Cross-dressing...

I am currently experiencing a nerdy, fashion-related indignation that when explained to people is greeted by a "you really shouldn't care about this" look. 

The topic under discussion is cross-dressing. The woman who sparked this is Lady Gaga.

I LOVE Gaga. She makes my fashion neurons happy. What I dislike is the media coverage that her performance as her male alter-ego Jo Calderone received. Apparently she has inspired a trend for more androgynous women's wear. She isn't the first woman to do this AND it was already happening. (Case and point BROGUES!) I must also take this opportunity to say she makes a fantastic man. 

I do also feel that when gender and fashion are being discussed Andrej Pejic cannot escape a mention. But, as much as I like the guy, I have read interviews in which he is very blatent about the fact that he does what is required of him to "pay back his mum's mortgage". It's not a deliberate choice of dress by him, more the choice of the designers.

I feel my thoughts on this topic are all busy and unorganised. But the person I really would like to discuss in this post is Marlene Dietrich. Now THERE'S someone that fills me with fashion joy. I have such a lady-crush on her. 

Marlene, rather than dressing as a man, dresses in men's clothing without ever communicating any question about her gender. She is very definitely a beautiful woman, a beauty that is on one hand hidden by the masculine shapes she wears and enhanced by donning the sense of power that comes from a woman wearing a suit. 

I often find myself internet-window-shopping for suits that would make me look equally as wonderful but I am not sure that I could pull it off quite correctly. After studying Marlene and other people I have encountered in my life I have come to the conclusion that a LARGE AMOUNT of make-up is required to draw a thick black mascara line between wearing masculine clothing and being a lesbian. I have lesbian friends who dress in men's clothing and I admire them for finding their clothing niché in the world but without causing offence, to put it bluntly, I want to dress like a man but still be attractive to men. This little problem is a tricky one for someone who never wears much make up but as Marlene has proved there is nothing more sexy than a woman in full make-up, with her hair done and a nice, tailored suit...