As androgynous fashion enjoys its moment on the red carpet, here’s how to embrace the trend

When Andie MacDowell, Daphne Burki and Payal Kapadia recently walked the Cannes red carpet, they channelised their inner Boss Lady. Androgynous fashion is having its moment, and not just women are going gender-neutral with sharp suits and bow ties, but men too are embracing their feminine side by donning dresses and gowns!

Brazilian actor Jonathan Guilherme made a bold move in a golden dress with blue socks and military boots, styled by Rodrigo Falero at Cannes. His dare-bare outfit reminded one of singer Harry Styles’ Grammy outing in a silver fringe number in 2023!

Men and women, giving fashion diktats a toss, have chosen to follow their heart and embraced gender-neutral fashion with open arms.

Ritu Kochhar, founder director of the International Institute of Fashion Design, attributes it to open society. “Fashion lines are fast blurring; people increasingly becoming more open and confident of representing who they are by wearing what they like. Much of it because they no longer fear judgement.”

Comfort and identity play an equal part in one’s fashion choices. Androgynous fashion, a sweet blend of what’s typically considered a masculine and feminine style has existed for long with its early icons as Marlene Dietrich and Mick Jagger, who made waves in the early 1900s and 1960s, respectively.

With red carpet seeing more of it lately, the trend is likely to trickle down to the masses. Ritu shares of how athleisure became a phenomenon. “It started with celebrities again, took some five-six months to reach the upper-middle class, and see how today brands have embraced it fully!”

Androgynous fashion trend has seen Harry styles, Jaden smith, Colman Domingo and Billie Eilish among its forerunners. Yes, it’s a way of self-expression, but androgynous clothes also make one stand out. Ten women in fancy gowns to one in pant suit versus 10 men in tuxedos to a man in reinterpretation of a gown is sure to grab eyeballs.

Ritu reiterates how acceptability has led to this freedom to experiment. “Today, I can pair my denims with my son’s oversized blazer and nobody will call me out for wearing oversized clothes.” In India, she counts Sonam Kapoor and Shibani Dandekar as brave few to embrace androgynous looks. “Kareena Kapoor does it as well but plays safe with it.”

Embracing this trend, how far can one go? Sure, women in suits over lacy bralettes, accessorised with dainty jewels and pointy toes is an accepted look as are colours and frills for men and their suits. “There really is a thin line between fashion and making a fool of oneself, and much of it depends on how confident one is wearing it,” avers Ritu. She finds the young generation and their take on androgyny in fashion inventive. “Seeing the demand, lots of designers are doing gender neutral looks. Every collection has few, if not many pieces, to cater to it. It was heartening too see both young boys and girls show up at Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai dressed in dhoti-style sarees and blazers. This look certainly ticks.”

While many designers have made it part of their repertoire, there are exclusive brands catering to it. Designers Kanika Goyal and Dhruv Kapoor are staying ahead in this league. Home-grown labels like Vulgar by Akshay Sharma, Roch Studio by Ronak Choudhary and Vaishnavi Bala’s Balav have made brave attempts in this direction.

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