Gender fluid fashion, a movement that encourages sustainability and redefining ridged distinctions of what it means to ‘dress like a boy’ or ‘dress like a girl’. Clothing isn’t mutually exclusive to one gender. I wanted to use this article to briefly explore exactly that, with one accessory. How women have taken the tie, turned an accessory that is deemed to be exclusive to menswear, and not only made it a symbol of power and defiance but something playful and versatile.

Women wearing ties isn’t about borrowing from traditional menswear, it’s the incorporation of a traditionally masculine accessory in a subtle way that still allows the piece to be a statement due to its unconventionality, whether it’s a belt, scarf, bow on a bag, reworked into a corset, skirt or shirt. 

Styling unrestricted by gender is OUT! Reworking traditionally masculine (or feminine) pieces and feminising (or emasculating) them to suit yourself is IN!

Fluidity in womenswear is often overlooked as anything groundbreaking or revolutionary – most of the time is just brushed off as being a “tomboy” or indulging heavily in Streetwear culture but it’s actually so much more than that. When researching the history of the gender fluidity movement in fashion, I found there was more coverage on fluidity in menswear with focuses on the likes of Prince, harry Styles, Young Thug etc. With womenswear we’ve seen celebs like Julia Roberts, Kelly Rowland, Janelle Monáe and Zendaya stun at events, on the runway and red carpets in suits and ties. It goes beyond just being stylish and cool, women have been discriminated against and singled out in workplaces for years by men wearing these same suits, by reclaiming the suit and challenging traditional dress norms and wearing as a power symbol, as armour – redefines what it means to be a ‘Boss’ and a ‘powerhouse’.

Ties are just a singular example of how clothing can be repurposed and redefined. It’s not about the erasure of what is masculine and what is feminine but the line between the two not being so blurred and feeling so restricting. Fashion is constantly evolving and although we’ve still got a very long way to go, I love how gender fluid fashion is a testament to how society has begun to challenge outdated expectations and norms. The best fashion statements are those that feel the most unapologetically you so if there’s one thing fashion is teaching us is that the best looks stem from rule-breaking paired with confidence. And confidence? Well, that will never go out of style.

Thanks for reading, 

Until next time, 

Megankamangawrites.