Butch Attire & Fashion

[luv2luvgirls]

I shop in the mens dept, all I wear are cargo shorts,Camo shorts,board shorts,jean shorts...or jeans when its cold
t shirts a must. tho when its called for I can get my swagg on

[Red-Dragon]

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 work i already "dress up" but during the summer its cargo shorts basketball shorts t-shirts and skate shoes or tennis shoes

[Duchess]

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

[Kelt]

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)

[princessbelle]

I'm still learning how to buy clothes for my butch. I went to buy some summer clothes for her back in May. Since she buys her clothes in the men's department, i thought well, that's easy. Heck i raised two boys so i thought i knew how to buy "men's" clothes.

But, because she likes those long shorts and i wasn't quite sure about sizes and styles, what i got originally didn't work.

The shorts i got were too big and too baggy and came down way past her knees, actually just above her ankles, and the shirt was stripped and way too long and came down almost to her knees as well. OMG she looked like a 7 year old school boy. It was funny and cute as hell, but didn't work. She's probably gonna kill me for typing about this.

I totally failed my first try. I did take them back. Size is very important and style is HUGE with the results of how it looks on a butch. Not just anything works.

I'm getting better but it is truly a learning experience.

Edit: Just realized this is the butch zone. Pardon me if i am intruding. I suppose the name should have given me a head's up. But, i'm really tired, so forgive me.

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by princessbelle

I'm still learning how to buy clothes for my butch. I went to buy some summer clothes for her back in May. Since she buys her clothes in the men's department, i thought well, that's easy. Heck i raised two boys so i thought i knew how to buy "men's" clothes.

But, because she likes those long shorts and i wasn't quite sure about sizes and styles, what i got originally didn't work.

The shorts i got were too big and too baggy and came down way past her knees, actually just above her ankles, and the shirt was stripped and way too long and came down almost to her knees as well. OMG she looked like a 7 year old school boy. It was funny and cute as hell, but didn't work. She's probably gonna kill me for typing about this.

I totally failed my first try. I did take them back. Size is very important and style is HUGE with the results of how it looks on a butch. Not just anything works.

I'm getting better but it is truly a learning experience.

Edit: Just realized this is the butch zone. Pardon me if i am intruding. I suppose the name should have given me a head's up. But, i'm really tired, so forgive me.

Until you get the hang of it and can eyeball things better, put a comfy pair of Bully's shorts on. Shirt too. See how they fit YOU and then, when you go shopping, if you see something you really like, if nothing else you can try it on and see how it hangs in comparison to how her current comfy clothes hang on you. It's like warming up the car for her, but with panties involved!

[princessbelle]

Originally Posted by Gemme

Until you get the hang of it and can eyeball things better, put a comfy pair of Bully's shorts on. Shirt too. See how they fit YOU and then, when you go shopping, if you see something you really like, if nothing else you can try it on and see how it hangs in comparison to how her current comfy clothes hang on you. It's like warming up the car for her, but with panties involved!

Ohhhhhhhh what a good idea. I'm thinking that may be fun too. While i'm at it i may even practice that swagger. I'm thinking it is all in the clothes.

But, she don't wear panties silly!!!!!

[Kelt]

Originally Posted by princessbelle

I'm still learning how to buy clothes for my butch. I went to buy some summer clothes for her back in May. Since she buys her clothes in the men's department, i thought well, that's easy. Heck i raised two boys so i thought i knew how to buy "men's" clothes.

But, because she likes those long shorts and i wasn't quite sure about sizes and styles, what i got originally didn't work.

The shorts i got were too big and too baggy and came down way past her knees, actually just above her ankles, and the shirt was stripped and way too long and came down almost to her knees as well. OMG she looked like a 7 year old school boy. It was funny and cute as hell, but didn't work. She's probably gonna kill me for typing about this.

I totally failed my first try. I did take them back. Size is very important and style is HUGE with the results of how it looks on a butch. Not just anything works.

I'm getting better but it is truly a learning experience.

This is sooo true. Stay tuned, I'm going to put together something on 'reconnaissance' shopping for butches. Ironically the way I do it was an offshoot of watching my ex from several years ago shop for her young son.

Since gender specific dressing rooms can be as much fun for a lot of butches as the restroom experience, I don't go there unless it's a pretty sure bet that most of what I try on is going to work. Bona fide system, I won't spoil the surprise just yet, (there will be pictures) but it works well for butches AND those who shop for them, just in time for the holidays.

[princessbelle]

Originally Posted by Gemme

Not panties for HER, goofball. YOUR panties. In HER clothes. Hotness right there.

See, this is how it goes:

Bully, I got something for you today.

Yeah? What is it, beautiful love of my life?

I got you a couple things that should fit marvelously. What do you think?

