Infatuation List: The Stylish Lesbian, Not an Oxymoron

June 24, 2011

Stereotypes are commonly used because somewhere along the way they were believed by the majority, but as time ticks by, it’s clear that some fashion pigeon-holes are in need of a make-over. Lesbian style (or the supposed lack of) is one of those tired clichés that is ready to be put to rest.

I am not saying that all gay women dress well, in fact I am sure you know someone that firmly supports the misconception by wearing a men’s suit so ill-fitted and outdated that it looks as though they stole it from their father’s closet in the early 80′s.  But that’s no reason to believe that all lesbians have the same sartorial appetite. After all, we don’t declare that straight women dress poorly just because we know someone who still wears jeans that only the mid-90′s can appreciate or terry-cloth zip hoodies?

Looking around, in both real life and through the Hollywood looking glass, it’s apparent that fashion is not a foreign language to most girl-loving girls . Using celebrities as a case illustration, these five stylish lesbians prove that in the gay community, fashion is not just a boys club.

JENNY SHIMIZU – Model & Reality Show Judge

Jenny rocks a high fashion androgynous look that has reportedly been known to turn the heads of   a-list straight girls. Her look is so timeless, that even pictures a decade old look relevant to our contemporary sense of fashion. The key to Jenny’s style is investing in high quality staples and paying the utmost attention to the fit and tailoring of each garment.

AMBER HEARD – Actress

Amber has all the qualities of a Hollywood ‘It’ girl with sex appeal that rises up to all mainstream standards of style, yet she seems to add a sophisticated element of ‘being comfortable in her own skin’, which others often seem to lack on the red carpet. The key to Amber’s style is to seek inspiration from the latest in fashion without letting the trends take over your whole look.

ELLEN DEGENERES – Comedian & Talk Show Host

Ellen made a few fashion missteps early in the limelight, but anyone can agree that she has found her sartorial stride reinventing classic menswear into a look that’s all her own – no one has ever made sweater vests looks so good. The key to Ellen’s style is to play with a variety of traditional menswear elements, like vests, sweaters and blazers with her signature cropped trousers.

PORTIA DE ROSSI – Actress & Author

Portia manages to strike the perfect balance of style through a girly tomboy interpretation of cool California classics. The key to Portia’s style is all about mixing the right elements to find combinations that hone in on your comfort zone while maintaining aesthetic self-expression. It’s the kind of covet-able personal style that takes relaxed confidence (and sometimes years of practice) to achieve.

SAMANTHA RONSON – Singer / Songwriter & DJ

Samantha’s look clearly defines her as ‘one of the cool kids’ by tapping into that ‘I don’t care; I don’t try’ fashion sense that ironically makes her an ideal style muse for girls and boys alike. The key to Samantha’s style is finding all the right perfectly lived-in basics like vintage t-shirts, cozy beanies, striped sweaters, skinny jeans and paring it all with a killer pair of kicks.

These 5 women are evidence that ‘Stylish Lesbian’ is not an oxymoron. Not only do they have way more style than cliché jokes want us to believe, but they vary so widely in aesthetics that it would be hard to even smack a label on what lesbian fashion sense is right now. If pressed to define it, the one thread that runs through all of them, is the ability to effortlessly make comfort a fashion priority without sacrificing any amount of individual style savvy.

What other fashion stereotypes or style clichés are in desperate need of a little updating?