We must be twins! I love a good french cuff and have quite a selection of links. Sadly, I am down to owning only 2 pair of cowboy boots and 2 hats. Time to restock!

:cowboihorse:

I really think that you all need to take pics of yourselves in some of these clothes that you're describing and post them in a "butch fashion" gallery.

And if the femmes here start referring to that gallery as "butch eye candy," you won't seriously mind, will you? ;)

Uh oh, nope, we can't do that in a thread. Photos of ourselves that is.*From the TOS: "Do NOT use threads on our forums to post your personal photos."* I can't imagine that it would be a problem though if some of the folks wanted to put pictures in their own gallery and then put a post in here directing to it. The free membership allows for 1-2 photos, and paid has more, maybe a good excuse to support the site more financially if you can.

Within the context of conversation we can link to images if I am not mistaken, and videos as well.

I would really like to see people put up ideas they would like to share for how we can develop whatever look it is we want to cultivate. I love looking at the highbrow links for ideas on what I might like to do. The reality is that I then take the ideas and find a way to replicate it, or at least get close, on a budget.

There are a lot of different looks out there and everyone has their own taste. From bad boi biker, to cowboy, to athlete, to Vegas baby! Tell us what look you like to rock.

I'll be back later with some thoughts of my own on the subject. Right now I have some ironing to do...

I'm all for it!

:groupphoto:

:perv:

Okay, I just tested it. You can link to an individual pic in your gallery using the "insert link" in the reply editor.

At the risk of seriously embarrassing myself, I put a pic of myself in my current attire here. No guarantee how long it will be there, but I want to encourage others.

Tell us what you are wearing and any relevant info about it.

Weekend morning, oxford button down $10 on sale boys uniform shirt back-to-school sale (these are surprisingly sturdy and the sleeves are the right length), thrift store sweater about $2, Timex weekender watch $28 with loads of interchangeable colored NATO bands at $10ea. Costco reading glasses, 'cause I'm old, $5.

I though maybe what we really wear, daily, in addition to the fancy stuff might be helpful.

Somebody else better do this too, or I'm going to feel awfully silly...

Kelt, thanks for leading the way! Some sharp-looking fall casual wear there!

I hope many others follow your lead...

From the ground up
 

This weekend for me is shoe roundup time. Going through and making sure everything is in good repair, cleaned, and polished.

It's pretty amazing what a polish can do and if you haven't done it yourself before it is much easier than you might think. There are, no kidding, hundreds of videos on you tube for a quick lesson and the basic polish, brush, and cloth can be gotten pretty much anywhere from the grocery store to the hardware store. I have also found that around the holidays shoe shine kits are packaged up in nice sets for quite good prices.

Here is an easy brush on/off video good for daily boots



For a high gloss shine just search youtube for spit shine or fire shine.

<edited by Tech Admin at user request>


Another quick and easy update/spiff-up is to replace the laces.
Especially with sport shoes and boots, changing up colors or materials can make it like getting a new pair of shoes, or an accessory to match whatever else you are wearing.

It's in the details. :)

you find interesting forums thats for sure lol. clothes for me consists of t-shirt jeans or loose fitting pants really for when i'm off work or going around town and half the time i'm wearing a baseball cap or skate hat if i'm to lazy to style my hair. when i'm meeting up with someone or going out its mostly a button down dress shirt and dress pants (that has a bleach stain thanks to when my grandpa did a surprise laundry day for me). shoes well mostly skate shoes hightops or boots i sway towards the skate shoes with skulls and black boots :koolaid: work i already "dress up" but during the summer its cargo shorts basketball shorts t-shirts and skate shoes or tennis shoes

Hey all,

I've been out doing a bit of reading and have been finding some really good articles. I thought that rather than re-invent the wheel, I would share some of what I have found in addition to things I will put together myself.

One stumbling block I keep running into is that the kinds of things I enjoy tend to fall into the category of menswear regardless of the gender of the person wearing it. This doesn't bother me in particular but I know it can seem offensive to a lot of folks by the way it is discussed, specifically oriented to men. Bio-guys.

