Queeeeerss! I was featured in the Spanish online magazine MagLes for their April issue! Same issue as Kate Moennig!

Understand what I’m saying? Neither do I! Here’s My interview in English:

What is Qwear?

Qwear is a fashion blog geared towards the lesbian, queer, and trans community; as well as folks who are gender nonconforming. Since its inception in June 2011, Qwear has emerged as a community for dandy queers and fashion enthusiasts to ask questions, share experiences, and submit photos of their sartorial triumphs. It’s a blog that celebrates gender nonconformity and body positivity. It’s pictures of pretty shoes. It’s the love of my life.

Who is Sonia Oram?

I’m that kid in the back of the classroom with the big glasses who can’t stop drawing all over the assignment. I love anything visual, artistic, musical, and creative. I’m not myself if unless I’m in the middle of a project. I’m white, Jewish, female assigned, queer, genderqueer, and among the tiny percentage of the world that is privileged enough to get the chance to answer this question.

How would you define the concept of “queer fashion?”

I suppose technically the concept of “queer fashion” expands into an alternate universe every time someone queer identified gets dressed in the morning. I hope not to dictate what is it via Qwear, but rather to explore it according to what people are putting out — as well as share my personal style aesthetics.

While queer fashion is limitless, I do believe that queers have our own unique experiences and identities that affect our clothing choices. Those of us who are feminists and environmentalists love a good thrift find and comfortable fit. We also like to break down gender norms through fashion, whether our presentations don’t fit the binary, or we choose to mess with the idea of what women/men are supposed to wear. In my circles, certain dandy menswear items — such as bow ties, suspenders, and vests — have become “markers” to express our queer identities.

We have read that you are a graphic designer. Would you at some point design fashion also?

I love the position I’m in now where I can promote all my favorite brands and help direct them on the community’s needs. I generally enjoy working from the marketing end and the blogger’s perspective, but I’m always open to new possibilities! I’ve been kicking around ideas with my friend over at Unbound Apparel about collaborating on a small line of casualwear that spreads a message about our values on freedom of expression, but nothing concrete yet.

How long do you take to pick your outfit in the morning?

Occasionally if I’m trying something new I end up with my entire wardrobe strewn over the room. Otherwise, not long at all. 10 minutes or less. But my wardrobe is still fairly small, so I don’t have that many options.

Do you think that lesbians have a different fashion style from straight girls?

I think that lesbians have unique experiences that affect their clothing choices (whether it’s conscious or not.) It’s not an either/or situation, but I think it’s nice for lesbians to have a fashion outlet outside of all the heteronormative blog spaces. The lesbian community has a history of feminism and other types of political activism that may affect their wardrobe and style choices, but this is not to say that many straight women don’t share a lot of the same values and styles.

Is it possible to achieve this look for an affordable price?

Absolutely. Some styles are more expensive than others, but many of my best-dressed queer buds are expert thrifters and their wardrobes look far more expensive than they are. I do recommend setting some money aside for nice shoes, if you have the capability. Shoes so often make or break an outfit, and the right pair can turn a budgeted ensemble into a fashion goldmine. I’ve had some of my best luck getting designer brand footwear marked down at TJMax or the Tannery.

What is the essential type of clothing to achieve the queer-look?

There isn’t one queer look, but there are plenty of essentials I could recommend for any wardrobe — like at least one pair of brown and black shoes, matching belts for each, and blazers.

Who is your favorite fashion designer?

I’m pretty much obsessed with all Jenna Lyons’ outfits and everything at J.Crew.

Can you give us some fashion advice?

Don’t be afraid to mix colors and patterns in your outfits. People can get bogged down thinking they need to match everything. Also, button that collar button, baby!

What are the essentials for this summer?

Patterns, jewel tones, boat shoes, shorts, seersucker… NOT Hawaiian shirts!! (Omg… seriously Tommy Hilfiger?)

Follow MagLes: Website | Facebook | Twitter 

Follow Qwear: FACEBOOK | TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | PINTEREST

Anonymous asked: How would you dress (as a soft butch) for an interview as a sales associate at, say, Macy's?

