"He Wears/She Wears" - an album of men and women's fashion

August 26, 2014 8:39 AM

this is an album of men and women wearing very similar outfits placed side by side for comparison. I tried to find fits that not only had the same colour palette, but the same clothing cut/style as well. Most images were taken from Pinterest - I just pinned outfits that I thought would transfer well to the opposite gender and started matching. Some resemblances are better than others, but I think the individual touches are what make some fits more characteristically masculine or feminine.

via /r/femalefashionadvice
posted by rebent (45 comments total)

The most interesting ones are the ones where only the tiniest differences mark one as "masculine" and the other as "feminine"--and yet you'd almost never see a man wearing the "feminine" version. I imagine trying to explain this to a visitor from outer space ("no, see, the way it's just pulled in an inch at the waist there, and that slightly shiny contrast material there? That's definitely 'girls-only.'" Alien visitor shakes heads and sighs.)
posted by yoink at 9:06 AM on August 26, 2014 [7 favorites]

I scored 97% on the gender identification quiz. Is that good?
posted by fairmettle at 9:08 AM on August 26, 2014 [2 favorites]

The shape of the pants is what bridges the gender gap for a lot of these outfits. That men and women can share a silhouettethat began as a women's trend seems huge to me.
posted by Flipping_Hades_Terwilliger at 9:18 AM on August 26, 2014 [4 favorites]

I don't think pants have been this tight on men since the 1820s.
posted by jnnla at 9:22 AM on August 26, 2014 [7 favorites]

That men and women can share a silhouette that began as a women's trend

I don't see much evidence of that in these photos, though. Insofar as there is crossing of gender boundaries it all looks pretty much like women wearing clothes that were or are coded "masculine" rather than men wearing clothes that were or are coded "feminine."
posted by yoink at 9:25 AM on August 26, 2014 [4 favorites]

I propose a third gender: people with quads.
posted by klanawa at 9:28 AM on August 26, 2014 [28 favorites]

Sometimes I think the secret to fancy fashion for women is just "put some heels on." Half these outfits would be weekend bumming outfits with different shoes.

This is unfortunate, because I think heels are one of the worst ideas humanity ever came up with. /Weekend bumming for life.
posted by whimsicalnymph at 9:29 AM on August 26, 2014 [24 favorites]

jnnla, you may find an interesting history of slim-fit pants here on wikipedia
posted by rebent at 9:30 AM on August 26, 2014 [1 favorite]

Ah, documentation of the fashion world's long battle to get men and women to dress alike.* Think of the efficiency savings!

*Not that there's anything wrong with it.
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:36 AM on August 26, 2014

For me, the number of women in jeans and high heels was a trip. To me, it was the difference in shoes that stood out the most. That seems to be the number one thing that the men do not do. Woman carrying a bag? Yeah, some men have some kind of bag too. They just don't call it a "purse." The women are also more likely to have long hair but, to me, it's the shoe thing that marks a clear divide where "men just do not do that."

I mostly haven't worn heels in years (because I have knee problems and foot problems etc and have trouble walking in them these days). Maybe that is part of why that stands out so strongly to me.
posted by Michele in California at 9:41 AM on August 26, 2014

I feel like I need to send this to all my tumblr friends who post with "nonbinary" and "androgyne" tags.
posted by immlass at 9:41 AM on August 26, 2014 [1 favorite]

Heels. MFing heels. But otherwise incredibly interesting.
posted by kariebookish at 9:43 AM on August 26, 2014

The net effect here was that most of the male outfits starting looking feminine to me, by virtue of being overly fitted and coordinated.
posted by 2bucksplus at 9:43 AM on August 26, 2014

I don't think pants have been this tight on men since the 1820s 1470s.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:47 AM on August 26, 2014 [2 favorites]

This whole mod skinny trousers thing isn't dying is it?

I guess fashion is only for the kids.
posted by clvrmnky at 9:50 AM on August 26, 2014

The men's pants are tight, but the women's pants are almost all significantly tighter.
posted by jeather at 9:50 AM on August 26, 2014 [2 favorites]

The women wore pants? I thought I saw mostly leggings on the women.
posted by Michele in California at 9:55 AM on August 26, 2014 [3 favorites]

I thought I saw mostly leggings on the women.

