The popularity of androgynous fashion has changed the gender game in fashion, and with it, the aesthetic of the tomboy has emerged. Pre-fall offers a line up of brands championing the overtly masculine and rough-and-tumble spirit that has come to define the wardrobe of the tomboy. Here’s an abridged primer to what you need to know about this style movement.
Who: Celine
What: The last collection designed by Phobe Philo, it boasts the design signatures that have come to define her era at the brand: supersized outerwear, the soft and slouchy silhouettes and a great love for suitings.
But there is also a masculine – and slightly impish – spirit about this collection. Hoodies are worn under suits and ponchos. While chunky mannish trainers, not unlike those worn by our dads and uncles, anchor a huge portion of the looks.
Who: Chloe
What: Natacha Ramsay-Levi takes a more rugged approach to her tomboyish vision for her second collection at the brand. The khaki carrot pants, the biker shorts and breeches are just some of the bottoms she’s introduced.
And to showcase the rugged attitude of the collection, there is the range of outerwear, made for the outdoors. Cue the safari jacket, the corduroy blazer, and wool gabardine trenchcoat. The footwear of-the-moment at Chloe? A pair of high tops, reminiscent of Air Jordans, called the Sonnie. Now, that’s a slam dunk.
Who: Diesel
What: Tattered denim jeans, oversized sweatshirts, leather jackets, and wife beaters. These grunge staples are the foundation of the womenswear wardrobe for the brand this Pre-fall ’18. The decorative details on the clothes, meanwhile, come in the form of in-your-face slogans and prints that look like the stickers and decals you might find on skateboards or guitars.
Who: Gucci
What: For a brand known for its eclectic and androgynous style, it’s not unexpected for Gucci to be championing the tomboy aesthetic. However, the brand’s approach could not be more butch.
There is the nod to the rebellious dressing of the street chav in the form of the stonewashed denim, the bomber jacket, caps and hiking boots. Then there are the Yankees baseball caps – a collaboration with Major League Baseball – that are teamed up with tracksuits and dresses.
Who: Veronika Heilbrunner, the German model-turned-fashion editor and street style darling.
What: She’s our girl crush for her off-kilter wardrobe that mixes items from the men’s wardrobe like a pair of boardshorts, Oakley track pants and straight-cut corduroy pants. Plus, no one looks as effortlessly cool wearing Timberlands and Chucks quite like her.
Having a boyfriend like Justin O’Shea – creative director of menswear brand Brioni – is bound to rub off on her. She recently told Ssense.com: “When you have a boyfriend on your side who has cool jackets, coats, pants, whatever, you can borrow pieces and wear them.”
Who: Half Senegalese-half French stylist Julia Sarr-Jamois.
What: If her afro does not make her stand out, then her penchant for colours and prints would. But Sarr-Jamois is also a great #inspo for wearing a mannish suit and blazer. Even her go-to accessories are traditional men’s pieces: a signet ring engraved with her initials and a gold Rolex watch from the ’60s.
Who: The 1.78m-tall South Korean Sohyun Jung, and one of the fashion industry’s favourite models.
What: She breaks the conventional notion of Korean beauty with her gamine personality and pixie do. While her job as a model means she looks great in feminine getups, her off-duty wardrobe is even more compelling: a cap (or some sort of headgear like a bucket hat or beanie), a slogan T-shirt, comfortable sweatpants or jeans, and sneakers.
Embroidered cotton cap, Gucci
Leather sneakers, Chloe
Monse denim jeans, $826, www.net-a-porter.com
Blue Roses cotton T-shirt, $120, Dover Street Market Singapore
Faux leather moto jacket, $109, H&M
Like this? The killer black looks to rock all day, everything from the Chanel Cruise ’19 show that will make women swoon, and the six fashion-forward home and design brands to shop at.