Rainbow Fashion Week is a yearly event where LGBT designers and brands showcase their latest collections on the runway in NYC. NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio has sanctioned the event, “An official New York City Pre-Pride Fashion Event.” In it’s third year, the event is set to take place June 17 through the 26, 2016- just in time to coincide with Pride.

Attendees at the 3rd annual Rainbow Fashion Week will be treated to events such as, “Kids who Tech,” “Fashion for the Cure,” and a pet fashion show. The event is also committed to going green and discussing important social issues alongside sick fashions.

E. Jaguard (Jag) Beckford, founder and producer of Rainbow Fashion Week. In 2013, Jag launched Jaguar and Company Clothier where she presently designs “male identified” clothing for women. We chatted with Jag to discuss how Rainbow Fashion Week came into being and what inspires her to create.

Jag- Producer of Rainbow Fashion Week

How did you come up with the idea for Rainbow Fashion Week? 

After launching my clothing line “JagandCo” in 2013 for the gender binary, gender fluid, aggressive women such as myself, I realized that most of the “talent” is hidden behind the scenes. Wouldn’t it be great to have a Fashion Week kicking off pride in New York City that highlighted all of those fashion professionals that help create the finished work of art that struts the runway.

You started out as an entertainment attorney, how did you make the leap from law to fashion with your clothing company, Jaguar and Company Clothier?

Not a leap, more like a baby step. I actually supported myself designing clothes in the 90s. I would custom design tees, jeans, denim jackets, paint leather, make cool hats and jewelry and raised enough money to drive my 1967 red mustang to law school. My wares sold like hot cakes from my table in the student union.

What is it that you love about fashion? 

The Art. Fashion is “Art.” So our tag line for Rainbow Fashion Week is “The Art of Fashion. I see artistry in the make-up composition. I watch many videos of men transforming themselves into beautiful women.  I see photos of amazing hair, wigs and weaves sewn on a head and transform into magic. I watch the lighting designer, strategically place halogen lights, against soft bulbs and create inviting mystical spaces.  I see designers breathe life into sketches.  It’s the magic of the art of fashion that has me so mesmerized.

What inspires your work? 

Almost anything can inspire me. I once was transferring trains in New York at 14^th Street and they have Alice and Wonderland Statutes. I designed a few bowties, took then back to the station and did a mini photo shoot. I am also inspired by stories. I receive stories from a cop in Camden, New Jersey, who just wished for an opportunity to try walking a runway. She stated she felt in her 30 something years, she was at her best and just needed the world to see it. I also received a FB message from a young girl in London, who stated she was in a play called the “Young Prince” and it took her to move to the UK to be able to find herself, but she thanked us for creating spaces for the average Joe to be able to walk the runway, out and proud. I’m also inspired by a straight woman, seeing how I put my suits together, the stitching, the beautiful pattern compliments and have them ask me if I could help their husband.  All of these things inspire me.

What celebrities would you love to see wearing Jaguar and Company clothes? 

Ellen [DeGeneres]. I know I could dress and style the hell out of Ellen.

If I ran into you on a typical day in the life of Jag, what would you be wearing? 

Probably my signature Jag and Co snapback cap with gold cats and spikes, diaper pants, rockin’ my shell toe adidas with fly “lace-locks” or my paper-boi trousers, with some argyle socks and saddle buck shoes.

Tell me your favorite story from last year’s Rainbow Fashion Week.

Watching two double mastectomy breast cancer survivors, walking the runway in our show called; “Inside the Celebrity Closet” which addressed the issue of body dysmorphia. Very touching to watch that victory walk.

Rainbow Fashion Week is ‘carbon neutral’ – meaning achieving a green event having a carbon footprint of zero. Why was that an important goal for you? 

RFWNY has recently been invited to present our Fashion show in Nepal. This invitation came after attending my second meeting with the Water Keeprs Alliance where I learned that the textile industry is the 2^nd largest polluters of our global water system. I went home that night and rewrote our mission statement to do our part of making a change.  His Holiness stated that when looking to do your part, work within the industry that you do your best work in.  I felt that it was our responsibility to make whatever changes we could.

This year we will reduce our energy consumption by 1/3 through the usage of solar 12 kilowatt generators and 300-watt panels. Our Rainbow Pet Fashion Show has a petition to have the City of New York, create the very first Dog Waste Composting Bins on every other corner in the City. Because it causes disease and can be turned into fertilizer for our tree beds and parks system. We will have biodegradable serving plates and utensils, less bottled water and for many of our venue a recycling system in place, rather than the required “take everything with you in black bags and dump in the trash.”

So it is important that all of us teach one another how to “just do it.”

