Wolf in sheep’s clothing

Fashion is riding the transgender wave. It more than likely began with the pursuit of size zero; when fashion weeks around the world presented models with pretty faces, flat chests, tiny waists and long legs, so thin and tall they were practically zero percent women.

Pubescent girls devoid of curves made more sense, but were perhaps still too feminine.

Enter the male model dressed as a woman on the international catwalk.

So lovely were boys like the famous model Andrej Pejic that most of us didn’t realise they weren’t girls.

A few years ago, Daily Mail writer Amanda Platell went as far as to accuse the upper echelon of the fashion world (gay male designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Karl Lagerfeld) of trying to replace real women with what they found most attractive, ie teenage boys.

While Platell’s old thesis is controversial, it may well remain relevant as the line between womenswear and menswear fades.

At the South African Fashion Week Autumn/ Winter 2016 collections in Johannesburg last weekend, there were plenty of boys in girls’ clothing.

To clarify, these weren’t boys dressed in womenswear pretending to be women. This was menswear, that looked like womenswear.

Designer Sandile Duke Mngadi, of the label Duke, said this would be one of the biggest trends of next season and he envisioned men in kilts, dresses and tights.

“It’s not about mimicking the opposite sex, it’s about blurring the lines and creating equality through genderless clothing,” he said.

Arnold Phasha, of the label Ageo, was among those who presented an androgynous collection on the runway.

“I created a unisex line, it’s not about trending it’s about the future of fashion,” he explained.

“I was inspired by midnight city dives. The guys who go out at night to party. They’re fashionable, calm and confident. The pieces are masculine and feminine, but this is driven by a desire to be functional and elegant. There is an arum pants with a long-length turtle neck sweater and a gingham check dress. If anything, the clothes are architectural in design.”

He said next season fabrications would also affect form, with upholstery fabric gaining popularity as it creates the volume and drama menswear designers are looking for.

“It will happen slowly. Watch men’s T-shirts and cardigans get longer and look out for creative necklines like the cowl neck, creeping into men’s wardrobes.”

Andre Martin, of the brand Life, doesn’t believe that in South Africa it’s about sex or sexuality. He, too, calls it the way forward.

“I make streetwear which has always been genderless. Consider that it is traditionally drawn from sportswear; garments such as tracksuits and vests have always been unisex. I have made a few longer-length T-shirts and sweaters, it definitely allows you to access a unisex market, but the aim is to do what sportswear does: to be comfortable,” said Martin.

While I’d love to credit the likes of model Pejic and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner with the fashion world’s latest wave of androgyny, I’m not really sure if the momentum gained by the transgender movement is owing to fashion or if it’s the other way around.Read more at:cocktail prom dresses | cheap prom dresses uk