Masculine Influence in Womenswear and Inspired Looks


   Phillip Lim 3.1
 Men's Paris Fashion Week has just finished, it's not a subject I'd usually pay huge attention to, but I've been seeing recently that a lot of designers seem to be influenced by menswear (when designing their womenswear) and I myself have been coveting anything it seems to be labelled 'boyfriend' in womenswear (think boyfriend jeans, boyfriend cardigans, boyfriend sweaters, ect.)
 While there is a lot of great, well fitting tailoring in menswear, I feel to truly pull off the look (if you're not a man, that is) slouchy and oversized is the way to go.
 It can be daunting, not all of us have tall, lean frames and the thought of wearing oversized, masculine clothes can make us fear that we'll end up looking much larger than we actually are, (or actually masculine) but when the look is achieved it looks effortlessly chic, like a casual but stylish outfit by a college student on the go.
 Don't know where to start with this trend? Don't worry, below I've comprised three looks, which can be mixed with each other as well.
The first is most daring, inspired directly from the Gucci ready to wear mens s/s14 collection.


 A nautical all white look, if replicating though, be careful not to look like an unknown sixth member of *nsync (when wearing an all white suit it's very easy to look like a 90s boyband member rather than a suave Leo as Gatsby)



 To make the look more modern, team it with a crop top and stilettos, (risky, but it evens out the bagginess of the suit) personally I'd advise not to go for a bright blue or red, there can be such a thing as too nautical.



1) Pastel blue bralet // River Island
2) Gold tipped heels // Topshop
3) Long boyfriend blazer // Boohoo
4) Relaxed formal joggers // Boohoo



 My second look is simple, all neutral colours, the brogues make the outfit that little bit more dressy than casual, I simply adore the sheer hem top, but with the loose blazer I feel the two items would look better if they're worn with the sleeves rolled, in my personal opinion.
1) Sheer hem shirt // Topshop
2) Brogues // Toast
3) Boyfriend jacket // New Look
4) Boyfriend jeans // Boohoo


 My third look is more geared towards the colder months, thus the warm burgundy colour of the sweater (which is actually meant to be for men) and the black jeans. I used the same sheer hem top (it really is something that will last you through the year) and instead of adding jewellery, which I purposely didn't add into any of the outfits due to the inspiration, I brought in that but of sparkle with the metallic loafers.
1) Sheer hem shirt // Topshop
2) Men's jumper // Topman
3) Loafers // Kurt Geiger 
4) Black skinny jeans // River Island



 Another simple way to carry the trend (literally) is with a backpack, it's a double whammy as not only is it under the menswear trend, but the 90s trend, here are some cute backpacks and messenger bags I found that will go with any of the above looks.
1) Leather backpack // Topshop
2) Messenger bag // River Island
3) Fold over backpack // River Island

Until next time,
Gabrielle x
(By the way, massive thank you to every single one of my followers - I woke up to 50! Which has already made my day!)

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