speaking of women in suits....

I know I said I was bored with weddings, but when I saw these photos……… I MEAN COME ON

I had to post a few.

Claire + Leslie recently founded O'Harrow Clothiers, based in Silver Lake, and are already kicking ass with their Pocket Squares for Well-Mannered Rebels and button-downs for both women and men.

And, from Claire, re their suits: 

I got mine from Theory and Leslie got hers made by Requisite Clothing, highly recommend them. 

(Photos by Rad + In Love -- check out more from this rad Palm Springs wedding over on their blog)

Beth Ditto got married!

BOOB-A-LICIOUS

Speaking of boobs, I've roped Celia in for a reprise of Please help me dress my boobs (the crowning glory of #boobsweek).

Email me your boob dilemmas and I will pass them on to the lady herself! Perhaps we can turn it into a monthly column....

Coming shortly: A bridesmaids dress for 5'2 & Busty!

Beth Ditto and Kristin Ogata courtesy of Vogue (with thx to Katherine for the tip)

speaking of H&M...

These slim-fit suits from the Conscious Exclusive collection look pretty good.

Apparently H&M now has e-commerce in the UK? But if you're in the good old US of A you'll have to line up on April 4.

for your gay wedding

I'm digging this black silk PJ blazer. 

Actually, I'm kinda digging it for me. I need more blazers in my life.

(On sale at T by Alexander Wang)

I HAVE YOUR GAY WEDDING ENSEMBLE

White Sandwashed Tuxedo Shirt + Ivory Band Shorts from Emerson Fry

City Hall, NYC, Gay

(picture this outfit with sneakers)

(lose the t-shirt, add a pair of smokin heels)

Dear ESB,

Please help... my girlfriend and I are pseudo-eloping in about 6 weeks at NYC city hall after we decided to ditch 150+ guests wedding we thought we wanted. We are inviting our parents, siblings and our closest friend. I thought our wedding planning was over. 

Not so much -- Now we need to find a restaurant in lower Manhattan or Brooklyn to host 18 people for a late lunch with a party that includes a 2 yr old with food allergies, plus 2 school age kids, brother-in-laws that won't eat any "vegetable" beside corn, and a bride that hates stuffy/fancy/can't wear sneakers establishments.  

I have spent countless hours yelp-ing and surveying blogs but have come up with little. I am ashamed that after living in NYC for over 10 years I can't figure out where to take my family.

And we have not figured out exactly what to wear. My fiance's style is very androgynous while I am femme but hardly ever wear a dress. We are very anti-gender roles so any suggestions would be very much appreciated!!!

-Need to stop over thinking city hall

*****

1. Choose a restaurant that you both love. Put some cheerios in a tupperware container for the 2-year-old. Let everyone else suffer. SERIOUSLY. (ESPECIALLY YOUR BROTHER-IN-LAW.)

2. OMIGOD LESBIANS. You know you're just gonna wear what you always wear anyway, so why do you put me through the misery??

Zara Buttoned Blazer + Asymmetrical Studio Blazer cribbed from the comments over here.

wtf should i wear to my gay wedding

Dear ESB,

I'm getting married next summer and I have no idea wtf to wear. Not a wedding dress. I'm queer and sorta butch, so dresses make me feel like I'm in drag. Problem is that full-on men's formal wear ALSO feels a little like drag (or like I'm wearing business clothes instead of party clothes?), plus it's going to be HOT where we're getting married and I'd rather not wear a jacket.

If you ask the internet for less-gendered-gay-wedding clothes everyone says "flowy white linen pants," which, barf. My everyday uniform is jeans, pearl snap shirt, bomber jacket, boots. I thought about finding some narrow pants I can wear with boots but then what do I wear on top? I'm not opposed to having something custom-made, but I'd have to figure out what.

(Additional wrinkle is that I'm short, size 8, and a total hourglass, so the loose vest and shirt thing like Patty did looks like I'm wearing a tent and a high-button vest just makes me look portly all the way down. Because I'm not thaaat butch, I'd rather show the curves than hide them, especially considering that hiding them is a losing proposition.)

