EXPANDING IDENTITY

Are the boys finally having their 'babygurl' moment?

- NIDA NAEEM

There is much to be said about subverting the gender binary versus rejecting it altogether, but fashion hasn't yet reached a stage where the dichotomy of womenswear and menswear can be discarded altogether.

Women or femme-presenting people walking menswear shows is one thing. This isn't a new phenomenon, and doesn't raise many eyebrows since we're long past the days when pants or padded shoulders were only meant for men. One can only expect this co-ed format to become the norm. However, Rihanna with her baby bump fronting the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2024 menswear campaign was a zeitgeist-defining moment. There is nothing more 'womanly' than maternity, and yet, Pharrell Williams, the new creative director of the house's menswear division, made this a power move.

While well-tailored suits and utilitarian streetwear aren't going anywhere, our changing attitudes towards gender and sexuality are reflecting on both runways and Reels. We're not just talking men in skirts or make-up within typically masculine silhouettes, there seems to be a shift towards playful design details and feminine tropes.

LEGS FOR DAYS

The internet had a collective meltdown when actor Jacob Elordi of Euphoria fame showed up at the Valentino Spring/Summer 2024 menswear show in short shorts. It is telling that the Valentino Spring/Summer 2024 menswear collection posed itself as an ongoing dialogue on what makes a man today. This happened shortly after Pedro Pascal surprised at Met Gala 2023 in thigh-skimming shorts, and we were left asking, where have short shorts for men been all this while?