Malevolution

Giuliano Fujiwara’s fall 2009 collection includes this wonderful short-sleeve sweater, photographed by Hiroshi Kutom for the November issue of HUgE magazine. Young Pawel Bednarek was styled by Shinichi Miter in Fujiwara's minimalistic but stylish garments, and adorned him with exquisite large wooden wristlets.

http://www.giulianofujiwara.com/

Male emancipation

After all the campaigns of the “suffragettes” in the late XIX century, the bra-burning “feminists” of the 70s, all the civil right revolutions, women lib movements in general, ladies have painfully and slowly moved towards their rightful emplacement as equals to men in every sense.

Even Gender roles have shifted. "Female lead" relationships, in which the female partner takes over the responsibilities, duties, and -let's admit, "privileges" that were once assigned to husbands only, are not rare any more. The way modern women dress reflect all these conduct modifications, starting with Madame Chanel’s introduction of female “trousers” in the fashionable world back in the thirties.

Consider this: as women have rightfully come to perform tasks that require power, assertiveness, even sheer physical strength, their exterior looks increasingly become more and more what our gramps would have thought of as “masculine”. Envisage a lady executive in the corporate world… wouldn’t she have been regarded as a “male impersonator” by our great-grand parents? What about a female mechanic, a police woman, a cab driver?

Wouldn’t it be likewise fair for us males in need of displaying our creativity, sense of style, and flare, who enjoy keeping in touch with our “feminine side”, to have the freedom to adopt styles, colours, and garments that were once considered too “feminine”?

Public opinion is moving tardily but steadily in that direction. Designers come up with innovations and creativity in their masculine lines, as opposed to the dullness and uniformity that has been so far the main feature of male garments. New proffers include not only more daring colours and designs, but also male skirts, high heels, dresses, and other garments that used to be kept at the other side of the aisle.

A “New Male” is under construction. Hopefully, a more balanced, understanding, sensitive, creative male.

But we still have a log way to go! Think about it: There’s no way a woman can cross-dress any more. Whatever she feels like wearing is accepted, no matter what shelf it comes from. Now, if a guy shows up wearing skirts and high heels, he may still be marked by some… he is probably a “cross-dresser”, or at least a "metrosexual", (whatever that means!), and for many definitely “gay”. There are even some few people out there, the more conservative and prejudiced (fortunatedly very small group), for whom he’s not “normal”, he might even be a pervert.

Well, you cannot please everyone. In the mean time, remeber you have one single life to live: Wear whatever you want, be confident, and enjoy it. The world will follow suit at it’s own pace. I've posted some ideas here, and I'll keep on doing so! Pay me a visit once in a while!