When I was a child I was the biggest tomboy and although our family was the perfect model nucleus containing two males and females, since I never really counted myself it always seemed that there was a stronger male presence in the house. To this day I still prefer the company of my brother and father over my mother but I suppose that's a personality flaw that alters my preference really.
Anyway, I never really wore skirts until I was aged fifteen and never wore anything other than pants and shorts when I was below the age of ten. I always felt very threatened and unprotected from the elements. As an homage to my past life there are a few mashed up photographs that have a male presence about them and there is only one skirt in sight- I think that's a pretty good compilation really!
Today was spent merrily romping around in my Vans made to look like brogues in leather (named the Sofia shoe in tan leather if anyone cares) as well as my favourite pair of shorts and my comfortable spiked sweater from Ashish X Tophshop. While I don't have a high regard for tiny little shorts that are skimpy, I must say, having loose legs of denim wrapped around my legs makes my thighs look suitably smaller, although that may also be due to the mad amount of sport undertaken on the weekend. Either way, shorts, vintage or otherwise, are a great way to show off legs but without being too feminine and girly depending on the design and material.
A woolen lamb beanie that looks like it belongs in the wardrobe of famous Mongolian Attila the Hun? How much more manly and impressive can you be? Going without the long and flowing mustache at this point is advisable though.
At times I'm jealous of elements of style which are traditionally reserved for the male set; most particularly is desert boots at the moment as well as structured trousers. They just don't make many wonderful pairs for women these days to make them look dapper although the cool patterned socks and brogues aren't such a big deal anymore. I always feel slightly intimidated to walk into a unisex shop and fall in love with an item of clothing destined for the opposite sex- it's just such a mean ruse!
In the midst of all this tomboy style, why not show you all what a real dapper man looks like and not his sort of rough pose on a red and striped couch with matching pillows that can only be fit for a true dandy. In contrast to my rough and rugged style of torn jeans and loose shirts, I must admit I do have a certain fondness for feminine furniture and decorations such as pink skull candle holders as well as tapestry as far as the eye can see. A bit of ying to balance out the yang, as it were.
My dream boots (other than a bargain buy from Etsy) are the Madewell boots in a similar style to these ones shown above. The heel is a little bit lower but the rounded toe edge is absolutely perfect and they would look great when worn with cool and quirky shorts as well as a loose band shirt from another era. It's so much fun getting to dress as a rogue now and then as well as abandoning all female sense of style, but I usually come crawling back to that alternate reality when faced with images of fairies and witches dressed in flowing dresses of white and black respectively.
At this point in the article I would like to point out that to channel tomboy chic successfully, that doesn't mean you need to lop off your lock and luxurious locks. A cool cat such as a felt wide brimmed hat is enough to echo Western times were men reigned supreme but the long hair hanging out the side in a rough and messy low ponytail or braid is enough to suggest where your true femininity lies.While hair has originally been used as a distinction between men and women, any modern-age person is knowledgeable enough to know that it really means nothing nowadays and style and structure of clothing is a bigger tell-tale sign of gender when an ambiguous haircut lies in front of you.
Many great clothing such as plaid and structured shirts that have a male presence and flair about them should ideally be bough in the women's section of any department store and don't think you'll ever be clever enough to buy something in the men's section that is structured such as shirts and trousers and think you can pull it off! If I have learnt anything within the last year or so, it's that men and women are built very differently and although the two styles are mingling dangerously like two loose people at a party, you should still respect garment structure and have that as a key influence when you buy clothing.