I think they're mostly "pants" but when you get those high-lycra-content "jeans" the distinction starts to get fuzzy.
posted by yoink at 10:04 AM on August 26, 2014

Oh, um, maybe I should have ended with "hamburger" or something. I was kind of intending to agree with jeather and be funny and stuff like that. I just meant, yeah, you couldn't get much tighter without painting them on! or humor/observation to that effect.
posted by Michele in California at 10:07 AM on August 26, 2014

I propose a third gender: people with quads.

Ugh, as a man with big quads and a generous butt, I can't wait for this skinny/fitted trend to GTFO.

Also I think it looks stupid and they need to get off my lawn.
posted by Fleebnork at 10:10 AM on August 26, 2014 [5 favorites]

Alien visitor shakes heads and sighs.

Nah. They'll have their own cultural norms and would find it ridiculous to think that a Garnak would ever use the same chemical signature as a Xorlp, and can you even imagine a third-tier worker drone from an outer-world moeity presenting the same carapace ornaments as a second-tier inner worlder?
posted by Sangermaine at 10:17 AM on August 26, 2014 [9 favorites]

Any pants you can peg, I can peg tighter
I can peg any pants tighter than you

I understand that "peg" means something different to you young people now than I did back in the early 1990s when we were all tapering our Dickies but I'm sticking with it
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:18 AM on August 26, 2014 [8 favorites]

The people in the pictures (both the men and the women) are all incredibly thin.

I feel like most fashion is targeted at thin women, then thin men, then normal sized women, then very little else. I've seen some targeted at "plus sized" women, but I don't see very much for average sized men or "big and tall" men.
posted by I am the Walrus at 10:20 AM on August 26, 2014 [11 favorites]

Sometimes I think the secret to fancy fashion for women is just "put some heels on." Half these outfits would be weekend bumming outfits with different shoes.

Really? I think with some nice flats or even fashionable tennis shoes most of these would still look polished. Though it is remarkable how wearing high platform heels automatically brings any outfit into the world of ~women's (menswear) fashion.
posted by stoneandstar at 10:24 AM on August 26, 2014 [1 favorite]

Also I no longer wear heels due to the pain (in my mid-20s... ) so maybe I'm just a little biased toward keeping the hope of low-heeled fashion alive.
posted by stoneandstar at 10:25 AM on August 26, 2014

Just as a throwback to the '90s, check out the styling of PJ Harvey and Nick Cave in the video for Henry Lee.
posted by scody at 10:29 AM on August 26, 2014 [2 favorites]

People with butts/quads complaining about fitted pants: tapered legs are your friend. I'm a big fan of the Levi's 508 jeans, which are regular waist, tapered leg. Gives me a cool fit without looking like my thighs are about to burst.
posted by JauntyFedora at 11:02 AM on August 26, 2014 [1 favorite]

I don't see much evidence of that in these photos, though. Insofar as there is crossing of gender boundaries it all looks pretty much like women wearing clothes that were or are coded "masculine" rather than men wearing clothes that were or are coded "feminine." - yoink

I meant the skinny pants, specifically. The women are definitely wearing plenty of menswear-y things.

The net effect here was that most of the male outfits starting looking feminine to me, by virtue of being overly fitted and coordinated. - 2bucksplus

Is that what makes them seem feminine, though? What about men in well-tailored, high-quality suits with coordinated ties, coats, bags, etc.? Is it the pulled-together-ness, or the types of clothing and accessories worn (e.g., infinity scarves)?

(FWIW, I think most of the guys look cool in a cosmopolitan, well-travelled way).
posted by Flipping_Hades_Terwilliger at 11:49 AM on August 26, 2014 [1 favorite]

I propose a third gender: people with quads.

Slim-straight pants on me look like what skinny jeans look like on people with toothpick legs. I feel you.

Also— when you date women who follow menswear for inspiration, it's infuriating when their outfits are better than yours, yet you can't borrow anything without looking unequivocally like cased meats.
posted by a halcyon day at 11:49 AM on August 26, 2014 [2 favorites]

This is a great illustration of the fact that gorgeous people look pretty damn good in clothes that fit no matter what their gender.

