It's A Man's World

Recently the Style Society in DCU set the challenge to its members to come up with a concept, style and shoot various photoshoots based on different titles. The title we opted for was 'It's A Man's World'. The concept we settled on was to challenge this idea and look at the role of women in a world that apparently belongs to men. To do this we looked at what way we could style the shoot and unanimously agreed that androgyny was the best route to take and we looked at the pioneers of this trend; Alexa Chung, Diane Kruger, Agyness Deyn etc. We also took a look at various photoshoots that used the same style and feel that we were aiming for.

But what is androgyny? 

Put simply, it's the blending of male and female characteristics. 

How does it work in relation to style?

Androgyny, not a style for the fashion-faint-hearted, mixes masculine looks into a feminine wardrobe. While it may be a bold choice, our motto is ‘style is what you can get away with’ – so we say: if you think you can pull it off, then go for it.
Alexa Chung, international wearer of clothes, is a poster girl for this trend. She has developed a somewhat masculine style, a perfect match for her boyish frame, yet always holds on to her femininity.

She's been known to sport clothes by J. W. Anderson, a brand that's pretty much synonymous with androgyny. “Who can’t confess to raiding their boyfriend’s closet recently?”, Anderson ponders. Well, I am single, but I would definitely raid a boy's wardrobe... A statement Alan can attest to as I've borrowed various shirts, jumpers and accessories from him over the years.

Alexa in a J. W. Anderson for Topshop jumper

Chungster was a major influence for the ‘It’s A Man’s World’ photoshoot, along with these images:

More and more the gender roles are being blurred, and this is becoming increasingly evident in the world of style. The introduction of 'boyfriend jumpers' and 'boyfriend jeans' is an example of this for women but even for men the popularity of the 'man bag' is proving that men can wear womenswear and vice versa. Admittedly there is an extent to how liberal people will be regarding this overlap, but that's not our concern...

For the photos our friend Orlaith Melia was coaxed into being the model for the day. Dressed up in a mixture of her own and Alan's clothing, we had her strike some powerful stances to exert her dominance but retain her femininity. By accentuating her eyebrows and cheekbones using make-up we feel we managed to capture the perfect blend of the masculine and the feminine. Here's a sample of some of our finished shots.

Model: Orlaith Melia | Photographers: Alan Toye, Rachel Quinn, Jessica O'Donohoe | Post: Claire Petersen

-80 & Claire xx