5 Women's Fashion Items Originally Designed for Men

We often write about style, explaining where trends come from and how to apply them in daily life. But this time, we decided to delve into fashion history — for general knowledge.

It«s no secret that some wardrobe items have migrated from men»s to women«s fashion. Nowadays, men would strongly oppose being forced to wear stockings and heels. But once upon a time, they wore such things with pleasure. Stylist Yulia Ushakova told NGS.RU which specific clothing changed gender and firmly established itself exclusively in the women»s wardrobe.

High-Heeled Shoes

In the modern world, heels are considered a symbol of style, elegance, and even extravagance. But when they first appeared, it was different: heels were a necessity.

«Scientists find evidence of the first heels among ancient Egyptians in the fertile lands of the Nile Delta. During the river»s flood, the soil became very muddy, and it was impossible to walk on it. Heels were invented to grip the soil and move around. They were worn by farmers,« Yulia Ushakova delved into history. »The nobility, however, wore light sandals with flat soles, thus showing their status. In those times, the absence of heels indicated that you were a wealthy person.«

Heels were viewed strictly from a practical perspective. For example, in Ancient Persia, warriors wore them to stay better in the saddle while shooting. Thus, heels became an indispensable part of military uniforms.

Later, in the Middle Ages, the fashion for high-heeled shoes migrated to Europe, and in the Baroque era, it reached its peak. Largely thanks to French King Louis XIV, who was short in stature. Shoes with heels up to 10 cm (about 4 inches) were specially made for him.

«He issued a decree according to which all men close to his family and court could also wear shoes with heels. For the closest — red shoes, for those slightly more distant — green and blue. The common people did not have the right to wear heels; it was a privilege for the nobility,» explained Yulia Ushakova.

Following Louis XIV, high-born ladies also began ordering shoes with high heels. Thus, the wide heel became male, and the thinner, more elegant one — female. The practical side of such shoes was that heels protected the hems of dresses and cloaks from road dust and dirt.

This continued until the French Revolution, which changed attitudes towards fashion: men stopped wearing heels.

«Today, I observe a trend of abandoning heels in favor of flatter soles and more comfortable shoes. A reassessment of comfort is taking place. People care not about appearance or impression, but about how they feel while wearing shoes,» noted the stylist.

Pink Items

The stable gender division of pink for girls and blue for boys only occurred after World War II. Until the beginning of the 20th century, infants of all genders were dressed in white because it was practical. At that time, there were no means to remove stains, and children, as is known, get dirty. Frequent boiling caused colored fabrics to quickly deteriorate, so children were dressed in white dresses and shirts.

«One can admire the beautiful infants, curly-haired girls in dresses in the arms of our Russian empresses, and then read that this is not a girl at all, but a boy dressed in a dress,» said Yulia Ushakova.

But initially, pink was intended for boys — all thanks to Mars. The planet, as is known, is red, symbolizing masculinity and the male principle, and therefore, boys should wear red or its lighter version — pink.

«It was believed that if boys wore clothing in red or pink colors from an early age, they would acquire the qualities of this planet and become more masculine. And girls, in turn, wore blue, like the Virgin Mary in the paintings of great masters,» adds the expert.

In some places, pink and blue switched much later. And according to Yulia Ushakova, several factors played a role here.

«After the war, women longed for something light and flowing, and Christian Dior gave them the New Look style with a very narrow waist and wide skirt. His outfits were in light tones, close to pink or peach,» explained the stylist.

The second moment — cinema. Remember Marilyn Monroe«s dress in the film »Gentlemen Prefer Blondes«? Such phenomena become triggers and shape collective worldview.

Another reason for the formation of the stereotype, as the expert believes, is the first ladies of America, who, of course, were trendsetters of a kind. On the day of the inauguration of the 34th U.S. President Dwight David Eisenhower, his wife Mamie Geneva appeared in an elegant full-length pink ball gown with long gloves.

«Later, her fans learned that Mamie preferred to wear clothing in pink shades at home as well,» added the stylist.

The popularity of the color was added by the infamous pink suit of Jacqueline Kennedy, splattered with her husband«s blood; she did not remove it for two days.

A huge role in the formation of the stereotype was played by the Barbie doll: her entire world was pink, from clothing to house, furniture, and car.

This was a kind of marketing move. Thanks in part to stereotypes, people developed a need to buy more — clothing could no longer pass from an older brother to a younger daughter and vice versa. Children of different genders needed different strollers, furniture, things.

«Gender division helped the industry sell. But, according to recent research by the Pantone Color Institute, it has become clear that color trends have become blurred. In particular, thanks to feminist movements: both men and women calmly wear pink and blue,» noted the expert.

Hose, Stockings for Men

Hose — these are the prototype of modern tights and simultaneously men«s trousers. They represented two separate tight-fitting leggings.

«Hose were both male and female. They were attached either to a waist garment or to a shoulder garment, that is, to a doublet, vest, or jacket. Women»s hose were hidden from prying eyes, while men«s, on the contrary, were displayed,» told Yulia Ushakova.

Hose for summer were sewn from linen, and for winter, cloth or leather was used. Sometimes a leather sole was sewn to them, and then they acquired the appearance of a finished product, like shoes.

«The toes of hose were stuffed with woolen threads, and an interesting curved toe was formed. We can see them on engravings and paintings up to the 14th century,» noted the stylist. «Hose were the prototype of modern stockings, and then they began to be sewn together front and back, thus appearing present-day tights.»

Men wore stockings in the Rococo era, showing their legs to ladies and emphasizing the beauty of their calves — their size at that time was an important component of male attractiveness. That was an elegant, light style, maximally approaching femininity.

«Light airy fabrics, lace cuffs, stockings, silk garters and inlaid shoes. The Rococo style ended with the French Revolution, when freedom, equality, and brotherhood prevailed over pomp,» added the expert.

Shirts and Skirts

The shirt — this is the first garment that humans created and wore for warmth even before our era. For a very long time, shirts remained exclusively underwear and were not visible to outsiders.

«In the Renaissance, they began to be decorated with lace — cuffs or collar — and were shown from under the main garment. They even made special slits on the sleeves of doublets, caftans, and thus demonstrated them,» told Yulia Ushakova.

Men stopped wearing shirts when frock coats and jackets appeared. The fact is that shirts had voluminous sleeves, and stuffing them into the sleeves of new-fashioned outerwear was inconvenient or even impossible, so shirts were replaced by shirts with tighter sleeves.

The skirt in general initially had no gender affiliation; men wore it throughout history. First, skirts are easy to sew. Second, they do not restrict movement, so warriors often wore them during long campaigns. For example, among Balkan peoples, such a skirt was called a fustanella.

«Changes occurred when people started riding horses and skirts ceased to be a comfortable wardrobe item; they were replaced by trousers,» explained Yulia Ushakova.

Although among some peoples, the skirt is still considered an official element of male costume: in Scotland, it«s the kilt, and in Myanmar — the paso. Some Hollywood stars appear in skirts on red carpets — for example, Brad Pitt or Penn Badgley. Musician Harry Styles also doesn»t lag behind; the artist loves to shock and often demonstrates crazy outfits to the public.