Dandy.

winklepicker

Cory — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:53:01 +0000

the skinny tie

Cory — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:42:03 +0000

Bowties? Yes, still, but we don’t always want to look like 7-year-olds at First Communion. Sometimes we’d prefer to look more our age, in which case, the skinny tie.

Tartans are especially visible right now, like this red & white pattern; but if you are looking for simple, basic thin ties, you’ll find what you need here (including lavender!).

les t

Cory — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 07:43:22 +0000

“Mr Rich is a store in Taiwan that sells guy clothes (tomboy clothes) that are made to fit girls.”

serious niche marketing, or are straight girls in Taiwan aiming to look like dykes? I have no idea, but this shit’s hot.

My Kingdom for a Wide Calf Boot

Cory — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:57:16 +0000

I was not graced with thin ankles and calves. Even men’s ankles are better proportioned than my own. This has been the case my whole life.

So what am I to do when I really just want a pair of boots? Like these:

I’ve recently become infatuated with motorcyle boots. Alas, it’s hard to find wide calf men’s boots in small sizes. Add it to the list of “What My Menswear Shop Will Stock”.

Follow-Up

Cory — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:49:09 +0000

After I saw that Jenn did find a bowtie and sported it up in her hometown, I grew insanely jealous and immediately followed suit. Went down to the local thrift store and bought a clip-on black and clip-on navy blue.

Was able to wear the black one that night and totally loved it. Pic below to prove that I don’t look like an old southern gentleman. ALSO: Ahad left us a great comment that took me forever to approve (sorry Ahad!) over in the original post where I considered the merits of a bowtie vs. ascot.

In other news, Rachel Maddow once again blows my mind. Jenn shared this with me last night (from girlfriend is a homo):

shearing

Cory — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:53:02 +0000

I’ve been cutting my own hair since 2005- I only relapsed once, and it cost me like fifty bucks (I learned my lesson). Why should I pay other people to cut my hair when I can do it better and cheaper myself? And if I fuck up the back a little bit, whatev- my hair is short, it grows fast, and in two weeks, you won’t even notice.

Despite what the NY Times says, dudes aren’t the only ones who are experimenting with ‘non-normative hair.’ Remember the Tender Forever mohawk/mane? Cindy Wonderful’s skull checkerboard? And of course, always, Beth Ditto.

ultra top

Cory — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:17:04 +0000

This is several years old, but still fascinating: a conversation between Parisa Parnian (queer designer whose clothes appeared on the L Word) and one of the editors of a Japanese online lesbian magazine called Tokyo Wrestling.

So, in Japan, boyish girls are generally expected to be on top, which means they only give, and the opposite applies to the girlish girls; in fact, it’s quite strict. Some Tachi don’t even take their clothes off, and that’s quite common. They’re called “Bari-Tachi”, like “ultra top”.

Wow. Yeah, in English it’s called “being stone”. If you’re a “stone butch”, that means not only are you masculine and you are the one who does everything, but you don’t want to be touched. You won’t even take off your clothes.

―I thought in America everybody was “Riba” or a switch.

Also, profiles of a handful of Japanese lesbians- brief, weirdly translated, and rad.

embodiment

Cory — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 07:27:53 +0000

Molly Landreth’s Embodiment: A Portrait of Queer Life in America makes me want to cry. In a good way. You may have seen her photographs in Girls Like Us- they are everything you want ‘a portrait of queer life in america’ to be.

neon neon

Cory — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 01:37:09 +0000

here.

Unisex Uniain’t.

Cory — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:56:44 +0000

I was walking to the bus a couple weeks ago and thinking about the shirts I wear. Particularly, one I made for my sisters for Christmas out of men’s undershirts. They’re huge, so they’ve turned into PJs for all of us. I could have gone a size lower, for sure, but it got me thinking about other t-shirts I own: specifically those that were marketed as unisex.

Which really just means “men’s shirt” that is large enough to fit women. Not surprising that the men’s default – unless specifically fashioned for men in cut/style – is also the “unisex” default. “It’s good enough for him, so it’s good enough for her!” I don’t have many women’s shirts in my wardrobe, but if/when I want to change my default presentation to one that is tailored – I have in the past enjoyed a well-fitted tee. And I know when I was working in an organization responsible for providing t-shirts to volunteers, it was certainly a request that we also provide women’s tees vs. our standard unisex sizes.

Since this blog is less about mens clothing vs. womens clothing, and more about how to be as well-dressed as the men’s collections we see even though we have breasts, this point may seem obvious and less relevant. To which I say “Nay!” Because while the alternative (and there is one) to unisex t-shirts are fitted tees, that doesn’t solve the issue of unisex [insert fashion item here] that may not have an alternative. Despite being sold as “one sex fits all”.

Socks (yes, they fit differently)
Uniforms
Underwear
Shoes
etc etc.

Actually, it was kind of hard to come up with that list – but my point is the same. Unisex = men’s fit, with unisex appeal. While culturally it may be seen as more appropriate for me to wear a unisex item (as it’s not like I’m actually wearing men’s clothing, am I right?) – the downright physics of it is the same.