Kanye West is a trendsetter if ever there was one. He usually goes for the most outrageous and flashy of fashions, which is rare among rappers. Bold and envelope-pushing looks are what we’ve come to expect from the star who boasts legions of fans that follow in his fashionable footsteps, buying anything that he wears.
He headlined the last night of the 2011 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, California with a performance that will go down in the event’s history. Not for his fashion but for the set’s stirring visuals, the moving modern and ballet dance routines and Kanye’s passionate rendition of his top hits as well as his declaration that Coachella is “the most important show since his Mom passed.” He dedicated the show, which Hollywood Reporter called one of the greatest hip hop sets of all time, to his mother.
But it seems all the blogs could talk about is what shirt he chose to wear. He performed in a colorful print tunic from Celine’s Spring 2011 collection. It is industry-known knowledge that he is a fan of the brand, but wearing it has caused quite a stir as the tunic comes from the women’s collection.
Women certainly wear men’s clothing all the time and “menswear-inspired” is one of the most popular phrases in fashion at the moment. Now that the roles have been reversed, it is frowned upon and well-known editor Derek Blasberg even went as far as to tweet “Sorry ladies, but the best dressed girl at#Coachella is hands down @KanyeWest. Homegirl rocked spring Celine on stage. Twerk it out, Ye!”
Now certainly, this is taking it too far. To go back in history, men have been wearing “feminine” attire like kilts for ages and their sexuality has never been questioned. 80′s musicians like Rick James wore skin-tight jeans and makeup and yet they had flocks of female fans waiting for them after every show.
So why is it that Kanye West is all of a sudden labeled “effeminate” and made fun of because he chose to wear a women’s shirt by one of his favorite brands? His tunic in no way looks feminine and certainly does not fit him the way a woman’s would.
Is this just another “Chastise Kanye” moment or are men in hip-hop held to another standard of masculinity that makes it nearly impossible for them to wear Women’s clothing (that’s not even effeminate) without criticism? Does our generation have a problem with tolerance?
-Faith Cummings
Few people would know that’s a woman’s blouse in the hiphop world since Celine(I can’t get enough) is not a well known line. Derek was just being a jerk.
The shirt really doens’t look like a woman’s blouse. It can be worn by anyone. Our generation is perhaps more tollerant than any that’ve come before us.
I wish that people would leave Kanye alone. Who cares??? It’s a nice shirt! I’ve noticed that everyone (i.e. media) tries to make him seem crazy but he’s just being himself. Does it even matter?
Thank you Angel! I absolutely agree with you , people should just leave Kanye alone. Let the man just be!
Men don’t get a lot of options. I’m with ‘Ye on this. I mean, he didn’t take it all Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. It’s just a shirt.
I absolutely love this shirt! It doesn’t look like a woman’s blouse at all. It fits Kanye and I like the bracelets he has on with it as well. If people don’t know that Kanye does his own thing fashion wise by now then they need to figure it out.
I think Ye looks fly. He performed magnificently and dedicated the show to his mom = lovely. People need to get a f-ing life. Who cares what he wears really? Is that really news?
Sounds like a critic is just picking on Kanye again. I don’t think the shirt looks bad on him. I wouldn’t have known it was a woman’s blouse if I hadn’t read this article. I think that because he is in the music industry, Kanye can get away with this. He has the right style and attitude to pull this off. And, if i’m not mistaken, men used to wear silk print shirts back in the 90s, right? maybe he’s just trying to bring the trend back…idk
I’m not sure if our generation has a problem with tolerance. If he were just a regular dude on the street, I’d probably think “hmmm…that’s different” lol, then go about the rest of my day. I wouldn’t necessarily be turned off or think anything negative of him.
Honestly, I wouldn’t knew it was a women’s shirt until now, to me it looks like a guy’s shirt because personally I wouldn’t wear it because it doesn’t look feminine enough for me
This is where things get mashed up becasue for as long as I can remember, Prince has been wearing 4 inch heels and make-up for the longest which has never once diminished his manhood and he is still respected by all to this day. And we still love Prince but could it be a generational thing probably, but the point is Kanye is an artist and that doesn’t hardly look like a women’s blouse he’s wearing at all.
Side note – saw Prince last night…
All these years later, still rocking the heels, the makeup, and tighter clothes than you’d ever see me in – and everyone LOVED him (me included)
And I wouldnt have known Kanye was wearing a “woman’s” shirt if someone hadn’t said something
love the shirt. i would so wear that. i don’t think it looks all that feminine though. i actually like it on him.
He just can’t win, can he? There is a prejudice in hip-hop. No one said a damn thing when Michael Jackson wore a Balmain women’s military jacket from the S/S ’09 collection.
Can the media just let this man live?? I mean really.
Love the shirt. Ye looks great. Definitely just hating on him.
This hyper ‘masculinity’ that’s being promoted in hip hop/the black community generally, is really stifling and counterproductive (in it’s misogyny, exaggerated gender stereotyping and homophobia). I love that Kanye is forever stepping outside of the box. He’s a better artist, and we are given better art. Everyone wins.
As an artist rock out, damn, leave this artist alone. As MY man, no sir.
This is hilarious! People in the fashion world are indeed very aware of Celine, and the Price tag attached to the pieces. Whoever this clown is that tried to play ‘ye is foolish. Lets focus on the music. Leave fashion to the masters!
look like Versace doesn’t it
This isn’t the first time that he’s been labeled as effeminate and it certainly won’t be his last. If I can’t find certain articles of clothing, I’ll find it in menswear and the best thing about it is that men’s clothing is much cheaper than ours. Derek must not be a fan or is it that Kanye will never be forgiven? Anyone that thinks outside the box will always be criticized for doing so, oh well *Diva Shrug* life goes on and it’s not that serious.
BROTHER KANYE IS ROCKING THE SHIRT!!!!! MALE….FEMALE…NO MATTER…IT LOOKS GOOD ON THE BROTHER!!!!!
It looks better on Kanye than the model!
Once upon a time I loved Kanye. Then I got annoyed with him. Now I love his work again. It’s a damn shirt. It looks good on him. Everyone can get over it.
Love the shirt. I wouldn’t even have known it was a blouse if it hadn’t been brought to my attention. It looks pretty masculine to me. Kanye is such a trendsetter. In music and other genres of the arts. There are some true Kanye haters out there though. But he handles them with class. Because the worst thing you can do to haters is ignore them. And, again, Kanye does that with tons of class. Love him and love the “shirt.”