5 Styling Tips to Look Feminine In Menswear

How do you feel polished, poised, and sophisticated? Take a style note from couturier Coco Chanel and embrace the menswear trend. Everywhere you look this season there’s a menswear-inspired influence on the runway from decadent oversized coats by Hermès to Prince of Wales check suiting by Lanvin.

The key to this trend is in the details. Whether you want to get suited up for the office or dress for a relaxing weekend, this boy meets girl look will take you where you want to go. Here’s how to style it.

Keep it Masculine without being Manly 

With any trend, it’s important to keep in mind who you are long before you hit the stores. At any age adding too much of one trend to an outfit can make you look like a fashion victim. Remember the trend is not to wear men’s clothing but to get the look by using key pieces.  Mix and match to create a look with all the style of James Bond but with the elegance of Grace Kelly. How do you do this?

1.  Choose Ladylike Shapes

Menswear is as much about the fabric as it is the fit.  Opt for fitted pants, sheaths, pencil skirts, and tailored jackets in houndstooth, pinstripes, herringbone, and checks.  Add in other feminine shapes like this pretty black wrap top.

2.  Play with Fit

Mix big, masculine, slouchy pieces with fitted, feminine garments, For example, a  pair of fitted pants and a fitted top with a big slouchy jacket makes a sexy nod to the trend.

3.  Mix Masculine and Feminine Fabrics

A lacy dress was worn with a tweed menswear coat, a silky blouse and sexy heels worn with a glen check pencil skirt.  It’s the juxtaposition of materials that makes the menswear look work.

4.  Try Menswear as an Accent

If you’re not ready to take this trend head-on, try it out as outerwear or as an accessory.

Take a simple outfit like jeans and a white blouse and man it up with an oversized double breasted coat and Oxford. Finish the look off with a fun leopard print bag to create balance and add a little vixen to your look.

5.  Strike a Balance

The goal is to find balance; it can be easy to get carried away by pairing too many of these trendy pieces together. Following these tips will update your wardrobe without making you look like you raided your husband’s closet. Keeping it simple and classic is the way to go.

*Guest Contributor Lucia Sobral is a fashion journalist and filmmaker.