What to Steal From Your Partner's Wardrobe

You know the one: oversized in a way that feels sculptural, not sloppy. Cut straighter through the torso, longer in the cuff, with a collar that actually stands up when asked. Whether you wear it open over a tank and trousers or tucked into the world’s tiniest skirt, the men’s button-down gives you that effortless “I don’t care, but actually I do” energy that stylists get paid to fake.

The average women’s belt, frankly, needs to do less. Men’s belts are sturdier, plainer, and often reversible. There are no mystery toggles or thin straps or statment buckles. A thick leather belt from the men’s section, worn over a knit dress or slouched low on tailored trousers, adds a hint of discipline to even the most wayward outfit.

Crisp. Unapologetic. As severe as it is sensual. A good men’s tuxedo shirt, with a pleated front, French cuffs, and preferably a bit of starch left in the collar, does what no silk blouse ever could. It sharpens a pair of jeans, de-fussifies a midi skirt, and makes any open blazer look like a thought rather than an accident. Tuck it, belt it, undo one button too many. You’re in charge.

Step away from the crop tops and “shrunken” sweaters. Men’s knitwear is where you find substance. Roomy, ribbed, and ready to be worn with nothing underneath, these are the jumpers that drape just-so off a shoulder or fold into the waistband of wide-leg trousers with a kind of insouciant chic that women’s styles rarely achieve. Think fisherman sweaters, collegiate V-necks, quarter-zips that say I work in finance but don’t make a thing of it. Pull one on over a silk skirt, or wear it alone like a dress.

There’s something about men’s tailoring — the proportions, the rise, the absence of that cursed invisible stretch — that makes for unexpectedly excellent pants. Look for pleats. Look for wool. Look for the kind of cut that sits on your hips like a knowing smirk. Wear them with a tight tee and a strappy heel. They’re not partners' trousers. They’re yours.

Blazers. Bombers. Wax Jackets. Trench coats with a bit more gravity. The outerwear in the men’s section is rarely trying to be cute, and that’s exactly the point. A man’s coat on a woman suggests intrigue, not effort. Shoulder pads hit just right. Longer lengths graze the thigh. Add earrings. Add red lips. Or don’t, it works either way.