What cutting edge fashion trends can we expect to see at the event? 

Fashion is recycled as with everything going back in time very 20-30 years, so nothing is actually new.  Even when you look at technology fashion, ahhh it’s actually early “StarTrek” episode costuming. But, this year I am going for the plaids, stylish, bold handsome patterned plaids in my “Paper Boi” styled trouser short suits. We will also have some bold pieces made by Bravo TV Star Andre Sorriano, who is going to be working on re-purposed products donated by Delta Airlines. We are going to have some interesting works from “PrettyinPink” who has taken Hollywood by storm with her “Pussy Power” garments.

Click here for more information on Rainbow Fashion Week. To peep more of Jag’s fresh looks, click here. 

The post Behind the scenes at Rainbow Fashion Week first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Anita Dolce Vita

NATASIA LANGFELDER
Lesbian.com

Anita Dolce Vita is the owner, creative director and editor-in-chief of queer fashion website dapperQ. dapperQ was created to serve as #fashioninspo for masculine of center women and trans individuals Over the past few years, dapperQ has quickly become one of the most popular websites among young fashion conscious queer people. Dolce Vita describes the site as, “a queer fashion revolution, one of the most stylish forms of protest of our generation.” dapperQ dishes more than fashion, it dishes empowerment and a sense of community.

On Friday March 11, Dolce Vita and dapperQ are set to hit a mainstream audience at SXSW– an interactive media festival and cultural phenomenon. Dolce Vita will be participating in the panel, entitled ”Queer Style: Visual Activism and Fashion’s Frontier.” The panel will feature eight prominent queer style leaders, including Sonny Oram of Qwear (Boston); Aja Aguirre of Fit for a Femme (Boston by way of The Bay); and Leon Wu of Sharpe Suiting (Los Angeles). We interviewed Dolce Vita about dapperQ, SXSW, work-life balance and fashion.

How did dapperQ come about and how did you become involve
d?

Launched in 2009, dapperQ was originally a personal blog chronicling the individual style of its founder. However, I quickly noticed that dapperQ could be much bigger than another Tumblr-esque fashion blog. There was as serious dearth of comprehensive fashion and lifestyle magazines that were similar to GQ and Vogue, but that actually served the needs of the dapperQ market. I took over the website and brought on a te
am of queer writers, photographers, videographers, designers, and stylists to start producing wide-ranging original content and events for which we have received media coverage in The New York Times, Vice, Nylon, The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, and The Washington Post, to name a few. Our events have been showcased at world renowned cultural institutions, including Brooklyn Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, and the California Academy of Sciences.  This year, we will be the first ever queer style panel to present at South by Southwest during their official Sxstyle lineup.

Congrats on Dapper Q hosting the first queer style panel at SxSW! Did SxSW approach you or did dapperQ take the lead on this one? 

I submitted a proposal to SxSW, which has a competitive application pool. Proposals are considered for SxSW’s annual programming based on a three tier process. Community votes comprise 30% of the final decision, and are not the only factor in the decision making process. The SXSW Programming Committee accounts for 40% of the final decision while the SXSW staff is 30%. SxSW receives over 4,600 proposals annually. We are deeply honored to have been selected by SxSW as one of the leading thought leaders in our industry.

That said, SxSW does not compensate all of their speakers, nor do they pay for a good majority of the participants’ travel costs. Therefore, some of the people I invited to be on the panel to represent a more diverse range of queer style were unable to attend. I acknowledge that participating in SxSW is a financial privilege that not everyone can afford. Luckily, The Brooklyn Historical Society has invited me to moderate a queer style panel in June
during NYC Pride month, and this panel will include voices that were not represented at SxSW due to financial constraints.

What do you hope to accomplish with the panel? 

Our panel, titled “Queer Style: Visual Activism and Fashion’s Frontier,” will feature eight prominent queer style leaders, including myself representing dapperQ (NYC); Sonny Oram of Qwear (Boston
); Aja Aguirre of Fit for a Femme (Boston by way of The Bay); and Leon Wu of Sharpe Suiting (Los Angeles). We will explore queer style as an enigmatic art form that is the new fashion frontier and examine queer style as visual activism that creates positive social change. Attendees will gain knowledge about how to succeed in this growing market using approaches that are effective and culturally competent.

We hope to start a conversation about gender identity and expression, celebrating queer style and advancing greater freedom for all people to express themselves as they so choose, regardless of how they identify. Queer style is a revolution for the people!

As a writer and editor for LGBT media, I see a ton of hateful comments and just crazy negativity. I can imagine as a website that pushes boundaries and questions gender norms, dapperQ is probably also the target of a lot of hate. How do you handle the negative comments while creating a safe space for readers? 

