CLOTHING FOR EVERYBODY
Author: Christian Dare
It seems absurd now to say
that the "man" in a relationship
wears the pants. The turn of
phrase has historical origins;
when men, who were traditionally
the dominant, decision-maker
of the household, wore pants
and women wore dresses. These
days women can and do wear
the trousers (both literally and
figuratively). Nobody bats an
eyelash when a woman rocks a
pair of "boyfriend jeans".
And yet the idea of a man
slipping on a skirt still seems silly.
The notion of a skirt being
inherently feminine is a social
construct that only became
mainstream in the 19th century.
In fact, for years men and
women wore similarly structured
garments – from tunics to togas.
One can trace the obsession
with what is acceptable garb for
men and woman directly to the
many battles for equality in the
past 100 years. During this time
masculinity appeared to break
down and become fragile when
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it lost its roots in physical labour.
As a result, it had to be redefined
through uncompromising
constructs about everyday
apparel. Failure to comply meant
a man wasn’t a man anymore and
had slithered into femininity.
Much to Freud's dismay,
rigid gender stereotyping is no
longer fashionable. If the late
neurologist were to sit front row
at an Alexander Wang show, he
would likely be booking himself a
therapy session.
Vogue, one of the most
mainstream magazines and ‘style
bible’ clumsily jumped on the
bandwagon this fall, toting a
Louis Vuitton bag packed with
ignorance. They featured Gigi
Hadid and Zayn Malik on their
cover and quick to categorize the
unlabeled, triumphantly declared
the era gender fluidity was upon
us (huzzah!). But all they were
talking about was wearing each
other’s clothes (neither identifies
as gender fluid). Although
Vogue may have been wrong,
and un-nuanced, once again
perhaps they are touching on
something that has shifted?
The Edge
Is the edge that keeps male
fashion more masculine about to
crumble? Are men wearing more
clothes bought in the women’s
department? Are they borrowing
their girlfriends’ jeans? Or is the
strict divide between men's and
women's garment softening?
Call it unisex. Call it non-
gendered. Call it clothes for
everyone. Just don't call Vogue.
CANADIAN DESIGNERS LEAD
THE SARTORIAL REVOLUTION
Rad Hourani has been in the
fashion game for over ten years.
His designs have made waves
across the globe. His modern
and understated boutique in
Old Montreal echoes Hourani's
designs. The shop does not
scream out to you about unisex.
It speaks quietly. It is minimalist
and purposeful.
His work is an attentive
examination of the human
body. It celebrates neutrality
as the defining human trait and
advocates non-conformity as
the essence of individualism. He
sees modernity as gender-less,
S y l va n u s - U r b a n . c o m