1.31.2011

girl boy girl

boyfriends have been all over fashion the past few seasons. boyfriend jeans, boyfriend shirts, borrowed-from-the-boys. let's not forget the (in)famously chic boyfriend slouch of Isabel Marant's 'bator' and 'baki' jackets, as worn oh-so-stylishly by Fleurette and Jennifer. (see also Rachel Comey's witty contributions, the 'husband' and 'second husband' coats.) there's a fine line, though, between clothes that don't fit in a proper/flattering/chic way, versus new silhouettes that say, "oh, this? i just threw this on and ran out the door but thank you for complimenting me on my chic look!" i own a few so-called 'boyfriend' shirts, but funnily enough, the one that really slouches in all the right ways is, in fact, my boyfriend's steven alan shirt that he passed on to me. and, voilà! it appears that we have come full circle, which leads me to wonder...

steven alan men's reverse seam shirt, ASOS leather pants, HOPE stockholm pumps, jerome dreyfuss billy bag


...cheeky naming aside - i prefer to call it 'garconne' - and perhaps taking into consideration some tweaking at the tailor, isn't it much more practical to just wear men's clothing when you're in the mood for an easy chic fit? or actually shop at the boy's department/menswear boutiques for certain pieces (ie: blazers)? what do you think of the androgynous styles right now? do you shop in the boy's/men's section?

13 comments:

  1. That shirt looks great on you. And those leather pants! You are killing it!! Personally, I have not had much success shopping in the men's department. My body is more on the curvy side, so men's shirts and blazers don't fit me well. I'm jealous of those who can pull this off though. :)

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  2. thanks, jennifer! :) i hear you. i have my reservations about actually getting stuff from the boys/men's dept, for probably some of the same self-conscious prosaic reasons as i don't like to see a movie at the theater by myself! :P but i can't help but balk at collections like boy/band of outsiders (and the pricetag...another story) as it's SO obvious that it's so derivative of men's tailoring. retail prices seem to increase three-to-tenfold when a men's item suddenly gets 'translated' to womenswear. :(

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  3. Oh, I LOVE those pants. They are perfect and they fit so well...

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  4. I used to buy men's skinny t-shirts, but it had to be the small sizes or else it would just look rubbish. But then slouchy tees came into fashion for women, and it became much easier to just buy women's stuff.

    I don't really have much luck with shopping in the men's section - I think petite women have better luck with this! Tees and henleys and sometimes sweaters are fine, but everything else, I always find the sleeves and armholes too big. Sometimes it's also about the style - I have a cardigan with elbow patches from the men's dept - this was before elbow patches for women became trendy, and I really wanted one...

    You look awesome by the way!

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  5. I think probably half of my clothes are men's clothes! It helps that I am tall. I most particularly raid my partner's closet for his shirts and cashmere jumpers. Blazers can be hit and miss because they aren't tailored for female curves and tend to be too large in the shoulders, but sometimes tailoring can help. The best boyfriend jeans are, of course, Levis 501s.

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  6. kristin: thanks! i'm still breaking them in :)

    lin: aww thank you :) i guess i just find the current trend towards exaggerated oversize/dolman sleeves in womenswear jackets and sweaters, etc interesting in how it mirrors menswear and appeals to women. there's something really attractive about the garconne look, and yet for some items the fit difference between a man's item vs a woman's 'boyfriend' piece is not that significant.

    pret a porter: lol - i love that you don't discriminate between all the different categories in stores! at barneys co-op last month my boyfriend bought an army jacket and i saw basically the same jacket (in inferior make and materials!) by the same brand for women, that was TWICE the price of the men's item. ugh! :P

    comicsymmetry: agreed with you on blazers - for that i think it's much easier to raid the boys' department. levis 501s are awesome, i have a pair that i made into cutoffs and they're my FAVORITE denim shorts of all time. :)

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  7. I love masculine pieces.. it helps that I have quite a boyish figure. There's nothing more alluring than a woman dressed in men's clothes.

    Love your blog by the way.

    http://herribbonsandherbows.blogspot.com/

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  8. great outfit! and you got a billybag!!! they look awesome. (and I always bang my head for not jumping on the Hope nude pumps, they are perfect). I read somewhere that a lot of magazine editors go to the boy's section of Brooks Brothers for the blazer---when I was in college I used to go to abercrombie (i know,)'s boy's section and get their cargo pants because they are baggy in the right way.

    by the way how is the sizing on the margiela replica pumps? do they run big or small or just right?

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  9. alexandra - thanks! same to you too :)

    nanashi - i've read that too - the margiela replica pumps are true to size, i think. i got them in the 37, but only because the 36.5 were sold out. they are comfortable (no pinching in toes and nice padding on the insole), but are a little bit slippy in the heel. i think i'll put in a heel pad. are you thinking of getting them? they're really great pumps!!

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  10. Oh, how I wish you'd write a post on boy by Band of Outsiders! I love the designs. But, I can't believe how much Sternberg charges for his clothing (especially considering how new the label is and the age of his target consumers). What twenty-something woman (outside of Kirsten Dunst and the other celebrities in his lookbooks) can spend $1000 on a basic blazer?

    I'll probably have to cast a wider net if I want to replicate the look. But, I'm also self-conscious about shopping in the boy's/men's department! Although, ironically enough, I only go to the movies alone. :)

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  11. That shirt looks fabulous on you. I love this look, I just haven't decided if it suits me yet. That being said, my partner has a few Ralph Lauren cashmere knits I definitely plan on stealing this winter!

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  12. I love everything boyfriend - the clothes and the person of course :p Great outfit, I love that shirt!!!

    xxxx

    lifeisroyalty.blogspot.com

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  13. ashley: i know!! i think i just might do a post of some sort on this...i've been crushing on their blazers for several years now, but the price always sets me running in the opposite direction. for that amount i'd rather get a bespoke blazer made for me by an expensive tailor! and so funny that you have no problem going to the movies alone, but are shy about shopping in the men's dept! :D

    hannah: thanks :) i think it's always good to swipe a sweater or two from your partner...a much better and authentic solution than buying a 'boyfriend' sweater!

    emilie: thanks :) my bf was going to throw it away after it shrank a bit in the wash, but i'm glad i stopped him!

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