Charlotte Gainsbourg?

Now that the international fashion weeks have finished making their rousing rackets, and the street style snappers have turned their cameras back to more spontaneous shots not taken en route to the shows, I will share my favorite: the one photo that pops to mind without having my memory jogged. I think the Sartorialist, Scott Schuman, owns this one. Love the rock star disguise, confidence, and sharp silhouette, especially against a backdrop of an overly fussed editor and a posh and polished woman.

girl/boy/girl

Ever notice a woman so striking she deserves the description, "handsome"? A masculine undertone can be brazenly feminine on a beautiful frame or a stunning face. Think Cate Blanchett as Katherine Hepburn in the Aviator. Think rocker, Chrissie Hynde.

But what happens when this aesthetic paradigm of androgyny is reversed? Is The Cure's Robert Smith in his smeared red lipstick as desirable as the tough Patti Smith in her equally messy hair and button-down shirts?










For some (probably Freudian or capitalist) reason, the masculine feminine seems to hold more 'beauty' cache than the efeminite male. Case in point, this photo of a statuesque woman... er, or is it, of a beautiful man?
According to The Sartorialist, this photo is of a man named Martin. But I thought it was of an eye-catching woman. Does the way the image strikes you change depending on the gender of the figure? If fashion is meant to be bold, interesting and conceptually daring, this boygirlboy punk poseur is either the epitome of fashion, or its cliché.