Men are wearing platform heels and women are donning narrow smoking jackets and bandanas — yes, the face of fashion is getting gender-fluid and international brands are going unisex, having coed shows and blurring the lines between genders. From Saint Laurent’s springwear collection which had unisex designs that looked great on both men and women to lower cost brands like Zara, H & M and Asos creating unisex designs, gender neutral designs are in vogue and how.
Back home, designer Anju Modi got Ranveer Singh to wear a skirt for an event and Shahid Kapoor even wrote about gender neutral style. There’s also a rise in models who are androgynous and celebrities (in the West) like Ruby Rose and Tilda Swinton who identify themselves as gender fluid. With fashion no longer having a binary view of gender, Independent Celebrity Stylist Amandeep Kaur says, “Indian fashion has definitely been affected by gender fluid fashion. Some key designers who are paving the path for other designers and brands are Huemn — Shaima and Pranav, Dhruv Kapoor — they have really taken the plunge and are making it more acceptable and creating a free environment for people to survive in the fashion industry. There was a time when it was a very judgmental and tight group of people who were fashion experts, but now we are creating a world where we are being more inclusive. I feel like this gender bender fashion is making it easier for the LGBTQ community to identify and not be conformed to certain parameters because society asks them to. They can express themselves through fashion and art — it’s wonderful that these things are happening.”
The model has paired a brown top with a lungi.
Celebrity stylist Tejaswini Kranthi believes that gender fluidity started decades ago when Mughal men would wear choga, patka and a pyjama. “They definitely were like the anarkalis and salwars worn by women. Now, we’ve modernised this kind of fashion into a lot of things,” she says.
While designing or opting for a gender-fluid design, what should be kept in mind? “It’s important to understand the personality and body type of the person you’re styling. There are certain pieces of garments that are so fluid and non-conforming that you don’t have to worry about using them for styling, especially layers, bomber jackets, long shirt dresses, etc. Both men and women are embracing it equally and it looks great on both. When it comes to the jacket segment, it’s easier to be fluid. When it comes to bottom wear, it gets tricky because of the sizes,” opines Amandeep.
Designer Niharika Vivek is all for the gender fluid look. “The androgynous look is the one that ignores all genders and embraces the feminine and the masculine qualities. This is definitely a super cool look these days. They go from suits, to boyfriend jeans to oversized shirts and blazers. This style is so easy on the eyes and so very comfortable. You would definitely find me in a pair of boyfriend jeans and shirts any time of the year. However, when you choose to style this look, the most important thing is to remember to choose the right hair and makeup,” she says.
Tejaswini adds, “We have the sherwani for men and the women wear the big striped shirts and high waist pants. This suits both equally well and looks great in their own respective way. When it comes to styling, a lot depends on the attitude of the person carrying the look.”
