kaebot asked: I'm sorry if this is answered elsewhere but where did you get the black and floral pattern hat in your recent post about everlane? It's really great! (I love Qwear so much, btw. Thank you so much!)

Yayyy. No worries— I got it at Forever 21 for 8 bucks! Love that thing. It’s shaped to fit on your head slightly off to the side. I don’t see it on their website, but I got it at their store on Newbury in Boston. Thanks for the love!

- Sonia

(Re: Everlane: Soft, Luxurious, and Easy on the Wallet)

Hey queers! Just giving a quick shout out that A. I’m super excited to see everyone in NYC this Sunday the 28th at our Power Clashing Party. B. If you are still pulling together your outfits, I highly recommend Forever 21. They have tons of patterned pieces for cheap in colors that look great together. Just went there today and had a raging success. 

At the risk of giving away too much:

Some of these MAY make an appearance. See ya Sunday! Don’t forget to invite all your friends on the Facebook, and if you haven’t yet, RSVP to clashing@thedallowaynyc.com.

Follow Qwear: FACEBOOK | TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | PINTEREST

With spring around the corner, I know what’s on everyone’s mind: Masculine Floral. Femmy femme floral. Overpowering Patterns. Take it from me… there is no such thing as being too faggy. My top retail places to pick up some floral this season are Topman, Topshop, H&M,  Forever 21, Modcloth  ASOS, J.Crew; and for ties, General Knot & Co, hands down. But my first plan is to scrounge the thrift stores to find men’s floral shirts and then get them tailored to fit. 

(from: lyst.com) Pants from H&M

Grey Floral Pattern Socks, $6.00 at Topman

(from dapperq.com) Shirt from ASOS

Walk on Flair Flat in Orange Blossom, $37.99 at Modcloth

UPDATE: This shirt costs ~ $262.96 + shipping and can be purchased by emailing klas@roseborn.com (from roseborn.com)

(from: lookbook.nu) Tie from General Knot & Co

Floral Print Pants, $22.80 at Forever 21

Floral Bow Tie, $55 at J.Crew

Follow Qwear: FACEBOOK | TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | PINTEREST

Our latest favorite 68-notes-and-counting cutesicle is back with more hot gay male inspired outfits. Heads are turning. Fuck Yeah Queer Pomps is reblogging. Sonia is considering adding a 14th sweater to her closet just to keep up. 

Sunglasses: Nordstrom
Shirt: Gap
Sweater: H&M
Vest: Urban Outfitters*
Pants: Forever 21
Boots: (not shown) Timberland

Sweater: H&M
Shirt: H&M
Pants: H&M
Shoes: Sperry Top-Sider
Bracelet: Pacsun

Follow Becky: chiwithsoytown.blogspot.com, chiwithsoytown.tumblr.com

*Urban Outfitters donates money to anti-gay campaigns. Learn more about their actions here. Buffalo Exchange and Ragstock are great hipster alternatives

Anonymous asked: I love my boobs, and they’re only a 36B, but I feel like in menswear they look HUGE! I’ve never had that problem before! I was thinking of switching to sports bras, but they tend not to be cute, and I like my bras to at least be pink or something (no frills, just pink haha). Maybe I’ll just get white sports bras and color on them?

I agree that cute sports bras are a good way to go if you want to not feel like you’re popping out of your menswear. A while ago we got some answers from readers about where they find cute sportsbras. Here’s what they said:

Forever 21

Ribbed Metallic Sports Bra, available at Forever 21 for $10.80

“forever 21 makes a wondefully comfy yet sporty yet dykey yet chill bra for $3.80 that comes in many many colors.  i hate that store, but love that bra!” - Queerlady

Target

C9 by Champion® Womens Racer Back Cotton Bra, available at Target for $9.08
“Um: Target. Has uber-neon and occasionally oddly-pattered sports bras that are also (relatively cheap).” - Becky

“seriously.. the sports bras from target are really affordable.. and i’ve got one on now.. neon green makes me happy. ;)” - Candace

Champion

Champion Women’s Shape T-Back Sports Bra, available at Champion for $31.99

“The “Champion Women’s Shape T-Back Sports Bra” is good and comes in some nice colors - different shades of blue, purple, yellow, green, grey, pink, black and white. ” - Lezsquire

Jockey

Medium Impact Wicking Seamless Bra, available at Jockey for $19.99

“Jockey has some reasonably priced and simple sports bras in like 20 colors.” - Masha

Aerie

Aerie Fit Cross-Back Bra, available at Aerie for $29.95

”Aerie has lots and lots of plainly shaped basic bras in really fun colors - heathered tomboy shades, some funky oranges and other bright Spring colors, etc.” - Fit for a Femme

Nike

Nike Elastica Sports Bra, available at Nike for $35. Recommended by Candace

LuLu Lemon

Free To Be Bra, available at LuLu Lemon for $42. Recommended by Vas-y-mollo

Autostraddle also did a sports bra roundup  a while back, and some of their choices have fun colors: Bra-Buying Tips for Masculine Ladies

More posts about undergarments for your chest: Flattening Sports Bras, Binding Qweary. Next we need a femmey femster bra roundup! Any takers? Drop me a line at oram.sonia@gmail.com.

Quotes from the comments in this non-feminine bra qweary.

Kim is back with some more fabulous pink menswear. This outfit features the unique Harem Pants, which taper in to the calf. They a very popular style for all genders, but I love the androgynous way in which Kim chooses to sag them here. Kim says, “This photo was shot during a photography project. I named this photo ‘Pink Autumn’.”

