24/7 Party People: Clubwear

A few weeks ago, our friends over at Qwear posted a great piece answering a reader question about what to wear “clubbing.” I loved the outfit that writer and founder Sonia Oram suggested.

A few days after reading Sonia’s post, my friend from Cali came to visit me in NYC and insisted on dragging me to every lesbian nightlife event that she could squeeze into her schedule. We went to TruckStop on Saturday, Stiletto on Sunday, and Cubbyhole the following Tuesday.

The M.C. at NYC TruckStop mixes dapper with street realness. Image via TruckStop Convoy

I couldn’t believe it, and maybe it’s because I’m out of the loop since I hang out mostly at “gay” venues and there are far more of them than “lesbian” and “queer” venues, but we saw about 20 of the same patrons at ALL THREE PARTIES. (They probably couldn’t believe it either when they saw us again…and again…and again.)

Here’s what I observed fashion wise: First, New Yorkers are really fashionable and most of the party-goers making weekly rounds managed to pull off a different look every night. Second, there is a big difference between New York and Cali style. My friend was always dapper, but her Sac-Town flavor was much different than what the locals were rocking. Third, two of the patrons were “repeat offenders.” That is, they wore the same exact outfits all three nights!

So, what are gentlequeers really wearing to the club? And, how are people so successful at putting together multiple “club” looks? Perhaps some inspiration can help. I scoured the Internet to see what party peeps were wearing to the most famous lesbian, queer, and trans parties across the U.S.

Party: Choice, NYC. Photo by Maro Hagopian