A Field Guide to Tomboy Style

By Linda Immediato

5/1/2012

Coco Chanel, Katharine Hepburn, and Diane Keaton were sartorial feminists who defied convention with their slacks, vests, and ties. L.A. writer Lizzie Garrett Mettler pays homage to them in her new book, Tomboy Style (Rizzoli), in which she defines seven archetypes

The Adventuress

has a heart-fluttering drive for excitement. She’s the war correspondent dodging bullets, the angler battling rapids. Shops: REI, Feal Mor, Orvis The Ideal: Ginger Rogers
The Girl Next Door

comes by her wholesome confidence naturally. She does handstands in the pool and washes her car in bare feet in the driveway. Shops: Gap, Converse, American Apparel The Ideal: Ali MacGraw
The Sophisticate

exudes a glamorous androgyny. She proves that a woman can be much sexier in a tuxedo than in a gown. Shops: Paul Smith, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein The Ideal: Marlene Dietrich
The Rebel

doesn’t follow a dress code. She burned her bra, disdains hair dryers, and started a punk band. Shops: Levi’s, thrift and military surplus stores The Ideal: Patti Smith
The Naturalist

sees trees as ladders and would never get a mani-pedi. Her outfits are dictated by Mother Nature. Shops: Anthropologie, RTH The Ideal: Tilda Swinton
The Jock
is all about competition. She’s not afraid to slide into second base or head a soccer ball, no matter what she’s wearing. Shops: The Running Store, Lululemon The Ideal: French sailor Florence Arthaud
The Prep

is educated and sporty. She feminizes masculine pieces to create a traditional look that never goes out of style. Shops: Brooks Brothers, GANT, and her boyfriend’s (or husband’s) closet The Ideal: Princess Caroline of Monaco