Sexy in Suits - Androgynous Pinup History

An Age-Old Tradition

As you can see, cross-dressing women is literally documented all the way back to the 19th century. In the images to the left, we see the women don’t only dress in suits, but they adopt specifically masculine accessories of the time, such as the walking cane and the cigar. Though for today’s audience, these images may seem a bit frumpy, at the time, these portrait must have been kept in a secret drawer. Especially the one to the left, which depicts a rather intimate same-sex relationship.

The Roaring 20’s and 30’s

              Charlotte Andler                       Radclyffe Hall                               Frida Kahlo

Between the mid 1920’s and mid 1930’s, it was the time of the Garconne- the Flapper. One of the most revolutionary elements of Flapper fashion was the man’s suit. The style would still focus on imitating the male, without truly unique features- or rather a blurring of the feminine figure with baggy layers.

It would be the magnificent femme fatal, Marlene Dietrich, who’d create the balance, that would later come to be called androgyny:

Yves Saint Laurent Brings Androgynous Back

The 40’s and 50’s were mostly about voluptuous femininity À la Monroe. In 1966 the androgynous look was back with Yves Saint Laurent’s Le Smoking, a tuxedo for women. This one suit would be a catalyst for all modern women’s suits to come. Not only that, but it would play a big role in opening minds, allowing women to break the gender roles and wear pants, unrelated to sports activities.

Punk - Leading the Androgynous Revolution

Patty Smith, a revolutionary in many respects, created an androgynous look that was humble and casual. And it would be Smith’s look that would be imitated decades later by today’s androgyny enthusiasts. The grungy hair, the after-midnight creases and the extra-slim aesthetic:

Bizarre Glam Androgyny

The late 70’s and 80’s would bring bizarre and glam to androgyny. Grace Jones and Annie Lennox brought a brand of bizarre that was disturbing to some and alluring to others. Strong voices, strong women, strong jaw lines.



In 1989 the suit would still shock and Madonna would take over the charts, mixing up classic glamour with this little empowering number and a power suit:

Janelle Monae - Something Old, Something New

Doing something completely different is tough these days, but that’s precisely what Janelle Monae is doing. Like James Brown, Diana Ross and Outcast all crunched into one little lady with a big attitude.

A Good Time to Be Androgynous

As people today have seen everything, this may be a better time to be an androgynous woman (though society is not there yet). It’s definitely having a heyday with more variety, as designers like Jean Paul Gaultier adopt androgynous models and styles (left). As a result of this, it’s more likely to see it in the mainstream, as big starlets sport suits, and androgynes become big starlets.






















Loosening my tie,





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Tags: Sexy in Suits, Yves Saint Laurent, Janelle Monae, tie, androgynes, big starlets, Jean Paul Gaultier, Annie Lennox, Madonna, baggy layers, gender roles , Patty Smith, Le Smoking, tuxedo for women, Marlene Dietrich, androgyny, femme fatal, The Roaring 20’s, 1920's, 1930’s, Garconne, man’s suit, cross-dressing women, Flapper, masculine facade, woman in men’s clothing, perceptions of masculinity, Androgynous Pinup History