Coco Chanel said…

A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.

Fat Femme – Beth Ditto

Beth Ditto is a “fat femme” icon!

Beth Ditto dons the cover of this month’s Out Magazine and she is fantastic (although there are rumblings of her displeasure with the shots)!

A hero in the Fat Acceptance movement, leader, Bevin Branlandingham of FemmeCast told LezStyle that “in Beth Ditto…I saw an out, queer fat femme owning her sexuality and hotness and never apologizing for it.  Seeing someone else do it who was younger than me only inspired me to hurry up and get through my fat shame and start making something of myself.  As she’s gotten more media exposure, I’ve seen Beth challenge notions of ‘cute’, ‘pretty’ and ‘fashionable’ in really hysterical ways. She’s a brave and amazing artist.”

This weekend Bevin and her Femme family will put on the fat girl flea market. If you miss the flea market, but are in the NYC area, please go to Re/Dress NYC, this store is a buy * sell * trade resale establishment for women sizes 14 and over.

The thing is that Ditto isn’t special because of her size, she’s special in spite of it. The fat acceptance movement, like the LGBT pride movement, has been fighting the good fight for a while and continues to make small steps toward actual acceptance.

What Beth delivers, though, is something that the mainstream does not usually show. Beth is her own star, she is not the side-kick of the pretty girl or the comic relief. She is talented on her own merit and that makes her confidence shine through.

Lez Weddings! The DeGeneres’

This week has been a big week for Marriage Equality. Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont are all on board, with DC and New York looking like they might be marching down the aisle soon as well.
Which means now is a great time to talk about lezzie wedding attire.

I never had any doubt that the Degeneres’ would get their “wedding wear” right, and their decision to use designer Zac Posen – of course – guaranteed success. The former Perry Ellis Award Winner, created a magical and cohesively elegant wedding ensemble for our very own lezzie first couple.

They exchanged rings by Neil Lane (with a few variations) including the engagement ring de Rossi’s had been sporting since June 2007. The marquise-cut pink diamond ring is dreamy and falls well below the suggested “two month salary” guide. (Not sure I would call Ellen cheap though.)

DeGeneres, 50, always dresses for comfort first and fashion second but has an amazing personal style. Super producer, rapper and fashionista Kanye West loves Ellen Degeneres’ style. In fact, on her show he once said, “You have really great style.” Then he turned to the audience, and told them, “Seriously, this is one of the people you should look at whenever you’re trying to figure out how to put together an outfit, especially for guys.” DeGeneres, wearing her usual faggy look, laughed as he then said, “I would completely wear [that].” while pointing to her outfit. Now that’s an endorsement.

This tomboy “Covergirl” took a risk on her wedding day by donning a white, loose-fitting ensemble with a scarf with some sheer aspects. It seems to have paid off, she was glowing. Yes, she was glowing but she definitely was wearing some super subtle, but completely effective, make-up. It’s a mistake to avoid make-up entirely on your wedding day. Even if you NEVER wear make-up, you should at least moisturize and put on a tiny bit of power on red spots. Trust me, no one will notice unless you don’t do this. Also, put something on your lips. It doesn’t have to be lipstick but it should give your lips a slight glow.

Chap Stick has a fantastic new product that puts just a little shimmer on your lips and is not at all overwhelming or “lipstick” like.

I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen Portia de Rossi look bad since she has been with Ellen. She always looks good in casual fare and she can absolutely tear up a corporate look. In the past couple of years she has transformed herself from the overly thin and unhealthy looking “Nell Porter” on Ally McBeal to a svelte, glowing, healthy woman.

On her wedding day, Portia wore a gorgeous ballerina-inspired halter ball-gown with a signature “Carrie Bradshaw” tulle skirt. The pale pink dress was perfectly fitted and the top was reminiscent of the ever present “lesbian halter vest” but done with flair. Her hair was tied back, as it often is but not in a tense bun but a flowing, loosely tied personal look. Make-up can make or break the look and for the wife-to-be of a “Covergirl” spokesperson, and I am happy to see that she did not overdo it.

