Men enter ladies’ dressing rooms

From slouchy blazers and oversized tees to lengthy cardigans and wide-leg trousers, this summer is all about finding inspiration in your boyfriend’s wardrobe, writes Jaydeep Ghosh.

Male-inspired fashion is making way from the high-end runways to ready-to-wear street fashion. From slouchy blazers and oversized tees to lengthy cardigans and wide-leg trousers, this summer is all about finding inspiration in your boyfriend’s wardrobe.

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It is ironic that ‘boyfriend dressing’ has become one of the key trends of 2009 on the centenary anniversary of Chanel, for it was the legendary designer herself who was the originator of the trend. Coco, as early as 1910, was photographed in sweaters tucked into Oxford baggies, belted at the waist, which was unthinkable at the time when society ladies wore fringed chemise-dresses.

Boyfriend dressing started out as ‘boyfriend jeans’ — the baggy, saggy, denims that were designed to look as if you’d picked them up from your boyfriend’s bedroom and put them on in a hurry. After the jeans, came the ‘boyfriend cardigan’ — infinitely more alluring — comfy, but masculine in origin, nonetheless.

The latest thing to pinch from his wardrobe is the blazer. Ideally, it should be a little oversized. It emphasises the fragile female frame in contrast to the broad, manly shoulders for which it was designed.

This season, it’s good to have a boyfriend. Not for the usual perks, of course, but for the fact that fashion grants you permission to raid his wardrobe. Plus, in times of recession, what could be better than sharing the wardrobe! However, it is very important that you get your ‘boyfriend dressing’ right.

Here’s how you can do it perfectly:

Mix tough and tender: Offset the manly charms of a blazer with a romantic ruffled shirt or bow-trim blouse.

Play with contrasts: Cleavage and cargo pants, or a bellboy jacket and skintight T-shirt.

Add attitude: Roll-up trouser bottoms to show off your most decorative footwear.

Strut in the highest heels you can manage