I don't want to throw out the baby with the bathwater, so I would like to try something. I find an article I want to share, I go through and tweak the pronouns so that it is more digestible to anyone who wants to read it with out the stumbling blocks.

Now, I didn't write this, so I want to give credit where credit is due and stay kosher with copyright goodies. So, I will only change pronouns and will make any changes in blue, I will also put an active link the original source at the bottom. You should go to this person's website if you like the article because there is a lot more where this comes from. :)

******************************************

Why Give a Damn About Appearance
BY ANTONIO

Appearances matter in real and fundamental ways that affect a persons daily life – from how they are greeted when meeting others for the first time to whether or not they’ll be harassed while traveling.

A person doesn’t need to stay on top of every passing trend; however they should thinking about their basic appearance every day. Still not convinced it’s worth your time to dress sharp? Here are nine reasons why you should give a damn.

1. Clothing is the primary instrument in creating a positive first impressions
People are superficial, not just as a cultural phenomenon but as a hardwired instinct going all the way back to when our brains needed to make snap judgments on what was a stripy rock and what was a tiger about to eat us. We tend to be done formulating our initial opinion of someone before we’ve actually spoken to them. That means that your clothing is going to have a direct effect on people’s default assumptions of you — the better you’re dressed, the more respect and attention they’re going to automatically give you.

2. Clothing can increases your perceived status among your peers
Even after the first impression is over your clothing can help improve people’s reactions to you. Society is very visually-based, and better-dressed people routinely experience better treatment and service than their sloppier counterparts. Clothing serves as a substitute for character in the eyes of people who don’t know you well enough to judge you by anything else. That may sound superficial, but it’s true whether we think it should be or not. Your appearance may not mean much to you, but it does to the people who see you every day, making it worth caring about.

3. Dressing sharp helps with your confidence
One of the first pieces of advice in self-help books is almost always something along the lines of “Get Your Personal Appearance Under Control!” It’s good advice. People tend to perform better in life when they feel that they deserve to perform better. The automatic assumption that a well-dressed person should be treated with respect works when it’s your reflection in the mirror, too. A few minutes spent spiffing yourself in the mirror before you leave home reinforces the idea that you deserve success and good treatment in your own mind.

4. The requirements of dressing sharp teaches responsibility
As silly as it sounds, caring for your appearance will make you a more responsible person. You wind up keeping track of details like which shoes need to be shined and which shirts need to be ironed, and (unless you live with someone who loves you very much) you usually have to do those things yourself. It reinforces mental habits of attention to detail and planning ahead that translate usefully into any career or skill.

5. Good dressers notices detail in others
Once you start paying attention to details of collar shape, pocket square selection, and all the other little details of dressing well, you start to notice them on other people. And those people are noticing them on you too — expect, once you start really putting some time and effort into your appearance, to start seeing approving nods from other well-dressed people.

<snip>

6. Dressing sharp makes you more useful at work
Doesn’t matter what your job happens to be and who you’re working for, or even if you’re your own boss — if you’re well enough dressed that you can step away from work and into a meeting with a client, customer, or supervisor without advance preparation, you’re more useful. Having the casual, day-to-day presentation to step into any situation and look respectable is a huge advantage in the working world.

7. Colors and patterns speak for you
Once you start to learn more about them, specific colors and patterns begin to display their own unique advantages. Blues convey youth, browns openness and trustworthiness; deep grays somberness and dignity — each can be the best choice for a situation where many other colors would be equally appropriate but not as ideal. And by thinking about colors and patterns in a meaningful way rather than just throwing together anything that doesn’t clash too badly you may save yourself from being the person whose tie keeps seeming to ripple on TV someday…


8. Specific clothing pieces make statements about you
Uniforms and semi-uniform looks like the doctor’s white coat are obvious symbols of the wearer’s status or role. More subtle effects can convey nearly as much detailed information for a person who takes their time to plan the outfit well. From a bolo tie advertising a reckless, cowboy attitude to a pinstriped suit in the colors of a favorite baseball team, clothes can proclaim everything from your profession to your passions — or both at once.