In the beginning, I would take unsolicited criticism personally. I would waste my time engaging with trolls, trying to defend my work. Today, I just live by the motto “haters wanna hate.” Unless, that its, someone posts hate speech, which I delete. Or, if it’s positive feedback and I can legitimately learn from it, I try to put my personal feelings aside and learn from the community.

You have a day job, a really demanding one! How do you balance all of this writing and activism with your career as a nurse? 

Sometimes I do get overwhelmed, particularly when I agree to do too much and don’t have time for self-care, such as cooking, getting a manicure, or going to the gym. But, for the most part, dapperQ gives as much to me as I give to it. After working in an emotionally trying environment all day, it’s nice to lose myself in the art of style as visual activism.

What is your absolute favorite “go to” outfit? 

Well, that depends. As a research nurse, I have the option of either wearing business casual attire with a lab coat or scrubs. To be perfectly honest, sometimes a good, comfy pair of scrubs is my go-to, especially when I know I have dapperQ-related writing or events that I have to focus on after work and don’t want to be in power heels for 12+ hours. But, even when I default to scrubs, I always try to add stylish touches, like sporting old-school Converse with a pair of super dope socks that peek out from under my pants when I cross my legs.

I do have a black, open-back jumpsuit from Club Monaco that’s my version of a go-to little black dress. I can wear a blazer over it to hide the open back for a more business-professional look, but then quickly take the jumpsuit from day-to-play by tossing off the jacket and showing off my shoulders and back for nightlife events.

What is your advice for queer people who
are trying to figure out their personal sense of style in a society with such rigid, heteronormative gender roles? 

Don’t be afraid to experiment and try a variety of looks. Document your style history, noting who your style icons are and what inspires you in your surrounding environment, such as architecture, nature, and art. And, never underestimate the importance of self-acceptance; Many will try to knock you down and discourage you. It’s all about self-love.

For more information on the panel, check out the SXSW schedule. For more on MOC/Trans/Androgynous fashion, head to dapperQ!

The post Interview with Anita Dolce Vita of dapperQ first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Whether you’re a fan of reality TV or a fashion savvy sappho, chances are you know designer Alicia Hardesty. Hardesty was a featured designer on season 10 of “Project Runway” and is the founder of Original Tomboy, a clothing line inspired by Hardesty’s Kentucky roots.

Prior to the “Project Runway” stint, Hardesty designed menswear for big companies like Aeropostale, and small labels like Black Hearts Brigade, but has since moved on to establish her modern-day Huck Finn-influenced Original Tomboy line.

I was able to get Hardesty to step aware from the sewing machines and scissors long enough to take on a handful of questions in this weeks’ Fast 5.

1. Which individual has been your greatest professional influence?

Ralph Lauren has been a big professional influence for me.

2. What song can you not get enough of right now?

Will.i.am — “Feelin’ Myself.”

3. Beach or mountains?

On the beach with a view of the mountains.

4. What’s the last movie you went to the theater to see?

“That Awkward Moment.”

5. If they started offering free trips to the moon tomorrow, would you sign up to go?

I would seriously consider it, but I wouldn’t sign up right away.

For more on Hardesty, be sure to check out Original Tomboy or follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

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As if we needed another reason to love Beyonce, the singer goes and releases gay-inclusive underwear gift sets just in time for Valentine’s Day.

The “Yours & Mine” underwear box sets are being sold in bundles on Beyonce’s official website. The $40 gifts include boxers and boyshorts emblazoned with the words “Yours” and “Mine” in the same pink lettering as her namesake album title (with a nod to her Drake collaboration, “Mine”).

They are available in male-female, male-male and female-female varieties for all couples in love.

Read more at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post Beyonce’s gay-inclusive Valentine’s undies can be yours and ‘Mine’ first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Holiday season is finally upon us, and whether you like it or not, that means you will soon be receiving invitations to all of the holiday parties. But what should you wear to the company holiday party?

The Company Holiday Party

Your boss will be there, as will your colleagues, their significant others, and maybe even a few clients—so keep it professional! Professional does not have to mean boring, however. It’s good to stand out, and it’s definitely time to glam it up more than you would if you were at the office on a regular workday.

One great way to do this is by choosing a bold color. Most people will keep it safe and conservative and opt for a black pantsuit or the Little Black Dress, but don’t go with the norm—after all, you do want to get noticed for all of the right reasons. Be bold. Red is a great color to wear and get noticed. Red is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, and determination, as well as passion, desire, and love. Wear a white blouse, long red flared trousers, nude pumps, and a red lip. Not a pump-wearing kind of girl? Then switch out the nude pumps for a pair of cool Adidas sneakers, add a vest or a scarf to the whole ensemble, and rock out a cool fedora.

