Thing: Women and men about the clothes they wear together
Agender fashion ten years ago It seemed like a question for the distant future, however, today collections with an extended dimensional grid, which are offered at the same time to both men and women, are trying to produce even a mass market. We talked to couples, people who borrow each other’s things, and found out how they come up with a common wardrobe.
Text: Anya Krotikova
Lyuba Kozorezova
photographer
Before, I often bought clothes in large seconds like "Megastil" or "Zigzag of luck." More than once, on the way to the fitting room or at the checkout, I heard: "Girl, this is man's!" At such moments you usually get lost. It would be cool if no one had any questions when they see me in men's clothes or a guy in a dress. On the other hand, I have never singled out unisex brands for myself. I like those stores where I can go to both the men's and women's departments.
I often buy clothes in the men's section. I like the fact that these are usually things without darts at the waist, calmer colors and with a high collar. I wear many things Egor. We also have a lot of wardrobe items - duplicates in different sizes. For example, the same model of boots for the winter and almost identical raincoats.
Yegor Slizyak
photographer
I usually buy clothes in about the same stores as Luba, or secondhand. It is quite difficult for me to present myself in something typically feminine, but on the whole I am not at all against female things. We have any common hoodies, sweaters, some pants and almost all T-shirts. Well at least my shoes are two sizes larger! But generally it is convenient. I remember, it was a couple of times, some of us doubted whether to take a shirt or a sweater - then we decided that we would buy it in half and wear it together.
Kirill Murakhtanov
marketing and recruitment manager
I take an aggende fashion positively. The more options we can use in our routine, the more interesting and individual the image will be. The division of things into "M" and "F" is quite relative and varies greatly with time. Now the pendulum has swung in the direction of androgynous things - and this is normal.
Brightly embroidered with gold, hussar dolmans and leggings about two hundred years ago did not cause any questions - on the contrary, they were a source of pride and enthusiasm. Today, unfortunately, both elements in public perception are little associated with the male image.
We mainly share t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies for two. A couple of my dark hoods that Masha wears as oversized hoodies, I also wear periodically when they are at hand. A separate story with Masha's pink sweatshirt, which I can wear comfortably at home, but once wearing “on the way out”, was sweating in it - and not only from the heat, but from increased attention. It was three years ago, when bright sweatshirts were rarely released in the male format.
Masha Vorslav
The Blueprint editor, make-up artist and author of the book "It's OK about Cosmetics"
I have a wonderful attitude to everything that helps a person to explore his personality and reveal it - including to the gender-based fashion. In my opinion, this is one of the components of happiness. On the other hand, one has to remember how clothes are made: fashion is a rather “dirty” industry, contributing to overconsumption. The mass market will soon use (if not yet use) a gender-neutral vector in order to sell more cheap things that are not always made from quality materials and people with normal working conditions. Although this problem is typical for the production of any clothing, and not just gender-neutral.
The division of things into male and female seems to me convenient in the context of the size and characteristics of the figure. We do not have another system that allows you to quickly estimate the size. When you read that this is a “men's L size sweatshirt,” you immediately understand what kind of silhouette he is. And about the trousers from the men's suit you understand that they are most likely not fitted. On the other hand, when men's things will be more diverse, you will not take advantage of this anymore. How will we then find the clothes in size? Difficult topic - I do not have an answer, how to rethink society.
I often buy clothes in the men's departments, but at the same time I began to look more at typically feminine things. Sometimes I want to dress comfortably, then I choose a sweatshirt and jeans. And when you want to be luxurious, wear a velvet dress to the floor and pearl earrings. I am very glad that I stopped bathing about the holistic image and allowed myself contrasts.
Things Cyril I wear often, I like oversight. One long-stroke "YOUR" I generally selected - a very thin, pleasant fabric. Cyril, in turn, wears my down jacket, he is a great fit. This is cool because you can not buy more things.
Ksyusha Vechtomova
brand manager
It seems to me that in 2019 fashion is already silly to divide into male and female. And I am glad to live in a world where everyone wears what he wants. For example, I am a fan of the H & M gender collaboration with the Swedish brand Eytys. Vinyl jacket lend a guy and wear myself, shoes would have waited for the same fate, if not for the difference in size. Out of Russian designers working in this direction, I love Outlaw Moscow for their oversize bombers and kimonos. For two we usually wear hoodie, t-shirts and glasses. I love music festivals and I try to bring the favorite artists from each of them, knowing in advance that we will be wearing it together.
