Greetings Gentle Readers, Menswear inspired pieces have been a reoccurring theme in many women's wear collections for many seasons, and why not? The pinpoint tailoring, sharp lines, and streamlined silhouettes of menswear is offer a different viewpoint from many women's wear design aesthetics. and when pulled off properly, menswear and menswear inspired pieces on women are very alluring, sexy and stylish.
Take, for example the look pictured to the left from the S/S10 Ralph Lauren collection. Chanel Iman looks like she stepped perfectly preserved from 1929 in front of 10 Wall St. yelling "Extra! Extra! Read all about it!!" This is one of our favorite looks from not only the season, but in quite some time. In fact, yesterday when we Tweeted the look (are you following us on Twitter? You should be! Click here to solve that whole issue!) our exact words were, "2 words, well, 2 sound
s actually, 'yaht. ZEE!'"The entire aesthetic works on every level, from fit, fewer designers nail razor sharp tailoring like Ralph Lauren, to color story, navy is a classic menswear color, especially in suiting, to accessories which all play perfectly into the silhouette and balance a masculine aesthetic on a feminine silhouette... Ok, this is starting to sound like a love letter to Mr. Lauren... which, was not our intent. Well, not for this post at least. So, here's how to pull of a menswear inspired aesthetic in 3 easy steps.
3 Steps to Successfully &Stylishly Pull Off
a Menswear Inspired Look
That about does it for this go 'round. Until next time, we remain...
Stylishly yours,
Sartorially Savvy
"Fashion fades, style is eternal" ~Yves Saint Laurent
P.S. For your up to the minute tips on staying classically stylish, timelessly chic, and always Sartorially Savvy, follow us on Twitter (@SartoriallySvvy or click here)
a Menswear Inspired Look
1.Fit: We cannot say it enough. Fit is EVERYTHING. Especially here. Menswear is known for its razor sharp tailoring, streamlined design, and sleek silhouette. Keep all of these things in mind; take your blazers to a tailor to have sleeves taken in or shortened (or both), have pants hemmed and taken in
(or both), keep blouses lean and close to the body. Crisp and clean is what we're going for here.
(or both), keep blouses lean and close to the body. Crisp and clean is what we're going for here.2. Color Story: While we (obviously) are a bit enamored with the look that Ms. Iman is rocking here, we understand that using only a menswear only color palette is a bit restricting, and takes some of the fun away from being a woman. You have opportunity to play it up here a little bit... A sharply tailored blazer in mauve is going to work on a woman in ways that *most* men wouldn't be able to pull off. Play with color a little, you can combine a typical menswear color like the aforementioned navy, or charcoal grey with a mauve or peach for a very sophisticated color story.
3. Accessories &Details: Ok, so, know how we said fit was everything... Well, it still is... But... with a menswear inspired look... so are details and accessories. Fit, and accessories &details, are really the only two ways to make a distinction between actual menswear and a menswear inspired look. Take for example the pictured RL look, the slacks here are 
a uniquely feminine detail. The cropping billowing of the slacks, is something that would not occur in modern menswear, were Ms. Iman to travel in time, she'd seamlessly fit in with the Depression-era pageboys the look pays homage to. Also, T-strapped heels and pearl earrings add feminine needed feminine touches to balance out the masculine aesthetic. When doing menswear inspired ensembles, keep your accessories ultra feminine, sky high heels, big sunglasses, pearl earrings, broaches. Be careful not to do it, one or two of these will perfectly balance everything. A note on your shoes: to keep with the smooth silhouette, we recommend a menswear inspired shoe, like an oxford, lace up, brogue, loafer or saddle shoe... with a feminine twist. Take the Louboutins pictured here: The classic mans lace up is obviously the source of inspiration, however these Loubees are undeniably and unequivocally feminine... Perfect balance... best of both worlds.
a uniquely feminine detail. The cropping billowing of the slacks, is something that would not occur in modern menswear, were Ms. Iman to travel in time, she'd seamlessly fit in with the Depression-era pageboys the look pays homage to. Also, T-strapped heels and pearl earrings add feminine needed feminine touches to balance out the masculine aesthetic. When doing menswear inspired ensembles, keep your accessories ultra feminine, sky high heels, big sunglasses, pearl earrings, broaches. Be careful not to do it, one or two of these will perfectly balance everything. A note on your shoes: to keep with the smooth silhouette, we recommend a menswear inspired shoe, like an oxford, lace up, brogue, loafer or saddle shoe... with a feminine twist. Take the Louboutins pictured here: The classic mans lace up is obviously the source of inspiration, however these Loubees are undeniably and unequivocally feminine... Perfect balance... best of both worlds.That about does it for this go 'round. Until next time, we remain...
Stylishly yours,
Sartorially Savvy
"Fashion fades, style is eternal" ~Yves Saint Laurent
P.S. For your up to the minute tips on staying classically stylish, timelessly chic, and always Sartorially Savvy, follow us on Twitter (@SartoriallySvvy or click here)
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