Anonymous asked: Any blog recs for a curvy girl? I'm not overweight by any stretch of the imagination, but I definitely do have a fuller chest and booty, and so many tomboyish styles seem better suited to girls with a flatter figure. I'm not trying to hide my body or make it look different, I'm just looking for tomboy styles that might compliment me.

I often feel that there is not enough representation of people in the middle ground, including those who like tomboy styles but want to maintain their curvy physique. If you scroll through our “submission” tag, you may find styles you identity with. I really like I Dream Of Dapper’s style because she does menswear in a feminine way. She’s been taking some inspiration from Esther Quek lately; who wears suits closely tailored to her feminine frame. Also check out the Tomboy/Femme Tumblr and Genderqueer Fashionista. The company I work for, Fourteen, sells suits “standard” fits in addition to “boy” fits and you might enjoy checking out their stuff. 

Any more ideas, friends?

In other news, I’m being super swank today and camping out in a hotel right by the Dalloway, counting the minutes until I get ready for tonight’s Power Clashing party! Did I mention Kim Stolz is coming?? 

- Sonia

Anonymous asked: I am a curvy queer girl (size 16-18 US) who just came out, and I’m starting to dress with a more masculine feel. The problem is, I have DDD cup boobs- menswear looks completely weird on me, if it fits at all. Any advice for finding stuff that fits, or WHERE to find it? I thrift like crazy, which leads to some great finds, but some new stuff would be good too. Thanks!

Blake says: Hey there! Sounds like we are both fighting the battle of the boobage.
I know how hard it is to find menswear that fits a large chest. After all, most menswear wasn’t made to have room for such things, especially large ones. 

Anonymous asked: Could you or your followers post some pictures of masculine dapper people with wider hips or bigger butts, just to make me feel a bit better?

Hey beautiful curvy ones! Show your faces.

Also, this.

Anonymous asked: Hi! I'd just like to say that I love your blog :D I'm really into androgyny fashion, but I'm a bit curvier so it's really hard for me to find clothes to fit the look I'm looking for. I was wondering if you knew any sites that would cater to bigger girls. Also, I have a difficult time putting outfits together :/ any advice?

Thanks Anon! I have a difficult time putting outfits together too. You should have seen me Rosh Hashana morning. What works for me is to think strategically when I’m buying clothes about how many things they will go with. And when I’m having trouble putting an outfit together, I think about what’s missing. I really need some plaid shirts, man. 

Blogs/websites that might have some things you are looking for: Autostraddle, Boi Meets Play, Buzz Cuts and Bustiers, Dapper Q, Diffuse 5, Queer B.O.I.S, Sartorial Butch, The Bois Department (Put more in the comments!)

We do have a fabulous plus sized fashion consultant named Blake, who specializes in andro-wear. So if you have any specific questions, ask away! Also check out the plus sizes tag, and the tailoring tag.

And I love hearing from plus sized/curvy folks about what works for them, (andro or otherwise) so please write to us and submit!

(Source: Dapper Q)

The trend nowadays is leaning towards a slimmer pant leg. I find it especially challenging to find nice pants with a slim leg in my size. Either they fit too slim in the thigh for my comfort or they are outrageously expensive. The solution? Tailoring. Regular fit pants (without a slim leg) tend to be less expensive as they are not currently on trend. Last week I took my pants to a tailor to get the pants legs tapered. I started off with Tommy Hilfiger chinos that were over 10 inches wide in the pants leg. After I got them back they were about 9 inches (the preferred width for a woman’s pant leg according to my tailor). The most important thing to clarify with your tailor is where the fabric will be taken in. Some tailors will taper the leg starting at the thigh region. DO NOT LET THE TAILOR DO THIS! Tapering from the thigh will alter the size and fit of the pants. As a result, the pants will be slimmer at the bottom and too tight in the thigh. Make sure that the tailor takes excess fabric from the pants leg only (below the knee). She charged me $12 to taper the pants (a fair price). Remember to take this into account when purchasing your pants. 

Also, pair a slimmer pant with a slimmer shoe. A slimmer shoe is a shoe that fits closer to the foot. This creates a streamlined effect that will create a modern silhouette and instantly slim you. You can find slim shoes just about everywhere now. My favorite pair is Cole Haan oxfords that I got from an outlet mall at 25% off retail. Happy tailoring!

Alisa Oxford, available at Cole Haan for $178

Blake, our plus sized fashion extraordinaire got dolled up this morning to show us her androgenizing men’s button-down from Ralph Lauren. I will continue to assert that Ralph Lauren hides the curves really well, and intimatereverie recently commented that the collars on their women’s polo shirts even allow you to wear ties. So this brand CLEARLY had the queers in mind.

• Button down: Ralph Lauren, bought at Belk
• Bracelet: Made herself

Related posts: Question about men’s button-ups for smaller chests, Question about androgynous attire for a wedding, I’m Tailored!

We have a new expert on men’s clothing for curvy queers: Her name is Blake (blakemachine.tumblr.com). She’s from Virginia, and she grew a love for queer fashion in her first year of college after discovering that she was most comfortable in menswear. She’s become quite knowledgeable in the area and is now here to help! So queers: submit your questions! (or should I say, “qwearies”)

Anonymous asked: I'm a curvy queer but I'm small chested. So usually what ends up happening is that if I find a men's button down that fits my chest/shoulders it won't fit around my hip/stomach area. When I find a top that fits my hips/stomach it's over-sized in the chest which looks really awkward. I usually wear women's button downs but the collar on them is usually difficult to wear with a tie/bowtie. Any tips on women's shirts with tie appropriate collars or how to find a better fitting men's shirt?

Finding a men’s shirt that fits over your hips/stomach is the best off-the-rack solution to finding one that fits. But if you take it to a tailor, they will be able to take in the top on the side seam so that it fits better around your chest. Slim fit style shirts for men have the opposite shape (where the side seem tapers in at the bottom) so I don’t know why it wouldn’t work the other way around and look snazzy.

It would be also to cool hear experiences from queers with wide hips who’ve had top surgery or bind… anybody?

And I actually don’t know of any women’s shirts that have collars made for ties, but that’s a really good question! Does anyone know?

So many little dyksicles have been writing in wanting to see more curvy queers rocking their duds. So show us what you got: http://www.dykeduds.com/submit/

Anonymous asked: this might sound kind of silly, but I'm getting pretty upset that nearly all the pictures I see of androgynous people are of relatively skinny people with defined features. I have a really round face and a weak jawline, and I'm very short so I look curvy. I want so badly to look androgynous but I just don't feel like I can unless I somehow lose a few stone :(

Sorry to hear this is upsetting you. Anyone, regardless of their size or shape, can dress androgynous and look fantastic doing it. Dressing androgynous doesn’t necessarily mean that people can’t tell what sex you were born. I mean, people have all sorts of crazy ideas in their heads about what it means to be “male” or “female,” and worrying about what other people think doesn’t do us much good anyway. Androstyle made a great point a few months ago, “For me there is a lot of joy to be found simply by playing with the ‘rules’, mixing up ‘male’ and ‘female’ clothing, and generally having fun with fashion.” (view full post.) And check out this hottie, and http://glitterpolitic.tumblr.com/