High street fashion: Boyish
Autumn/Winter 2011 is having a menswear moment with mannish coats, oversized boyfriend sweaters, trouser suits, brogues all abundant on the catwalk. This gender shake-up was full of retro references – Teddy boys, Psychobilly, Mods, New Wave and Spiffy Saville Rowers – mix them up and into your looks for a fresh take.
And we did say this is the season of elegance so make sure you blur the boundaries and give your androgynous looks a feminine twist.
Masculine/Feminine
Fashion looks don’t often come with easy-to-assemble-instructions but here’s one of them. Do-it-effortlessly-yourself by mixing up elements of masculine and feminine for a subtly chic look. Try slouchy tailoring with a plunging silk shirt and heels, a buttoned-up shirt and blazer with sparkly trousers or an oversized jacket thrown over a pretty dress.
This look from M&S captures the mood perfectly with a restricted buttoned up shirt and tie juxtaposed against a sexy skirt and heels. The faux-fur jacket adds another feminine edge as well as engaging with this season’s conversation on texture. Coolly seductive, DIY never looked this good.
Trend and shape your body: Buttoned-up collars and ties will draw focus upwards and add volume to a small bust. If you’re bigger busted open up the shirt and let the tie hang loose.
Borrowed-from-the-boys Tailoring
This season you must borrow from the boys and that means literally – masculine tailoring details such as cummerbunds, silk ties, pinstripes and overcoats all featured in looks this season to give some manly punch. We’ve said it before but we’ll see it again(!) – add in a feminine spin to keep the look sensuous and not City-boy.
This ensemble from River Island gives a lesson in how it’s done – feminise the exacting style and rigid line of this trend with fabrics and decoration. The monochrome colour-block, slight curved shape and leather sleeves give the masculine overcoat a feminine fashion edge and the grey oversized coat is softened with the fur tippet and softer cut trousers.
Trend and shape your body: Use tailoring details to clever effect – pinstripes to create lean, long lines, cummerbunds to show off your waist and ties to draw focus upwards and add height.
Monochrome
Not all in life is black and white but in fashion this Autumn/Winter it is both. Monochrome looks made a big impact this season and it’s a trend that’s all about shape with minimal, clean lines. On the catwalks Monochrome was ‘Mod-over’ with Sixties shift dresses, A-line tunics and peter pan collars; broken up with flourishes of ornate sequins and gilded embroidery or was distilled in the eternally seductive and smouldering tuxedo suit.
A tux is one of the most timeless, elegant things you can have in your wardrobe. Keep it paired back and simple as Evans have done for maximum style standout. Team with a bright red lip for extra impact.
Trend and shape your body: Black narrows and white widens so wear them where and in combinations that best flatter your figure. See how this plunge neckline can minimise a curvaceous bust.
Mannish Coats
Great coat! From bright pops of colour, vivid patchworks to floor grazing numbers and high drama capes, coats have become the statement piece of Autumn/Winter 2011. Use you coat this season to make serious style impact. A mannish coat is the jack-of-all-trades of the coat world- a master of guises who the perfect topper to the androgynous looks as well as many of the other season’s styles.
Here is one way to wear it from Hobbs – belted n’ booted to show off a feminine side, giving focus at the waist and highlighting womanly curves.
Trend and shape your body: Pay attention to detail – oppositely coloured collars will draw focus upwards and add height; cuffs will draw attention away from tummies. Pockets will add width at hips to balance out a larger top half.