{"id":42088,"date":"2020-12-03T19:41:43","date_gmt":"2020-12-03T19:41:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/?p=42088"},"modified":"2020-12-03T19:41:43","modified_gmt":"2020-12-03T19:41:43","slug":"from-corsets-to-tuxedos-the-evolution-of-androgynous-fashion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/from-corsets-to-tuxedos-the-evolution-of-androgynous-fashion\/","title":{"rendered":"From corsets to tuxedo’s: the evolution of androgynous fashion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Social media was once again embroiled in a war of cultures. The topic: gendered dressing. <\/strong><\/p>\n

US Vogue sparked passionate debates around masculinity and gendered dressing when they featured Harry Styles on the latest cover donning a periwinkle blue gown paired with black tuxedo jacket, both designed by Gucci.<\/p>\n

For millennial and Gen Z readers the image felt representative of a growing exploration of gender-fluidity and non-binary dressing taking place.<\/p>\n

However, prominent conservatives voiced their disapproval. \u201cBring back manly men\u201d, said Candace Owens on Twitter.<\/p>\n

In recent years genderless designs in fashion has hit display windows- blurring the lines between gender norms.<\/p>\n

It is a style that is becoming accepted in fashion and also a sign of where our society is heading.<\/p>\n

Pushing this societal shift forward is the open-mindedness that encourages gender fluidity. But this is not the first time the boundaries of gendered dressing has been pushed.<\/p>\n

Androgynous fashion can be seen throughout the 20th<\/sup> century and has continued to evolve since.<\/p>\n

Arguably, this aesthetic stems from the desire to not want to be defined by gender but there are also other political threads that tie in neatly with androgynous expression.<\/p>\n

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  1. \n

    1910s: CoCo Chanel introduces pants to womenswear<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    At a time when women were oppressed when it came to fashion, CoCo Chanel personified the independent roles women were yet to enter by giving them the gift of pants.<\/p>\n

    While Chanel is known more for her little black dresses, she challenged gender norms with her masculine-like silhouette fashion but refused to call herself a feminist.<\/p>\n

    Though Chanel would never be caught front row at a protests for women\u2019s rights, she defended the idea that a person should express themselves based on how they feel, and not how their gender tells them to feel.<\/p>\n

    Her comments on gender are just one of the many Chanel made on femininity rather than feminism, meanwhile her work was a huge part of the liberation of women.<\/p>\n

    As Business Insider reported, Chanel herself said: “I gave women a sense of freedom. I\u00a0gave them back their bodies: Bodies that were drenched in sweat, due to fashion\u2019s finery, lace, corsets, underclothes, padding.\u201d<\/p>\n

    She was constantly inspired by men\u2019s fashion, and it began with how she dressed herself. Shirts with clean collars, simple sweaters and loose belted jackets were a part of her language of fashion.<\/p>\n