In summary: is there anything I can wear that's medium-butch, hot-weather-friendly, looks good on short curvy ladies, and keeps things snazzy? Plz help. There is a serious lack of intermediate-gender fashion inspiration for the queer ladies.

*****

How bout this Arden Jumpsuit by Kara Janx?? I'd fucking marry you in this.

Kara annoys the crap out of me on Project Runway All Stars, but her bridal line doesn't suck. It's also quite reasonably priced.

Marcel Castenmiller by Jonas Kesseler for FHM Collections Germany via Fashion Gone Rogue

HAPPY THURZPANTS

Thought you might need a little #pantsweek inspiration. Not to mention the blazers.

There's a pretty great blazer-with-dress photo over on 100 Layer Cake, along with with a brand-spanking-new Dear ESB: Can I skip my own reception?

(Photo: Will Davidson, Fashion Editor: Stevie Dance, Model: Cassi Van Den Dungen for Russh Magazine. See more hot menswear for women styling here.)

Suit shopping for a BUTCH BRIDESMAID

Dear East Side Bride,

My niece is getting married in January. We're a big Latino family and like to get way too involved in each other's lives so we're all helping her plan the details.

My niece is having her two lesbian sisters as her MOH and bridesmaid. The MOH has no problem wearing a dress, but the other older sister is a bit of a tomboy. She's more likely to dress up in slacks and a dress shirt and after some discussion and her freaking out about not even know what an 'updo' was we agreed that maybe it was best she didn't wear a dress after all. I wouldn't want to teach her to walk in heels anyhow.

I think that she'd look awesome in some sort of suit or tuxedo cut for a woman's body. What do you think? She's a tall girl and plus-size. Do you have any affordable suggestions? 

*****

First of all, CAN I COME TO THIS WEDDING??

Second, I started to write: "Buy a men's suit (or a tuxedo, if the groomsmen are wearing tuxes) and have it tailored...."

But this isn't quite my area of expertise.

So I brought in Christina, who is a recovering stylist (c'mon, you never really get over that do you?) AND the wife of an incredibly hot woman who likes to wear men's clothes.

Here's what Christina had to say:

first of all. designers, take note: there is a lack of great "mens wear" out there for women. there is definitely a population of women who prefer to wear pants, suits, and the like and would greatly appreciate clothes cut for them. in the meantime, let's deal with the issue at hand.

i know many, many women, who have worn suits at weddings. here are a few great examples: {amy & ana} {corinna & julie} {julia & tracy} {sarah & nat} {tracey & angela} {alaine & jenna}

patty [pictured above] wore men's pants, a dress shirt and vest, but it all definitely needed to be altered. i would suggest going to any "affordable" menswear stores and try things on. keep in mind, the clothes aren't going to fit perfectly, they will definitely need to be altered.

avoid double breasted suits--they look boxy. i'd definitely recommend the shirt/pants/ vest combo. it's a great alternative to the jacket/suit as it's much easier to alter and it's chic. see: {stori & tausha}

you're not going to be able to walk into the men's wearhouse and buy a suit off the rack. because of the extra curves, the pants might fit but the jacket that goes with it may not. also, the size pants that might fit your hips might be extra long in crotch, and the waist might need to be taken in. because of that issue, the jacket & pants might be easier to buy as separates. mix and match...get a shirt at h&m or urban outfitters or even sears, it doesn't have to be expensive. tie can jazz it up too. don't get a clip on tie...learn to tie it.

most dry cleaners have an alterations person & most are pretty savvy to the menswear on women issue, especially here in los angeles. we go to a place here in silver lake to do a fitting and they don't even bat an eyelash when patty walks in with menswear.

vintage is also another great way to go, as sometimes the men's sizes can be more forgiving, plus you can get more bang for your buck. in los angeles, there are lots of great places. wasteland {four locations, the studio city one is great!}, decades, iguana vintage, aaardvark's, squaresville, to name a few. it can't hurt to check out goodwill {hint: go to a goodwill in a nice neighborhood}. you'd be amazed what you can find. but it takes some time & patience...

