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

Fiona 'Burgundy' Burke

19 year old student at University College Dublin studying English and Art History. Adore all things to do with fashion, film, art, travel and interior design. I am a committee member of UCD’s Fashion and Design society and up until recently was a Toni and Guy student ambassador. I spend most of my time in Dublin living the typical student life going to college, visiting galleries, partying, going to gigs and attending the odd style event.

For a long time myself, Claire and Alan have worked on individual projects for fashion, media and photography so we decided to put our creative work and ideas together to create this blog, here we will focus on all things relevant in the fashion and photography world along with photography based projects of our own.

 My Fashion Fix.

• What you will find in my wardrobe? Around 27 dresses, old pairs of converse and brand new ankle boots, lots and lots of black, oversized jumpers from the mens section and plenty of peter pan collars mixed in with a bunch of studded clothing.
• Favourite store collection of 2013 so far? H&M’s Eco friendly evening wear.
• Store collection of 2013 I would rather forget? Rihanna for River Island.
• One thing l will never get over? My childhood obsession with velvet and The OC being axed in 2007.
• My main identifier? My big golden mane of curly hair.
• My new obsession? My big golden mane of curly haHats with the one exception of fedora "I only belong in a film noir movie" hats anything from bowler hats, beanies to bobble hats will always be welcom in my collection.

The Iconic Five. 

For me fashion should be fun and playful, care free and not forced. I have never been and never will be a fan of the tried too hard look, that sort of thing should be avoided at all costs. Fashion and clothes represent you and what you want to say about yourself, it is a big part of life  whether people admit it or not most first impressions are based on it before a person even opens their mouth. Here are five fashionable folk out of the many celebrities  and bloggers who I admire  and often  try to incorporate their style into my wardrobe whenever I get the chance. 

Este Haim

The term family band in Ireland can mean only two things, either  The Corrs or the dreaded Crystal Swing however, over in California things are quite different. Bass player Este “bassface” Haim along with her two sisters Alana and Danielle make up the trio HAIM. The family band have made their mark on the music scene of 2013 after being named BBC’s sound of 2013 and winning an NME award. It is is no shock with their trademark long hair and flawless legs that the trio are also hitting the fashion scene by force. Recently Company magazine described Este Haim as a new style crush of 2013 yet named  her Alana on the post , much to company’s embarrassment the mix up was also pointed out by Alana on twitter.  Here are a  few of my favourite Este’s shots showing off her casual yet feminine style, a look I also like to wear on a regular basis. Take note of the trademark red lipstick, lighter Haim hair, floral dresses and  sunglasses so you can avoid making the same shameful mistake as Company.

Alexa Chung

Alexa Chung, where do I even begin to describe my love for Alexa Chung?  From the days of T4 Pop world and presenting Frock Me with Henry Holland, Alexa’s style and personality was always a part of my weekend mornings.  Winner of the British style award 2011, 2012 and 2013 she has been described by Vogue’s Anna Wintour as “a phenomenon” and by her best friend Nick Grimshaw as “an international wearer of clothes”. Her ability to pull off the “I really didn’t  bother too much but I still look amazing” look in her everyday outfits to “this is the reason I win awards and have the adoration of Karl Lagerfeld” look in her statement outfits is envied and adored by many. It is fair to say that the model, TV presenter, writer and award winner deserves all the credit she gets.

For me, Alexa is my ultimate style icon and I enjoy taking inspiration from her outfits and putting them into my own wardrobe whenever I can, from her cut off denim shorts, peter pan collars, tailored blazers, floral dresses, leather shorts/skirt/jacket, quilted bags and navy jumpers if Alexa has worn it, there is a high chance I have looked for a cheaper alternative very similar to it.

Carey Mulligan

 With her Mandolin playing Marcus Mumford in one hand and Golden Globe, Academy Award nominations and BAFTA award in another it is hard to find fault in pixie cut Carey Mulligan. The actress who is also the ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society, continues to astound with her style whether it be in character or off screen I have always been fond of Carey’s fashion choices. From sixties satchel clutching school girl style in “An Education”, adorable peter pan collars during interviews to match her pixie cut hair style, the classic British heritage style of “Never Let Me Go” to her fabulous red carpet gowns. It is no surprise that Carey was chosen for her glamorous role in the much awaited “The Great Gatsby”.
Although I would never dare to cut off my hair like Carey it is clear that her take on the twiggy hairstyle has never looked so good in the 21^st Century. I have admired her for a long time, with a similar small frame and pale skin she is a great source for outfit inspiration and her ever changing hairstyles; from blonde to brunette, curly to straight, shoulder length to super short shows how she is not afraid to experiment with a look and pulls it off with great elegance.

Kayla Hadlington 

Kayla is a 20 year old British blogger who promoted the power of thrift shopping before Mackelmore was ever allowed to have his say on it. Studying Fashion Design Womenswear at London College of Fashion, this internet sensation has featured on the likes of Teen Vogue and has created herself a large fanbase from her unique style, every changing hair colour and down to earth personality. 

What I like most about Kayla’s style is her ability to pull outfits off effortlessly, she wears bold outfits that traditionally should not work but somehow still look unbelievable on her. It is this originality that sets her apart from many other bloggers. Her indifference to trends and carefree attitude to her internet fame is something to admire. She encourages readers that fashion and style is not just about expensive items and while I may not dress like her a lot I still love the majority of her Lookbook posts. You can follow her Lookbook, her Blogspot and like her Facebook page which has generated around 9,930 likes.

Nadia Esra

Along with Kayla’s Lookbook, Nadia a 20 year old student from The Netherlands is one my top style icons on the site. I have always been fond of street style and Nadia’s effortless layered look in earthly tones is both beautiful and functional for cold weather. Her style is more similar to mine than Kayla’s and consists of dark muted colours with lots of tights, knee high socks, brogues, skinny jean, over-sized jumpers and during the summer month she posts plenty of floral and lace dresses. I could see a similarity between our taste the first time I found her page and as for her magnificent hair she has inspired me to consider dyeing my hair red as we both have similar hair types however, I'm not sure if I can part with my golden head of hair just yet. Here is a link to her Lookbook and she also has a very popular Facebook page which is worth checking out.