Masculine tailoring has been on the sartorial agenda for a few years now. Boxy blazers and wide-leg trousers have dominated as ‘must-have’ staple pieces in our capsule wardrobes. And Zoe Saldaña just schooled us on how to wear this with conviction, for her appearance on Good Morning America.
Saldaña is the only actor ever to appear in the three of the top ten highest-grossing films of all time – Avatar, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: End Game. And it appears it’s not only her acting credentials that cannot be matched – she’s stepped up her clothing game, and it is serious goals.
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A menswear maestro in an incredible ensemble
Eschewing her usual signature feminine aesthetic, the 44-year-old donned a show-stopping red patent midi skirt that fell just below the knee,- with a black, oversized (and we mean over sized) chunky waist belt. She finished off her lower-half look with vertiginous black heels with a gold buckle detail.
The top half of the ensemble was just as jaw-dropping. A white shirt with an oversized pointed collar and a black tie was tucked into her skirt, and a houndstooth blazer was styled over the top, with the most dramatic shoulder pads we’ve seen since the 80s.
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Though the Avatar star can often be seen sporting midi skirts, the aesthetic is usually much less structured, with more fluid material and in more subtle hues.
No amount of rain was ruining this look
Zoe schooled us on how to style these pieces, but how did these items end up on our sartorial agenda?
The extravagant shoulder pads - Though a staple style from the 80s, shoulder pads date back way further, created as “an emblem of women equating themselves with men, not only in pay or respect, but in stature, as well”, according to The Coveteur.
The shirt and tie combo - from neckties during the suffragette movement, to pop-culture prominence sported by stars like Avril Lavigne and Britney Spears, ties have been worn to disrupt the status quo for generations. According to the National Museum of American History, a provocation that encouraged this shift in clothing was because “to wear feminine styles in the office would suggest you were there to catch a husband, not do a serious job”.
Thanks to this phenomenal ensemble, Zoe Saldaña has unofficially passed the sartorial versatility check.
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