Ten Gender-Bending Fall Fashion Looks

Pairing a double-breasted suit jacket with a starched shirt and oversized bow tie is one of fall's most anticipated trends.
But if you think Karl Lagerfeld created this look for a man, think again. This suit jacket-bow tie combo is part of Lagerfeld's fall line for women.
And Lagerfeld is not alone. Paul Smith, Nina Ricci and Max Azria are also blurring fashion's gender lines. Elbow patches or a stitch that gives the illusion of an elbow patch will be seen on womens' jackets and sweaters, while hats and caps and cuffed pants will also be reinterpreted from men's wardrobes. And designers of accessories such as shoes and handbags have added masculine details like studding and vintage hardware, says Benjamin Belton, president of a four-store retail chain selling women’s and men’s apparel in western North Carolina.
What's more, handbags are no longer solely a woman's accessory; men will also find oversized leather bags for personal items. And purple in all shades and tones will be a staple for both men and women heading into fall.
In Pictures: 10 Gender-Bending Fall Fashion Looks
"Business casual in the workplace has really opened up the blur in gender lines," says Cynthia O'Connor, founder and CEO of Cynthia O'Connor + Company, a fashion and accessories showroom with locations in New York City and Los Angeles. "The ability for both men and women to dress down at work is presenting more options for wardrobing."
While women's clothing began adopting masculine undertones in the 1920s, such details are at the forefront of many designers' fall lines. Lagerfeld and Carolina Herrera incorporated bow ties into their womenswear collections, while Smith, Gianfranco Ferre and Costume National created women's suits with flat-front pants, stiff, white, collared shirts and pinstripes.
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Marc Jacobs is more literal in his interpretation of menswear for women--his fall collection features womens' pantsuits almost identical to traditional men's styles.
Even dresses are looking more like suits. Azria's loose shirtdress with men's dress-shirt trimming on the sleeves, collar and hem is paired with a men's cap, skinny-heeled ankle boots and a ladylike, oversized clutch. Philip Lim pairs a fitted gray jacket over a dress and a long cardigan vest over a shorter dress.
But women aren't the only ones "cross-dressing."