Gender/Fashion Law

Yet Another Kardashian Sham

Forget the alleged sham that was Kim Kardashian’s 72-day marriage, this alleged handbag ripoff is much worse, in my humble opinion! Styleite did a great piece on the Kardashian’s bag collection, which seems to flagrantly knock-off some of fashion’s most coveted brands, including, Balenciaga, Chloe, Yves Saint Laurent, Foley and Corrina, and Jason Wu.  They’re all pretty similar, but I think Balenciaga, Chloe and Yves Saint Laurent will all start bringing out the legal guns on this one.

[Photo: Left, Balenciaga; Right, Kardashian]

I have been out of the gender-fashion loop for a bit, what with a new job and some vacationing in between.  I thought the best way to get back into it is with this New York Times article about men in heels.  Sure, for those in the fashion industry this is hardly something to blink at.  But, I’m not sure what to make of it.  I think it’s powerful though that men are wearing an item that has become exclusively gendered.  The item that defines the woman.  I’ve struggled with heels in the past.  Do they depict a strong woman, or are they just a way to show that women have to work extra harder (i.e., painful shoes) to be noticed, to look good?  Though the article does point out that heels and men are not a new phenomenon, Louis XVI wore five-inch red-accented heels - move over Louboutin!

[Photo courtesy of Amy Dickerson for the New York Times] 

Men in Skirts. In most parts of the world women alternate between skirts, dresses and pants, without really giving it a second thought. I have written about the curious, one-sided nature of cross-dressing before…Cross-dressing is a term that can be used to describe dressing in a way that is inconsistent with one’s gender. Whatever that means. Though today a woman wearing pants is not cross-dressing, she is simply wearing what she wants. A woman who wears pants is no longer seen as dressing inconsistent to her gender. But, for the sake of our discussion, women “cross-dress” when they wear pants, but it doesn’t really work the other way around. Men don’t wear skirts. Why? The article, “Redefining the borders of gender in fashion,” mentions briefly that in ancient times men wore skirts and dresses and it wasn’t unusual. But the article doesn’t go into much detail about the history of men wearing skirts and when that trend ended. Does anyone know more about this? What changed? Do you think the men-in-skirts-look will pick up again and last? You have to admire the designers like Jean Paul Gaultier, Rick Owens, Givenchy and Commes Des Garcons for pushing the boundaries. And of course, Marc Jacobs, who is often seen rocking the skirt.

Let’s end the week with some “fashion conundrums.” First, there’s been much talk about Tim Gunn’s statement regarding Hillary Clinton’s “gender confused” style. I don’t think I can be truly objective on this because I happen to LOVE Tim Gunn. I just do. And, he is entitled to his opinion, but it does strike me as odd that a man so immersed in fashion would bring gender into the conversation, as though the fashion world actually follows gender stereotypes? Has he not seen the Tilda Swinton spread in W? Or has he not heard of Andrej Pejic? Second conundrum of the week is featured in business of fashion’s article, “Fashion’s Intellectual Property Conundrum.” I thought this article was a great piece on the current debate about enacting greater protection for fashion designer’s. 

Aside from making a funny, judge Victor Marrero of New York’s Southern District, did not rule on the case of the red-soled shoes just yet, stating that he needed to look at the facts more before coming to a final decision. Christian Louboutin sued YSL for trademark infringement when YSL created the red-soled shoe pictured here. Louboutin registered the red sole as a trademark in 2008.

We’ve seen Kirsten Dunst don the masculine look at this years CFDA awards, and we’ve explored the Le Smoking jacket that Marlene Dietrich often sported, and in similar fashion, we have Tilda Swinton’s look on W’s August issue. I cannot think of a better picture to end the week with. Tilda is looking swag as ever. This look epitomizes the concept of gender/fashion law. Check out the rest of the spread.