in a Styling Class a few months ago.

Put simply, Amy talks about how you can build friction into any outfit by;

1. Practicing (and becoming good at) describing your outfit

2. Utilizing the ANTONYM of your description to build that friction/edge/good ick

Allison focused on the “wrong” SHOE because shoes are something we are all putting on every day and relatively easy to categorize. Loafer= elevated, flip flop= casual, ballet flat= demure, sneaker= sporty, etc. However, friction can be built by choosing the “wrong” anything.

Here’s a story Amy posted on Instagram that I found via Pinterest.

Note: I don’t think a loafer is an antonym of a refined shoe, I probably would have put a sneaker there (source)

In the image, Amy is taking a refined blazer and creating a classically refined outfit out with it. Then she took each piece and picked a piece that is antithetical to it (aka wrong), which shows how to create a completely separate vibe OR by just switching one of these things you can create friction.

Part of the reason, I share this exercise, is that it’s great to consider when getting inspiration from menswear or wearing very tailored pieces. Maybe your outfit is feeling too feminine and precious; you can use menswear to ground it. Or perhaps you are leaning into the styling of menswear like above, pairing with a ballet flat or mary jane can create good tension.