By Lya Carrera
Curve Magazine Contributor
Published Magazine: Curve
Published Date: September 2008, Volume 18#7
Lesbian style has come a long way over the years. Women have gone from looking masculine to androgynous to punk to feminine to gender-crossing. What was lesbian chic in the 1980s has come full circle with the emergence of The L Word and it has put lesbian fashion back on the map.
Although the characters on The L Word are feminine looking—with the exception of Shane, who is androgynous-butch, and Moira-Max, who is butch-transgender - there’s a fashion style for all of them, regardless of how each one identifies.
The image of lesbians that was prevalent in the media—two words: flannel shirts—has now been replaced with something more positive as gay women are now seen as being fashion-conscious.
As a result, many clothing companies now cater to, though are not exclusive to, the lesbian community, and each brings its own unique twist to the clothing line. One such company is dykesinthecity (DITC.net).
“Our clothing is very urban, edgy and very city,” says Niki Cutler, 34, co-founder and co-owner of DITC. “We combine our fashion with hip-hop and drag because that’s exactly the image that we want. I think it’s positive to have our clothing line involved in cross-entertainment. We’re all helping each other out by getting everyone’s name and art out.”
The Fashion Event
Cutler showcased her fashion line at Club Cafe in Boston during an evening of queer entertainment. All the Kings Men (ATKM)—the wildly popular all-female, cabaret-style, gender-bending troupe—and the hip-hop duo Filf Dos (lyricist Filfy and DJ Jive Alive) performed and modeled the clothes. Promoted by Kristen Porter’s Dyke Night Productions, the show was titled Fashion, Hip Hop and Drag, Oh My!
Members of both ATKM and Filf Dos assumed two roles that evening, as performers but also as Cutler’s models in the fashion program. Cutler emceed and described the clothing as the eight models walked from the back of the stage.
The audience whistled and clapped loudly when ATKM’s Leighsa Burgin sauntered the catwalk wearing a black miniskirt, black sweat jacket and gray burnout T-shirt.
The audience reaction was similar when ATKM’s Karin Webb modeled a sexy, black denim dress, while sporting the DITC socks.
The crowd got pumped up when ATKM’s Jill Gibson stepped out wearing the gray Betty hat with the black “Our World, Our Words” muscle T-shirt, while she unzipped her jeans to give us a peek at her black boxer-briefs with the DITC logo.
Ann Zumwalt drew lots of applause when she came out in the checkered, black sergeant cap, the red “queer” workshirt and the black tie with the brass knuckle design.
And ATKM’s Julee Antonellis looked modish in the brown T-shirt with “TransForm” written on it, along with the brown fedora hat.
Other items that were modeled were the femme and butch tuxedo shirts. Cutler’s diverse style caters to everyone: femme, butch, transgender, gay or straight.
DITC Clothes, Beginnings and Future
Many audience members said that ATKM had brought them to the show, but afterwards, many were inspired to purchase DITC clothing.
Sam Demuro, 22, bought a vintage-style shirt. “I was influenced by the show, and I think it’s important to support [queer] artists.”
Mary Caulfield, 27, bought the tie-inspired cuffs. “I like the color. I like the pattern. I like the way it fits,” she says. “It’s very neutral and goes with just about everything.”
Not only did the audience members like DITC’s line, but so did the performers who modeled it.
“A lot us wear her clothes,” ATKM’s Jill Gibson says. “I think one of the struggles for women who dress in a masculine way is that it’s hard to find clothes that fit you appropriately… .Her clothing line makes you feel confident and comfortable. It’s a good feeling to buy clothes from women, for women, and be able to see yourself in them.”
Filfy, a long-rime DITC model and fan, has watched Cutler’s growth as a designer over the past three years. “Each season, the clothing line gets better and better. I think she has done a good job of being a pioneer in dyke fashion,” she says. “I’m really proud of her.”
Cutler started her Chicago-based company in 2004, but the seed was planted long before then over coffee with a group of friends. “In 2000, we were in Baltimore [Md.] and we started calling ourselves the DITC crew, which was the acronym for dykes in the city. It was this fun name that we made up about ourselves because we were a very close-knit group.”
Cutler says that she was at a crossroads in 2004. She had already been attending lots of Pride festivals and something inside her was compelling her to do something for the LGBT community. So, she decided to go with her gut instinct and take a risk with a T-shirt venture.
Many agree that Cutler’s clothing is filling a gap in the LGBT community. “I think fashion for the lesbian community is fantastic,” says Sarah Engel, 27. “I don’t think it’s tapped into that much. I definitely think there needs to be more options for us because we have our own style and fashion sense.”
Laura Watts, 39, says, “I think it’s great to have lesbians make their own clothing and sell it. I think it has a wider audience than just the dyke community.”
Cutler hopes that DITC will continue to expand, as well as tour with other entertainers. But most importantly, she would like her clothing line to make a difference in people’s lives.
“I’m glad to be able to put out some new and innovative ideas for dyke fashion,” she says. “My goal is to create inner happiness as well as create a positive group identity that will give people the courage to self-express and be proud of who they are and not worry about the outside world. I want dykesinthecity to be known by gay and straight people alike, so that one day everybody can be comfortable with each other, because that’s what it’s all about.”