the shirt and vest can match the color combo of the other bridesmaids...or you could even have something custom-made to match the other sister's dress. it's not as pricey as you'd think and you can get a great fit.

you can also try to find a women's suit that works. in the "professional" or career sections of most stores, the suits can be pretty great and don't have to be altered. they just don't usually have the same menswear fabrics, so tend to be a bit more feminine, but worth checking out because of fit. i'd try macy's, nordstrom, ross, sears, h&m...

by the way, there's a new trend of wearing casual shoes {ie converse} with a suit. patty says it's not cool. stay classy.

Editor's Note: Dudes who aren't precisely 5'10" + 175lbs might find some of these tips helpful, too.

First Image: Marcel Castenmiller by Jonas Kesseler, styled by Emi Kameoka, via Wearing the Pants + COUTE QUE COUTE. (Okay, Marcel is a dude. But he's so pretttttttttttty.)

Second Image: Patty Schemel by Chris Strother

what is it about blondes in WHITE PANTS?

I've got a menswear for women post coming up, but in the meantime I thought I'd torment you with this photo of Corinna & Julie.

One-of-a-kind dress by Elizabeth Dye + custom suit by Duchess.

(Photo by Evrim Icoz. See more from this wedding on Rock n Roll Bride.)

Many thanks to Christina, who will be doing the heavy lifting later.

Are Brooklyn weddings just cooler?

Or have I been blinded by the style/hotness of this particular groom?*

Photos of Shanna and Johnny's wedding at Galapagos by (new ESB sponsor!) Christina Richards.
______________________________

*If that guy is not an actor, I am not a wedding blogger.

Update: My bad, he's a ROCK STAR. But c'mon, check out the costumes.

Portland is coming to San Francisco

ESB sponsor and all-around cool lady Elizabeth Dye will be in San Francisco on March 26th, along with her entire 2011 dress collection for you to try on and order.

Duchess will be there too, so why not drag your man [or your lady who wears suits]* along to try on a suit or two?

(More info here.) 

*I already felt uncomfortable about the heterosexism of my language when A Bicycle Built for Two pointed out that Duchess makes terrific suits for women "who prefer a masculine or androgynous look."

BOO: Not just for the groom

Ted Danson, yesyesyes people, the father of the bride, is working this Band of Outsiders suit.

And Christina has a terrific tip: BOO runs small, so it works well for women who like to wear men's clothes.
 
Confederacy has a few things available online, or if you're in Los Angeles you can visit the store.

Groom Style: Craig Robinson

(Paul Banks of Interpol in 3-Piece Shetland Wool Herringbone Suit, and Nuutti Kataja of Dead Combo in Fox Hunt 2-Piece Suit w/ Velvet Collar)

Not only does Craig Robinson make some of the more slammin men's suits I've seen in a while...but this is a screaming hot ensemble for a best (wo)man.

Or a bride who might not be planning to get married in a suit.

(Sharin Foo of The Raveonettes in Calvary Vest & Box Pleat Skirt)

Currently for sale in five cities.

Via PAPERMAG

Best (wo)man style: mcq for target

I dig it. (No worries, lupinbunny. Short hair rocks.)

Via pretty.pretty.paper. More looks here.

On the other hand, not really feeling Twiggy.

What the f* does the best (wo)man wear? (part two)

Lindsay B. writes:

I saw your post this morning and thought I could contribute (also, I may be too late, which is alright, too.) (Editor's note: it is never to late to send me killer wedding photos!) I began reading your blog before I got married on August 13th, but I still read it now cause it's fantastic and entertaining and wonderful.

Anyhoot! Attached is my "best (wo)man" and a picture of me (if it interests). We went for a 1940s THEME..it was loose, you understand? :-)

The theme is fabulous. Your BW is fabulous! (Hellooo, I didn't even address hair!) And you kick some serious ass yourself, lady.

Have I mentioned lately that I have the coolest readers ever?