<--as you wander aimlessly in with her outfit on you

This works especially best if it's more formal attire and there's a tie involved.

Just sayin'.

No wonder i adore you!!! Works even better with one of her white dress shirts and no bi-panty involvement.

Originally Posted by Kelt

This is sooo true. Stay tuned, I'm going to put together something on 'reconnaissance' shopping for butches. Ironically the way I do it was an offshoot of watching my ex from several years ago shop for her young son.

Since gender specific dressing rooms can be as much fun for a lot of butches as the restroom experience, I don't go there unless it's a pretty sure bet that most of what I try on is going to work. Bona fide system, I won't spoil the surprise just yet, (there will be pictures) but it works well for butches AND those who shop for them, just in time for the holidays.

Wonderful!!!!! I look forward to seeing it!!!!

I am getting way better. I know to look for shorter shirts, shorter shorts, even though they are long when she wears them. No stripes. And the best shirts i've found are polo ...those rock!!!! And are hot!!!!

Did i mention they are hot?

[Jett]

Originally Posted by Kelt

This is sooo true. Stay tuned, I'm going to put together something on 'reconnaissance' shopping for butches. Ironically the way I do it was an offshoot of watching my ex from several years ago shop for her young son.

Since gender specific dressing rooms can be as much fun for a lot of butches as the restroom experience, I don't go there unless it's a pretty sure bet that most of what I try on is going to work. Bona fide system, I won't spoil the surprise just yet, (there will be pictures) but it works well for butches AND those who shop for them, just in time for the holidays.

Looking forward to it...

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by princessbelle

Size is very important and style is HUGE with the results of how it looks on a butch. Not just anything works

I agree. But, I think that it is less about a person being "butch" and more of a body type. Bio females tend to have various body shapes. Some have curves, while some don't. Men typically don't, but not all butches are shaped like men (minimal hips). I would suggest that when one shops in the men's department for bio females, that their body shape is taken into account, as not just any style will work for every female.

[Gemme]

Kelt, those tips are really good and you've obviously put a lot of thought into it. The set up for the different styles of shirts, etc would be a pain (as you mentioned) but having the list in the car or purse would be handy because you never know when you'll find something for someone but wouldn't know if it would fit.

That being said, I'll stick with my old fashioned eyeball and/or how does it fit me? methods because then that means I get to wear my honey's clothes for a "real" reason aka NOT "I like it and I'm stealing it".

[brownboi]

Basketball shoes/shorts, and a tee are my fave

At work, I go for the jeans/polo

[*Anya*]

A Masculine Silhouette, Tailored for Her

By BRIDGET HUBER

Mary Going, 46, a former nonprofit consultant in Oakland, Calif., wanted to wear a suit to her same-sex wedding in 2008, but found the shopping process demoralizing.

Nothing fit. Sometimes there were no dressing rooms. And salesmen looked at her funny when they realized she wasn’t shopping for a son. “They didn’t want to be serving me,” Ms. Going said. “You can feel it.”

She soon learned that she was not alone, and in 2012, Ms. Going started an online suit store, Saint Harridan, that specializes in classic men’s suits tailored for women. It joins a fresh crop of untraditional fashion brands and style blogs that cater to butch lesbians, transgender men, the androgynous and tomboys — underserved customers who might call themselves “masculine of center,” a gender-studies term for women who dress and act in ways traditionally associated with men.

It is a group long considered “tragically unfashionable,” said Jack Halberstam, a transgender professor at the University of Southern California and the author, most recently, of “Gaga Feminism: Sex, Gender and the End of Normal.” “Neither men’s nor women’s clothing fits you, and the market has absolutely nothing to make you look good.”

That is changing, thanks to clothing companies like Saint Harridan, as well as Tomboy Tailors, a custom suit maker in San Francisco; HauteButch, a clothing line from Santa Rosa, Calif.; and Marimacho, a Brooklyn label that makes shirts, vests and swimwear based on 1920s men’s bathing suits. One company, Wildfang, in Portland, Ore., was founded by Nike veterans and says it aims to liberate men’s wear, “one bow tie at a time.”

Tomboy Tailors has a retail shop in the Union Square area of San Francisco, but most are online only. Setting the trend are style blogs like dapperQ, which positions itself as a sort of GQ for the unconventionally masculine, and Qwear, which updates the heritage-chic look for women. Think pocket squares, brogues and suspenders popularized by so many men’s blogs.

The look subverts gender norms, said Susan Herr, 50, the founder of dapperQ, based in Brooklyn. “It’s not cross-dressing for me to wear a suit,” she said. “It’s cross-dressing for me to wear a dress.”

Unsure if there was enough interest in a company like Saint Harridan, Ms. Going used Kickstarter to test the waters and to raise the $87,000 she needed to meet the factory minimum. She ended up raising more than $137,000 in just over a month from 1,108 donors.

