Tinseltown on the Euphrates

"Hollywood Babylon": an interesting fusion-experiment carried out by Lester Garcia and photographer Greg Harris. The model is Vladimir Ivanov.

Not only Western and Eastern elements are blended together, but also gender stereotypes of both cultures.

Henne (eller Hans?)

Swedish language lesson No. 1: Henne= "hers", Hans= "his".

Among the items presented by the Nordic firm H&M (Henne & Mauritz, now spread throughout the world) for it's varied collection, one comes across many unusual male garments, from skirts to harem pants.

Tyler Riggs, styled by Robert Rydberg and photographed by Peter Gehrke, displays here one of those risky pieces: a wonderful pleated gray skirt.

Højris-Ottosen: A Lovesome Thing

Christina Højris Ottosen challenges the conventional gender roles, and experiments with bending the limits. Silhouettes for men inspired by women's wear is what she proposes (check out my previous posting: S/he's my man) Skirts and dresses are her primary focus, as she believes these can be shown in a more masculine way: not by concealing the user's virility, but rather by showing both the masculine and feminine traits of his personality

Stepped Out of a Dream

Greg Harris snapped Yuri Pleskun in attractive poses, and later added some plain-colored pop/op post-production effects for this cool editorial. Yuri was clad in black skirts and leggings, among other items.

M. Butterfly

Stylist Andrej Skok does not share some people's idealized vision of butterflies as sweet colorful insects. His male lepidopteron is garbed in leather, black network and, of all things, a full supply of safety pins.

The editorial was photographed by Jannis Tsipoulanis, featuring Roman Ivancic as the arthropod.

Just for A Foggy Day

"Even just for a day" is the title of an editorial for the current issue of Swedish magazine Bon. Naomi Itkes, Robert Rydberg & Marcus Soder were the stylists, and Andreas Larsson the photographer.

The collection includes this beautiful pic. Call it "cross-dressing" if you wish, I don't mind. For me it's simply a male model wearing make up and wonderfully styled in large jewellery and suiting garments, one of which, yes, may be considered "feminine" by some standards: a black pleated gypsy-like skirt.

Brother Sun?

This nice-draping garment, featured in "Absolution", this season's collection by the Dutch designer Francisco van Benthum, turned out to be not a skirt, but some sort of apron. The designer claims that he drew his inspiration from the ritual clothes worn by priests, cardinals , bishops and choirboys . Funny, huh?

Until The Real Thing Comes Along...

In spite of his youth, Croatian Damir Doma, a graduate from the Munich and Berlin Fashion Schools, has become one of the leading German designers. His brand, founded as recently as 2006, is already one of the most anticipated menswear labels, has he has become a major influence in the fashion world .

The effect of his drapings, over-long and over-layed garments can be felt in even the most conservative and well established couturiers.

A very refreshing influence, bearing witness that things are slowly changing.

With My Boots On

The influential fashion blogger Yvan Rodic author of the famous street-fashion blog Facehunter, posted this pic he took of a man wearing a beautiful pair of (Rad Hourani?) high-heel boots.

His new personal, wordless diary is also worth visiting: www.yvanrodic.blogspot.com

S/he's My Man

"My goal with this collection has been to question the Western interpretation of masculinity vs. femininity by experimenting with the boundaries between the two and ultimately creating new silhouettes for men inspired by women's wear." Says Danish designer Christina Højris Ottosen, creator of these dazzling pics and these wonderful setups.

She intentionally concieves styles that allow us males to honestly express our innermost fragility, delicacy, sensitivity, and other supposingly "feminine" traits, in an open, direct way. It's not about "cross-dressing", if you ask me, since her concept is not for us to "pass" as a woman or look like one, but rather, to unashamedly expose our identities as modern, "feminine males", so to speak.

She has focused on those female elements (the lace, the dress, the skirt) which can be used in a more masculine way, in order to create a new look – a look that can show both a man’s masculine and feminine sides.

