I found these two photos in GQ Magazine. They are apart of Barneys new ad campaign. I thought these photos were interesting because it contradicts Kaja Silverman's belief about men's fashion and the "uniform of orthodox male dress." This is probably because it's not the 80s anymore, but I think that fashion is now, more than ever, quite androgynous. The mixture of feminine and masculine in both pictures is apparent from the all pink suit (a color that is known for being "the girl color") to the two men, one wearing loose and and the other wearing tight military style pants, holding hands.Although the men are still wearing suit tops and one could argue that, in that way, they're still wearing their manly "uniforms," I would argue that women could just as easily wear all of the clothing above and be "in style." To be honest, I had to look twice and even peer closely to check whether these models were men or women. I thought that perhaps they were trying to trick me into thinking they're men when in fact they are women. But, I think they are definitely men. Perhaps Barnys is insinuating that distinct gender clothing is going extinct.
Yet try to think if these are the exceptions that make the rule or if they represent an actual trend. There is also the chasm between haute couture/high fashion ideals and fashion as lived experience of everyday folk.
ReplyDeleteI would agree that men's fashion has become more androgynous in the last couple of years (skinny jeans and all), it is quite a minor transformation that is exclusive to upper-middle class teenagers in the United States.
ReplyDelete