Gender Neutral Accessories Offer Diversity and Versatility for Male Shoppers
On the runways of recent years, menswear and womenswear have joined as single shows, with designers viewing the two less as counterparts and more as equals. Take it from a luxury house like Celine, which Creative Director Hedi Slimane introduced menswear to for Spring/Summer 2019 and showed a fully unisex collection for Fall/Winter 2020. In the latter, men and women walked the runway in practically identical tailored outerwear and lavallière blouses, displaying both masculine and feminine interpretations of androgyny. Meanwhile, labels like Telfar and Eckhaus Latta have spearheaded gender neutraility in high fashion from the start.
According to L'OFFICIEL's Fall/Winter 2020 men’s global shopping survey, our readers are fond of this setiment. As men gain the courage to break free from implied style rules (with Harry Styles covering Vogue in a tiered Gucci gown, no less), the fashion forward among them welcome the binary-breaking aesthetics on the runway and in their closets, with versatile bag styles among their favorite accessories of the season.
Ranking at the top of the bag styles selected by our global audience is the intreccio weave clutch by Bottega Veneta, a key piece in the label's Fall/Winter 2020 collection. A handbag silhouette originally favored by women, men are now embracing the timeless piece. Shoppers appreciate the classic size—not too small but not oversized to the point of inconvenience for the day-to-day—and the heritage quality of the house's signature pattern.
As designers proved on the runway, understated accessories are not meant to squander creative expression through personal style; rather, they're the perfect compliment to more adventurous pieces. The solid-colored intreccio weave paired naturally with both a neutral, streamlined look and a vibrant, sequined dress.
Moreover, like the female shoppers we polled earlier this year, men are gravitating towards neutral-toned accessories, both for the color family's versatility as shopping patterns adapt to the pademic's precarity and their gender-neutral nature. Practicality in function is also favored, with small and medium-sized crossbodies and around-the-shoulder bags, like the multi-pouch offering from Dior, gaining popularity over trend pieces like micro bags.
