Transgressing Aging, Thrift, Flannel (Part 2)

Transgressing the Flannel – Wearing Bulldagger – I challenge you to think of a category of persons more stereotypically considered unfashionable than butch lesbians. From Birkenstocks to baseball caps to omnipresent flannel, no one suspects any surprises. Of course, one of the main ways normies identify us is by clothing which they expect to see. Which means that unless we fit the stereotypes, we are invisible. Which is safer in a million and one ways. And boring as hell…

Transgressing Femininity – The New York Times Ruth La Ferla, in an article entitled, “The Damsel in Distress,” quotes Sharon Graubard, a senior executive with Stylesight, a trend forecasting firm in New York. “Women now want to project a “more powerful sexuality, not a damsel in distress.” dapperQ may not be the most obvious manifestation of this trend to her – pant suits are? – but it is certainly one.

Transgressing Butch – Here’s where it gets fun. While some dapperQ’s are looking to pass as men, many of us are simply pioneering new ways of being female, or an in-between space pregnant with possibility. When I dress, I’m not trying to look like a man, I’m trying to look as good as I can. Dresses don’t look good on me. But I don’t go out without eyebrow pencil. And I find that women’s trench coats, for instance, fit me better than men’s. (Do check out Burberry’s new view of street fashion with photos shot by the Sartorialist called artofthetrench.com here.) Some dapperQ’s I’m talking to know their eyes pop with a little underliner and their lips with a little stick. They know a woman’s vest shows their shape even better. But this mix and match approach isn’t a conversation most of us have been comfortable having. If we are going to look our best, we are going to have to experiment on many levels. And it probably won’t happen if those closest to us, including our target demographic, doesn’t support us in in this experimentation.

Transcending Snark – Mainstream fashion media coverage is as much about making fun of folks who wear clothes well as it is about what looks great. dapperQ doesn’t have any interest in slamming anyone for bad taste. This site is about celebrating the looks we’ve managed to cobble together with little or no cultural appreciation. It’s also about inspiring anyone who wants to take how they present themselves to the next level (paisely flannel, perhaps?)

This is a quick outline of a very few of the ways that we are going to transgressing men’s fashion. Since it is a conversation that has never really been had, these are only the first few of what will undoubtedly be legion.

Read Transgressing Aging, Thrift, Flannel (Part 1) here.