Listen to glamazons and haute couture darlings – the fashionistos are taking over.
Look no further than the camera flashes on the red carpet to see this fashion change in game.
At this year’s Oscars, Timothée Chalamet eschewed the usual black and white tuxedo and opted to appear alongside his shirtless sequined Louis Vuitton blazer accented with delicate lace cuffs. Sebastian Stan lit up the red carpet at the Met Gala in May in a luscious fuchsia suit by Valentino. And Lil Nas X brought campy flair to the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, rocking a black featherweight skirt and matching Harris Reed hat.
“2022 may be the first year in recorded history that male celebrities have stolen the limelight from female celebrities on the red carpet,” says Dirk Standen, professor of fashion marketing and management at the Savannah College of Art and Design.
This growing diversity is leading to what Standen calls “a golden age of menswear” – for celebs and non-celebrities alike.
“I don’t think there’s ever been such an abundance of options in terms of labels and designers,” says Standen. “Celebrities and regular consumers are expressing their individual style in exciting new ways.”
Oscars Best Dressed:Shirtless Timothée Chalamet and lustrous Zendaya stun on the red carpet
“Don’t try me”:Lil Nas X Crashes BET Awards In New Music Video For Diss Track ‘Late To Da Party’
Men’s fashion democratized on TikTok, promotes individuality
Men are making the internet the studio of their evolving fashion sense.
Standen says while celebrity style still wields some power, social media has given everyday men a voice in the evolution of menswear.
“Obviously those red carpet images are going around the world on social media and obviously have an impact, but at the same time you can see that a lot of these trends start on TikTok and work their way through society from there,” says Standen. “It’s much more of a two-way street than one thing affecting the other.”
Fashion nano-influencer Cruz Rendon has taken to social media to create a platform for her vibrant, gender-defying looks, which also draw inspiration from her Mexican heritage.
“Anyone can be a tastemaker today, and all you really need is your phone, a camera, and your own confidence and sense of style,” says Rendon, who has amassed nearly 4,500 followers on Instagram and has brand partnerships with UGG and Amazon fashion has.
That bold individuality rubs off on Hollywood too, says Barnette Holston, a Washington DC-based fashion influencer with over 70,000 followers, as seen in the unique looks of male celebs like Jeff Goldblum and Lakeith Stanfield.
“If you look at how Hollywood celebrities used to dress, they used to be sort of managed by the movie industry,” which would “I want them to have an image that what they saw on screen is what they did in real life,” says Holston. “There are guys (now who) are bolder and willing to take these big fashion risks.”
Issey Miyake:The Japanese fashion designer best known for his Steve Jobs turtleneck sweaters has died at the age of 84
Who will become a Barbie doll? The new all-pink barbiecore trend invites everyone into the dream house
Throw away the gender rule book
Gone are the days when t-shirts and jeans or ties and trousers dominated men’s wardrobes.
In November, Kid Cudi turned the red carpet into a bridal affair at the CFDA Fashion Awards with his wedding dress-inspired outfit. During his iHeartRadio Jingle Ball performance in December, Lil Nas X rocked a metallic silver plaid skirt. And in June, Bad Bunny boldly paired a black mesh top and two-tone plaid skirt for a concert appearance.
“Celebrities, particularly musicians, have always incorporated items of clothing that were traditionally considered feminine into their wardrobes, and often this has been done to shock or at least provoke,” says Standen. “But today’s stars do it in a much less forced and more natural way. They’re not trying to break the rules: they’re saying the old rules don’t apply anymore.”
Celebrity stylist Tiffany Briseno, who works closely with pop singer Shawn Mendes, says they’re inspired by gender-biased style icons like Freddie Mercury, Jimi Hendrix and Robert Plant.
“They all had their own individual style, and a lot of them were free to express that, so we’re drawn to that,” says Briseno. “They broke with form back then and…especially as a musician you just want to do something that’s authentic to you.”
Stylist Tiffani Moreno says that gender-specific ensembles seen on the red carpet help “expand people’s imaginations about what people can do in everyday fashion.” Moreno, who is styled actor Cole Sprouse, says the Riverdale star is “very fond of playing with fashion” and is open to her “feminine approach” to styling.
“It doesn’t have to be just t-shirts and jeans or just a plain suit,” says Moreno. “It can be something with a wide leg and ruffles and a silk shirt underneath. It could be something that’s a really bright color.”
“To me, a dress is a dress”:Bad Bunny talks about breaking gender norms through fashion
New fashion reflects retail restraint
While you might spot this playful wave of menswear on the red carpet or in your news feed, you might have a harder time spotting it at your local mall.
Lucia Cuba Oroza, assistant professor of fashion design and social justice at the New School, says that despite this increase in experimentation, mainstream menswear remains “very heteronormative” and “very binary” as the fashion industry as a whole continues to promote conservative societal norms.
“There’s still a tremendous amount of work to be done…opening a greater number of channels to engage in a conversation about diversity,” Oroza says, particularly in relation to “the opportunity that clothing gives us to challenge ourselves for the recognition of our own.” Self use in society.”
London-based fashion designer Thomas Newbury says this lack of access can contribute to men being reluctant to embrace innovative fashion because it lacks the recognition or mass appeal of celebrities.
“If you want something that isn’t so stereotypical, you have to go to the women’s section of the store, which is a lot scarier for a lot of guys, so it then seems like there might not be an audience for it, but if there isn’t is available, you can’t go for it,” says Newbury.
Briseno says the “disconnect” between non-traditional menswear and its availability in commercial fashion is evident at the celebrity level, too.
“To find these very unique and editorially avant-garde pieces for my clients, I have to go straight to the designers that I know make them, because when I go to a Nordstrom or Bloomingdale’s, I go to the men’s department, some of the pieces … just don’t exist there,” says Briseno.
But perhaps there is hope that one day this gap will be bridged. Rendon says while “there wasn’t much expression in the home during the COVID-19 isolation period,” interest in expressive fashion is growing as the world continues to open up.
“Now people are out in the world and can be a little more playful,” says Rendon. “People really want to show their true selves or express themselves creatively, so we’re going in a direction where whimsical, fun silhouettes are becoming the norm.”
“I don’t get bored”:J Balvin says becoming a dad doesn’t change how he dresses
Why you can’t wear white after Labor Day:The Eternal Rule of Fashion Explained.
Comments are closed.