9. Good looking people call the shots
When all’s said and done, the best reason to take time with your clothing and appearance is to take charge of your life. Well-dressed people have already taken the way the world sees them into their own hands, and the added respectability and authority people afford them allows them to call the shots in group situations as well. Giving a damn about your appearance is a way of caring how much control you have over your own life — not just over what color of tie to wear this morning.

*******************************************

The original article can be found here. It does use male pronouns, I happen to think the information is genderless. My opinion.

This is the butch attire thread. There are as many ways to look butch as there are ways to interpret the word, we all carry it our own way. I would love to hear what others think about the subject.

Ideas, resources, stumbling blocks, you name it. I bet it would be interesting to discuss.

:chaplin:

Regardless of what department or store one's clothing is purchased from, I believe the key factor is feeling good about how we appear. When we feel good about what we are wearing, we are more comfortable, we come across as more confident, and are more likely to be listened to. Paying attention to personal grooming speaks volumes about who we are, and increases our chances of being seen, for all of the right reasons. Ultimately, I think its most important being comfortable in our skin, but perhaps that is another thread.

I think you are absolutely right. It doesn't matter which area one selects from, I get things from women's, men's, and even kid's departments. Especially in less structured or tailored garments it is very hard to tell any difference in a lot of cases.

It is about how we feel about ourselves and how we want to present ourselves to the world. This could just as easily be about femmes. This is butch attire and the vast majority of us are biological women (at least at some point). It is about personal style, fit, and fun.

Personal grooming is a big part of it too. I have seen the recent threads about lingerie and about morning routines in the femme zone. I thought it would be fun to have this counterpart in the butch zone. I didn't start it, but thought a bump was in order.

All aspects of butch presentation should be welcome here.

Basic Addition
 

For what it's worth... my personal Butch Fashion Equation looks something like this:

Fade Haircut + Pullover Knit Shirt w/ Collar + Black or Denim Jeans + Sturdy Shoes/Boots + Stainless Accessories i.e. Belt/Watch/Earrings + Tailored Coat + Cap + Messenger Bag = Feelin' Good


Reasonable facsimile of current winter shoe/boot rotation:


Dress Oxford

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...yeneM7p9yufU8w



Dress Boot

http://www.aldoshoes.com/static/webU...ennie_22_7.jpg



Casual Oxford

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...fs3qo_GWUkekdg



Hiking Boot

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...k80mEpbGwK74pQ




Walking/Athletic Shoe

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...ZN9YNiop6FUI0Q

Casual or formal, there's nothing sexier than a well groomed Butch!!!!

http://www.hicktownpress.com/wp-cont.../10/butch2.jpg

http://www.thesmartpda.com/wp-conten...ut-RAZR-2s.jpg

Shopping both sides of the isle
 

This speaks a bit to something I posted a couple of weeks ago.

I know I have been posting about my own interpretation of butch attire, but one thing I'd like to address is fit.

It can be hard to find the things that we want, depending on what we want that actually fits. My own preference is for menswear or what approximates that look to me. I have a bio-female body, sometimes this can pose a problem. I also trend (now a days) on the just one size below what is commonly available in most mens departments. Frequently, this means calling in my tailor to the rescue. Sometimes I just want to find things without going through that extra step, especially if it is for casual everyday wear.

I have found something that helps me is to look at all of the areas and not get hung up on what department it comes from. Due to age and gravity, typically mens clothes are cut closer to what I need, this was not always the case and so today I still try to have an open mind. Case in point, I put a pic of myself here, I cannot say how long it will be there, but it is now.

I this photo I am wearing mens jeans from costco $12, button down shirt from the boys (it fits) school uniform section of a discount store $10, a jacket I found in the women's section of a thrift store $3 and indeed the label says 'LL Bean women'. It is comfy like a hoody or something but I like it better, it has some fun belting and such on the back.

My point being that for casual stuff it is possible to inexpensively put together stuff that fits pretty well and looks better (on me) than sweats. Some can pull that off as athletic, I'm not one of them. By being willing to shop mens, women's, children's, discount and thrift stores. It doesn't have to take a lot of resources or time, just keeping my eyes open.

My thoughts as I was heading out to the movies the other day, (now if I was with someone I would have spiffed up, but I was comfortable) :)