Androgynous fashion styles are in vogue right now.
If you're not familiar with the term, you might be tempted to believe that androgynous fashion is a new concept.
However, the origin of androgynous fashion can be traced back to the 17th century.
But, in order to understand the development of androgynous fashion, we must first define the term.
And to define it, we must first look at the origin of the word androgynous.
Also, we'll find out what an androgynous person is, in the context of fashion.
'Androgynous' Definition
Androgynous comes from the Latin word 'androgyne' and has a Greek origin.
The Greek word was constructed from andras (man) and gune (woman).
Pronounced AN-druh-jin, the word described a mix of male and female physical characteristics.
Nowadays, androgynous describe an identity, under the non-binary and transgender umbrellas.
Now, this might sound a bit complicated so I'll briefly explain the difference between sex and gender.
What is an androgynous person?
In this light, androgynes choose an identity that can be explained as either a blend of both or neither of the classic binary (male, female) genders.
However, androgyny is often used in regard to sex or sexual identity.
History Of Androgynous Fashion
Throughout history, dressing styles were imposed, by social constructs, according to gender.
For example, trousers were traditionally a male form of dress, frowned upon for women.
However, social constructs do not fare well, especially when it comes to creative industries in general and fashion in particular.
The earliest signs of 'rebellious' androgynous fashion styles arose in England and France.
Initially sought as a form of exclusive dressing, androgynous fashion was the preferred way to make the aristocratic class stand out, visually.
During the 1800s, driven by the industrial revolution and the uniforms it brought with it, the style uniformity between male and female started to gain ground.
Androgynous Fashion Pioneers
Androgynous fashion started to gather steam when women felt their attires were limiting their performances and daily activities.
The movement gained a lot of popularity when women activists emerged and began to wear men outfits.
The best example is Luisa Capetillo, an ardent women's rights activist, and the first woman in Puerto Rico to wear a men suit and tie in public.
Slowly, women began to perceive the clothes worn by men as far more convenient.
Compared to women dresses, men's trousers were excellent for physical activity and general movement.
Elizabeth Smith Miller is one of the first designers to jump on the movement, by inventing a unique trouser style, later called "the bloomer."
Elizabeth first showed "this unique style" to her cousin Elizabeth Cady Stanton, an American suffragist, social activist, abolitionist, and leading figure of the early women's rights movement.
Androgynous Fashion Post WW1
Starting in the 1900s, right around World War I, traditional gender roles began to blur fast, with a visible impact on fashion.
Couture pioneers such as Coco Chanel and Paul Poiret started to popularise the 'flapper style.'
Flapper style consisted of trousers and 'chic bob' hairstyle, marketed as the latest trend in women fashion.
The flapper style gained much popularity with celebrities.
During the 1930s, the glamorous German actresses Marlene Dietrich was one of the first cinema stars to adopt the flapper androgynous style.
Dietrich was often seen wearing trousers and suits at movie premieres.
Music And Androgynous Fashion
When talking about the role the music industry had on the development of androgynous style, we cannot miss Elvis Presley.
Presley pretty face and use of eye makeup made people describe him as an "effeminate guy".
Moreover, an upsurge of androgynous fashion styles for men began after Rolling Stones' performance in London's Hyde Park in 1969.
For that event, Mick Jagger wore a 'man's dress' designed by the British designer Mr Fish, also known as Michael Fish.
From then on, androgynous fashion became widely adopted by celebrities and fans from all over the world.
During the 1970s, Jimi Hendrix became famous not only for his music but also for his choice of wearing 'women' blouses and high heels.
Also, let's not forget David Bowie's alter ego Ziggy Stardust.
The 'persona' was introduced to the public when David launched his album 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and Spiders from Mars.'
When asked to detail on the persona he was embodying, David described it as a symbol of his sexual ambiguity.
Under the influence of pop culture and cinema stars, androgynous fashion has entered the mainstream in the 1970s.
Early Androgynous Clothing Designers
The 1980s fashion is taken over by the rise of avant-garde designers such as the Japanese designers Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo.
In one of his interviews, Yamamoto insisted that the combination of masculine and feminine characteristics into an ambiguous form should be celebrated by fashion:
"Androgyny it is an unbiased way for an individual to identify with one's self and fashion is the perfect medium to achieve this" - Yohji Yamamoto.Yamamoto's choice for 'ANDROGINY' term as a way to describe this new type of fashion, who challenged the social constructs around gender, makes him the father of androgynous fashion.
Before Androgynous Fashion There Was Unisex
In 1968, the New York Times coined the term "unisex" and append it to all styles of gender-neutral couture.
Androgynous fashion was catalogued under a unified umbrella called unisex.
From a marketing perspective, unisex products make sense.
Easier to pronounce, store, catalogue and sell...
However, from a fashion creative perspective, the diversity of styles is a different story.
Emerging fashion designers of those times, such as Pierre Cardin, Helmut Lang, Paco Rabanne, Andre Courreges, and Giorgio Armani started to create androgynous clothing styles.
The creations were nicely paired with male models sporting mak-up and feminine features, such as long hair, dyed or highlighted.
Contemporary Androgynous Clothing
In the early 21st century, a fresh breed of designers is looking to make androgynous fashion a mainstay in the industry.
Also, as media is popularising the 'androgynous look', several celebrities are being hailed as creative trendsetters.
These are modern times when androgyny is gaining massive prominence in popular culture.
Celebrities are jumping in, by pairing with androgynous designers and gender-neutral clothing brands.
Lady Gaga, Ruby Rose, Lily-Rose Depp, and Jaden Smith are just some of the celebrities supporting the movement.