Battle Beyond Binary

The line between menswear and womenswear was never parallel. It gradually blurred when the fashion houses expanded their horizon on ramps. There’s no small deal of push to break the walls defining gender roles. We are in an era which is rejecting the gender norms. Deepika Padukone has always been the eye candy in the fashion world. But the quirky and unconventional style portrayed by Ranveer Singh made him the new fashion icon in the B-town.

Blast from the past

“The world is changing now. More and more people are identifying themselves as gender fluid or gender non-conforming to gender stereotypes that were created thousands of years ago”, says Anvita Sharma, the founder of Two Point Two label. Though, in India, the battle of pushing the envelope of genderless fashion moves with the pace of a fish in a huge pond, its seeds were sown long back and has dwelled throughout the Indian history. Be it the achkans adorned by the royals or the Angrakha, which is a form of kurta, all had genderless silhouettes.

Read FHM India in the digital libraryEvery issue, every shoot, on TCG Media.

Anti-fits

The season is all about layering and billowing silhouettes. Yohji Yamamoto epitomizes unisex fashion through his signature sheer flowing oversized silhouettes. He is one of the pioneers who has paved the genderless road through his avant garde collection. Highlighting the androgynous fashion, Rajesh Pratap Singh, through his new summer resort collection revealed how neutral tones and basic fabrics like Khadi can work effortlessly with any gender.

Pleated Charm

Skirts are one of the most controversial and unconventional outfits in the man’s world. What is popularly known as kilt today has an intriguing past. But the key to flaunt it right lies here! The powerful and sensuous photoshoot by eponymous line of Louis Vuitton featured Jaden Smith in a skirt. The strikingly bold shoot smudged the gender divide in fashion industry even more. The extra-ordinary signature style of the haute-couture veteran designer, Manish Arora is shifting the paradigm of fashion. He is generally seen donning his own collection and that too with sheer perfection.

Course to corset

The SS’19 collection by John Galliano left everyone curious. The ensembles piqued intrigue about gender identity of the wearer. The collection redefined 21st century’s outlook on unisex clothing. Who said that corsets can only be worn by women? Formalwear juxtaposed with corsets has never been so powerful and breath-taking. The sophisticated Christian Siriano’s tuxedo dress flaunted flawlessly by Billy Porter in Oscar 2019 dazzled everyone.

Flower power

Nature has so much to give; it is probably the inspiration for your daily dose of fashion. Florals have long been associated with femininity. Gone are the days when objects defined gender, Rohit Bal’s silk embroidered jackets are an amalgamation of elegance and simplicity. The multifaceted ensemble can by flaunted in every occasion. There are a number of brands and labels like ‘Two Point Two’ and ‘The pot plant’ in India that are redefining 21st century’s definition of masculinity by their genderless collection. Other budding designers like Sumiran Kabir Sharma and Akshat Bansal are paving the path to the realm of genderless fashion.

Fashion has never been partial to anyone. It has always been a medium of self-expression and a channel of defining one’s identity. Anvita added that “it’s a personal choice of how to dress-up. The possibilities of styling or dressing ourselves are endless. We just need to explore, experiment and express.” The categorization of wardrobe according to gender should be annihilated because genderless fashion doesn’t fence you in, it releases you from the societal norms. Pink frilled frock for girls and graphic blue tee for boys are now becoming an old school definition. In the battle of sexes, it was never about which gender is wearing the garment, it is about the person inside it. As fashion becomes genderless, dive in the oceans of options and expand the horizons of your wardrobe.

From the August 2019 issue of FHM India.