Also, these are strikingly modern outfits for the women precisely because they approximate well what the men are wearing. For centuries of fashion, including much of the last century, that would not have been the case.
posted by bearwife at 11:53 AM on August 26, 2014 [2 favorites]

I didn't scroll far enough to see if there were any middle-aged men wearing mom jeans...were there?
posted by OHenryPacey at 12:26 PM on August 26, 2014

People with butts/quads complaining about fitted pants: tapered legs are your friend.

Only if you don't also have calves, alas. I wish boot-cut would come back into style so I can find jeans that my calves aren't bursting out of, or that fit in the leg without being 4 inches too big in the waist, or that don't give me that weird baggy-knee look.
posted by randomnity at 12:37 PM on August 26, 2014 [2 favorites]

Also— when you date women who follow menswear for inspiration, it's infuriating when their outfits are better than yours, yet you can't borrow anything without looking unequivocally like cased meats.

Alternately, if you're a woman who loves (but is not built for) menswear, it's infuriating when your boyfriend's outfits are better than yours without even trying, while you flail around trying to find button-down shirts that button and sneakers that don't make your feet look like weird boats.
posted by like_a_friend at 12:42 PM on August 26, 2014 [5 favorites]

The men's pants are tight, but the women's pants are almost all significantly tighter.


Well, now I'm hearing that sung by Harry Belafonte.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 1:02 PM on August 26, 2014

> This is a great illustration of the fact that gorgeous people look pretty damn good in clothes that fit no matter what their gender.

I fell for it. I saw a couple models wearing clothes like the ones I already own. I thought, "Maybe now I've found the secret to being attractive!" Then I remembered the real secret, which I will share now:

Look good naked and you'll look good wearing clothes.
posted by Monochrome at 1:16 PM on August 26, 2014

Look good naked and you'll look good wearing clothes.

I think that's more "and you'll look good in whatever's hip/fashionable." And that's because the hip/fashionable stuff is designed for young, slim, beautiful people. But I know lots of people who are not in any way conventionally "sexy" who are fantastic dressers and draw lots of compliments on their personal style.
posted by yoink at 1:34 PM on August 26, 2014 [2 favorites]

Pshaw, that sounds like talent, not a secret.
posted by Monochrome at 1:59 PM on August 26, 2014

Seriously though I would like to see more fashion modeled by people that look everyday people. Aside from beauty standards and body issues I think such a project would focus on the clothes and the audience wouldn't be paying so much attention to the models. Isn't that what a fashion designer would want?
posted by Monochrome at 2:47 PM on August 26, 2014

The people in the pictures (both the men and the women) are all incredibly thin.

They're also incredibly white. About 45 pairs of photos, so about 90 people total. I counted about 6-7 non-white people.
posted by K.P. at 3:03 PM on August 26, 2014 [1 favorite]

The people in the pictures (both the men and the women) are all incredibly thin.

They're also incredibly white. About 45 pairs of photos, so about 90 people total. I counted about 6-7 non-white people.

White is the default (in Western culture in general, but even more so in fashion).
posted by sweetkid at 6:35 PM on August 26, 2014

Look good naked and you'll look good wearing clothes.

Muscular men and voluptuous women look great naked, but can be a real challenge to dress. Tall, slim people who would look rather gawky and scrawny naked make the best clotheshorses.
posted by orange swan at 6:37 PM on August 26, 2014 [8 favorites]

My boyfriend and I do this all the time! By accident! And then we fight about who has to go change. Mostly it's because we both have wardrobes based around dark denim, Converse sneakers and thin knits and do most of our shopping at Uniqlo/Country Road.
posted by Wantok at 6:41 PM on August 26, 2014 [2 favorites]

I see that high-heeled shoes, thin straps on sandals, and tall shafts on boots are feminine, and I see that leggings are feminine, but could someone point out the differences in their jackets and shirts?

I'm sort of hoping that the answer will be there is no difference because for a few years I wore a woman's coat because it was cheap at the thrift shop and I thought nobody would look closely enough to notice that the buttons were reversed. Also because my measurements are 40-33-43 and it was the first time I found a coat that fit all three.
posted by d. z. wang at 8:22 PM on August 26, 2014

Skinny people look good in modern clothes because modern clothes are designed to look good on a hanger.
posted by poe at 10:42 PM on August 26, 2014 [1 favorite]

lol, I would love to have as much muscle as some of these "gawky", "scrawny" men clearly do under their clothes
posted by en forme de poire at 2:39 AM on August 27, 2014