Masculine? Feminine? Or both?
Androgyny as an influence in fashion and beauty is not a relatively new concept, dating back to the 30s and gaining momentum more notably in the late 70s and early 80s with the “power suit” debut for women in corporate positions.
Within recent years, designers have been blurring the line between what differentiates women and men’s clothing.
Androgynous trends rose in the past few years, trickling down from runways and magazines, and forced the universal population to question the conventional beliefs of which clothing is designated for men and women.
Designer Rei Kawakubo, for example, consistently challenges the traditional ideas of masculinity and femininity in fashion through the Comme des Garçons label.  In the Fall 2013 “Ready To Wear” show, models with sleek, gelled hair and minimal makeup sported boxy garments, featuring defined masculine silhouettes with feminine accents. The women wore black, gray, or pinstripe oversized suits that had dramatic folds and exaggerated fabrics on the shoulders and sleeves.
Although most of the garments were very large, the exaggeration of the pleats and oversized puffy sleeves provided a contrast to the traditionally masculine pantsuit.  
Not long after, many women could be spotted wearing boxy coats and remixing them with more feminine silhouettes because of the exposure to this trend through runways and cheaper fast fashion stores. Retail stores like Zara displayed mannequins dressed in oversized blazers mixed with form fitting pencil skirts and chic heels.
Josh Holder, owner of Time Warp Boutique, believes that androgynous trends have been prevalent for the past few years.
“From grit to minimalistic modern, people are changing the rules on what is acceptable. You should still be able to wear florals and color and still be a ‘man’,” Holder said.
Other designers have generated runway shows that are agender, displaying both male and female models with clothing that suits gender neutral shoppers.
For Meadham Kirchhoff’s Spring 2015 “Ready to Wear” collection, models emerged wearing brightly colored and patterned shirts, latex bottoms, and oversized jackets, giving the show a punk meets futuristic atmosphere. From a female model wearing structured striped pants and an asymmetrical white button- up shirt, to a male model donning hot pink, latex pants with zippers and buckles, the show did not define what men or women should wear.
Traditionally, most men would feel uncomfortable wearing hot pink latex pants, since hot pink is usually a color associated with women. But, designers are making a statement about gender roles in fashion. Men can dress in garments that are ordinarily for women and still be men, and women can wear oversized, baggy clothing and still be women. The idea that a garment has to belong to a man or woman has become less popular as designers have produced collections that embody androgynous trends.
The portrayal of androgyny in the fashion and beauty industries influences what trends become popular in the newest season.
Ads, fashion shows, magazines spreads and more showcase ideas of androgyny, such as the recent rise of minimal makeup, boxy blazers for women, and flared bell bottoms for men.