Girls who are boys

They can switch up their look and transform from a man into a woman in the blink of an eye. They model men’s and women’s clothes and on stage you hardly know that the super sexy woman model is, well, actually a male. Andrej Pejic, Lea T. and Tilda Swinton are just few of the androgynous models. The boundaries between men and women were never so blurry.

In the 21st century it seems like boundaries no longer exist. Internet and smart phones bridge gaps of place and time, unisex clothes blur the differences between male and female. When it comes to fashion, designers and photographers are a crucial part of this tendency. Not only do they create fashion items that can fit both men and women, they are also using androgynous models that dare fashion visions and axiom as we know them.

Biologically speaking, androgynous is a human being who has both a male and female reproductive system. Androgynous models manage to ignite the imagination of many fashion designers and photographers.

Andrej Pejic is one of the most successful androgynous models out there. He was born in Serbia and always had a very unique and gentle look. Though his first steps in the fashion industry weren’t so easy, nowadays you can see him on the runways and on a plethora of fashion magazine covers.

Whereas other androgynous models specialize in modeling women’s or men’s wear, Pejic is most famous for his ability to model both genders. In January of 2011, Pejic walked for Jean Paul Gaultier during Paris Fashion Week dressed as a woman, and in Marc Jacobs’ show he modeled menswear. He also participated in Burberry Prosum fashion show and looked gorgeous on the runway surrounded by beautiful female models. Lately Pejic has been leading a campaign for a mega push-up bra for the Dutch company, Hema.

However, Andrej Pejic is not the only androgynous model you can see on ads. Brazilian Lea T. is another famous androgynous model, who Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci called “a true Goddess.” In 2010 she became the face of Givenchy and in January of 2011 she walked for Alexandre Herchcovitch during Sao Paolo fashion week. Her modeling career included several appearances on fashion magazines covers. Most controversial was the cover for Love Magazine where she was featured kissing Kate Moss.

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Tilda Swinton is a talented actress and a beautiful model who easily transforms herself from female to male. She is the face of Pringle of Scotland Fashion House and inspired a full Viktor & Rolf collection in 2003. Her ability to blur the boundaries between traditional genders was evident both on the runways and on the big screen where she played the role of Mozart in the movie “Orlando”.Late top designer Alexander McQueen also noticed the exotic androgynous trend. In his last menswear collection, McQueen included David Chiang, another famous androgynous model. Chiang is the first Asian male model ever to walk for Italian label Emporio Armani. His soft skin and smooth hair along with delicate facial features caught the eyes of fashion photographers such as Steven Klein and paved Chiang’s way to many well-known fashion magazines.

Androgynous models show more than anything that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. The fashion world has more than enough room to express every phenomena and style. The question is -- can you enjoy the show no matter who walks on the runway? If the answer is yes, we can be sure -- fashion has won.

NBC’s new reality show, “Fashion Star,” is attempting to do for fashion-based reality shows what “The Voice” has achieved for the singing shows. Mentors Nicole Richie, Jessica Simpson, and John Varvatos will try to lead the fashion-reality genre to new heights, after the downfall of shows like “Project Runway.” (Washington Post)

Africa Fashion Week in Lagos, Nigeria, is set to become a major player in the fashion industry. Africa Fashion Week began in Cape Town,South Africa back in 2009. However, this season’s event at Lagos was such an outstanding success that the organizers hope to continue the event in Nigeria for many years to come. (Guardian)

L’Oreal’s Fashion Show in Australia made many headlines due to an extraordinary appearance by Dita Von Tesse, featuring retro-inspired lingerie. Von Tesse led the show of models all boasting curvy lines and voluptuous frames. (Fashionising)

Maroon 5 singer Adam ‘Moves like Jagger’ Levine is set to launch a new fragrance: ‘222’. The co-host of “The Voice” already holds his own clothing line, also branded ‘222’. (New York Daily News)

Nicki Minaj covers Allure Magazine’s April issue, emulating Barbie with her own signature style. The Barbie-doll-look has always been a forerunner for girls across the globe, but after the impressive Barbie Dream Closet show at NY Fashion Week earlier this season, we’re sure the Barbie trend is here to stay. (Styleblazer)

Closing our list of fashion highlights for this week, the Lacoste L!ve campaign videos have gone viral on the web. Spring 2012 is just around the corner, and with Lacoste’s New York street wear, rainbow colors and great attitude, it couldn’t be better timing. Take a look!

Enjoy!

