Fashion for Lesbians? The new market .....

[kit]

This has been a superb thread with really telling comment . B)

I have found it truly enlightening .

Thanks to all .

KIT

 

[RedActrice]

I agree, this HAS been an interesting forum. Didn't realize so many people were so passionate about the stereotypes promulgated in the media, by designers and of course in history itself about lesbianism. But, I truly feel that it has something to do with the fact that the male gay population is much more "out" in their behaviours, appearances, lifestyles and personalities...I wouldn't want it any other way since I have don't know anyone who is more optimistic and in love with life and themselves, despite their tribulations in society's acceptance of them. It is truly a lesson to be learned. Still, I think there is something to be said for the stereotypes and the fact that lesbians, and their looks have helped women in general break down what is acceptably feminine. (since it is undeniable that in outward appearance we ALL derive a certain meaning and attribute characteristics and categories to those physical style choices) . Designers I don't think are trying to "tap into a market", I think they are trying to celebrate and explore the ideas behind the looks, whether they be cultural, political or just plain aesthetic. That is something more interesting than just blatantly thinking that "modern" means being futuristic, and feminine means wearing pink.

Nevertheless, this thread has been an eye opener to peoples' thoughts and perspectives about what fashion means to them and what they think about the sexuality that lies within what you wear and how you wear it.

 

[onehotgrrl]

Great articles RedAtrice! Thank you...

 

[Lena]

some interesting views from the long The Secret Power of Lesbian Style NYT article from today's Style section

is America fresh in realising the existance and social 'importance' of lesbianism?
the whole article is written as if US is going through somekind of 'awaking' in a lesbian reality

extracts:

It was not long ago that the print and electronic media began registering the existence of so-called lipstick lesbians, and a phrase like "lesbian fashion" stopped being an outright oxymoron. When the Showtime series "The L Word" began in January, it showed that — far from being frumps doomed to Manolo Blahnik deficiency — lesbians are a powerful presence in fashion, in both predictable and unexpected ways.

The old stereotypes have not faded. But they have slipped into something decidedly cool. "I have this theory that lesbians start certain fashion things," said Stephanie Perdomo, the creator of a new collection of action figures called Dykedolls, which will be sold on the Internet starting in July. "I used to go around Williamsburg and see guys wearing wifebeaters, wallet chains, gas station shirts and trucker hats, and I would think, `We used to do that five years ago,' " Ms. Perdomo said.

dykedolls? do me a favour.. is that ridiculous or what

It is the confidence, she explained, to pair a "wifebeater T shirt with a pair of Helmut Lang flat-front pants," the way Ms. Garduno's girlfriend, the actress Leisha Hailey of "The L Word," does. "So many things come out of an L. A. gay women's look," Ms. Garduno said. "Whether it's ultimately worn by a gay woman or a straight woman, straight guy, gay man, bisexual or whatever, it's really sophisticated, and it's sexy."

i was a bit suprised to read the following since just about everyone goes around in flat fronts and tank Ts here during summer.. since when is this a lesbian style

Amanda Moore, one of the most successful of fashion models, said, "People tend to have this image of what gay is, especially when it comes to women." Since leaving Pensacola, Fla., Ms. Moore has appeared on nearly every designer runway and remains a darling of photographers and editors. She is also uncommonly open about her sexuality. "Just because I choose to love women and don't dress the part of a model doesn't mean that I'm not very good at what I do," said Ms. Moore, whose own style epitomizes androgynous slacker cool.

If same-sex unions have proved anything, it is that the old stereotypes are looking frayed. Homosexual social identities turn out to be as plural as those of any other group. And the day seems not far off when gay style, like gay radar, will go the way of any other artifact of minority status. "The gay gene for fashion is like the gay gene for musicals," said Ms. Steele of the Fashion Institute of Technology. "It doesn't exist."

What does, however, she added, "is the reality that being an outsider heightens awareness." And, if outsider status tends "to give one access to a slightly subcultural feel, based on what turns you on," Ms. Steele said, a style can also emerge from that awareness and then migrate into the culture at large. The truth of that proposition is well understood by designers from Seventh Avenue to the Avenue Montaigne.

what really makes me wonder is the recent 'trend' of focusing on lesbian & gay fashions. Obviously it seems to be a rising 'niche' market, that people want to de-code and quickly cash in but still.. there is too much interest all of a sudden.
is the american society changing towards lesbianism?
any views on that?

for the full The Secret Power of Lesbian Style NYT article click the link

 

[Lena]

oh yes.. i forgot the lesbian visuals

Patricia Field, right, made gay trends mainstream in "Sex and the City."
(excuse me what's gay about the sex&the city fashions? i never watched the series but i really dont think sjp's looks are in any kind lesbian inspired.. is scarf wearing lesbian chic? are we serious? )

 

[Lena]

"The slacker look of the gay model Amanda Moore, left, is echoed in Undercover's Paris show."