Read more at TaggMagazine.com

Tagg Magazine is a print and online resource for LBT women in the DC Metropolitan and Rehoboth, DE areas.

The post Tis the season to get glam: What to wear to a holiday party first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Brand ambassador Traci Dinwiddie (Photo via TomboyX.com)

BY Lesbian.com

Lesbians take note: TomboyX is changing the face of fashion.

With a no-compromises, all-authentic attitude, Tomboy X seeks to fill the void between clothes that are traditionally feminine and masculine.

They’re “creating and curating women’s clothing and accessories inspired by menswear style,” says co-founder and CEO Fran Dunaway. The brand is another addition to the increasing number of companies catering to women whose needs aren’t being readily met in the mainstream market.

Pictured: TomboyX Collection Maggie Blazer – Chocolate, TomboyX Swag – PE T-Shirt, Lucky Dog Leather Accessories, Foster Weld Recession Belt, BedStu Grand Canyon Bag, BedStu Lita Oxfords – Tan, Darn Tough Crew Light Stripe Sock – Denim, Coal Going To Jackson Hat – Blue Oxford, Coal Landon Hat – Multi Color  (Photo via TomboyX.com)

Excitingly, there are lots of amazing clothiers popping up with masculine-of-center women (and trans*men) in mind. The difference is that many of these companies are, essentially, designing menswear cut for different bodies. TomboyX, however, is making womenswear inspired by menswear. Dunaway says they’re looking to reach that middle ground: the fashionable embodiment of the tomboy spirit.

And what exactly is the TomboyX spirit? Just ask brand ambassadors actress Traci Dinwiddie (Elena Undone) and musician Catie Curtis.

Curtis says, “I sometimes feel like an impostor in the women’s department, with its frills, flowers and bows, while men’s clothes don’t fit me either. I’m so grateful to discover (and spread the gospel of) TomboyX, where the clothing is made for women like me!”

Their site offers a boutique experience, where women looking for clothes and accessories that really suit their style can finally do some one-stop shopping. From belts and boots to shoulder bags, blazers to briefs, they have an assortment from casual to dressy.

Learn more and get shopping at www.TomboyX.com

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TomboyX has announced a new brand ambassador: actor/director Traci Dinwiddie. Traci is the second celebrity brand ambassador to join the TomboyX Team. Singer/songwriter Catie Curtis was announced as the first TomboyX brand ambassador in August 2013.

Co-Founder and CEO Fran Dunaway said, “We are incredibly honored to add Traci to the TomboyX brand ambassador team. She’s incredibly talented in so many ways. We feel her energy and daring are a perfect match for the TomboyX brand. She’s an actor, a director, a drummer, a trapeze artist, an athlete, a comic … the list goes on.”

Read more at TheSeattleLesbian.com

The Seattle Lesbian online magazine reaches more than 188,000 readers per week globally.

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Jenny Shimizu modeling for Givenchy (Photo via Style.com)

Read more at AfterEllen

AfterEllen is the pop culture site that plays for your team

The post Androgynous women are the new male model archetype first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Rachel Kacenjar, who happens to wear great glasses.

“The word redress actually means ‘to remedy or set right an undesirable or unfair situation,’ which is something we’re trying to do with mainstream fashion. We want fashion to be expressive and empowering for all people!” says Rachel Kacenjar, 30, who took over ownership of the online plus size shop Re/Dress in May.

For the openly queer, body acceptance activist and fat fashion guru it was the perfect intersection of her passions. “I worked for Re/Dress Online for the last year and a half managing the artistic direction, photo shoots, customer service, and fulfillment. Deb [Malkin], the owner, told me—with a heavy heart—that she planned to sell last Fall…it really tore me up. I was happy for Deb, but I was really worried that Re/Dress and the east coast fashion community surrounding it might just disappear entirely, so I started negotiating to buy the assets of the store from her.” Now just a few months after taking over, Kacenjar has expanded to brick and mortar, opening a boutique in her native Cleveland, Ohio in September.

Read more at Curve

Curve, the nation’s best-selling lesbian magazine, spotlights all that is fresh, funny, exciting, controversial and cutting-edge in our community.

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Former olympian turned successful artist and model Casey Legler is photographed in the innaugural issue of FourTwoNine by Michael Donovan.

As the first female to be signed as a male model at Ford, she and fellow subject DJ Jonjon Battles sculpt a story exploring gender, androgyny, and perception in the photo essay “Casey in Double Vision,” shot on the streets of Manhattan and in the DDC/Minotti Showroom on Madison Avenue.

Read more at dot429.com

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