The line between his and hers has never been more blurred, and it seems like London designers are celebrating that fact. Proving that you don’t really need a boyfriend to get your hands on the most fabulous menswear, the autumn/winter 2017 edition of London Fashion Week Men’s was a showcase of amazing men’s fashion that would look equally (if not more) chic on a woman’s body. Outside the obvious idea of “skirts for boys”, silhouettes have gone extreme – either boxy and hyper-structured, or fluid and body-con. And even when the shapes are amplified, experimentation comes in the form of textiles - colourful wools, silks, tapestries and eclectic pairings in between. With the limits of traditional menswear ideas being pushed season after season, we wonder - which boy-looks are ready for the girl?

The Utilitarians
The biggest trend for autumn/winter 2017 according to LFWM designers? Utility above all. While the thoughtful Phoebe English and newcomer Kiko Kostadinov moulded crisp textiles like corduroy and canvas into streamlined menswear, Tottenham-based Martine Rose dug into subversive masculinity and restructured the traditional workman and sportswear looks. Style it as a girl? Take the outfit apart and layer it with transparent pieces, like a tulle turtleneck or a delicate linen t-shirt. Even though it seems simplified and rigid, we wouldn’t recommend stepping on a construction site without additional equipment. It’s still a fashion garment, and not a safety uniform.

Back to School in 1973
Of all decades of the 20th century, the 1970s don’t seem to be going away anytime soon. For autumn/winter 2017, Daniel W. Fletcher is getting political through great tailoring with dandy-ish details and Louise Trotter’s eclectic Joseph boys are wearing multi-coloured Prince-of-Wales checks with stripes and granny jumpers, going for the ultimate Brit-pop eccentricity. At the same time, Grace Wales Bonner was on the opposite side of the globe, but with an equally desirable outcome. The recent LVMH Prize-winner created a mish-mash of Senegalese street-style and medieval elements and turned out a wearable but gasp-worthy look of a modernized disco uniform. A girl takeover? Wear the full look with a bright lip for the ultimate Victor/Victoria moment.

A Fashion Laboratory
Experimentation is the core of London Fashion Week. Yes, there is the immense heritage of tailoring at Savile Row, but nothing celebrates the city’s true diversity like the crazy and colourful fashion experiments of its designers. Craig Green is at the forefront of the pack with his extreme boxy cuts which got a carpet-like makeover in one of the most lush collections we’ve seen at LFWM. Abundance was also key at J.W.Anderson, where the art of crochet morphed into sleek, covetable clothes. But it’s not only about the London boys. Parsons graduate and New-York-based Ximon Lee showed in collaboration with GQ China, proving that guests can often get the party going. His pearl-encrusted A-line silhouettes left a majestic feel on the runway, seemingly made for the new kind of royal. A woman’s way of wearing it? Take a piece and pair it with jeans and black pumps for this experiment to go the right way.

Text by Dino Bonacic