Gucci's New Men's Collection Blurs Gender Lines

Androgyny is a familiar concept in womenswear, but feminine frills have been a rare occurrence on the menswear runways — until now. Gucci's Fall/Winter 2015 Menswear collection is androgyny at its finest, only this time, traditionally feminine accents have infiltrated the masculine market.

Sensual pussybow blouses adorned male models whose flat-ironed locks reached mid-chest; Saint Laurent-style white oxford shirts with slim black bows completed slightly oversized suits; and the sort of slim sweater which hung in every mid-'90s career-driven female executive's closet could be seen draped over men instead of women. Several exceptionally experimental looks even featured crochet tops, transparent lace accents, and ruffled collars.

To further the flirtation with upended gender roles, Gucci tossed in several menswear-clad women to throw audience members for a loop. The label's menswear accessories were similarly demonstrative of feminine influence, from sweet, jewel-toned berets and glinting metal buckled belts to suede satchels.

Certainly, the departure can be attributed in part to Gucci's new artistic leadership, but the fact remains that men's fashion has arguably never been more radical. It may be socially acceptable for a woman to wear trousers and a blazer, but a man sporting a dress is a newsworthy event — Marc Jacobs' own foray into wearing such a traditionally feminine garment garnered so much press attention that comedian Seth Meyers debuted the same look at the 2012 CFDA's as a joke.

However, 2014 proved to be a revolutionary year for redefining gender roles, and perhaps fashion is beginning to catch on. The industry has finally begun to celebrate transgender models, thanks to several recent campaigns. For example, Barneys' catalogue featured a number of transgender models last winter, and American Apparel implored transgender models to attend a casting session for the brand's advertisements in 2013. Now that stereotypically feminine styles are hitting the menswear runways, could the world's biased view of gender be a thing of the past? Only 2015 Fashion Week will tell.

Image: Gucci/Instagram