Artyom Rubanovich
designer
I think everyone can wear what they want. Yes, there are certain technical aspects, such as designing clothes, taking into account the characteristics of a typically male or female figure, but in the end often it all comes down to playing on gender stereotypes. In our pair, due to the difference in size, only Xenia can wear my things. Which she does. In general, any brand is a unisex brand if you are brave enough. But many unisex brands are not really such: if you can buy trousers, but you cannot find a dress, this is deception and unfair advertising. On the other hand, it is silly to deny that it is easier for companies to sell things to different groups. Plus, not in all markets in the world, gender items will be met positively.
Yulya Kimaeva
Art Director
It seems to me that the idea of an agender fashion is not new, although now I notice a special interest in it. Clothing is primarily a cultural code, and reflections on gender identity have already become part of modern culture. It seems to me that there is a future for gender-neutral clothing, although this also has its drawbacks.
From good examples of an agender fashion I can recollect Lot2046. I myself often buy outerwear items in men's stores, because I prefer the cut of men's clothes. I never take women's t-shirts, hoodies and shirts, as they are more fitted. And my favorite “martins” or ordinary New Balance, it seems, is out of gender.
We have a lot of things for two, mostly accessories and outerwear: the fact that I have an oversight, Vasya is just right. We wear by turns the enthusiast merch bar, Acne Studios caps and scarves, Temporary Mark sweatshirts and trousers, we have a lot of common T-shirts and sweatshirts from the men's Uniqlo U - even a raincoat.
Vasya Malyavin
blockchain developer
The less convention - the better. If something allowed people to buy and produce at least a little less material things, it would be foolish to resist. And this is just one of the advantages of the gender fashion. It seems to me that many things conditionally men's brands are no less suitable for women than men. For example, the same black down jacket The North Face Nuptse. On the other hand, the concept of separating things according to gender will remain relevant until humanity evolves into a form of life that has significantly fewer physiological differences. It is clear that people within one gender can have completely different proportions, but statistics show that it is more convenient to form a dimensional grid, keeping in mind the average measurements of men and women. Sometimes convenience and appearance of clothes directly depends on it.
Angelina Sheshenina
producer
I have a good attitude to the gender-based fashion, but I’m more likely close to brands that produce not unisex products, but adapt the cut of the same things to male and female figures. Still, at the level of mass market sizes there are significant differences between the sexes. That is, real boyfriend jeans and jeans with a fit "boyfriend" from the women's section can sit down quite differently. Often, the latter look much better, because they are stitched for female growth and volume.
If you explain on the fingers and break away from the prices, then I always prefer the Eytys and ASOS Collusion brands to Carhartt WIP. In Carhartt, I generally love everything except fabrics for the women's collection. They make the perfect things for the type of work clothes, simple and understandable. True, it is for girls that they often choose thinner and less wearable fabrics - I hope that they will soon leave it.
In general, I like things without a clear binding to gender - both my son and I wear Blundstone shoes. Both I and Anton are wearing Dr. Martens. Sneakers, okolovoennye things like sheepskin coats and overalls fall into the same piggy bank. In this case, I like some women's brands, such as Form.
We rarely wear things for two, but occasionally something from Anton's wardrobe passes into mine. True, he is jealous of his things and does not like to share too much.
Anton Salynov
marketing manager
I have been working in retail for a long time, so I notice well the difference between male and female products. Today's cut men's and women's things are very different, until the location of the buttons. And if a girl in clothes from the men's section does not bother me, then a man in women's things, in my opinion, often looks ridiculous. Not due to the fact that they are conditionally female, but due to the fact that they are short in sleeves, leg trousers, narrow in the shoulders and do not take into account the peculiarities of the male figure at all.
I am not familiar with high-grade unisex brands. But my girlfriend Angelina and I often buy the same things in the men's section, just in different sizes. This is more about a basic wardrobe - T-shirts, sweatshirts, socks - and shoes. I also like the way our friend Sveta fills men's clothes in her wardrobe. If Angelina’s wardrobe is neutral in some places, then Sveta can combine “laputenes” and huge men's hoodies or jackets in one outfit - and it looks organic.
COVER: Instagram / supergelik