I’d dress professionally, but in way that makes you feel the most confident. Because that will always show through in an interview. I checked out what Macy’s asks for interview attire, and all it says is “Applicants should dress professionally yet comfortably” (clicky). Their dress code for the sales associates (available here) is essentially all black. So if you have all black, you may as well dress to impress in the dress code for the position. Otherwise, just be your sweet self.

If I were you, I’d do black chinos, a button-up; and maybe a black tie, vest, or blazer. Similar to what A.D. did here. 

Oh, and don’t forget to do some ironing. 

Good luck!

Helllllo Qwearlings! Many of you may have already jumped on the Saint Harridan bandwagon, but for those who are new to the world of fashion boihood, Saint Harridan is a growing company that intends to make suits for women/butches/bois/transmen/etc. Rather than custom-making each suit like many queer companies, they on mass producing them and make them more affordable and accessible. If all works out according to plan, every Joe queer and their boyfriend will be filling the streets and offices in amazingly tailored suits.

Right now they are recruiting models with a diversity of sizes, races, ages, and genders. And you can be one! Submit an entry here. They will visit each city that gets 100 applicants, and those with the most votes will get tickets to their pop-up fashion shows and some other sweet prizes! (Yours truly submitted in Boston! Vote for me here!)

I had some additional questions for Saint Harridan, so I decided to interview their founder,  Mary Going, and get more scoop on the suit construction, the growth of her business, and how we can help get those suits on the shelves.

Saint Harridan Model Mayumi Taylor. Photo by Ryan Anson

In your latest blog entry, you discussed the elements of a great suit for a Saint’s body. How do you intend on working around curves for a perfectly fitted suit jacket with no darts?

What I mean by “no extra darts:” Men’s suits are designed to protect the body. They have an outer layer, an inner lining; and between those two layers, in the chest area, a third layer which is actually called “armor.” They are designed as if going into battle. It’s not about the body; it’s about the man. Our suits are built to make the suit about the wearer and not about their body. We are not anti-breasts or anti-hips; we are simply designing so that the wearer can step into the power of their body.

And, what plans do you have for creating trousers for people with hips?

Similarly, the trousers are designed to allow the wearer to move and function. The pants will have functional pockets, will not highlight hips or curves, and will be designed so that if you gain or lose a few pounds, you can alter them. Rather than giving them away, or having them sit in the “someday” section of your closet. 

How are the suits going to be constructed?

Anyone with enough money can have a custom suit made. But, most people won’t, even if they do have the money. They’ve never done it before; they don’t know what to expect, and it can be intimidating, particularly if they’re also having to cross gender boundaries to do it. The revolution is in making suits accessible. I’m interested in the revolution. Saint Harridan’s suits are made ready-to-wear. They will be sewn in factories where the workers are treated and paid fairly. (We can’t have a revolution while exploiting other people!)

You’ve also discussed investors not believing that you’d have enough customers to be a successful business. What are 5 things we can do to show that we exist and help Saint Harridan get started?

Thanks for asking this question! We are pre-selling our first signature suit via a Kickstarter campaign which starts on November 23. On November 23rd, you can do these things:

1. Buy a suit! Or, buy just the trousers, shirt or jacket. 
2. If a suit is out of your price range, pledge a smaller amount of money and get a tee shirt, tie, tie clip or any number of other great rewards.
3. Post the Kickstarter campaign on your Facebook page, Tumblr site, etc. 
4. Personally email everyone you know who might remotely be interested in this idea.
5. Post to every queer/trans/butch/stud email list or web site you can think of.

Thank you! These five things will help us tremendously. Lots of people say to me “it’s finally time somebody did this.” And, I’m SO excited to do it. Manufacturing a clothing line requires a good bit of money. For example, it costs about $12,000 to develop a suit from scratch — just to get it ready to produce. Imagine if you add a sweater (or 3!), a vest, shoes, many different cuts of the suit, etc. This adds up pretty quickly, and we still haven’t actually produced anything — we’ve just gotten to the “ready” phase.

What kinds of suit customizations are you planning on offering?

