Girls Will Be Boys(?)

My fashion icon, Coco Chanel, once questioned, "I don't know why women want any of the things men have when one of the things that women have is men." I'm not one to disagree with Coco, and this may very well be true--but why not have our cake and eat it too? The truth is, when it comes to fashion, menswear is as good as ours.

The takeover began once upon a time, when high-power-business-women expanded their working wardrobe selection by adding the classic pants suit. Yawn. Thankfully, this is the dawning of a new era, when menswear can offer flair rather than utility. I give you: (drum roll please....) the necktie.

While perusing the J. Crew March catalog, I couldn't help but notice the blurring of gender in the pages of women's suiting. I was most impressed by the use of the necktie in place of the more traditional strand of pearls or scarf. I hate to draw a parallel to a hideous hairstyle faux pas, but the necktie is like the mullet of businesswear accessories; it's all business up front--yet simultaneously a subtle play on the flirty "school girl" image. And what girl doesn't have a special place in her heart for her days as a school girl? Isn't that why so many twenty-somethings tune in to Gossip Girl on Monday nights to follow the plights of Manhattan's young elite?

After careful consideration, I knew I had to put my theory to the test. My patient husband spent an hour sitting next to me on the couch as I struggled to master the single vs. the double windsor. As it turns out, I'm a single windsor sort of girl (I find that it lends itself to the "sloppy tie" look that I'm partial to).

Then for the maiden voyage: This morning, rather than wrapping my favorite Burberry scarf around my neck before heading out the door, I carefully added a skinny black tie to complete my look. The result? Interestingly, it was my male coworkers who seemed to notice the change. Perhaps my fashion-minded female peers took it in stride as an alternative accessory?

Either way, this school-girl-turned-business-woman is all about the necktie. And I can't help but think that the girls of Constance, particularly Serena van der Woodsen, would have to agree.

Photo credits: J. Crew March catalog layout/photo of Blake Lively from www.theinsider.com.