Once upon a time, woman wanted to get noticed in the corporate world. Along with working her butt off and quashing weaker-sex stereotypes, she donned a set of ham-sized shoulder pads, covered up in a button-down, and boxed her figure in a straight skirt and oversized blazer. This was the eighties and she was a powerful woman in a power suit.

Menswear-Inspired Elements

Since lapping up the realm of menswear two decades ago, the 'fairer sex' has never turned back. Creased trousers, fitted blazers, crisp button-downs - all staples in the closet of the woman who wants to be taken seriously. But this season, fashion has taken those staples and let them flourish in the limelight.

Menswear Fabrics For Women

Traditionally masculine fabrics such as herringbone, tweed, plaid, check, pinstripe and flannel, are now front and centre in women's wear. And the classic gentleman silhouette is cropped, tailored and cinched to create conservative yet sexy styles that drip in old-school class. But with a whole closet to choose from, your no-flub philosophy is to embrace moderation and respect the diadem of detail. Avoid matchy-matchy head-to-toe fabric frenzies and choose signature pieces that give a masculine flair to your otherwise ultra-fem style.

Button-Down Shirts, Knits & Pinstripes

To master menswear, begin with your basics: the button-down shirt and the crease-front trouser. These unisex garments, in a trimmer, more feminine physique, easily transfer from his closet to yours. Up top, layering's the word and knitwear, vests and blazers work their masculine magic. Over a flirtified dress shirt with ruffle-front detailing, slip into a heather-gray cable-knit V-neck that's aglow in academia. A pinstripe button-down will fall in love with a sweater vest, and a crisp white shirt is begging to be tucked into a waistcoat.

Vests & Blazers

For button-up vests, masculine shapes that date back to when chained pocket watches were a necessity are seen from a feminine perspective, resulting in tailored and trim pieces that flatter a lady's curves. Single or double-breasted, these miniature vests are painted in the season's palette - tweed, herringbone and plaid - and are lined in signature menswear shirting.

Though not new to your wardrobe, blazers are playing a lead role in your borrowed-from-the boys production. In luxurious tweeds and herringbones, these classic pieces are seeing leather and corduroy elbow patches and a slimmed, sleek line. Black tux jackets (velvet optional) provide a red-carpet option - or at least the laywoman's version - for dressing up while dipping delightfully into menswear.

Trousers & Pencil Skirts

Below the belt, the man's closet is a wee bit sparse. You've got trousers, and that's about it. And that's why fashion has used menswear as a spring board to much greater heights. Yes, love your cuffed, wide-leg, crease-front trouser, but also adore a trim pencil or flouncy skirt in our new favourite fabrics.

Plaid, Herringbone, Tab Details & Oversize Buttons

Combine manly with girly by dousing a ruffle-back skirt in bold black and red plaid, or pair herringbone up top with a pair of cropped trousers equipped with tab details and oversized buttons.

Those mysteriously adorable (yet wildly impractical) formal short-shorts can also work here, but wrap your lower limbs in opaque hosiery and slip your feet into something flat.

Dashing Trench Coats & Fedoras

Style's love affair with menswear hasn't left you out in the cold - bundle up for the chilly season in classic coats that whisper of dashing detectives, feathered fedoras and dark alleys. The trench coat has been suped up with the signature masculine fabrics, while feminine curves are drawn with empire waistlines and ribbon-tie belts. The traditional trench is not to be forgotten, though, giving you the houndstooth-, plaid- and tweed-free option of a sandy beige or warm taupe. Keeping in tune to our desire to give the boy-borrowed pieces a much-needed slice, this season features oodles of cropped jackets with shortened hemlines and sleeves. Most stunning in a bold, inflated black-and-white herringbone print, these round-collar jacket often come to a single-button close and succeed at being both dashing and adorable.

Dapper Details: Boots, Ankle Boots, Tassles, Wingtips, Studs & Plaid

Toss aside your needlepoint stilettos and slender sexy boots and make room for chunky heels and clunky lace-ups - menswear-inspired footwear charts brand new territory. Keep rocking your peep-toe pumps and your sleek patent leather platforms, but save some mileage for a round-toe shoe that's got some meat on its heel. Look out for such masculine detailing as antique metal accents, fringe, lacing, tassels, wingtips, studs, perforated leather trims and clunky soles. Fabrics range from your classic and reliable leather and suede, to daringly of-the-moment flashes of tweed, herringbone, and, you guessed it, plaid.

Hats, Gloes & Handbags

Such footwear perfection deserves a bookend of similar style success, and, when used sparingly, menswear-inspired accessories have got the right ingredients. When it comes to hats, all the boys are out to play - baker boy, newsboy, derby, fedora, bowler, oxford, and cabbie! Cute and coy, these tête-toppers in menswear-inspired prints keep you toasty without straying from style. Save your fingers from the cold, too, with a dashing pair of cropped and cuffed leather gloves, and wrap yourself up in a classic red plaid scarf. Chunky over-the-shoulder bags, doused in loads of leather detailing and swimming in herringbone, tweed and plaid, are right on cue, as are our favourite little clutches finished off with leather, metal or wooden hinged openings.

Add Feminine Flair to Menswear-Inspired Clothes

As this season continues its love affair with menswear, don't let all the gentlemanly charm scoop you up and cloud your judgment. The trick to owning menswear-inspired style is to wear it all in moderation. We may adore the trusty trio of masculine fabrics, but head-to-toe pattern is never a good thing. And even though you're borrowing from the opposite closet, aim for feminine silhouettes featuring details that are anything but masculine. With the perfect mix of masculine and feminine, you'll be one stunningly stylin' woman.