It’s important to me that Saint Harridan provide suits for a wide range of sizes. I naively thought when I first started this project that there were standard sizes, and I’d do the whole range, making sure to have every size. What I’ve learned, though, is that there are 6 billion people on our planet, and therefore 6 billion different body shapes. No two bodies are alike. We will offer a wide range of sizes — but for some people, their suits will need a bit of tweaking in order to fit perfectly. We can do that tweaking for them, or help them find a tailor in their area who can do it for them.

Will you be designing suits for every model? And will the winners get to keep the suits?

Models in the pop-up stores will be modeling the ready-to-wear/off-the-rack suits that we’re producing. Each model will get Saint Harridan schwag, discounts on all our merchandise, entry into the fashion shows (or perhaps the chance to be IN the fashion show) and professional (digital) photographs of themselves modeling the suits. 

Founder & Managing Partner Mary Going

Sonia says: p.s. While I was working on this interview post in a cafe, the guy next to me glanced at my screen and mentioned that his girlfriend wants to buy one of their suits. Woordd!!!

Here is another great article about Mary Going’s business process and goals: Saint Harridan: ‘Men’s’ Suits for Women and Transmen, by Liz Gold on 14 Karat Living

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Think back to 1973. Were you born yet? Were you born 10 years later? Can you imagine being out and queer back then? I’m drawing a blank.

That’s why it was so eye-opening when Liza Cowan, one of the founders of Lesbian-feminism, and a trendsetter of the 1970’s Dyke Scene in New York City, reached out to me.  She wrote a column called ”What The Well Dressed Dyke Will Wear,” and founded DYKE A Quarterly, a magazine that ran for 6 issues and is currently on archive at The Museum of Modern Art Library in NYC. (You can purchase a magnet to support the archive here.)

During our interview, Liza told me that the 1970’s lesbian community’s goal was to expand the surrounding culture’s notion of how women dress and act. Liza reflected that while many of them may have identified as genderqueer or transmasculine today, calling themselves “women” was integral to their empowerment. While our language has expanded since then, our fashion aesthetic has remained strikingly similar! A lot of the styles we wear now are very similar to those in the 70’s, and thrift stores are just as popular now as they were then. 

From the first Well Dressed Dyke article, June 1973:

“I know we look different from straight women. Is it a clothes style? A hair style? The movement Lesbians that I know, the community that shows up at conferences, womens’ dances, the firehouse [Lesbian community center] etc. all tend to dress similarly: comfortable work clothes, T-shirts, sturdy footwear, hair cut short or tied back or loose au natural. Women wear put-together suits, and blazers are always popular. But many of the women who go to the bars (at least on weekends) wear outfits straight from Glamour Magazine; platform shoes, tube tops, baubles, crimson mouths and plucked eyebrows. These clothes carry quite a different message.”

• First Publicity Flier
• From Left to right: Deborah Glick, Liza Cowan, Val, Penny House, Alix Dobkin

Can you draw parallels between the 1970’s Dyke world and the styles you see on Dyke Duds today?

The styles I see on Dyke Duds are not that hugely different from what we’d see on Lesbians in the 70’s…perhaps a bit more preppy (a style I like, by the way.)
It seems the outfits you feature would slip into any of our events pretty successfully without looking like time travelers. Is it just that the 70’s are fashionable again?
The Dykes I wrote about in the 70’s consciously tried not to overplay their clothing. I used to get mad at women for refusing to dress up for events, because I believed that we owed it to ourselves to show up looking great for each other. What you’d see mostly were jeans, t-shirts or button-down shirts. T-shirts with screen printing by dykes for events or venues were popular.

Frye boots, work boots, converse sneakers were in fashion. Sensible shoes. Shoes you could run away in. There were always lots and lots of bandanas, tied around the neck or the head mostly. In my slide show I divided the lesbian look into two sections: “Dyke Schlep” and “Dyke finery.” They weren’t that terribly different, frankly. Blazers and vests were popular. For a while, it was out of fashion to wear a bra, no matter how big your breasts were, so vests were a good and stylish way to cover up.

The other accessories that you’d always see were buttons - political buttons. I had a business making them, so I was always aware of them, but they were very popular for decorating clothing and bags. I think of them as little billboards.

Where did you used to shop for clothes?

