Boy Meets Girl

I've always been a fan of fashion that is both masculine and feminine. A certain level of androgyny is gorgeous on anyone. Whether adding subtle touches to your look, like a pair of Oxfords or a tailored vest, or going all out in a suit and tie (and suspenders, vest, hat, dress shoes, and cane), the tomboy look is a go-to alternative that everyone should have in their closet. The sharp menswear look is not just a passing trend, but a timeless style that has had major moments for the last seven or so decades.

Here's some inspiration:

Woody Allen's then-flame Diane Keaton in her most famous role Annie Hall, wearing a mix of Ralph Lauren menswear and her own boyish pieces.

Audrey Tatou looks contemplative in a still from Coco Before Chanel, outfitted in own of Chanel's signature tailored tuxes.

A Brian Jones-era Anita Pallenberg is seen running through the streets in her pinstriped suit.

Cate Blanchett is shown getting into her role as a young Bob Dylan in I'm Not There.

Another famous figure that Blanchett once portrayed, Katharine Hepburn, is seen smoking a cigarette on set of Woman of the Year in her trademark tailored trousers and blazer.

Marianne Faithfull outside of a London courthouse following the Redlands bust.

Kristen Stewart pals around with her Twilight castmates Kellan Lutz and Robert Pattinson, while wearing a white suit.

Wonder Woman Lynda Carter with date Ron Samuels in his-and-hers tuxedoes at the Golden Globes in 1977.

Bird of Britain Pattie Boyd wears a baggy suit and tie (borrowed from George, perhaps?)

The lovely Kirsten Dunst looks every bit a fashion icon in her androgynous look, adding a feminine flare with her Louboutin heels.

Patti Smith, long known for her music and her tomboyish style, on the cover of her debut album Horses, from 1975.

Studio 54 regular and rock star wife Bianca Jagger swaggers along in her white tux, bowler hat, and cane.

Yé-yé darling Francoise Hardy is shown out and about in the mid-60s in a menswear-inspired look.

Milla Jovovich matches her boyish suit with a cropped 'do and minimal makeup.

Yves Saint Laurent's famous Le Smoking tuxedo suit for women.

Kate Hepburn, again shown in her classic menswear: a bowler hat, tailored vest, and slouchy trousers.

Pattie Boyd, in an Ossie Clark ensemble, gives hubby George Harrison a run for his (sartorial) money in her white suit, while traveling to the Cannes Film Festival in 1968 for the premiere of Wonderwall.

An early fan of the feminine tux, Marlene Dietrich topped off her look with patent oxford dress shoes and a top hat.

For Twiggy, all she needed was a fashion-forward tie, worn with a minidress and button down, to complete her androgynous style.

Anita Pallenberg dresses like just one of the boys in the airport with Mick, Keith, and baby Marlon in the early 1970s.

Alexa Chung, shown on the city streets, in several tomboyish pieces.

In 2009, Rihanna, Twiggy, and Lake Bell all adopted the tuxedo look for the Met Ball.

i love the black and white, i love the play of light, the way contini puts his image through a prism

I'm developing a quick but overwhelming obsession with Nine, the musical directed by Rob Marshall of Chicago fame and based on Fellini's 81/2. It stars the most incredible cast - Daniel Day Lewis plays Guido Contini, a famed Italian director who struggles to overcome a monumental creative (not to mention mid-life) crisis, all the while trying to balance all the women in his life, including his wife (Marion Cotillard), his mistress (Penelope Cruz), his mother (Sophia Loren), his cinematic muse (Nicole Kidman), an American Vogue journalist (Kate Hudson), a whore from his youth (Fergie), and his costume designer and confidant (Judi Dench).

