Masculine is the New Feminine

 So lets talk cigarette trousers. I desperately needed a look to go with my brogues as there was no way i was going to let them sit in a box collecting dust like so many other shoes i had purchased. After scanning numerous magazines  i decided cigarette trousers was the way forward. This particular style of trouser had cropped up in Valentino, Stella McCartney, Balenciaga & Prada's collections.

valentino Fall 2010

Stella McCartney Fall 2010



 Stella McCartney Fall 2010

 With my cropped do and masculine brogues the tomboy in me is surfacing once again. This look of course is not new and it was film actresses Greta Garbo & Marlene Dietrich that bought glamour to masculine tailoring in the 50's.

Marlene Dietrich

 Then there is the famous Helmut Newton photograph 'Rue Aubroit' where he photographed Yves Saint Laurent's 1966 'Le Smoking' tuxedo suit.

Rue Aubriot

 Growing up in the 80's i remember Annie Lenox and Madonna both sporting the androgynous look and how could i possibly forget the influence that the T.V soaps Dynasty and Dallas has on me with the power suit & those oh so hideous shoulder pads. Yep Masculine tailoring for women has been reinvented numerous times throughout the decades. So here is my take on the latest tailored style.

Please excuse photos. Can you tell I'm not a natural in front of the camera? Good old Marks & Sparks, you can't beat it. The shirt & trousers are from the Limited Collection. A mix of soft and structured.

All Marks & Spencers

All Karen Millen

This is all structure with the white tailored shirt & the pin tuck detailing at the bottom of the trouser leg.