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Unisex style
Women in men’s underwear, men in women’s shoes: ‘Share and share alike’ takes on a whole new meaning in gender-neutral fashion
BY NINA WILLDORF

A boyfriend and GIRLFRIEND wander into John Fluevog, the rock-and-roll-inspired, stylishly clunky footwear outfitter on Newbury Street, one Saturday afternoon. They look through the racks on opposite sides of the store and eventually gravitate toward the same pair of shoes, the Flupipes ($69), a colored suede kick that closely resembles Clark’s Wallabies and is available for both men and women. The store manager, Chris Barakat, isn’t surprised. He says it’s not that unusual to see a couple even share a single pair. "Most of our shoes are unisex," he notes. Unisex shoes?

Chalk it up to the ever-growing shades of gray in the mix of once-gender-specific purchases. Platforms, rings, bracelets, boxers: what used to be clear à la blue and pink now goes, er, both ways. As gender lines have blurred, it’s no surprise that accessories, clothing, and decorative pieces are no longer just for him or her.

Starting in 1995 with Calvin Klein’s musky unisex perfume CK One, scents such as aftershave and eau de parfum, blended into one neat bottle, became available for men and women. Today, the Different Company in France has three unisex fragrances, available at Louis Boston: Osmanthsus, Rose Poivrée, and Bois d’Iris. "They kind of transcend what would be a woman’s or a man’s fragrance," explains Louis makeup artist Solange DePina. "It’s a mixture of floral and woodsy." Men and women, DePina says, are equally attracted to the chic, elegant black-leather-clad bottles ($120–$300). "Actually — especially during Valentine’s Day — husbands would come in and the first thing they did was to buy for their wives," she notes. "But then they’d wind up buying one for themselves as well."

As for jewelry, it’s increasingly common for men to don more than a pinky ring. Metalweight is a new jewelry company that caters specifically to the gender-neutral-accessory trend. The company’s industrial-theme pendants, rings, necklaces, cuff links, and bracelets blend the rugged with the iconic, using manipulated photographs in place of gemstones.

In the fashion world, the crossover is limitless. H&M’s Todd Cormier notes that these days, women have been diving for ties ($19–$21) to wear with skirts as well as pantsuits. Patterned, print, solid — whatever, he says; ladies seem to love the ’80s-inspired accessory. Cormier says boxer briefs ($7.50–$9), too, are a big seller for women, as loungewear or as a boyishly sexy take on underwear.

Since both items involve women crossing over to the men’s department, we wonder — does Cormier find that men are wearing women’s clothes, too? "Welllll, uhhhh," he stutters, "maybeee ... in the privacy of their own homes."

Where to find it:

• Different Company, sold at Louis Boston, 234 Berkeley Street, Boston, (617) 262-6100, www.thedifferentcompany.com.

• H&M, 350 Washington Street, Boston, (617) 462-7081.

• John Fluevog, 302 Newbury Street, Boston, (617) 266-1079.

• Metalweight, www.metalweight.com.



Issue Date: February 28 - March 7, 2002
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