Femmes may be known across lesbian communities for their fashion choices, but we aren’t fashionistas in the classic sense. Femmes don’t just adhere to whatever is trending at the moment, but rather own our own unique, creative sense of style. The femmes I know are flamboyant, fun, creative, and sometimes a little garish in our styles. What we wear tells a story about who we are. So rather than simply telling you what to wear this fall, I’m going to highlight femmes whose fashion speaks to me. All of them have distinctly different aesthetics, and all of them own their experience as a femme differently. Each has a story to tell about what it means to be a femme.
The Southern Belle Femme
Amy is a talented musician, poet, and excellent listener. You can buy her poetry book about the experience of growing up a femme lesbian in the south here. Amy is in seminary and is the music director and organist for a church in Florida, where she currently lives with her wife. Amy is wearing her favorite fall dress from ModCloth. She likes it because it’s comfortable and it comes in a wide variety of sizes.
Classy Career Femme
Caillean (rhymes with Alien) is classy and kind. She currently works at a law office representing immigrants in the US, and plans to attend law school in fall 2021 where she’ll use her brilliant mind to make the world a little kinder. Caillean has a classic sense of style, but each piece is carefully selected. For us, she chose to showcase her favorite skirt from Ann Taylor. She likes this piece because it feels “professional without being stuffy,” just like her! She also likes to show off her legs.
The Pinup Femme
Katherine is a Canadian pinup queen. She may look like a 1950’s housewife, but she’s fierce, funny, and an accomplished roller derby skater. Katherine is an old school femme, happy to mentor and nurture the 20-somethings as they work to establish their own senses of style and self. Katherine chose to show off her favorite fall hat. Purchased at Roberta’s Hats in Victoria BC.
Fancy DIY Femme-stagrammer
Lee has a gorgeous femme-stagram that you can peruse here. Her wardrobe is a combination of found items, and pieces that showcase her talent as a seamstress and designer. She wears a lot of pastels and unique pieces influenced by rococo fashion and design. For us she is showcasing a dress and mask she made herself, and a jacket bought on eBay. She likes this outfit because it makes her feel “quite fancy,” and the pearl straps on the dress can be removed and worn as necklaces.
Cottage Core Femme
Miss Carolina Alejandra is as charming as she is sweet. She has a cottage core aesthetic that comes from lived experience growing up in Indiana. Carolina owns an Etsy shop you can visit here, where she makes beautiful, one-of-a-kind handmade polymer jewelry. It’s not too late to pick up some of her spooky Halloween styles! For us, Carolina chose to wear her favorite cozy fall sweater from Old Navy. She loves the different colors of yarn, the buttons, and how she can throw it over anything and feel put-together.
Library Femme
Morgaine has a huge personality and a huge heart. She works in a library, and while she’s passionate about her work, she’s an actress at heart. She has the big personality and infectious energy of any femme in the theater. Her style is bright, attention-grabbing, pink, and fun. Morgaine is showcasing her favorite jacket from Dolls Kill. She got hers from eBay when seeing her size was sold out. (How have I never thought to do this?) She loves this piece because she loves leather jackets and can never find one in her favorite color. She also likes the heart-shaped details, like the zipper pull, and that it was easy to clean.
Edgy Femme
Amanda is the femme-y half of my favorite instagram couple. She is a gorgeous fiery redhead with a classic but edgy sense of style. Amanda is showcasing black overalls that she bought from Buffalo Exchange. These are special because they’re cute as hell, but also because they were purchased on the shopping trip that broke a quarantine. You can check out Amanda’s Instagram, @eroscestlavie for more of her powerful fall looks.
Fall Fun Femme
Last up, is me! Your AfterEllen writer! I’m Madeline and I tend to wear a lot of bright colors and funky patterns. I like to find a way to make my professional office setting a little more colorful and vibrant. For you, however, I’m showcasing something a little more personal. The Hickey Cowl was knitted for me by my girlfriend to hide hickeys (oops). It keeps me warm in the fall, and I think of her when I wear it. The colors are subtle from a distance, but up close have bright notes that compliment my personality.
Tell us about your favorite fall item. What factors influence your style as a femme? Email [email protected] to be featured in a post about femme winter fashion!