I really don’t know where other Lesbians went shopping. I mainly went to thrift stores and army-navy stores, which was where you could get jeans and work clothes. There weren’t the zillion brands of jeans available now. You could get wranglers, Levi’s and Carharts. That’s all I remember. Some jeans were made for women, with zippers on the side. I loved wool sailor pants, the kind with lots of buttons. You could find those used, along with pea coats, at army navy stores. I bet they don’t even have army navy stores any more. It’s also where you’d get denim work shirts, bandanas, and sensible shoes.

I’d sometimes cruise Bloomingdales looking for clothes, but mainly because that’s where I’d shopped as a kid, and was familiar with it. I’d sometimes shop in the men’s department, which was kind of scandalous, but amusing. Sometimes I’d get cast offs from my father or brothers. My very favorite suede vest was a gift from my dad’s closet. I got some ties from him too. He was puzzled, but generous.

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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.

Related posts: Valentines Day is For Bragging

I was delighted to interview Shaz Riley, the founder of the Butch Clothing Company (BCC). The BCC creates some kick-ass, beautiful crafted, and carefully bespoken men’s style suits for female-bodied people. Doing this interview has made me dream of getting one some day when I get married or, you know, get invited to a celebrity event. A savvy businesswoman, Shaz won’t give away all her secrets on how she manages to hide women’s curves so well. I suppose that would be like me giving away my great aunt’s kugel recipe. I think this speaks to how special her company is and the quality of their work. Check out the BCC’s Facebook page to see all sorts of butches in action rocking her beautiful suits.
The mission of the BCC is grounded in serving butch women, but they welcome clients of all identities and gender presentations. Shaz even mentioned to me that bridesmen and best men work with her so that their tuxes can match their butch brides’. So Thomas, I’d keep a couple hundred euro on the back burner if I were you.

Can you tell us a bit about all the kinds of suits you offer? 
Our design process is fully interactive with our clients. We look at all elements of detailing that make up a suit. Choice of fabrics — of which we hold over 120 — specifically chosen to work on any woman, no matter their body shape. Clients love our garment linings; we carry over 80 in numerous colours and textures. We look at collar types from classic notched to skinny peaked to even the Ghandi style Nehru. We look at number of buttons on the jackets, vests, and cuffs. We look at pocket style, collar shape for shirts etc. and then together we design the perfect suit for you!
 
How do you ensure that your suits fit your customers who are not working on it with you in person? 
With our overseas clients we offer video Skype consultations. These work identically to face-to-face consults except that — under my careful supervision — our clients and a friend, spouse, or family member do the actual measurement taking. I am there on camera every step of the way, but I do send a BCC measurement guide as well! To date, our Skype consultations and the end results have been exceptionally successful.
 
What do you say to people who ask, “Why don’t you just get a women’s suit?” 
I explain that women’s suits on butch women are as un-wearable as ill-fitted men’s suits. To put on lady’s attire takes away from who we are — it detracts from our butch identity. The curve cuts, the darts, the shoulder padding style etc. is all very feminine. Butches, by their very nature, are defined as masculine women, and so most of us would feel a little like we were ‘in drag’ if we were to purchase a lady’s suit. My company is just as much about the butch identity and my personal understanding of that as it is about the clothing.
What are your dreams for expanding your company?
We have had a 60% turnover increase in the past 12 months and we would love to see that trend continue, as it reflects the fact we are reaching a global market. I would like every butch woman in the world to know about us. Obviously we don’t just cater to women who identify as butch; we cater to any woman who wants to have a bespoke suit based on a classic male style and latest male fashion trend. I originally set the company up for women like me who always buy men’s clothing but seldom find a guy’s suit that fits well. 

What general techniques do you have for women who want to tailor clothes to hide their curves?
We spent 10 months in research and development constructing the suits, so on the outside they look and fit as well on a butch women as they would on a guy, but internally the construction reflects how we handle the butch shape including chest and shoulder areas, waist and thigh, crotch, etc. Our suits are based on classic male styles so by design the classic shape and structure means that curves aren’t accentuated. We can’t hide the chest completely, but by not accentuating it in a way ladies garments do, we are providing tailoring solutions that mean women’s curves are not a focal point, and therefore becomes no issue in the general fit of suit. This was one of the main and crucial elements of the design and construction for me.
 