Wedding fashion is about more than the clothes that you wear.  The setting in which you choose to tie the knot and your individual style both really come into view as well. In fact, after planning a HUGE wedding, the DeGeneres’ freaked out at the last minute, decided to disinvite almost everyone, and instead have an intimate ceremony at home. They sat down on silk pillows during the wedding ceremony and Mark’s Garden filled the space with amazing flower creations.

Breeder Style Watch: Jennifer Aniston

When I ask a Lesbian client “Who is your style icon?”, she very rarely says “Ellen Degeneres”. While Lesbians have been fashion leaders for years, many of us like to put our stamp on styles put forth by straight style icons, which we lovingly chronicle in Breeder Style Watch.

Jennifer Aniston is a hot piece of ass who can pull off a boot-cut jean like no other and all women with long-ish hair wish they had a version of her tresses. Her subtle use of makeup makes her accessible and her décolletage (cleavage and chest) is spectacular.

Jennifer’s Lesbian appeal is undeniable in her take on the “Lesbian Uniform” (jeans paired with a flannel shirt). The tailoring on her shirt creates a surprisingly feminine twist, though.

Jen also has an amazing knack for always being perfectly tanned, which is why she always looks like she is glowing. Lesson here: moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Also, get a little, but not too much, vitamin D. Overexposure to the sun equals wrinkles, and you might not care now, but one day you will realize that you should have listened.

Jen easily moves between casual and dressy, but is almost always in neutral grey tones. This works for her skin tone, but be careful here: greys are hard to wear and can make you look sallow.

Jen LOVES a scarf. She uses them strategically and for warmth. Scarves are a great way to dress up any outfit, but be warned: overly printed scarves are very hit-and-miss. Stick with solids or a subtle pattern, and don’t match your scarf to any of the following: your belt, shoes or purse. Instead, look at the overall outfit and decide what color will best enhance the look.

Hot Mess of the Week: Sam and Lindsay

You know you can’t look away, and they don’t want you to! Every subculture has their own version of a hot mess, and we chronicle ours in Hot Mess of the Week.

“Those rumors aren’t true. We aren’t broken up,” Lohan told E! News Wednesday, April 1, 2009.

It’s hard to resist this quirky couple and their fashionista draw. Sam wears 1980’s Lesbian chic like it’s the Izod Lacoste of it’s day and Lindsay’s Desperate Housewives, overly-bronzed look is something Orange County chicks cream themselves over.

Sam reminds me of the time that ALL of my friends dyed their hair platinum in their 20‘s and now they all complain how the texture has never been the same. The thing that kills me is that this little hipster is well into her 30’s. The evolution from skater boi style of poorboy hats, skinny jeans and thin ties to grown butch has not seemed to reach this one. I guess when you have a 22 year-old on your arm, you are not trying to looking like an aging lesbian.

On the other hand, Lindsay seems to have embraced Lezzie fashion well beyond her closeted exterior. In fact, here she is donning a rainbow flag dress. Not sure I love this choice, but she seems to pull it off without looking like a Drag Queen at a Gay Pride Parade. Also, to me, her skin always looks a little aged. She recently announced that she launching a new product called Sevin Nyne. One can only hope this is the reason for her Orange County glow.

In her late teens, Lindsay tried an overly sophisticated style which gave the illusion of “woman”. As her relationship with Sam evolves, she is feeling freer to explore her “rebel” and “I don’t give a %&^$” looks. She still reverts back to “child” as evidenced in her incessant wearing of little girl leggings. Lesbian fashion for Lindsay is whatever she is wearing. She is, in terms of community, a “femme with an edge” to Sam’s “butch hipster” presentation. And both are firmly stuck in the 80’s.

Looking forward to the next time I have to say something bitchy about this couple…WHAT?