Raf Simons showcases his first collection for Christian Dior in an outstanding Haute Couture show in Paris this week. The former Jil Sander designer managed to attract nine heavyweight designers to watch his show, including top names Marc Jacobs, Alber Elbaz, Donatella Versace, Pierre Cardin and several more. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Tight dresses and bold colors were the dominant styles on the red carpet at the 2012 BET Awards. Beyonce Knowles, who is an inspiring example for the look, walked the carpet wearing a bright yellow satin gown by Stephane Rolland. Beyonce was also one of the big winners of the night, voted Best Female R&B Artist as well as Video Director of the Year. (CBS News)

Carine Roitfeld, the former chief editor of French Vogue, styled three covers for V Magazine’s “Youth Quake Issue” featuring up and coming models such as Kati Nescher and Ava Smith. The issue, due out July 5, will also include a bonus preview of Roitfeld CR Fashion Book magazine which will launch this September. (Styleite)

Following a Mad Men collection, Banana Republic has declared to launch an Anna Karenina inspired Fall collection. Tolstoy’s classic book will be released as a film this November, starring Keira Knightley and Jude Law. (WWD)

Rihanna covers Harper’s Bazaar August issue in a dramatic golden Tom Ford gown from his Fall 2012 collection. This will be the 24-year-old’s first ever cover for the US magazine and by the looks of things, it will probably turn out more successful than her last “big and blonde” US cover for Elle. (The Fash Pack)

Closing our list of fashion highlights for this week, 29-year-old Anja Rubik is launching a new fashion magazine named “25”. The first issue will focus entirely on erotica from a woman’s point of view. For the launch of the new magazine, photographer Barnaby Roper has teamed up with Kanye West to create an interesting artistic short video. Take a look:

Rihanna’s ‘second career’ as a fashion icon has reached new heights. After already working on her own fashion show, she is now designing her very own collection for British high street brand River Island. The superstar said in a recent statement that River Island is the perfect partner for her to design a collection with, which is something that she wanted to do for a long time. (Styleite)

Is Wikipedia against fashion? Wikipedia co-founder, Jimmy Wales, explains why the site ruled out Kate Middleton’s bridal gown page for the second time, stating the content as “fluffy”. This has raised many eyebrows in the fashion industry, a move which can implicate that fashion subjects might not be as important as others. (New York Magazine)

In anticipation to the 2013 Pirelli Calendar, which is due to be released in December, GQ Germany decided to jumpstart and dedicate their August issue to the sexy calendar which will celebrate its 40th birthday this year. The cover was given to Rosie Huntington-Whiteley from the 2010 calendar. (Huffington Post)

More on gorgeous models in bikinis, here are great tips from Jessica Hart, Chrissy Teigen, Erin Heatherton and more on how to take flattering swimsuit pictures, also for the non-models. (Fashionista)

Is the relationship between Blake Lively and Chanel cooling down? Rumors say that her absence in Chanel’s Paris Couture show last month, plus the announcement of her being Gucci’s fragrance Premiere spokeswomen, might have been a bit too much for Chanel managers. (New York Post)

Closing our list of fashion highlights for this week, Lady Gaga goes ‘Kraftwerk’ in a new fragrance commercial for Lady Gaga Fame, the first ever black Eau De Parfum (as the ad says). Lady Gaga tweeted that “I won’t lie, I’m a bit nervous…But so proud of Steven! (Steven Klein), we really did not sleep”. Take a look:

Kate Middleton presents a royal fashion app? Not exactly. Still, a new mobile phone app has been launched tracking the Duchess of Cambridge’s every single style move. The app has already been downloaded by thousands of royal fashion lovers, revealing all the names of the designers or stores where each particular piece can be purchased. (Vogue UK)

Moving on to another Kate… Katy, that is. Katy Perry goes pumpkin on the cover of L’Officiel September issue with orange hair. Perry’s hair will soon complete the full spectrum of colors in a rainbow, after being featured in bubblegum pink, platinum blonde and just about every other color you can think of. This is her first time as orange. (Styleite)

Victoria’s Secret is being sued for $15 million by Zephyrs for misleading consumers and producing cheaper products. Allegedly VS are still packaging their products with visuals by Zephyrs-produced hosiery, which are no longer providing their top quality Italian hosiery to the lingerie giants. (Fashionista)

President Barack Obama will appear on the cover of Glamour’s November issue. This is part of Obama’s campaigning efforts to target new audiences in alternative news outlets. He will also appear on ESPN Magazine, People Magazine and more. (WWD)

‘Jersey Shore’ star and fashion designer Nicole Polizzi, aka Snooki, gave birth to her first baby boy named Lorenzo Dominic LaValle. The boy’s father is Snooki’s fianc Jionni LaValle, whose relationship with Snooki was also seen on MTV’s hit reality series. (MTV)

Closing our list of fashion highlights for this week, James Franco collaborated with 7 For All Mankind for a limited-edition T-shirt collection. His collection embodies the “cool California spirit”, with the graphics on the shirts gleaned from over 3,000 Polaroid shots taken during the campaign’s video shoots which were also made by Franco.

Take a look at the latest behind the scenes video released by Franco: