and I hope you all are too. Feeling pretty crazed around the Marathon tragedy. We had to cancel the party at Indochino. They were very close to the explosions, but they are all safe. I hope to do another project with them sometime, because they are wonderful. 

Wishing the best for everyone’s physical and emotional recovery,

Sonia

Exciting news! Indochino loved my post so much that they invited us to come enjoy wine and fittings with them on their final day in Boston, Monday, April 15! Come join me from 5 to 7pm to get fitted, drink wine, and hang out.

RSVP to sonia@qwearfashion.com or on Facebook
If you would like to get fitted, they ask that you please book an appointment during that time slot as well to reserve your spot at indochino.com/boston

Indochino also wanted me to clarify that they only make traditional men’s suits, (boxy, padded shoulders, etc.) and not traditional women’s, even though they will fit them to anyone. If you are looking for a more androgynous look or for something that hugs curves, they might not be for you. (But you should still come hang out with us anyway!)

I can’t wait!!

See you then, ‘mos

- Sonia

I was blown away by Indochino’s beautiful Traveling Tailor shop in Boston that I visited with Fit For a Femme last week. It was like the Apple store of suits. Priced in the $400 range, they offer the softest fabrics and choices of lapel style, number of buttons, pocket style (note: pocket flaps can always be tucked in. May as well get them and have the option!), linings, rounded vests, and contrast button stitching, to name a few!

Here are some photos from their shop, all courtesy of Fit For a Femme! The femme’s wife M got fitted for a suit as well, so stay tuned for part 2 of the Indochino experience on FFAF’s blog. 

The traveling tailor is in Boston until April 15th as part of their North America tour. Since I love Indochino and I want to make sure you all feel comfortable going to them, I gave them a heads up that some of you might visit one of their traveling tailor stores. All you have to do is tell them you are from Qwear, and they will ask you for your pronouns and preferred language for the fitting. They are are super excited to have you there. Don’t live in Boston? They might visit your city soon. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter for updates.

If you are able to make it, let us know how it goes! 

- Sonia

Follow Fit For a Femme: Blog | Twitter | Facebook

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For those in Boston, this is a chance to dress up and hang out with me and a bunch of queers. Come and brings all your ‘mos! If you don’t live in Boston… well. There’s always Amtrak (Cough A.D. cough).

Wed Nov 28th at 8pm
J.P. Licks in Jamaica Plain (659 Centre St)
We will be in the back booth
Ice cream + fashion ice breakers! Bow ties suggested.
RSVP on Facebook, or to Sonia at sonia@qwearfashion.com

Thurs Nov 29th at 9pm (21+)
Middle East Corner Restaurant (480 Mass Ave, Cambridge)
Meet all the fashionistas over drinks. Cocktail inspired ensembles recommended!
RSVP on Facebook, or to Sonia at sonia@qwearfashion.com

And guess who will be joining us at both??

(source: fitforafemme.com)

This lovely, also known as Fit For a Femme. You know, the one who blogs about all those amazing fashionable adventures of her and her boo and writes for Autostraddle. Yup.

Oh boyyy. See ya’ll sooon!

It’s time for Qwear’s first ever meet-ups! Come hang out with all the fabulous well-dressed Qwears in Boston. Discuss your love of bow ties over drinks and ice cream. And meet THIS GUYYYY *points to self.*

Wed Nov 28th at 8pm
J.P. licks in Jamaica Plain (659 Centre Street)
We will be in the Back Booth
Ice cream + fashion ice breakers! Bow ties suggested.
RSVP on Facebook, or to Sonia at sonia@qwearfashion.com

Thurs Nov 29th at 9pm (21+)
Middle East Corner Restaurant (480 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge)
Drink and meet all the fashionistas. Cocktail inspired ensembles recommended!
RSVP on Facebook, or to Sonia at sonia@qwearfashion.com

Can’t wait to meet ya’ll! Send any questions my way at sonia@qwearfashion.com.

Anonymous asked: Do you have any plans for organizing meet-ups for suspender-rocking, Boston-area queers? Dapper brunch? Tweed picnic? :-)

Yes, now I do!! I’m thinking mid-November. Super excited to meet all of you. I’ll announce the details sometime next week. So check back soon!

I went shopping at the Zara on Newbury Street in Boston yesterday. As I waited in the dressing rooms to try on some fabulous golden chinos, a suited employee came up to me and said something inaudible. “Just one,” I said, making my best guess as to what he was asking me. But then he repeated himself, clearly a little embarrassed. “You’re not allowed in here.”

I quickly realized he meant women are not allowed in the men’s dressing room, and he was reading me as female. 

A little shocked and caught off-guard, I went downstairs to the long line at the women’s dressing rooms, where my female assigned counterparts were trying on 7 items each. After waiting a few minutes, I realized that my interest in the pants was quickly dwindling, and I’d much rather find out why they felt the need to force me into a space that didn’t make sense for me (I almost exclusively shop for men’s clothes.)

So being the radical queer that I am, I went back upstairs to ask a few questions. They told me that they made the policy after a guy opened the courtain on a woman in the dressing room while she was changing. I then asked them if they had any transgender anti-discrimination policies, and they promptly told me that I could use the men’s dressing room if I wanted to. So the bad news is that Zara — or at least the Zara on Newburry Street in Boston — has a discriminatory rule against gender non-conforming folks. The good news is that the minute you complain they let you break it.

Their fearful response to the curtain incident is one that I see a lot among institutions who aren’t educated in transgender and genderqueer rights. People seem to think that enforcing gendered spaces is going to increase the comfort level and safety of everyone involved. Sadly, it does just the opposite. It marginalizes gender non-conforming shoppers, it makes it harder for straight couples or mixed gendered friends to shop together, it makes one line much longer than the other, it forces employees to uncomfortably kick someone out of a space that they have every right to be in, and it encourages rape culture (men can’t be trusted or expected to behave themselves.) As my shopping buddy put it, an anti-creep policy would get the job done more effectively.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. What have you done when you got kicked out of a gendered space? After hearing my story, will you avoid Zara? Will you purposely shop at Zara just to show them that we exist?

solovelee asked: Any suggests for good tailors in the Boston-area? I got a tuxedo jacket for my college's senior ball but it's a little loose and boxy on me so I want to get it altered.

Boston-area queer friendly tailors? Anyone?

UPDATE Mypetghost says: “I don’t know if they’re queer-friendly (but being in Boston, how can you not be?), but my mom always goes to Back Bay Tailor on Comm Ave and Dartmouth (near Barlola).” In response, yes, but even so they may not have experience altering men’s suits for women’s bodies. 

I visited my girlfriend’s hair stylist Leroy Powell to talk about his experience with lesbian haircuts. He’s been working with a lot of queer women in their 20’s around the Boston area, and he’s learned a lot about the qualities of lesbian haircuts within that demographic.

A lot of the girls he’s been working with base their haircut around THE BIEBER, because it’s really about fun in the front and straight in the back.

He says that a lot of what differentiates between straight cuts and gay cuts are that straight girls like to have their hair extend past their hairline (see pictures below of some of his cuts). They often want hair to come over their ears, rather than cutting out the shape of the ear like he would do in a men’s cut. Lesbians tend to want a tighter look with their hair cut right at the hairline in the back.

Missy does a combination by wearing her hair over the ears but keeping it tight in back. Leroy explained that whether we recognize it consciously or not, the tight hair in back is one of the main signifyers we use for identifying gay women verses straight women with short hair. Young lesbos are also the most terrified of the mullet so they tend to police the back of their head as much as possible. Essentially, lesbian hair cuts are the same as men’s cuts in the back. 

Straight cut

Queer Cut (Oh hay who’s this cutie?) 

Lesbians tend to like asymmetry and find that it’s a nice way to separate themselves from the crowd. Straight girls who would prefer a bob over a pixie and tend to keep it safer. Lesbians are more likely to come in and say, “Do whatever you want. My head is your art piece,” while straightsicles are more likely to ask for hair that looks healthy and flowing. Many lesbians who prefer to keep their hair long can still express their queerness through an asymmetrical long-haired cut. 

As for knowing what a client wants, Leroy says that he picks up cues during the client consultation that gives him a pretty good idea of their sexual orientation. Sometimes they tell him via mentioning their lady lover, or he might even ask them straight up. “Are you a lesbian? Because this haircut will make you look like one.” He says you don’t necessarily need to know exactly what you’re looking for because you can tell him a few things and he’ll take it from there. 

If you live in the Boston area and want a lesboliscious cut, check out Leroy Powell at We Are Hair in JP.

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