In August, Saint Harridan plans to ship its first suits, which cost $695 to $840 and are made in the United States from Italian wool. The site also sells ties, T-shirts and pocketknives. Ms. Going hopes to add Saint Harridan-designed sweaters and trousers in the future.

Putting the idea into practice brought other challenges. Unlike traditional women’s suits, which often emphasize feminine curves like breasts and hips, Saint Harridan’s suits create a masculine silhouette. To do so, every aspect of the suit was re-engineered. Shoulders were narrowed to fit smaller frames, lapels were tweaked to lie flat over the bust, and pants designed to accommodate hips.

Ms. Going wants to see female bodies in men’s suits at the bank, at the wedding altar, on the street, everywhere. To her, it’s part of a broader shift in gender norms. “Masculinity isn’t just for men,” she said.


Correction: July 11, 2013

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: An earlier version of this article misstated Susan Herr’s age.

■

PUBLISHED JULY 10, 2013


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/11/fa...d-for-her.html

[okieblu]

Does anyone here know of a site, tutorials, that deals with changing or altering sewing patterns for men's clothes, for a butch dyke? I can't afford $200 or more for a tailored shirt, I can't find anyone who sews I can work out a deal with, so I'm gonna have to do this myself, damned it!

All the men's patterns, even the smallest size is too big and I can't find dress shirt patterns for adolescent boys. They seem to skip right over teens. From pre-teen kids to adult men.

Any advice or info? And yeah, thought I'd post this in the Femme section, as well.

Thanks

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by okieblu

Does anyone here know of a site, tutorials, that deals with changing or altering sewing patterns for men's clothes, for a butch dyke? I can't afford $200 or more for a tailored shirt, I can't find anyone who sews I can work out a deal with, so I'm gonna have to do this myself, damned it!

All the men's patterns, even the smallest size is too big and I can't find dress shirt patterns for adolescent boys. They seem to skip right over teens. From pre-teen kids to adult men.

Any advice or info? And yeah, thought I'd post this in the Femme section, as well.

Thanks

Calling Kelt!

I'm sure he will be along shortly, even if it is only with advice.

[Kelt]

Originally Posted by okieblu

Does anyone here know of a site, tutorials, that deals with changing or altering sewing patterns for men's clothes, for a butch dyke? I can't afford $200 or more for a tailored shirt, I can't find anyone who sews I can work out a deal with, so I'm gonna have to do this myself, damned it!

All the men's patterns, even the smallest size is too big and I can't find dress shirt patterns for adolescent boys. They seem to skip right over teens. From pre-teen kids to adult men.

Any advice or info? And yeah, thought I'd post this in the Femme section, as well.

Thanks

Sounds like you may be "stature challenged" like me. If your on the small side both height and width there are a couple of things I've done to save on the $$. If you are handy enough to have a go at building shirts from scratch you may be able to do your own alterations. If not (like me) you might be able to hit a compromise.

I find that in some stores IF you can find a mens small that is actually small (try athletic cut) , they won't be in the folded shirt bin, as long as the shoulders and neck fit the sleeves can be 1-3cm too long and that looks all wrong. Having a tailor shorten the sleeves depending on cuff style isn't very expensive and if you've gotten it off the sales rack the total price will be okay.

The other is to hit the thrift/consignment/vintage shops. Frequently they will have older or european cuts that are smaller, if the shoulders and neck are good you can maybe have the side seams taken in a bit to avoid the baggies too.

If your big in the chest the side and back tapers can be your friend in avoiding the dreaded dart, but always, always, start with the shoulder fit. From there all else can be altered, and if you can do that yourself you're golden!



Oh hey! One more trick I found for myself; if you're looking for just everyday quality and you're good with white/light blue/ and white-light blue stripes then you're in luck. I've found that right about now when the stores are gearing up for back to school you can get really sturdy button ups in the boys department in the elusive big boy/very small man size WITH the right length sleeve. Try size 20. They are for school uniforms (think prep school) and are built hell-for-stout. Not too pricey either.

[Kelt]

One more thought:

If you can find ONE shirt that works for you, take it apart carefully and you can use it as a pattern for making more.

[okieblu]

Originally Posted by Kelt

One more thought:

If you can find ONE shirt that works for you, take it apart carefully and you can use it as a pattern for making more.

That's probably what I will end up doing. Get one well fitting boy's shirt, then use as a pattern. I can always adjust the sleeve length-they are usually a little short-and add french cuffs.

Thanks Kelt!

[Kelt]

Hey Folks,

I found another source for outfit cards to help with the ever elusive 'casual' look.

Here ya go! http://uncrate.com/style/garb/