Blazer: Bought in France 
Shirt: Surplus, bought at T.J. Maxx
Tie: Urban Outfitters*

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

By Marina | misleadingtitles.tumblr

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Anonymous asked: As a heterosexual woman who loves menswear and feels utterly gorgeous in a suit and bowtie, is it okay for me to be taking inspiration from your blog? I only ask because I was raised in a kind of homophobic environment and I've only recently gotten to a place where I can ask questions and try to learn and be accepting without feeling guilty, and I really don't want to be disrespectful of queer culture in any way. But. The outfits. I LOVE THEM.

Thanks for reading Qwear! And no, I don’t believe that you are appropriating queer culture by taking inspiration from this blog. I actually put “women with gender noncomforming styles” as part of the description to include straight folks. (Gender deviance is not just for queers!) As far as I’m concerned, if you like this blog, then you should read it and take as much inspiration as you please!

BUT it’s great to raise these questions and continue to talk about privilege and oppression. There are many ways in which taking inspiration from cultures other than your own (particularly oppressed ones) can be appropriating. And for this, we need to educate ourselves, discuss, and keep asking questions! I found this post by thesadnessofpencils about appropriation really helpful.

- Sonia

By Guest Blogger Viv Taylor

When I first moved to Boston, I could not find anyone who cut my hair how I liked it. I’m a trans woman. I’m pretty darn queer and identify as a lesbian, given a fairly fluid definition of the term. Before I moved away from Chapel Hill I got my hair cut at a place called Syd’s. It was everything. I’d been depending on my stylist there for a while to navigate that fun place where I was growing my hair out and being open with many folks in my life about being trans, but was not yet living full time in a femme presentation. My stylist was amazing. She did a great job of helping me through a series of looks that were both deeply androgynious, but ultimately queer looking.

When I arrived in Boston I thought I was doing everything right. I got suggestions from my friends, described what I wanted, went where I thought I felt a good energy, but again and again the same thing happened: a hair cut that reminded me more than anything else of a middle aged lady with Right Wing politics on the way to a PTA meeting to complain because she found a swear word in book assigned to her son in his AP English class. It was rough. It wasn’t just that the cuts were unadventurous; it was that they just weren’t me.

It took me a while, but I think I eventually figured out what was going on. The folks who were cutting my hair were doing their best to look out for me. As a butch trans woman, I don’t always get gendered correctly. What I suspect was going on was that I was, consciously or unconsciously, being given the most recognizable “woman” haircut these folks could think of.

There’s often pressure on trans women to present in a very conservative, femme manner, especially if folks are worried about you not being recognizable as a woman. Thing is, you don’t have to present that way. You can play with your look any way you want. If it works, cool, and if not, hey, maybe you learned something.

With getting you hair cut, it might take some work. You need to find someone who you can share a vision with. Even if you don’t know exactly what kind of cut you want, you probably have some clues about what you’re hoping to achieve. Find a person you can talk to about what you are trying to do with your look, a person you feel comfortable asking questions about what they imagine and what they’re planning, and a person who you feel comfortable being totally honest with. A friend of mine had the problem where she could never get her stylist to cut her hair as short as she wanted until she finally had to come out to him.

I actually met my current stylist Nadene Hughs of Shop1 at a bar in Cambridge. I was immidiately impressed by her style, friendliness, and intelligence. I made an appointment to get a cut. We talked about what I was going for (a long but obviously dykey cut) and what I was afraid of (Middle aged Ring Wing Politics hair). The results were awesome. The cut is heavily layered so that it has some length but is also a little spikey and choppy. I can wear softer or tougher depending on whether I straightened it or let it dry on its own. That versatility is key exploring any number of styles.

Looking for a trans friendly hair stylist in your city? The forum can help!

I stumbled upon this dapper queer over the interwebs named Maddie and then discovered that she lives in my town! Woohoo! Like most of us, she has trouble finding men’s clothes that fit really well. But with some patient thrifting, she came across these items. Also, if for no other reason than that redheads are adorable, vote for Maddie’s Saint Harridan Entry! 

Shirt: “Dependable Cleaners” employee shirt. She says, “I do not know how it came into my possession. Rolling up the light blue sleeves adds a nice casual yet sophisticated touch; especially with the brown tie.”
Bow Tie: Goodwill
Vest: Garment District

As queers, we love the play between classic and modern, traditional gender roles, and new gender spaces. We’ll put multiple plaids in the same outfit, and find a use for our grandfather’s old paisley ties. I’ve slowly started moving into bolder wardrobe choices myself (perhaps putting orange and yellow together in the same outfit is some baby power clashing in the works?) and I’ve been super inspired to see other queers and fashionistas around town breaking every rule I ever heard about what goes together.

