update by m-c :
As strange as this might sound after writing in previous posts about feminism, and trying to better define today’s “Feminism” by a new term, such as suggested with “Equalityism”, i just found out about The International Mens Fashion Freedom Network. Since chris posted this article about men clothes being boring, many links are coming to Vu d’ici via the IFF website.
About IFF :
“Call it fashion freedom, call it mens lib, call it fun, cool, different do it for comfort, whatever! This website aimed at those men who see the comfort/style that exists outside of trousers and shorts and want some of it for themselves.
Its just 60 years since women started wearing trousers and today many women spend more time in trousers than in skirts. Women won their right to fashion freedom because they fought for it. Now is the time for men to do the same.
Men have spent the last 300 years losing their fashion freedom. In times gone by we used to wear tights, cloaks, robes, Toga’s, kilts and skirts etc. Its time to regain some of the comfort that we once enjoyed!
Males in non western cultures have maintained their varied clothing, and if you were to travel to Thailand, Bali, Malaysia, Fiji, Hawai, India and some Arab countries it would become very obvious that mens clothing without a hole for each leg is very much still in existance.
(…)
I look forward to the day when I can delete this website as “no longer necessary”. But I think we will have a tougher time in obtaining our fashion freedom than women did just 60 years ago.”
Links :
Amok, skirts for men, pictures;
men in time;
sk4men (link ressources);
Midasclothing;
men in skirts on the catwalk;
pictures of famous men leaving the throuser for skirts;
men wearing dresses, pictures of the past.
* * *
I love to discover new fashion items for men, especially when these are breaking some “rules”. Nowadays it seems that remixing typical female clothes for men is the “new punk”. Men in skirts, men with long earrings or men wearing high heels are getting more attention than any other fashion style on the street. And I am not talking about transvestites/crossdressers who try to pass as women. I am more interested in how to reuse typical female fashion items for men, since the other way round – women wearing clothes which have their origin in male clothes (just think of cowboy boots, jeans, etc.) – is quite common since several years.
So I was quite happy that I discovered fashion designer Marjan Pejoski who is breaking some of these “rules”. His new collection for men is even offering high heels for men! Of course we could argue now if the concept of high heels is making sense at all – even for women. But I don’t want to get into these (health) issues now. I would simply try these shoes, since it is something different for men (and I am very bored with male fashion since years, because it is not changing at all – the concept is always the same: look at trousers, shoes, etc.).
Another thing which is interesting to me is the reaction of many women towards more extravagant clothes for men. It seems that they don’t like it at all! I read many comments on the web and it feels to me that women think men are “stealing” something from their “area”. Or that men start to compete with women indirectly (just compare the ultra-thin bodies of models and the bodies of young males; there is not so much difference). Maybe that is the reason why… maybe you – dear reader – can tell me?
The only thing which bothers me with the collection of Marjan Pejoski is, that he used extremely androgynous models to present his collection. In my opinion, there is absolutely no need for that.
Anyways, it is good to see something new in the fashion world for men. And I hope many men will follow and try to experience something new on their bodies. And remember, you don’t need to be gay to try something new! 😉
Check out the current collection of Marjan Pejoski (PDF download).