Some photos contain nudity in a non-sexual context.
I headed north to Oakland for Queer Fashion Week with limited expectations as this is the event’s inaugural year.
Yes, the queers have always been a force in fashion, but they’ve been behind the scenes. QFW puts us in the spotlight. The mission was to showcase artists, stylists, and designers who create work for all body types and genders.
As a young butch it took years of questionable stylings (see below) to find my stride.
Note: all photos taken pre-2008
As genderqueer brands break into the market, the young queers of the future will hopefully have a shorter period of questionable fashion.
The kickoff party took place at the Parliament. These ladies were my dates:
But first I made them take around the corner.
And we made friends.
Inside:
Night two was an honoring of make-up, body art, music, and styling.
Behind the scenes:
The stage:
Host Cory Wade
Lady Cultura
Micah Tron
In between the events, I chilled at a friend’s house in Oakland. Where I also found a boat.
Saturday was the main event: the runway show.
Saannti
Haute Butch
Saannti
Size Queen Clothing
Models Mack Dihle and Ace Cameron Varney outside the show
Immigreat Designs
The Lady Ms. Vagina
Sharpe Suiting
Rain Dove in Play Out outside the show
Play Out
Sharpe Suiting
Stuzo
Dottie Lux
Cory Wade and Rain Dove
Me, now.
For its first go, QFW blew it out of the water. The crowd was full of tears and cheers for the people they saw on stage. The future only holds bigger things.
As a community, we’re doing it our way and finding our stride.
I love love love all of this!
Thank you for all these beautiful images, Molly! <3
I am in love with this entire situation
Everyone is so cute oh my gosh
i love this
All those beautiful clothes on all those beautiful bodies!
This is amazing.
Molly! It was nice to meet you this weekend! Thanks for that picture of the back of my head. ;P
You too! I’ll send more your way.
I believe the designer you want is The Lady Ms. Vagina Jenkins! (you left out Jenkins in one of the captions)
Thank you!
So many beautiful people <3
Excellent pictures. I would be interested in knowing what equipment you shot with, if you don’t mind me asking.
I shoot on a Canon 5D mk ii, a Canon EOS1, an old Canon point and shot, and an iPhone 6
This is just perfect. Everyone is perfect. I am in love with these looks.
I was actually asked to walk in QFW as a model but as you can imagine they were new and not very well put together. A designer who should not be named told my androgynous model friend who was also chosen to walk to not even bother since we both live so far away in Florida. Seeing these awesome photos make me sad I missed it though!
I can tell that this was happening just a few blocks away from me, but this is the first I’m hearing of it!
I wish there was an Awesome Queer Things we should go to page!
or is there and I missed it?!
Great pics! Love the behind the scenes stuff. I followed some of this on Instagram, mostly runway vids. Seems like an absolutely brilliant event. Hope there are many more like it.
This is the best! Was so excited for QFW and so sad I couldn’t get out to CA for it. This essay gives us all such a great sense of the texture and feel and flow and energy of the weekend. Thanks for sharing. <3
Thank you so much for sharing your amazing photos of amazing people at this amazing event!!!
this is gorgeous!!!!
I loved your disclaimer at the first … “Some photos contain nudity in a non-sexual context”…..That is, that nudity ( body parts) does not have to have sexual implication. And that nudity is ok to present as long as one has been warned that it may be in a post! That is a very important concept for us transfemales who still have male parts.
And your photos were so inclusivesive of so many variations of humans that we are, and the way in which we choose to present.
Thanks for all of this.
This is fantastic! Agreed with Lindsey’s comment above, if this event was posted early in advance I would have loved to travel for it.
I love all these photos, but I wish there was more queer fashion stuff for femme/feminine of center folks! It seems like all the queer fashions lines are for people who are designated female at birth, who are transmasculine, butch, or masculine of center. There doesn’t seem to be very much for transfeminine folks at all! Especially nothing that is considered “high style” in the way that dapper fashion is.
I showed some androgynous/femme jackets as well as some more masculine stuff but none of my work showed up in the photos…. So much happened this past weekend! Hard to capture it all. Seems like lots of folks traveled for the show and found it well worth it.
Already looking forward to next year. Xoxxx
Medium Reality.
Electrobaroque.
Oh… hehe…. my translesbian
Love this. Also super stoked to see Mack in the photos (friend of mine, been cool as hell to see their rise into androgynous modeling, super nice human)! I want all the suuuuuuits.
Queer fashion anarchy never looked more FABULOUS. Thank you for all these fiercely beautiful images!