Thrift stores are the perfect place to pick up eclectic pieces for your wardrobe. It’s how I Dream of Dapper acquired her cat vest. Topman is another great source for patterned pieces, particularly masculine floral. Just beware of anything with the word “Aztec” in the description. It’s not approved by the Aztecs. H&M has some amazing women’s patterned pants; my friend recently got a pair that she loves.

Some tips for successful power clashing:

1. Mix bigger patterns with smaller ones. 
2. Find a way to tie it all together. When mixing patterns, find a common color to repeat throughout the outfit.
3. THE SQUINT TEST: When you have your outfit on, squint and see if it looks like a mess or you can easily distinguish the different pieces. (A little trick I picked up in painting class.)

Allex Knight, from her recent DapperQ feature. The shirt pattern is so muted and pants so crazy bold that they balance one another out. The light blue nail polish is a really nice touch! (Photo cred: Shaina Chin)

The shirt includes the colors of both the tie and the jacket/vest combo to make a cohesive outfit. The use of thick wool ties is a great way to add some weight and grounding to a mixed patterned outfit. (source: thetieguy.tumblr.com)

Jenna Lyons (J. Crew head, new member of the tribe) always has some crazy patterns and textures going on, but she ties it together with color coordinated footwear. (source: theoveranalyst.net)

This fashionista repeats the color scheme of black, gold, and white. Actually, if you look closely at her wrist, she’s repeating every single color in her shirt. Brilliant! (source: behautebothered.blogspot.com) 

This outfit passes the squint test, because if you REALLY simplify it, it’s a light top and dark pants, the commonality being black and white. (source: blog.stylesight.com)

Dapper Q’s first fashion show is also full of brilliant power clashing. This outfit not only has 3 different patterns in it, but has a canadian tuxedo-esque jacket and pants combo. (Styled and photographed by Jahn Hall)

Here the commonality that pulls it all together is the tie, drawing on the red lines in the blazer and shirt and red designs in the paisley pocketsquare. And it’s all the same deap red, or very close to! Bravo. (source: thatmodernman.tumblr.com)

More Allex Knight from DapperQ. Allex comments in the feature, “I love the clash of classic clothing, my body, and my body art that makes this suit wearing experience so gender queer.” (Photo cred: Shaina Chin.)

Inspired yet?

- Sonia

Yesss. Some great finds at vintage/thrift stores and H&M boys. Could Amanda BE any more queerspiring?

Shirt: H&M boys
Jacket: Thrifted, tags removed
Blasses: Vintage store in Toronto called Black Market
Backpack: Army Navy Deals
Watch: 80’s Casio, thrifted

Amanda’s Tumblr: photo.tumblr.com

p.s. meet-ups tomorrow and thursday!!!

I saw Theresa refer to these frames on her blog as “grandfather glasses.” I’m noticing that trend among youngins to queer up the grandfather/Mr. Rogers look. With the flat cap, blazer, cardigan, and brown color scheme, she is sooo dashing. These particular frames are a new release at Ray-ban called Avana frames. Another great place to find vintage-style frames is MOSCOT (Thanks Katherine!) So many amazing designs that send my queer heart pumping.

Glasses: Ray-Ban Avana
Hat, cardigan, shirt, khakis, and bag are all from H&M
Blazer: Forever 21

Theresa’s blog: ersatz-asymptote.tumblr.com

Related posts: Old Man Style, Renee Lilley, Uniquely Vintage 

Courtney, a 5’2” menswear enthusiast, will be helping us out with petite menswear related Qwearies. So if ya got any more, send them along! She’s mostly inspired by color, pattern, and texture coordination. She also digs colored laces, and has an unruly collection of bow ties and pocket squares. I’m looking forward to hearing more tricks of the trade soon.

(Photo credit: Caroline Wood)

Shirt: H&M boys
Sweater: H&M men
Jeans: American Eagle
Shoes: Clarks Desert Boots
Laces: Benjos (Sonia says: woah… this store is sweet!)

Courtney’s Tumblr: adventuresoftinydyke.tumblr.com

I saw this cutie and couldn’t help but ask her where she got her clothes. This should seriously be a Fossil ad, considering her color palette is just like theirs. Some day the queers will be on the forefront of every clothing line. (Hey, we can all dream, right?)

Button up: Banana Republic
Watch: Fossil
Shorts: Hot Topic

Cinthia’s blog: crushoncinthia 

Step one: Put all your hair to one side and sleep on it

Step two: Unbutton your top button and loosen your tie a little

Step three: Smile

Shirt: Walmart
Tie: H&M

Follow the cutie: dirtyknife.tumblr.com