Pink Shirt: UNIQLO 
Jeans Vest: 21Men, Heathered Hood Denim Vest
Harem Black pants: Brand-Less
Coral sneakers: Polo Ralph Lauren

Follow Kim: lunatiklie.tumblr.com
See Kim’s other Qwear outfits:  Contrast Collars, City Queer Chic

kieranthehuman asked: I’m sure you get this a lot, but what about for those of us who can’t afford to spend a lot of money clothes. I have the worst time passing as androgynous because I have a very curvy body. I am always looking for different clothes or men’s shirts that actually fit me. Any sites that advertise queer clothes are usually so expensive. Where can I find other options besides scrounging and hoping at the thrift store?

Well kieranthehuman, there’s no easy answer. There’s no one stop solution. Il y a non pas de problème. 

But here are some ideas and tips:

1. Shop the right kind of cheap. Gap, Old Navy, ASOS, outlet stores, H&M’s clothes (but NOT accessories), department store sale racks, all good. But don’t shop at places that are too cheap, because then you’ll just end up spending more money to replace crappy items. I generally avoid Forever 21 and Merona at Target for that reason. If the full retail price seems too good to be true, it’s probably going to fall apart. I bought some galoshes from Target a few years ago for $20 and they didn’t last 3 months. So go cheap, but not too cheap.

2. Thrift Thrift Thrift! Check out the thrift stores tag for inspiration on how many amazing things you can thrift. For more tips, Putthison has a great article on successful menswear thrifting. The most important thing I took away from it was to not look for anything specific.

(source: locallily.com)

3. Take things from you friends and grandparents. You never know what amazing vintage ties your grandfather has that he doesn’t wear anymore, or what delicious lacy tights your ex boyfriend needs to give away. If you go to school, check out whatever your school has for free boxes. Oberlin had a big “free store” at the end of the year where some of my friends used to get their entire wardrobe. Also look at the www.freecycle.org list for your town. (If you are under 18, talk to your parents or guardians about how to make a freecycle exchange safely.)

4. TAILOR! For curvier people looking at menswear, tailoring is key. Find a shirt that fits in the shoulders, arm length, chest, and hips, and then adjust the torso length, torso width, or arm width as necessary. I’ve gotten amazing button-ups at Goodwill for $5 and then tailored them for $10. $15 for a really nice fitted shirt to me is a good deal. Some people with wide hips who want a more fitted look will prefer bringing the sides of the shirt in at the waist and back out at the hips. A lot of the queer clothing designers do this. See this post for more info on that particular type of tailoring.

More tailoring help:

Equally Wed’s Dress Shirt Guide: Measurements (by Yours Truly)
Pants: Creating a Slim Look in a Plus Size
Tailoring Men’s Button-ups for Larger Chests

5. Become friends with the people who work at Gap, and then use their employee discount.

(source: massgames.tumblr.com)

6. Make a shopping list. Write down what you need, and then strategize when you will be able to afford each thing. I don’t do this, and look what happened to me. Every time I walk down Boylston street, I leave with a new pair of shoes.

7. Splurging can be a good thing. Sometimes you may fall in love with something that you weren’t intending on getting. If it goes with your wardrobe, GET IT. I can’t even tell you how many impulse buys of mine turned out to be my favorite things to wear. The key is to have LESS CLOTHES but ones that you love. So don’t be afraid to go with your gut instinct. On the other end, don’t buy things you don’t love just because they are cheap. You think you’re saving money, but you’re really just throwing it away on something you aren’t really going to wear.

8. Browse. Especially if you enjoy shopping anyway, browsing can be great for finding unexpected amazing things on sale, getting to know the market better, and brainstorming about what you want to add to your wardrobe in the future. I spend about 90% of my shopping time browsing without anything particular in mind. But then again, I’m a shopaholic:

(source: hellogiggles.com)

9. Know when the sales happen. If you try something in stores, check the online site to see deals. Sign up for your favorite stores’ mailing lists for insider coupon info. Shop on the off season if you’re confident you’ll still love that item in a few months. Kinowear recommends googling “name of online store” + coupon code before buying anything online. They say that a great promo / coupon code site is: www.retailmenot.com

10. Clear out your closet/ Sell things you don’t wear anymore. Ebay, Craigslist, Buffalo Exchange, Second Time Around. Or even just posting things on your blog for sale. Clearing out your closet is also a good way to remind yourself of what you have that you DO wear, and you’ll have an easier time filling in the gaps.

Thomas’ closet floor, Indiana, 2010

Related Posts: Shopping on a Budget: Plus-Sized Masculine Work Clothes

Anonymous asked: Hey, I love your blog!! I have just started to shop online and I've checked out ASOS but I don't really have a very big budget at the moment. Are there other sites you would recommend that aren't too overly priced? I generally feel more comfortable in masculine/ androgynous clothing :)

There are successful ways of shopping on a budget online, and there are ways that will end up costing you more money. Sites with cheap full retail prices have items that fall apart really easily and end up costing you more as you replace things. I’m generally not the biggest fan of Forever 21 for that reason, but I know some people have a lot of good luck with them too. I really like ASOS because of all their sales, and they have free shipping both ways so that you can try things on and then return them. Gap is one of my favorite places for affordable clothes. They are also very well made for the price, and when things go on sale it can be quite the steal. Old Navy’s clothes are cheaper and not as good quality, but are still worth it. Their shorts have lasted me a couple summers. I love Bass shoes for the quality and price and often order them on Ebay. They have many women’s oxfords that are androgynous or menswear inspired.