Let's not beat around the bush (the flaunting of which, I hear, is also back in style, faux or otherwise): Men are dressing like women, women are dressing like men, and even folks who don't subscribe to either label are dressing in clothes bursting at the seams with overtly masculine or feminine codes. 

Jumbled and androgynous in one place, hot and heavy(-handed) in others: Gender gymnastics are proving to be the year's supreme discipline, as witnessed both on award season's red carpets and runways for fall/winter 2026. There's no more such thing as simply “his” or “hers.” Today, we're in “his which used to be hers, hers which used to be his, or something that used to be a great-great grandparent’s and felt almost offensively old-fashioned but is suddenly trendy again” territory.

There are more and less subtle ways this manifests, in looks as unspectacular (by now) as guys in highwaisted jeans and crop tops, slinging spacious shoulder bags and trinkety accessories. But then there are the brooches, the ballet(-ish) flats; the leopard prints and feather headpieces; the bows, ruffles and laces, the sequins and meshes; the cinched Dior Bar Jacket and Chanel point blank. That dude you saw at the park demonstratively reading Simone de Beauvoir? Yeah, he’s also really hyped for Simone Rocha's Pitti Uomo debut this June.

So, is this second-wave metrosexuality? Is it the natural evolution from the performative male's pearl necklaces and polished nails? Maybe it's camp, maybe it's commentary, maybe it's not that deep altogether, but it is abundantly clear that fashion's going… queer. Even in places where the womenswear chose not to  indulge in comically masc details as in the case of Jean Paul Gaultier's broad-shouldered mafioso coats, or Givenchy's ties and pinstriped pantsuits, the alternative girliness was so sugary — the giving of femme so high — that it read as satirical, almost drag-y. Think Celine's jangly costume jewelry, Miu Miu's weird babydoll night gowns, or Lanvin's huge hats. And flowers. F*cking everywhere. Out the wazoo. And don't even get me started on the bustle's comeback…

Without getting too academic, it's worth noting here that the history of western fashion, rooted in a separation of two sexes, is filled to the brim with the bending and swapping of gender rules for aesthetic, political and commercial reasons alike. Zooming out, however distinct each era’s  criteria for what's male, female, or en vogue to each might be, these rules have never been static. What's striking about these latest developments isn't that they represent some sort of singular reckoning, per se. It's how this fluid, reclaim-y approach to styling and design does so by actually revisiting some of the most extreme examples of binary garment making we know.

For reference, to promote the Wuthering Heights film adaptation, Margot Robbie took to method dressing in Victorian era-inspired corsets by Dilara Findikoglu and Vivienne Westwood. Right around that same period, Jonathan Anderson has been drawing from in his use of tailoring that exaggerates the hips and backsides of skirts, as seen on Mia Goth at the Vanity Fair Oscar party, or even those ruched cargo shorts from his premier Dior menswear collection. Meanwhile, Zoë Kravitz and Connor Storrie are out here donning the same damn Saint Laurent get-up — down to a T, on separate occasions, with see-through blouses, fur stoles and all.

It's ironic, at a point when we're freer than ever to just put on what we want, regardless of gender etiquette (or even work etiquette, for that matter), we're rediscovering near-clichéd attire that teeters on the border of costuming. For example, a corporate-cosplay power silhouette feels at its most aspirational, evidently, in times when plenty of young professionals are struggling to secure a basic 9-to-5. In the same way, just as we’ve gotten closer than we've ever been to a post-gender fashion, the industry is leaning harder into those exact tropes. Because once you’re done escaping the rules of gender, they can be pretty fun to try on.

Written by Max Migowski, Highsnobiety Shopping Editor

Since we're already debating traditional rites, why not cover SKIMS’ wedding line? Yes, you read that correctly: Kim Kardashian's loungewear brand is making satin undies, heart-speckled pajamas, and elegant lingerie for newlyweds.

These soft-edged Jacques Marie Mage shades by Jeff Goldblum are coming to free us of those cursed micro frames we all thought we needed last summer. 

Speaking of overdone trends, Acne Studios is moving on from its Y2K vibe of the past few seasons and re-embracing a cleaner Scandi look. As I'm eyeing the sheen-y pants and leather slacks, this shift is much appreciated. Not sure where or how these belted sandals fit in there, but I want them.

Auralee made the chicest and simplest of blousons, in both dark wool and caramel calfskin, as well as a raincoat so bright and yellow you’ll actually want the weather to turn up bad every morning. 

Underneath those final early spring outer layers, how about Aaron Levine's lovely half-zip fleece?

The MM6 x Supreme collab sold out in seconds, so we checked resale: it’s relatively doable. The stained hoodie's a fave, the furry boxing gloves a pass… Or are they?

Taken from what's a pretty mixed bag — or shopping cart, rather — Stüssy made a contrast-stitched moto jacket, a coffee maker set, and a canvas backpack we love. 

Last time Post Archive Faction offered footwear, it was gone almost instantly. You'd be a fool to miss out on these perforated mules! 

PSA: I think this Lemaire is the big bag I've been searching — no, yearning — for, and probably should be gatekeeping. But I'm a man of the people after all.

By Max Migowski

with Herbert Hofmann, Delia Cai & Youri Chapelle