We are now in an era where the line between men's and women's clothing is blurred. If you draw comparisons with the past, you realize that women dress more masculine than a woman in the 50s. Plus, today's women dress much more masculine than a man from the 16th century.
And this is where the collection ’GIRLS IN BOYS’ is presented.
’GIRLS IN BOYS‘ is a womenswear collection inspired by the classic elements and cuts of the men‘s wardrobe, where the female character and the feminine strength are to be emphasized and highlighted. It is precisely this strength, which was felt by women at the beginning of the 20th century, this collection seeks to reflect. It questions to what extent dressing in classic men's clothing reinforces femininity. The question arises whether femininity, or let's call it a certain emancipation, is made up when confident strength and self-determination emerge from dependence or passivity of the female role.
"I wanted women to have the same basic wardrobe as men“, Yves Saint Laurent explained in 1977, "blazers, trousers and suits. They are so functional. I believed women wanted that, and I was right“. It was not until the 20th century, that women began to adapt masculine clothing elements to use the male signals to gain equality and power that had previously been reserved only for men. Even then, women wearing menswear still have not been accepted by society. As a case in point, in 1968 Nan Kempner was dressed in 'Le Smoking' by Yves Saint Laurent and stopped outside La Cote Basque, a restaurant in New York, for being 'inappropriately' dressed. Furthermore, Katharine Hepburn was not allowed in the lobby of Claridge's in London because pants were not adequate for women. She insisted on not taking off her pants because she desired to be like a man, as, in her eyes, men had more fun. These two important characters reflected women who resisted the stigma of the socially prescribed female role and distanced themselves from the classic image of women by expressing their femininity through men’s clothing.
As Rei Kawakubo has comprehendingly said, „the basics of clothing lie in men’s fashion“. The classic masculine clothing elements are the focus in the designs, such as the men’s suit jacket as a triangular shape which provides a straight-line silhouette. Thus, trousers have given women not only legroom but also power and strength. Due to the modernization of women's image and adaptation of women's clothing, men's suits and pants have become an important part of today's women's fashion. Moreover, the classic men's briefcase has been reinterpreted and handmade of clay to bring a contrast to the straight-line silhouette.
In this collection, the designs include exclusively men‘s cuts and shapes to keep the masculine size and timelessness. It also brings functionality with the ‚2in1‘ pieces made out of two clothing pieces and merging them. The double-blazer functions as a blazer, but also as a dress/coat. As well, the knit dress and the knit top are creating two such ‚2in1‘ knitted sweater pieces in the collection, which are again wearable as dresses or as tops. The 3D-printed steel jewelry pieces underline these straight lines and minimal designs.
"Ideally, the function of clothes is to make the exterior, the body and its peculiarities disappear and to emphasize only the personality, the individual and his inner, authentic values.“
And this is where the collection ’GIRLS IN BOYS’ is presented.
’GIRLS IN BOYS‘ is a womenswear collection inspired by the classic elements and cuts of the men‘s wardrobe, where the female character and the feminine strength are to be emphasized and highlighted. It is precisely this strength, which was felt by women at the beginning of the 20th century, this collection seeks to reflect. It questions to what extent dressing in classic men's clothing reinforces femininity. The question arises whether femininity, or let's call it a certain emancipation, is made up when confident strength and self-determination emerge from dependence or passivity of the female role.
"I wanted women to have the same basic wardrobe as men“, Yves Saint Laurent explained in 1977, "blazers, trousers and suits. They are so functional. I believed women wanted that, and I was right“. It was not until the 20th century, that women began to adapt masculine clothing elements to use the male signals to gain equality and power that had previously been reserved only for men. Even then, women wearing menswear still have not been accepted by society. As a case in point, in 1968 Nan Kempner was dressed in 'Le Smoking' by Yves Saint Laurent and stopped outside La Cote Basque, a restaurant in New York, for being 'inappropriately' dressed. Furthermore, Katharine Hepburn was not allowed in the lobby of Claridge's in London because pants were not adequate for women. She insisted on not taking off her pants because she desired to be like a man, as, in her eyes, men had more fun. These two important characters reflected women who resisted the stigma of the socially prescribed female role and distanced themselves from the classic image of women by expressing their femininity through men’s clothing.
As Rei Kawakubo has comprehendingly said, „the basics of clothing lie in men’s fashion“. The classic masculine clothing elements are the focus in the designs, such as the men’s suit jacket as a triangular shape which provides a straight-line silhouette. Thus, trousers have given women not only legroom but also power and strength. Due to the modernization of women's image and adaptation of women's clothing, men's suits and pants have become an important part of today's women's fashion. Moreover, the classic men's briefcase has been reinterpreted and handmade of clay to bring a contrast to the straight-line silhouette.
In this collection, the designs include exclusively men‘s cuts and shapes to keep the masculine size and timelessness. It also brings functionality with the ‚2in1‘ pieces made out of two clothing pieces and merging them. The double-blazer functions as a blazer, but also as a dress/coat. As well, the knit dress and the knit top are creating two such ‚2in1‘ knitted sweater pieces in the collection, which are again wearable as dresses or as tops. The 3D-printed steel jewelry pieces underline these straight lines and minimal designs.
"Ideally, the function of clothes is to make the exterior, the body and its peculiarities disappear and to emphasize only the personality, the individual and his inner, authentic values.“
