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Harry Styles became a topic of heated debate on social media after he graced the cover of Vogue

AOC defend Harry Styles after he was criticized widely over his androgynous style

Harry Styles spoke about how fashion and style was something he had been keenly interested in

Every fashion label longs for that one genius that would set the tone that their legacy takes. For Chanel and Fendi, it was the legendary mastermind, Karl Lagerfield. For Dolce & Gabbana, it was Stefano Gabbana. For YSL, it was Tom Ford. And it seems for the upcoming decade at least, it will be Alessandro Michele for Gucci. © Reuters Having spent a better part of the decade with Gucci in some role or the other, Alessandro's vision to take Gucci towards an environment that is even more inclusive of diversity and varying creativity, has resulted in some rather spectacular moments, with the gender-fluid or gender-neutral path that they have elected to go for, being one of them. However, it hasn't been a completely smooth sailing for them. © Reuters It's been five years since Alessandro took the helm of the Italian luxury brand. Yes, a few guffaws and quite a few faux pas were made. Remember, the controversial sweater, the one with a literal monkey face, that Gucci put up? Or the fact that some of their pieces were inspired by straight jackets, in 2019, a year that saw a very fervourous conversation around mental health, especially considering how Todd Phillips' Joker, released just a month after their guffaw, dealt with? © Reuters All said and done, if there has been one thing that the Florentine ateliers of Gucci have pushed out time and again, it is perspective. Gender fluid or androgynous fashion has been a theme that many fashion houses have dabbled with. In fact, ever since Alessandro took over Gucci, back in 2015, Gucci has often showcased most of their collections in fashion shows, by using cross-dressing as a statement-making tool. Case in point would be their Fall-Winter collection back in 2015. The collection, even though it dealt with a subject that was considered much more tabooed, was well thought out and indeed tastefully done. The pieces that were shown, were indeed androgynous and seemed to push the proverbial envelope. © Reuters Cut to 2020, and we see a remarked difference in the approach. Individually, the pieces that were showcased were spectacular and indeed statement pieces unto themselves, something that people expect from Gucci and Alessandro at this point. What did come across as a little jarring would be the manner in which they were showcased. What was disconcerting was the fact that there were instances where some of the ensembles seemed as if they had nothing to do with androgynous fashion, or gender-fluid fashion for that matter, but were an attempt to create a spectacle. © Gucci © Gucci © Gucci © Gucci No wonder post the Milan Show, people were genuinely left wondering if 'androgynous fashion' and 'gender-fluid' fashion have been reduced to fancy labels to stay woke? © Gucci The sad truth is, toxic masculinity, and the perception of emasculation that all things feminine represent, is a problem, and nowhere else it is as clearly put on display as it has been in clothes and fashion, even though this dichotomy at times falls flat on its face in this sphere? As sad as it may be, there still is a long way to go for this duality to be put to rest, and this binary that we have in fashion will become redundant. Is it a surprise then, that almost all major fashion houses, be it Prada, Dior, and Burberry have massively amped up their product range, as well as the production of luxury menswear items? Luxury Menswear, after all, is an exponentially growing segment of the market. © Gucci With that said, whether Gucci is indeed being esoteric or is it just another example of a fashion label that is using these terms for coming across as woke, for the sake of being woke; Gucci's endeavours in the past have pushed the envelope continuously and tried to be the harbingers of a society that is androgynous. © Gucci Just take a look at the Lyst Index, a quarterly ranking of the 'It' brands and products in fashion, and you'll see that in the last eight quarters, Gucci has always been in the top three spots, and held the lead for a considerably long time. Since 2018, specifically, Gucci has been the hottest brand in fashion and was only deposed of its thrown by Off White & Balenciaga in the 3rd quarter of 2019. © Gucci We're sure that with this collection, Gucci surely is going to jump to the top yet again. Because whatever they seem to be doing, it seems they know what works for them. All said and done, the pieces they make, like we said, are indeed statement worthy. © Gucci So come what may, people, men and women alike, are still going to flock to Gucci stores all around the world, for their washed-out baggy denim jeans, and boxy wool suits, and their murses. People who can afford them, that is. Or at the very least, they will crop up in some form or the other in fast fashion outlets like Zara, or H&M, where they will be flying off of the shelves. © Gucci The question remains though, where does that leave Gucci in this scenario, where there is a clear distinction between the runway and the racks? Is it going to cater to the esoteric runway, the similar and familiarity that people expect from the rack, or does the answer lie somewhere in between? That remains to be seen. View the full article

