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Men's Street Style vs. Women's Street Fashion: What's The Difference?
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When it comes to the ever-evolving market of fashion and streetwear, there isn’t one rule that fits all and especially as women’s and men’s tastes are very different to an extent, you are expected to see some differences. But what are those differences?
While both men and women embrace streetwear, they approach it very differently, and there are some key differences in how they approach it, which I find very interesting.
My first experience with streetwear was just on a whim; I wasn’t old enough to understand its heritage or into skateboarding or anything like that, but I just wasn’t feeling the clothes that were ‘fashionable’ at the time, such as jeggings, straight-leg jeans and everything with them. I found that this never flattered my figure and just didn’t embody who I was or my lifestyle.
The first pair of baggy jeans I bought were from Pull and Bear and I was in absolute awe. This must have been when streetwear was coming back in fashion, as the women’s section was full of oversized tops and baggy jeans.
Fashion brands are very quick to transfer what is popular in men’s fashion into the women’s section and while a lot of people enjoy baggy everything, not all women do, so variations of the same thing need to be made, whether it’s from our own DIY hacks or fashion brands creating new pieces for women to share in the world of streetwear.
You might be wondering what these changes looked like and how they were both different yet in the same style. Let’s delve into the distinct characteristics of men’s and women’s streetwear.
Silhouettes and Overall Fit
As briefly mentioned above, men’s streetwear often features a relaxed, oversized and baggy feel to it. Some brands can take this to the next level by wearing jeans that are extremely wide and just not flattering or appealing to women.
Men can pull off extra baggy things, as they have done since the 1980s. So it was a given when this style came back in mass that everything was oversized and baggy for men.
Women’s street fashion is a lot more diverse, so there are many shapes, styles and sizing options for us to choose from, which I adore. We have everything from skirts and dresses to jeans so we have more of a chance to get creative and test the limits with our street fashion. But you also have the choice of relaxed fits and bodycon pieces that you would not get from a men’s streetwear rotation.
Different shapes compliment a woman’s body more and proportions are everything so this is essential if a woman doesn’t want to be drowned in her streetwear.
Colour Palette
Men’s streetwear tends to have a very neutral palette; that is not to say all brands and men’s streetwear are neutral but the majority of them are or at least what the majority of men that are wanting to keep within the trends keep to a very basic color palette.
While women’s colour palette is diverse and broad. As women, we can wear literally any colour we want and tend to choose the things that stand out, so your pinks, reds and blues are more than accepted and sought after within women’s street fashion. The same goes for pattern mixing and layering. With the different opportunities to wear other things like skirts, jeans, crop tops and the rest, women have taken the opportunity to layer all of these together to create more colourful and dimensional looks.
That is not to say that men’s streetwear is not full of layers but it’s more accessible and achievable for women to add that to their looks compared to men.
Footwear Focus
In more recent years, the footwear game for men and women has been crossing over and what I mean by that is that men and women both love very similar brands, styles and colour schemes when it comes to footwear and the trends on the new hottest pair of shoes are continuously changing.
For example, Solomons had their peak in the world of streetwear in 2023 and were very popular among men and women in the same style and more recently, it has been the return of Adidas Sambas. But while, of course, there have been similarities, there are some significant differences for those who like to stand out among the trends.
Men are primarily focused on trainers and are heavily influenced by limited-edition releases, classic silhouettes and old styles from the 1980s. There is a very consistent flow and while new brands come to poke what they have within the streetwear community, there are some classics that have been and always will be in a men’s street style rotation.
When it comes to women and their collection of shoes, the list can be endless and that’s because we love shoes. But we represent styles that men simply don’t do as often or just look better because we have smaller feet. Anything from large chunky boots, trainers and even sneaker heels—we have it all and more. These pieces are seen more often than not among women in their street style with classic sneakers.
Origins and Influences
You can most definitely say that the inspiration behind these styles comes from two completely different things, especially as women and men are influenced by different things, you can most definitely assume that a route they are also very different.
Men’s street style influences are a mixture of past and present things, such as Japanese culture, which is more in the present but hip hop and skateboarding, which you could say were its origin stories. Skaters and hip-hop artists at the time were known for their baggy clothing, cargo pants (link removed) and simple silhouettes, which inspired the way that streetwear is today.
From my perspective, I see the shape-specific pieces still popular today but the more out-there and outgoing streetwear pieces you find today are inspired by outdoor activities and Japanese culture. It’s a new version of something functional and stylish. It’s hard to pinpoint what the definition is based on what each individual would define as street fashion; there are so many spin-offs and avenues now that there is no single adjective that fits.
Women’s street style influences are extremely different and are focused more on modern influences such as high fashion and pop culture but also a little bit of what men tend to wear in today’s setting. Men have a huge fashion influence on women but primarily on footwear, the rest arguably comes from those brands and individuals with large fashion influence. Women’s streetwear is a lot more fun to play with in the sense that there are so many of us who just use different parts of trends or ‘cores’ and fuse them together to create something unique and hybrid.
Fashion is a form of self-expression but it also comes from many different experiences and influences so it’s only interesting and nice to see that modern-day streetwear is nothing like it was 40 years ago and has now become a fuse of many different things, especially now with social media, where trends are coming and going so much faster.
Brand Focus
If you haven’t noticed already, branded streetwear pieces, especially footwear, tend to be highly focused on brand representation. Even back in the day, skateboarders wore branded tops, shoes and hats, and this influenced that era of fashion so much that they created their own brands, which still have their impact today.
I would say from experience that brands have always been more prominent in men’s fashion and streetwear style is no exception. From socks to hats, men will tend to buy brands that trust and appeal to their street style. Especially from influential stores like End and Closure London, where they are primarily streetwear-focused, they present a whole array of pieces and brands that adhere to the streetwear core. These brands include anything from athletic brands like Nike to Japanese brands like Suicoke.
Women’s fashion has never been hyper-fixated on brands, but we are more than happy to have it, especially for footwear and accessories. In terms of tops, jeans and other things, we are more than happy to go vintage shopping or order from fast fashion stores. Women are pretty crafty with their clothes as well so one minute we might have an oversized jumper and the next it’s a cropped layering piece so there is no real brand focus within women’s street style finds.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to pinpointing the true differences between women’s street fashion and men’s, almost every aspect can be different but there are also clear similarities. It’s more difficult to outwardly say what street fashion even is, with more influences and adaptations to the style itself, but it’s interesting to see how far the style has actually come and its evident popularity among every single gender, race, ethnicity and culture. There are clear similarities, such as the love for branded trainers and cargo pants but there are so many interesting differences among both that clearly state the obvious that there is a difference.
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About Author
I am Lucy, I enjoy reading and writing the most but when I’m not occupied with a good book, you will find me vintage or online shopping for the latest streetwear and Y2K pieces like cargo pants or oversized shirts.
