Menswear You Can Wear Too

It’s time to raid the menswear section and explore androgyny in a new light. And a coterie of talented young designers are making a strong case for why you should borrow from the boys

- Laura Antonia Jordan

Here’s a prediction: Next summer we will all want to be wearing languid trouser suits with sneakers, floral shirts and fluid silk co-ords in peach (yes, peach). Oh, and it will all be from the men’s department.

It’s down to Kim Jones, the British designer who recently unveiled his first Dior menswear collection in Paris. The knockout S/S 2019 show (the pinnacle of an excellent menswear month) had a stellar front row to match, with many of the women choosing to wear looks from the collection. Even Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss – women known for their high-octane glamour – embraced the more relaxed luxury of those perfectly tailored, slouchy suits. Two days earlier, at Virgil Abloh’s debut Louis Vuitton menswear show, it was the same story, with Kim Kardashian, Rihanna and Bella all wearing pieces from that collection.

And who could blame them? Menswear is a hotbed of exciting talent right now. There are the headliners – the Kims, the Virgils, the Rafs, and the Alessandros – but there’s also a new guard (many of them London-based), like Craig Green. More young women are getting involved, too. In fact, the hottest menswear talents happen to be Grace Wales Bonner and Martine Rose. As masculinity is redefined and the rigid boundaries between menswear and womenswear have relaxed, we’re embracing a new freedom to wear clothes from wherever we want. Good design is good design.