Those of you avant-garders can contact her:

Christina Højris Ottosen

Købmagergade 25, 2.tv

DK-1150 Copenhagen K

(+45)22935313

stinaooo@gmail.com

Total eclipse

Black Hole Sun, an editorial by Danish editor and stylist Anders Sølvsten Thomsen, photographed by Joachim Mueller Ruchholtz for Contributing Editor.

Models Reuben, Ryan, and Max were groomed by Louise Teasdale.

Up to No Good.

An updated "Billy the Kid": Gone are the sombrero, the firearms, and cow-boy boots. In come stilettos, matching the Olima leggings, a vintage yellow sweater and a Margiela belt... worn on the neck.

More fashionable than the original, no doubt,... and equally threatening.

The myth lives on!

Louis Vuitton leggins, Cache Jacket, and Brian Atwood pumps:

Bullseye for Arismendi

It's modern-day Teseus in high heels who has just beaten the Minotaur.

Or it's rather the beast itself.

A grayscaled Georgia O'Keefe epic painting. Whatever.

Alex Nestor features in Antonella Arismendi's pics, who's acting both as stylist and photographer, for the first issue of the Argentinian webzine Vnfold.

Black Is Here to Stay

Anna Trevelyan styled Daniel Hicks as an elegant, caped, young Prince Chaming in Black, as well as Imogen Morris Clarke as his feathered mistress.

The photographer was Kim Jakobsen To, the hair is by Chi Wong and the make up by Thomas De Kluyver.

'S Wonderful... But Not for Me

My friend Pythos, whom I met at a forum dedicated to men in skirts (see my links on the right), really does have a style of his own. He's authorized me to share some of the beautiful pics of himself that he had posted there.

I'm not really into anything "Gothic" or "dark" myself, so this style would be a bit too gloomy for me, but let's admit that he looks overwhelming! I love the skirts, the stockings, the corset... but I'm specially fond that Chinese dress!

Black Wonder

Black Beat White Wonder is the name for designer Siki Im's summer collection. It was recently presented at the New York Fashion Week. White has apparently in fact been beaten by black as the color of choice, an unsual but stylish option for summer clothing.

The former senior designer at Karl Lagerfeld explained that he was inspired by William Golding's Lord of the Flies. Black flies, that is? (silly pun, I know) Perhaps, but also elegant, and impeccably tailored.

Skirts come in multiple lengths, as well as wide trousers. Cord necklaces and bands, also in black, and the absence of shirts, bring in a cathartic "primitive" element to an otherwise refined collection.

Candy Girl

This blog is not about cross-dressing or travestism. It's not about men pretending to be women or "passing" as them. It rather tries to promote those inspired and imaginative designers, who are finally bringing some creativity to the otherwise dull and uninspired male wardrobe.

The introduction of bright colors, creative prints and patterns, the presence of garments such as skirts, dresses, high heels, or stockings in their runways, as well as the wearing of earrings, necklaces and other jewellery, and even makeup, may some day change the way a "real man" should look.

I know that in following that spirit some designers, myself included, sometimes get carried away. We often push the envelope pretty hard, and the results are "androgynous", to put it mildly, or actually end up looking more feminine than masculine by "traditional" standards. But then, what are those standards and who set them? And why?

Some rules are there to be broken, or at least questioned, don't you think?

That being said, I'm aware that some of my readers actually belong to the TV and TG communities... and I have no problem with that! Quite on the contrary! Sometimes I don't know how to draw that thin line myself: "But... am I not crossdressing?", I've wondered as I dress up in a particularly frilly garment.

That's why I'm announcing the appearance of Candy, a new fashion magazine clelebrating crossdressing. The first "transversal fashion magazine" was recently edited by Spanish publisher Luis Venegas. Those important groups, for so long neglected by the fashion industry, are finally having their own publication, and I'd be often referring to it, if I could only get a copy! The premiere issue was limited to only 1,000 copies! There's not much you can learn from Venegas' site, and their main online information source, their Facebook fan page, is not too reveling either.

Male model Luke Worrall is the cover cover face for the premier issue of Candy Magazine. Contributors include photographers Bruce Weber, Tim Walker and Terry Richardson, and stylists Kim Jones and Robbie Spencer