Return of androgyny gives women more fashion options

Was it coincidence or providence that made the spring/summer 2011 Milan menswear catwalks to act as a teaser for the latest womenswear trend? I did a double take watching all those clean-cut, boyish tailored suits in a palette of minimalist beige and monochrome. Since when did men-in-suits become interesting? Never has menswear looked quite so appealing - to women.

I certainly found myself sitting up and paying attention when I spied the slim-leg-trouser-cut-to-the-ankle-worn-with-flat-pointy-brogues-and-camel-blazer look championed by Christopher Bailey in the Burberry menswear show. I can think of several fashionable ladies already rocking this combo: the London art gallery owner/dealer, Sadie Coles, the wife of the fashion photographer Juergen Teller; Karl Lagerfeld's muse and Chanel deputy, Amanda Harlech; and the trailblazing model Agyness Deyn to name but three.

I'm talking, of course, about a trend that has been slowly creeping up on us ladies for some time: androgyny. It's a look that has been around since the turn of the 20th century, but it was most famously popularised by Yves Saint Laurent with his famous Le Smoking in 1966, then reinvented with YSL's his 'n' hers hippie smocks, flares and platforms. A comeback was long overdue. You couldn't choose a better launch pad than Milan, the city where Giorgio Armani - another designer who reinvented the trouser suit back in the 1980s - ripped the linings out of stiff jackets (leaving in the shoulderpads) and threw away the manual on tailoring.

Hedi Slimane, the former Dior Homme designer who convinced Karl Lagerfeld to shed several sizes in order to shoehorn his legs into drainpipes, was always threatening a womenswear line egged on by his legion of female fans, though he never actually did one. This week, the British menswear stylist Celia Ukwenya told me she believed the reason the androgynous look was gaining speed was because many new menswear brands such as the father-son team of Casely-Hayford and the online menswear site oki-ni.com had become the best-kept secrets of many women who work in fashion. She, like many in her industry, admires the utilitarian qualities of menswear, not to mention its cool rock-star vibe.

Androgyny was a theme in May at the womenswear spring 2011 pre-collections, particularly at Chanel. In Karl Lagerfeld's short movie featuring his latest resort line, Remember Now, we saw a version of Mick Jagger's iconic white Tommy Nutter 1971 wedding suit worn by the lean model Freja Beha Erichsen. Re-worked in a 21st century way, it looked fresher than ever. Have you heard of The Baseballs, the German rockabilly band who sport Brylcream-infused quiff hairdos and whose album, Strike, has dominated European charts and threatens world domination (Robbie Williams has apparently asked them to play at his wedding later this year)? I predict that, come September, when the ready-to-wear shows unveil what will be the definitive spring/summer womenswear trends, short, quiffed 1950s hairstyles will be a new trend (without sideburns of course), as will the Elvis Presley-style straight-leg jeans and casual check shirts currently being worn by The Baseballs' fans of both genders (including poster pin-ups for androgyny Katy Perry and Russell Brand).

We've still got the French haute couture season to throw up countless more trends but I remain convinced that when spring 2011 finally does arrive women will have one more option than usual: menswear. My birthday, falling as it does in the last week of June, means some, if not all of my presents are bought in the sales. To stop my husband returning from these with yet another unwanted gift I have drawn up a foolproof guide of what to buy. Here goes.

A maxi is the shape of the moment. Go for designers who have made this their signature, namely Diane Von Furstenberg, Issa or Matthew Williamson. Longish A-line skirts don't figure on the radar - yet. But they soon will. Some designers did them too early and many are now marked down, ironically before almost identical styles by Prada and Louis Vuitton for autumn/winter join them. Avoid anything in blush pink or flesh tone except shoes and bags. Ditch digi prints and florals. Pounce on anything with an African-print (think South Africa World Cup).

Jewellery always makes a sound sales investment, particularly ethnic pieces such as the clunking bangles encrusted with barnacle gemstones (reduced from Dhs1,300 to Dh975 at Marami, Dubai Mall). Finally, jeans: this is the first sales season I've ever spotted premium denim brands such as J Brand, Citizens of Humanity or True Religion with 30 per cent off the original price tag - at Net-a-Porter too! Hint hint.