Saying that Rajkummar Rao has a zany and insanely dapper sense of style and fashion, is like saying that the sun must be a hot place - both of these statements grossly understate the fact. Time and again, we have seen him wear some of the most insane pairs of sneakers that legit look straight our of Super Mario Kart, or some really aristocratic and princely boots, the man has done it all. © Instagram/thetyagiakshay Heck, he once wore a pair of boots that should legitimately be the inspiration for ISROâs spacesuit for their first manned space mission. © Instagram/thetyagiakshay This time around though, the man has smashed all boundaries that constrict menâs fashion, and that too in the classiest way imaginable. Rajkummar Rao was recently spotted with Patralekha at the Mumbai Airport. Although both of them were pretty well decked out in some really dapper sweats, sneakers and joggers, it was one of Rajkummarâs accessories that really caught our eye. © Viral Bhayani Rajkummar was seen carrying a black messenger bag that was shaped like a miniature travelling trunk, which looked like a rather dapper man-purse. Way to go the androgynous route, Rajkummar. © Viral Bhayani The messenger bag that Rajkummar is carrying is the Soft Trunk bag in black from Louis Vuitton. The bag is made using Louis Vuittonâs trademark Monogram Eclipse canvas, which is actually a bovine leather of the finest grade, and matte-black hardware and also has an adjustable strap made of black leather. © Louis Vuitton The rivets and the borders have a very classic appeal and harks back to the vintage aesthetic that the French high fashion house is known for. © Viral Bhayani The âtrunk bagâ is exquisite indeed and the price reflects it. The bag is listed for $3,550 or just over Rs 2,52,000, when converted as per todayâs exchange rate. Add to that your custom duties and import tariffs and youâre looking at a figure thatâs well beyond Rs 3,25,000. © Viral Bhayani Any which way, we canât deny that the bag is really zany and eccentric to say the least. Way to go, Rajkummar, take a bow. View the full article

Harry Styles's opens up about his Androgynous Style Formula. Photo: InstagramAfter a stylistic entry to the December Jingle Bell Ball in a glittery denim jumpsuit, Harry Styles set the tone for his fashion formula and effectively cemented his status as a fashion icon this year. Styles is well known for defying and breaking stereotypes related to acceptable gender norms. During an interview with The Guardian, Harry made his views on androgyny clear as day.“What women wear. What men wear. For me it’s not a question of that,” he said. “If I see a nice shirt and get told, ‘But it’s for ladies.’ I think: ‘Okaaaay? Doesn’t make me want to wear it less though… I think the moment you feel more comfortable with yourself, it all becomes a lot easier.” His feelings and sentiments compliment his recent album release, from donning a custom made Gucci for his photo cover for Fine Line, to a periwinkle suit from Harris Reed for his lead single Lights Up, or even a chiffon rose shirt from Swedish brand Lazoschmidl. “I think it’s a very free, and freeing, time,” adding, “I think people are asking, ‘Why not?’ a lot more. Which excites me,” Styles added.

Inspired by their travels in Kashmir, HUEMN's Shyma Shetty and Pranav Misra's collection is a homage to the raw energy of the youth of Kashmir. © Studio picsing In collaboration with Reebok Classic 'Alter the Icons', this collection draws inspiration from the iconic sneaker culture of the nineties. © Studio picsing © Studio picsing © Studio picsing The interesting details were fairly androgynous in nature which were in tandem with the whole idea of the collection. With a colour-play of brights and fluent patterns, the collection attempted to capture the abstract nature of the human mind on a silhouette. © Studio picsing © Studio picsing © Studio picsing © Studio picsing © Studio picsing © Studio picsing The collection was presented with Shyma Shetty and Pranav Misra's voice-over in the background asking the important existential questions: “Why are we here? What are we going to do? What are we here for?” to end the show on an important note.