Take a bow, girls

Girls, be like one of the boys by making – and wearing – a bow tie.

FOR the new year, if you’re planning to be the belle of the ball, here’s how you can grab attention. Just borrow some elements from a man’s wardrobe.

Yes, dressing like a boy is “in” this season. This is evident from the Fall/winter runway shows from The Row, Stella Mccartney, Balmain and other major fashion houses. Androgynous (in Greek, “andr” refers to man and “gyn” to woman) fashion is merging both feminine and masculine characteristics at once.

Can you believe it was taboo for women to wear trousers less than two centuries ago? In 1851, American advocate of women’s rights movement, Elizabeth Smith Miller tried to reform women’s dress code and fight against the conventional status quo. She was famous for her “Bloomer” outfits inspired by Turkish trousers.

Women felt more liberated in the 20s and began to cut their hair short, wear loose clothing and flatter their curves in order to create a boyish flapper look. French fashion designer, Coco Chanel introduced the Chanel suit in 1923 which featured a knee high skirt and boxy woven jacket with gold buttons and black trim. The suit was slightly androgynous but retained a sense of femininity.

Actresses such as Katharine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich were popular with their unisex attires during the 30s. With the Great Depression in the 40s and World War II, women borrowed from men’s wardrobes while working in factories and other work places, where the men were at war.

In the mid 50s, the Levi’s worker jeans were adapted by both sexes as their fashion staple influenced by movie icons Marlon Brando and James Dean. The Beatniks, a cult group with a passion for jazz, art and an antimaterialistic lifestyle, loved their androgynous look. Both sexes wore black turtlenecks and black skinny trousers.

In the swinging 60s, the youth were creating the trends and breaking all the conventional gender rules. Model and style icon Twiggy adored her boyish haircut.

Famous couturier Yves Saint Laurent designed the Le Smoking tuxedo suit for women in 1966. It was the first of its kind in the fashion world. It opened the way for minimalist and androgynous styles for women as well as the use of the pantsuit in modernday society. Yves Saint Laurent empowered women by giving them the choice to wear clothes normally worn by powerful and influential men.

In 1977, the Woody Allen classic Annie

Hall saw the title character (played by Diane Keaton) appear on screen wearing a men’s button-down shirt, vest and tie paired with a long skirt. She became the style icon during that time.

In the 80s, women began to move into high management positions and their dressing style also reflected their changing status in society. “Power Dressing” combined elements of menswear and traditional women’s wear. It comprised tailored jackets with broad shoulder pads paired with matching knee length skirts or slacks and a buttoned-up blouse.

By the end of the decade, the power suit trend lost its popularity but the basic concept of a tailored jacket with a pair of trousers remain till today.

Now, let us customise a bow tie to go with our dinner suits or tuxedos for parties.

Step 1: Use a ruler and pencil to draw the shape of the bow tie. Feel free to decide how big or small the bow tie should be (or you can follow my measurements: 24cm x 7.5cm for the bigger part, and 5cm x 6cm for the smaller part. All measurements...

Step 4: Once you have finished all the sewing, turn both shapes inside out so the right side of the fabric now faces outwards. Now, you can sew the 2-3cm open gap up on the bigger shape. Step 3: Fold both cut-out shapes in half and iron tthem down....