Trendsetters blur boundaries between menswear and womenswear
Lenny Kravitz has always dressed to the nines. So when the musician and style icon turned up to the CFDA Awards in New York this month, his look reflected just how much menswear has changed.
Forget a sober black tuxedo, Kravitz was resplendent in a custom look by New York fashion designer LaQuan Smith – a double-breasted blazer with hip-revealing cut-outs and satin lapels, tight and flared leather trousers and a black feather boa.
Smith told Vogue that dressing Kravitz, his first foray into menswear, was an honour – and there’s more to come.
“I wanted to push the boundaries of menswear with this look and I feel this is the start of something greater. This feels like a very iconic moment,” he said.
Smith isn’t the only designer pushing the boundaries of traditional menswear, nor is Kravitz the only celebrity embracing it.
There’s actor Oscar Isaac looking sensational in Thom Browne skirts, and anything worn by musicians Harry Styles and Pharrell Williams.
Key menswear trends for spring 2023 include skirts – worn alone or over trousers – romantic ruffles, shirring and corsetry, and sheer separates. There was perfectly undone suiting at the Ferragamo show in Milan, skimpy sheer tank tops at Eckhaus Latta in New York and surreal streetwear at JW Anderson in London.
Meanwhile, the street style set at the menswear shows showed off a wide array of looks, including crop tops, full leather, and camouflage cargo pants – one of several Y2K styles that have seen a return.
New York designer Peter Do, known for his fluid and elegant tailoring, launched into menswear, and so too did Irish designer Simone Rocha.
Rocha’s signature romantic ruched dresses with a twist, and plays on utility dressing, made for a seamless transition from womenswear.
Rocha said it felt right to extend her brand in this way, especially considering that she already had a market for it.
“It felt like the natural time to translate my work into menswear; the design approach is quite similar, the collections coming from an emotional place,” she said of how she approached the menswear pieces in her spring 2023 collection.
“I believe it will invite a new client, but also the male who was wearing the womenswear before. I think there will be a fluidity between the two.”
Speaking of fluidity, some of the most interesting menswear brands of the moment are designed by women, from Bianca Saunders to Martine Rose. While menswear and womenswear shows remain mostly separate (Rocha, Do and Grace Wales Bonner are some of the exceptions), the future of fashion may be genderless.
As Do said to Vogue: “Having the full range is really just inviting everyone. It’s just as inclusive as not having any labels.”
Brian and Vincent Wu, founders of Australian multi-retail platform Incu, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year and stocks the likes of Acne Studios, JW Anderson, Jacquemus, Dries Van Noten and Marni, said they had noticed men were dressing with more confidence.
This extended to the way that they shopped for clothes. “Men definitely dress more confidently than when we first started Incu. It did take a lot of convincing for guys to step out of dressing all the same, and now I see a lot of men expressing themselves and finding their own sense of style,” Brian Wu said.
“Men typically didn’t shop together when we first opened, but now, with social media and the explosion of online stores, it really has become part of a guy’s lifestyle to shop with their friends.”
He added: “It certainly is an exciting time and we see more growth in this area of our business.”
As for how men were getting dressed, Vincent Wu said it was with great care, and a sense of occasion.
“Coming out of Covid, we see guys wanting to dress up again. We think guys will start dressing sharper with relaxed suiting and layering pieces and the need to accessorise more,” he said.
The best thing about this style mindset, as the past few seasons have shown, is that more than ever, anything goes.
Men definitely dress more confidently than when we first started Incu
BRIAN WU, CO-FOUNDER OF AUSTRALIAN MULTI-RETAIL PLATFORM INCU