A Gender-Neutral Guide to Beach Wedding Style
As people push against traditional gender roles, gender-neutral clothing styles are becoming more and more prevalent. There are stylish, gender-neutral fashion options for work, casual gatherings, and dress-up events like weddings. If you want to wear a gender-neutral style for an upcoming beach wedding but don’t know where to start, you’re in luck. We’re here to share some gender-neutral wedding attire that you can wear this summer.
Here’s your gender-neutral guide to dressing for a beach wedding.
What Is Gender-Neutral Fashion?
Simply put, Oxford Languages describes gender-neutral as “suitable for, applicable to, or common to both male and female genders.”
Further, in an article by Halie Lesavage in Harper’s Bazaar, it is noted that the days of just two clothing options — menswear and womenswear — are beginning to fade. Instead, fashion brands are opting for gender-neutral styles that “make everyone feel welcome to dress how they please,” whether that’s tailored suits or flowing rompers.
In the end, when it comes to gender-neutral fashion, it’s up to you to wear what you see fit for your style, no matter your gender identity.
Decide on a Color Scheme
The first step in deciding on an outfit for a wedding is picking a color scheme. In particular, for a beach wedding, pale colors and nudes are ideal (but don’t wear white — the number one wedding rule, according to The Knot). And luckily, they lend themselves well to gender-neutral styles. You can try out a linen suit in a pale blue color and a button-up shirt in a complementary shade. If pale blue isn’t your thing, try out a tan linen outfit or a style in a shade of pale pink.
Go For Loose-Fitting Linen
Linen is the perfect fabric for a beach wedding, and it’s also a great gender-neutral fabric that is used for many styles of button-down shirts, wide-leg pants, and breezy frocks.
Mulberry’s Garment Care stresses that linen is an ideal summer fabric, noting that it’s a “... top choice for a breathable fabric to wear in hot weather conditions. It is also very light and is loosely woven which allows heat to escape from the body. It absorbs a lot of moisture and dries quickly, keeping you cool and dry.” In other words, it’s the fabric to wear if you plan on busting a dance move on the dance floor—you won’t get too hot as you groove.
Go With Loose-Fitting Items Overall
It’s important to remember that loose items, in general, tend to be more gender-neutral than their tighter alternative. Clothing that’s cut to fit someone loosely isn’t cut with one specific body shape in mind. Instead, it’s made for all people.
For example, when you think of fit and flare dresses, they’re cut to fit the curves on a woman’s body—which could make a less curvy person feel like the style is unflattering on them.
A flowing, non-fitted maxi dress, on the other hand, is largely cut straight up and down, so it’ll fit all bodies—whether they’re curvy or not.
If the Wedding’s Casual, Wear a Pair of Bold-Colored Pants
Gender-neutral fashion doesn’t have to mean clothing in muted colors. For your upcoming beach wedding, wear a pair of chinos rolled up a little higher than your ankle. Get yourself chinos in a color like red, salmon, or mustard yellow for a fun pop of color. Then, wear the pants with your choice of a pair of gender-neutral shoes (flat espadrilles could work nicely on the beach or a pair of boat shoes) and a button-down top to dress up the style.
If you’re heading to a really hot beach destination (and a very casual wedding), you can even try this look with a pair of Bermuda shorts.
So, now you know what you can wear to achieve a gender-neutral wedding look. With just a few fashion decisions, you’ll be all set to look your best. Now, it’s time to focus on picking out wedding gifts for the happy couple.