I love clothing and footwear with a refined, masculine integrity. I frequently wear button-down shirts, both tailored and oversized, which is a boyish look. I adore flat oxfords, tuxedo style tops and toppers, roomy blazers with low stances, baggy trousers and boyfriend jeans. Add to that bomber jackets, waist surrendering silhouettes, trouser suits, wide belts looped through low rise jeans and pants, slipper flats, and roomy crew neck pullovers. And if that isn’t enough, I also wear iconic unisex wardrobe items like the original Dr. Martens lace up boot, Rayban wayfarers, and Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers. Heck, I even have a boyish body and haircut.

I definitely have the tomboy style gene, but I also have a threshold beyond which an outfit becomes too masculine. Just the other day I wore baggy True Religion Cameron boyfriend jeans with a roomy white cotton crew neck pullover faux tucked over a white belt. I layered with an unzipped black lace bomber jacket and finished off the look with silver flat oxfords. I looked in the mirror and did not like the combination at all. I was wearing masculine items from head to toe and it did not make me feel fab. I swapped out the shoes for white baby wedge Converse sneakers, and liked the look a little more, but was still not loving it.

To remedy the situation, I swapped out the footwear for low heeled girly black & white pointy toe oxfords. I liked that combination MUCH better. I then tried white pointy toe pumps, an even girlier shoe, and that increased the happiness factor of the outfit even more.

Next, I swapped out the boyfriend jeans for white straight leg jeans, but kept the flat silver oxfords and rest of the outfit the same. I liked that combination just as much. White straight leg jeans are much more feminine than faded blue boyfriend jeans, and that was just what those boyish flat oxfords needed to make them look more girly. 

I might have felt differently about the original head-to-toe masculine outfit if had a very feminine hairstyle, like long cascading locks. But I have boyish hair, and although the cut is very much part of my style, I do have to keep that tomboy style gene under control by incorporating some feminine pieces into my outfit. 

Over to you. Do you enjoy wearing clothing and footwear with a masculine integrity? If so, is there a point when your outfit feels too masculine, and you have to inject a bit of girly back into the look? Or are you a true Tomboy who doesn’t need a feminine component at all.