Are We Finally Ready for Gender-Neutral Fashion?

On its August cover, Vogue featured It couple Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik. The mag is clearly a fan of the superstars as both have been featured in its pages before. But this go-round, Vogue kind of stepped in it by calling the pair “gender-fluid” since neither identify as such. What the mag meant to showcase was the fact that the couple shares clothes and shops each other’s closet.

This wardrobe sharing is actually nothing new. The French, as in most cases, did it first. Vogue contributor Marina Khorosh experienced it firsthand. While in grad school in Paris, Marina’s new boyfriend spent the night at her place and needed to find something fresh to wear the next morning.

“With the day’s first lecture only 40 minutes away, he walked over to my tiny closet, evaluated its components, and asked me if he could borrow something to wear. Barely waiting for my stupefied nod of consent, he reached for my beloved oversize black Helmut Lang blazer, paired it with his own T-shirt and slim-cut jeans from the night before, and pronounced himself ready to roll.”

Calvin Klein Fall 2017; Images: Imaxtree

As crazy as it may seem that your boyfriend would want to raid your closet, girlfriends have been pilfering their boyfriends’ stashes for years now. Gigi’s BFF Kendall Jenner is a real pro at borrowing from the boys (even though she technically doesn’t have a SO right now). She’s been captured sporting a tie-dye Balenciaga Homme sweatshirt with a miniskirt and layering a jacket from ASOS’ men’s department during New York Fashion Week. Kendall even divulged on her app that she’s gotten into the habit of shopping in the men’s sections. Oh, and that ruffled dress Beyoncé rocked in that Instagram post cradling her twins? Yup, you guessed it, it’s from a menswear line (Palomo Spain, to be exact).

Rachel Comey Spring 2017; Images: Imaxtree

Designers have been promoting androgyny on the runway for some time now. Rachel Comey had male models outfitted in unisex looks as part of her Spring 2017 ready-to-wear collection. Raf Simons had us seeing double during his Calvin Klein Fall 2017 presentation as he sent out almost mirror looks on the girls and guys. And Wolk Morais had male and female models wear the same exact suit (minus an extra button or two) down the runway at its Fall 2017 show.

There are even whole labels committed to gender-neutral dressing. Fast fashion leader H&M has a section on its website dedicated to it. Denim label AGOLDE recently debuted its latest collection with A$AP Ferg that featured only gender-neutral fashion. Zara launched its first genderless clothing line in March. And Alexander Wang’s latest athleisure collaboration with Adidas features all unisex styles.

If you and your SO are ready to jump on the clothes-swapping bandwagon, check out the slideshow below for 21 gender-neutral fashion picks that make sharing a cinch.