telegraph.co.uk
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Crossing a style line: (from left) Mark Ronson, Jamie Hince, Jason Statham Photo: REX FEATURES, PA
Little is more British than a man in drag. If we had a national dress, it would be just that. From stags in suspenders to pantomime dames, most British men would happily swap trousers for laughs. Bad drag is good fun. But raiding your girlfriend’s wardrobe without a fancy-dress party in sight? That is crossing a style line. Worryingly, though, “girlfriend fashion” is in danger of spiralling into a full-blown trend.
No man – or woman – can fail to wince at the pictures of Jamie Hince wearing what look like girlfriend Kate Moss’s denim hot pants in St Tropez recently. Hot pants are for svelte-bottomed Kylies, for size-zero Daisy Dukes, for Kate Moss. Only a certain kind of woman can carry them off – and they definitely should never be worn by men. Hince looks unnerved and unmanned. They’re so snug you can count the euros in his pocket. The artfully frayed hems are dangerously high. And, viewed from the back, he clearly has a girl’s bum. Not hot.
On top, he appears to be wearing a navy silk D&G jacket with white piping — from the women’s summer collection. Ironically, this garment is part of the whole “boyfriend fashion” trend, in which women wear clothes that appear to belong to a man (the “boyfriend cardigan” typifies this look), and it looks good. Even swamped by fabric, the effect is pleasingly tomboyish and cool. It suggests waking up after an unexpectedly hot date and getting dressed in whatever you find on the floor.
But it doesn’t work the other way around. Guys popping out to the shops or turning up to the office in girls’ clothing? Just plain wrong. Hince’s hot pants are unspeakable, and he’s wearing a jacket designed for a woman to look like she has borrowed something from a man. The gender lines are more blurred than Moss’s eyeliner after a night out.
It’s not the first time Hince has indulged in a spot of girlfriend dressing, either. Last year, he was snapped wearing a grey, two-button cardigan and Louis Vuitton Sprouse scarf that was still warm from Moss. Sadly, he’s not alone.
Last week, actor Jason Statham was seen with a clutch bag tucked under his arm. Statham, who is famous for his hard-man roles in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Crank, may have discovered his feminine side, but I wish he’d suppress it (although, to give him his due, the clutch was from ultra-chic label Bottega Veneta).
In New York last month, music producer Mark Ronson sported a big, Seventies-style plaid coat with a furry collar. It was more granny than girlfriend – but still a lady look.
Skinny jeans on men are one thing, but leggings? Step forward Russell Brand, who is rarely out of his Sass & Bide’s “Rats” leggings. Curiously, Brand can just about get away with it. Yes, they make him look like a spider, but that’s his look – the Elnetted backcombed mane, the borderline Liz Taylor mascara. Likewise for Noel Fielding. Maybe it’s a comedian thing: we need them to be funny – and leggings on men are certainly laughable.
Last year, Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo poured himself into a succession of increasingly tiny shorts. The microscopic satiny white numbers, for instance, were totally go-go dancer. At a press conference in Ireland, Ronaldo said: “I’m always trying to copy my family – my sisters and my mum – but it’s not possible: she’s more beautiful than me. But I try.” Maybe too hard.
So, why are men adopting this look? Perhaps we’re raiding ladies’ wardrobes out of sheer boredom. After all, men have fewer fashion options. Women have it all, plus accessories. That brings with it the agony of choice, but surely it’s better than the male monotony of trousers or jeans, T-shirt or shirt.
That’s not to condone it – unless you’re on a stag night or in a pantomime. In which case, ladies, hide your hot pants.
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