REALNESS WITH A TWIST

FASHION EDITOROctober 16, 2012

FASHION

Photography: Keith Major

Styling : Llewellyn Jenkins and Chad Groom for The Stylemonsters

Makeup : Byron Barnes for Iman Cosmetics

Hair : Johnny Gonzalez for Ken Barboza & Associates

Model(s): AzMarie @ Identities NY . Wei Mu @ Icon Model Management (Rome)

Article: Chad Groom

When it comes to how we visually present ourselves to the world, we are socialized to think in terms of blue and pink, of boy and girl, of masculine and feminine. In recent history, music luminaries like David Bowie, Elton John and Boy George changed the rules regarding what a rock star was supposed to look like by boldly challenging what society told them they should wear. Fashion early-adapters like Marlene Deitrich, Yves Saint Laurent and Jean Paul Gaultier put women in tuxedos and men in skirts.

Dress by Ruth Tarvydas

Boots by Dirk Bikkembergs

Glove by LaCrasia

Hosiery by Fogal

Mesh Headwrap by Andrew Nowell

Jacket by Moncler

Lingerie and Hosiery by Agent Provocateur

Necklace by TAMIKKO

Scarf (in hand) by Chanel

Shoes by Yves Saint Laurent

In Fashion, there are womens wear and menswear categories, and the two hardly ever seriously coexist. However, once in a while you come across a fashion magazine editorial which features a strong, handsome woman in sturdy combat boots wearing a beautifully-crafted “rouched” dress while baring tattooed biceps. Turn the page, and the same woman may be too feminine for words. Then there may be images where you aren’t quite sure how to distinguish between the two.

T-Shirt by Hanro of Switzerland

Studded Leather jeans by Katherine Hamnett

Shoes by Sergio Rossi

Floral cuff by TAMIKKO

Leather cuffs by Hermes

Hat by Marc Jacobs

Cashmere Scarf by Magaschoni

Men’s underwear by Bend The Rules

Dress by Ruth Tarvydas

Shoes by Zigi

Multi-strand Pearl necklace by TAMIKKO

These are genius moments, when certain members of the fashion zeitgeist forcefully push the envelope of gender flexibility (and, perhaps, sexuality) to the point where the concepts of hard and soft, of passive and aggressive, of X and Y chromosomes, are not necessarily mutually exclusive. In this world, seeing girls in V-neck t-shirts, low-slung leather studded jeans and skullcaps are nothing new; girls in painstakingly-sequined blouses cling- lustfully- to other girls in six-inch platform heels and skirts with side-slits high enough to reveal decidedly sensual opaque stockings. In this world, the old gender-based rules of dressing are all but thrown out of the window, because the idea of gender has imploded. But let’s be clear; even in the absence of male/female categorization, the rules of fashion still prevail: whatever you’re wearing still must be expertly made and worn like nothing else that came before it. This is the next wave of high-end sartorialism. This is Realness With A Twist…