The New Unisex

For years, the fashion industry has used the word “unisex” to describe clothing that both women and men can wear. In practice, that has usually meant clothing borrowed from the men’s department: T-shirts, jeans, sweatshirts, sneakers and shapeless jackets offered in neutral colors.

Women were welcome to dress like men, but men were not expected to return the compliment.

That may be about to change.

In the near future, “unisex” fashion may no longer mean women wearing traditionally masculine clothing. It may mean both sexes wearing what we now consider women’s clothing.

The change will probably begin quietly. A few adventurous young men will wear blouses with their trousers. Male celebrities will appear at premieres in skirts, hosiery and heeled boots. Designers will send male models down the runway wearing dresses that are not presented as jokes, costumes or political statements. Eventually, department stores will stop labeling every garment strictly “Men” or “Women.”

Instead, clothing will be arranged by style, size and occasion.

Need something for the office? The businesswear department will offer trouser suits, skirt suits, sheath dresses, blouses and heels to everybody. Shopping for a wedding? The formalwear department will have gowns, cocktail dresses and elegant separates in sizes and proportions designed for a wide variety of bodies.

A husband and wife might visit a boutique together and browse the same racks. She may select a pantsuit while he chooses a wrap dress. They might share opinions, compare shoes and argue over who saw a particular blouse first.

Young people will likely lead the way. They already shop with fewer rules than previous generations did. To them, a skirt may simply be another clothing choice rather than a declaration about the person wearing it. Once enough young men begin wearing feminine fashions openly, manufacturers will notice an enormous untapped market.

Money has a way of making yesterday’s forbidden fashion become tomorrow’s must-have look.

Designers will begin adjusting traditional womenswear to accommodate male bodies—not by making it masculine, but by improving the fit. Dresses will have broader shoulders, longer sleeves and different waist proportions. Shoes will be available in larger sizes. Hosiery will be made for longer legs. Bras, shapewear and lingerie will be redesigned for customers who were not born with typically female figures.

The goal will not be to disguise the wearer’s sex. A man in a dress will not necessarily be trying to pass as a woman, although some certainly may. He may simply believe that a dress is attractive, comfortable and appropriate for the occasion.

Of course, many men will go further.

Once the dress becomes acceptable, the accessories will follow. A dress looks better with the right shoes. The shoes may call for hosiery. The neckline may look unfinished without a necklace. A handbag is more practical than overstuffed pockets. Makeup can brighten the face, earrings add sparkle and a flattering hairstyle completes the presentation.

Before long, a man who once insisted that he was “only wearing a skirt” may find himself checking his lipstick before leaving the house.

Workplaces will change, too. The old male uniform of dark suit, white shirt and tie will seem increasingly dull beside the variety available to women. Men will discover pencil skirts, colorful blouses, coordinated jewelry and the pleasure of owning more than two acceptable styles of business shoe.

Office dress codes will no longer specify separate clothing for men and women. They will simply require professional attire. A skirt suit will be professional regardless of whether the employee wearing it is named Susan or Steven.

Special occasions may accelerate the trend. Weddings, parties and formal dinners give people permission to dress more imaginatively. A man might first wear a gown as a member of a wedding party, then discover that he enjoys the elegance and attention. After that, wearing a dress to another social event will not seem nearly so daring.

There will still be resistance. Some people will complain that men no longer look like men. Others will predict the collapse of civilization, as people have done whenever hemlines rose, women wore trousers or men grew their hair long.

Civilization will survive.

Eventually, seeing men in dresses will become as unremarkable as seeing women in jeans. Children growing up in that world may be puzzled when they learn that clothing was once divided by sex. They will wonder why half the population was discouraged from wearing most of the colors, fabrics and styles in the store.

Crossdressers may have mixed feelings about this new freedom. On one hand, leaving the house in a skirt and heels will be easier than ever. On the other, something once daring and special will have become ordinary.

But perhaps that is the best possible outcome.

We will still be able to dress beautifully, experiment with our appearance and enjoy expressing our feminine side. We simply will not need an excuse.

When the fashion industry finally embraces truly unisex clothing, it will not eliminate menswear or force everyone into a dress. It will do something much simpler: give everyone access to the entire wardrobe.

And when that day arrives, “unisex” will finally mean what it should have meant all along.

Wearing Miraclesuit

Esme Percy femulating in the 1930 Hitchcock film Murder!