What I am digging most about the film is its fantastic wardrobes, each perfectly suited for the character. My favorite is Kate Hudson's character Stephanie, a Vogue journalist from the States who absolutely loves Guido Contini and tries to seduce him. Her look is that of a mod go-go girl, with tons of over-the-knee boots, miniskirts, fishnet tights, scarves, backcombed hair, heavy makeup, and clothing colors of black, white, pink, and silver. Hudson even gets to sing "Cinema Italiano" which was written especially for her. The tune is reminiscent of '60s Frenchyé-yé pop, and talks about Stephanie's adoration of Italian film and how she wants to live in the world of Guido Contini's cinema.

my, my, the clock in the sky is pounding away, there’s so much to say

I’ve always thought it was pretty funny that one of the most popular singers in the French yé-yé genre during the sixties and seventies wasn’t even French. Sylvie Vartan, born in Bulgaria in 1944, rose to fame during the early sixties for her sweet girly, innocent look.
As a preteen, Sylvie’s family moved to Paris, where Sylvie completed her schooling and, in 1959, both her and her brother Eddie took steps toward musical careers. With Eddie working with artists like Frankie Jordan writing songs and arranging music, a fluke chance had Sylvie put in the recording studio lending her vocals to a track with Jordan entitled “Panne d’Essence,” which became a hit. The song provided enough exposure for Sylvie that Decca offered her a recording contract and the press dubbed her La lycéenne du twist – the twisting schoolgirl – for how Sylvie danced while performing.
In December 1961, her EP was released, along with the single “Quand le film est triste,” a cover of the song “Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)” which was a hit in the US. Vartan’s version was also a hit, and her followup single “Est-ce que tu le sais?” a cover of Ray Charles’s “What’d I Say” was another success. In July 1962 she went on tour of France with Gilbert Bécaud. In the fall, she released more singles, covers of the songs “The Locomotion,” Turn, Turn, Turn,” and “Breaking Up is Hard to do.” By 1963, Sylvie began recording songs that were mostly originals. One of her biggest hits, “La Plus Belle Pour Aller Danser,” was a result of a trip to Nashville late that year. Few months later, Sylvie met Johnny Hallyday – known as the French Elvis – and together they went on tour and filmed the movie “D'où viens-tu, Johnny?” before announcing their engagement before the year’s end.
By now, Sylvie was a very big celebrity in France – a star of the yé-yé movement and one-half of France’s favorite couples, she was loved by the public. Sylvie’s vocals differed from her yé-yé contemporaries – whereas they all shared the sweet girlish look, Sylvie had a comparatively deeper and bluesier voice than France Gall and Françoise Hardy. Because of her voice, she was perceived by the public to have more of an edge than the other girls, and this image as being ‘the bad of the good girls’ helped differentiate Sylvie from all the other girl singers. In 1964, she performed at the Paris Olympia as the main attraction (last act) at a concert featuring Trini Lopez and The Beatles. She also went on an international tour that took her to North America, South America, and Tokyo, and performed on several US programs including the Ed Sullivan Show.
In April 1965, Sylvie married Johnny Hallyday in a lavish ceremony attended by over 2000 guests. Sylvie and Johnny became France’s “golden couple” and in August 1966 they welcomed a son, David. The marriage wasn’t without troubles, as Johnny often went out with friends instead of staying home with his family. In April 1968, they were in a car accident, but neither were seriously injured. She went on a tour that August, where Sylvie introduced a new look – consisting of Barbarella-style boots and short skirts – and sound that had a cabaret-style of dance and singing. For the next year, she continued to produce top-five hits on the French and Italian charts, and she performed top-selling concerts at the Paris Olympia.
In early 1970, she and Johnny were in another car accident, though this time they weren’t as lucky as they had been two years prior. Though Johnny survived the crash unharmed, Sylvie was injured to the extent that she required major plastic surgery to reconstruct her face. Despite her accident, Sylvie continued to record and perform her music. She continued her music career successfully throughout the seventies, adopting a disco sound, and the eighties until she temporarily retired in 1984. In late 1980 she and Johnny divorced, and Sylvie then married actor and film producer Tony Scotti (of “Valley of the Dolls” fame) in 1984, together adopting a daughter from Bulgaria. Sylvie continues to be a big star in France, and is still performing today, primarily performing a jazz show in French countries and Japan.