Why More Guys Should Shop at Womenswear Brands in 2025
Especially when the reference for some of these pieces are...well, menswear pieces.
Wow it’s been a fun few weeks. This substack has grown considerably in our little holiday break and both Theo and I are thankful for anyone who choose to read these + we carry a deep disdain for whoever hasn’t subscribed yet. How am I going to buy this unisex Lemaire coat without any subs???
Speaking of unisex — more men should wear clothing made by womenswear brands. I am convinced that in 2025, some of the best pieces for guys will be found in some unexpected places. This thought can be pinned to this exact instagram post from Aaron Levine.
You see that coat? Yeah it’s great, and it fits great. And he’s a burly looking dude, with a sick beard. And the best part is that it comes from Doen; their Pascual barn coat. Now some of you are smart enough to understand that a guy wearing a jacket made by a womenswear brand isn’t a big deal. But if in 2025 this still upsets you, lets see what Doen has to say about this here coat:
“Crafted from garment-dyed cotton, the Pascual Jacket recalls 1940s barn jackets and is reminiscent of a vintage style worn by Margaret and Katherine’s father in Santa Barbara, where they grew up. The jacket features a slouchy, relaxed fit, Corozo buttons, a contrast corduroy collar and inner cuff detail. For added utility, there are two roomy hip pockets, as well as a chest pocket.”
It was made to mimic the sort of jacket their dad wore. So this womenswear brand made a barn coat inspired by what their dad wore — why wouldn’t I want to wear that?
I can hear this argument clearly — “WAH WAH WAH BUT IT’S A WOMEN’S COAT WAH WAH WAH I CANNOT WEAR THAT WAH WAH WAH IT IS SO FEMINE” and to that I say my brother in Christ, I know your wife / fiancee / girlfriend steals your hoodies / jackets all the time. And if you don’t have a wife / fiancee / girlfriend — please get off this sub stack right away, this isn’t for you. We’ve somehow agreed that it is okay to allow our partners to steal clothing that is designed for men, but we somehow draw the line on clothing that was designed for women, EVEN IF THE INSPO WAS A MENSWEAR PIECE OF CLOTHING. *sigh* I’m not asking you to wear a skirt man…although David Harbour did it for Thom Browne and I’m positive that he is (1) manlier than you and (2) more successful than you and (3) he can beat you into a pulp.
I also want to say that menswear has had pretty…err…feminine-esque clothing trends in the past. Anyone who has worn skinny jeans at some point can thank the YSL reign of skinny legend Hedi Slimane. And what is even funnier about skinny jeans is that you still have these ‘alpha male bro guys’ wearing these painted on jeans, today.
…like if this ^^^ its what you think an alpha male is? Then you can stop worrying about a barn coat from Doen and you instead should worry a little bit more on letting your lower half breathe. “OH OH OH BUT THAT GUY CAN BEAT YOU UP HA” — yeah probably but that’s assuming he can even move in those things. And if your comeback to that is “YEAH JOKES ON YOU, THOSE ARE STRETCHY SO HE CAN RUN AFTER YOU HA” then you just need to admit that you and him want to wear leggings and y’all can hold hands as you walk into Lulu Lemon for their (wife approved) Align leggings. I have heard amazing things.
With that being said, I am looking to acquire this Doen coat at some point. And beyond that in 2025, I want to try and see what other brands are doing to put out menswear-inspired pieces, even if they’re [technically] meant for women. I’ve gathered some pieces of clothing below that walk the line between womenswear/menswear really well.
Aritzia Cozy Fleece Boyfriend Hoodie
I’ve seen droves of men on Tik Tok buy these and rave about how well they fit. I also love the idea that it’s a sweater that was made to fit like a boyfriend’s sweater, without having to steal it from your boyfriend. It seems to fit a little cropped and oversized, which you can still make work. If you want something a little looser, they have their mega raglan too which is a little bigger than the boyfriend one.
Do I think this is the best hoodie? No. But at $90 (and easily accessible) why wouldn’t you do this? If anything, buy this and force it upon your partner so when she steals it you can go and steal your own hoodies back. Brilliant.
Is this a women’s only shoe? Nope! Not at all. Seems like historically these were usually worn by school children and only became known as Mary Janes after a charter in a comic strip wore them. But these have since become super popular amongst women in the ~1950’s, and so they’ve been claimed by womenswear since. The last few years though, there’s been a shift back towards this style amongst guys. I find it fascinating that some would look at this and say its a girly shoe, when in reality it never was intended to be, it just become associated with womenswear. They’re admittedly unique shoes and I’d hope more guys would consider trying them.
I think this Solovair pair is your best price point for the quality. Some other models that I’ve liked were the Maree model from Vinny’s (sold out but crazyyyy with the Vibram sole) and the Thom Browne pair. Oh, and this Japanese pair that I can’t seem to find details on. Wearing these with a nice colored sock under is a great way to sneak some color into your otherwise boring & monotone fit.
Alright alright alright — this one isn’t even official. But the borrowed shirt being cut extra wide & loose is giving the romcom energy of ‘Oh I spent the night but don’t have anything to wear’ → ‘Here take my shirt babe.’ Look at how Theo phrased it in this old Top Picks post:
“I love the cliche of borrowing someone else's clothes and it being completely baggy… but being a married white cis heterosexual male, who’s six foot and broad-shouldered (I used to CrossFit y’know), stealing your boyfriend’s shirt and having a baggy fit isn’t an option. So Our Legacy did the hard work and stole the boyfriend’s shirt for me.”
This one is weird because it isn’t a womenswear brand stealing a menswear item of clothing…it’s a mostly menswear brand…stealing an item of clothing that is for men…but borrowed…by a girl??? It’s like…stolen valor? I mean, the borrowed shirt is…essentially just your own shirt.
But the idea is interesting to me. I find it fascinating that they were able to spin the idea of this shirt and manifest it as something that people want to wear. I cannot imagine that I would spend the $250 when I have my own closet full of these, but I can see why someone would. We all want that ‘morning after’ look without the mandatory walk of shame that comes with it.
THANKS FOR ALL THE LOVE. SEE YOU ALL ON SUBSTACK. LOVE YOU. VENMO ME $1700 FOR THE LEMAIRE COAT, PLEASE.
This article isn’t for the fragile masculine egos 🤝🤝