(excuses ...to me she's dressed just like everyone else, i can't see the 'gay' style here or its connection with the Undercover look.. IT'S JUST A simple BASIC everyday LOOK )

 

[Lena]

"Erin O'Connor in a Moschino ad inspired by drag kings."

i must be missing something .. drag kings? excuse me?

 

[Lena]

"Ashton Kutcher's trucker hat look last year on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" owes something to lesbian bikers"

say what? they must be joking

 

[Lena]

"A woman at the 1995 gay pride parade in New York"

aww ok, that -hehehhehe- explains the whole "the truck hat is a lesbian trend" look , much more since it is a 1995 photo they are clearly joking

 

[Meg]

that Amanda Moore picture is simply stupid. Seriously, what about pictures of Kylie in boots over jeans and a blazer? oh wait, that picture doesn't count because it doesn't prove their point

 

[prixi]

Originally posted by Lena@Jun 26th, 2004 - 2:48 am
"The slacker look of the gay model Amanda Moore, left, is echoed in Undercover's Paris show."

(excuses ...to me she's dressed just like everyone else, i can't see the 'gay' style here or its connection with the Undercover look.. IT'S JUST A simple BASIC everyday LOOK )

I echo your opinion. that is SO stupid. Talk about lame. Lame, lame, pathetic( sorry I can't get over it )

 

[prixi]

Originally posted by PrinceOfCats@Mar 24th, 2004 - 6:16 pm


A day will come when us long-suffering men are avenged of our drunkard, womanising girlfriends...

Good one.

 

[softgrey]

Originally posted by Lena@Jun 26th, 2004 - 1:50 am

"Erin O'Connor in a Moschino ad inspired by drag kings."

i must be missing something .. drag kings? excuse me?

in the gay clubs there are female performers who impersonate men and call themselves drag kings...the flip side of drag queens...

and the US IS having a bit of a love affair right now with gays and lesbians...
the "L" word ...the show on HBO...has a lot to do with this...although i don't really know any lesbians who look or act like the characters on the show...but then again i don't really know anyone who looked or acted like the characters on sex and the city either...

then there is ellen degeneres...whose talk show is wildly successful...and who did a superb job as the voice of a talking fish in finding nemo...

and the whole gay marriage thing is a big news story these days...

if you ask me...the article is just a bunch of hype really...

thanks for posting lena...

 

[LolitaLuxe]

LAME!!

 

[Incroyable]

It's very Helmut Newton, and Marlene Dietrich.

 

[kleinesdeutsch]

That was shocking...we ought to continue with 50s conservative Republican sensibilities instead.

 

[PrinceOfCats]

That was shocking...we ought to continue with 50s conservative Republican sensibilities instead.

What was shocking?

 

[kleinesdeutsch]

It's just rather insulting what they have turned a lady into...masculine and sex-driven.

 

[meme527]

of course thats what makes lesbian market so hard to get 'marketed' its a big headache for the fashion analysts , really pisses them off that they cannot pinpoint the niche (not to say about losing those hot lesbian money )

just discovered this thread so am catching up. I must say, the original article's academic tongue flapping is the kind of thing that floats my boat!

i am not sure if any lesbians ever weighed in onthis topic, but i must say as a bi-female it is hard to carry the weight of an entire community on your shoulders. as a black woman i get this more often, since ethnicity/skin color are more obvious. a roomful of people are discussing something and when the question comes up, "how does the african-american community feel about this?", guess who all eyes turn to?

but i think that the answer to what lesbians want in fashion is probably what all women want which is to feel comfortable in their own skin, to feel confident and to wear whatever reflects that for them. i think the trick MAY be that, without intimate male pressure (as opposed to societal male pressure, which exists for everyone in a sexist world regardless of sexual orientation) women are naturally that much more self-determining. and our natural diversity is harder to mass market!

regarding butch women - having known plenty of butch women my sense is that "they" (and i hate to group people together, and i am NOT speaking for butch women) dress in what makes them feel most comfortable. i know as a preteen adn teenager, i refused to wear dresses for a while - i just felt girls were...too...girly, although now, when the mood strikes me, i am as femme as they get. and the butch women i know express themselves in ways that make them feel good, just like everyone else.

great thread, can't wait to finish it!

meme

 

[meme527]

then there is ellen degeneres...whose talk show is wildly successful...and who did a superb job as the voice of a talking fish in finding nemo...

but did you notice that, now that everyone knows ellen is a lesbian, homsexuality doesn't get mentioned on her show, no matter whose she's talking to?

meme