Do any of your clientele bind, or do you take chest binding into consideration when you create a suit? 
We can handle any situation. It’s all about taking the correct measurement profile at the start and talking to our clients about what they would be comfortable with.
 
What does being butch mean to you, and why did you decide to use it in your company name?
Being butch for me is part of what defines me. I am not a guy nor do I wish to be, but I am not a feminine woman either. I am the best of both worlds. Society and maybe even our own community have attempted to turn the word ‘Butch’ into a negative, and by calling the company The Butch Clothing Company I feel we have reclaimed the word. Butch for me is my lifestyle, my gender, my personality. Butch is not a generic term used to describe individuals who are all the same; it is to me a term defined by each individuals own style, their own personality, attributes, and attitude; and it is a universal reflection on those of us who just get and accept what it is to be a non-feminine identified woman! I would never have wanted to be anything other than butch!

I had the pleasure of interviewing Jenelle Hutcherson, the 2012 Miss California USA Contestant who pioneered in November 2011 in Miss Long Beach as the first openly gay pageant contestant to wear a tuxedo on stage! Jenelle is an inspiration to all gender non-conformers, and I hope that her success story will help us continue to expand our image in the mainstream.

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I’m excited to share with you the first model for my blog who isn’t me! Her name is Elissa and I met her at Dyke March. In addition to her good looks and excellent sense of style, she’s thought a lot about what it means to be a femme queer. Some folks in the queer community might think she’s less “valid” because she can pass as straight, but through her exploration of style and queerness, she has developed ways to be femme and also keep her queer identity present through her clothes. Elissa has enjoyed a wardrobe of vintage dresses both from her mom’s closet and the store by her house. We snapped some photos and then compiled our talk into an interview.

• Heart-shaped sunglasses: I bought these at a street-stand during NYC Pride 
• Romper: from my mom’s closet. Cute detail: the buttons say “please” and “thank you.” Rompers are so great because they’re one-piece suits so your outfit is done so quickly, you can sit cross-legged or with your legs open because they have shorts and not a skirt, and more often than not, they come equipped with pockets—one of my qualms with dresses. You don’t have to carry around a purse when you’re wearing a romper! Downside: you have to pull down the whole thing to use the bathroom.

Dress: Bought at Café Society, an amazing (although a bit pricey) vintage consignment store in my neighborhood. It was handmade (you can tell by the stitching and some extra fabric folded on the inside, also no tag) and it has an awesome crisscross back (a detail I’m really into in general). It’s totally suburban housewife and I feel like I should be baking whenever I wear it.

• See-thru lace leotard: American Apparel
• BDG pants: Urban Outfitters. These pants are ideal for me because they have a fair amount of stretch to them, so they’re super comfy and have fit through some weight fluctuation. I feel like a bit of a tool admitting where this outfit came from, but there you have it.

• In all of the outfits:
• Gold shoes: Target. I’m not even sure exactly what they are, but every summer I buy a pair of crappy sandals and wear massive holes into them.
• Gold Bracelet: Urban Outfitters engraved with “Best friends since 2003” (and yes, it’s pair does exist and she wears it everyday too).

Note: I normally have on some kind of big hoop earrings, but I guess I needed to give my ears a break.

How would you describe your current style?

I would say my current style is definitely femme-y, colorful, retro, and a little sexy/flirty. I definitely like form-fitting clothing, and I like to show some skin but not too much. I’ve always loved vintage clothing, and right now I’m drawn to a more classic 50’s-60’s pin-up girl meets cute housewife look. I like wearing a lot of vibrant colors, but lately I’ve been trying to tone it down a bit so I don’t look like a total trainwreck. In high school and early college I would wear 500 different patterns and colors all at once and it was a little chaotic (but a fun adventure getting dressed in the morning!), so now I’m trying to honor my love for color and whimsy while still looking like an adult. I also love cutesy kitsch—I’ve got a number of items in my wardrobe with hearts, rhinestones, bunnies, kittens, you name it. This is another area that I’m trying to tone down, but it’s proving really, really difficult.

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