In 2013, I wrote one of my most-read posts: "Clothing Designed for Butches (Yes, really!)." It got a ton of traffic and 31 comments, suggesting that this is an area of major interest for butches and other BW readers. But a couple of days ago, I got a text from my butch buddy C, who told me that Saint Harridan was closed. I did a little googling, and it appears that all three butch clothing brands I profiled four years ago have closed, either permanently or temporarily: Tomboy Tailors, Fourteen, and Saint Harridan. And guess what? So have a bunch of others, including: Marimacho, Original Tomboy, and Androgynous Fashion. Augh! Today I'm featuring five currently open butch- and butch-friendly clothing companies, and if people are interested, I'll feature more over the coming weeks. There are a bunch out there, for everything from boots to bags to bespoke suits, but it can take a bit of digging to find them (and some are extremely pricey). If you have a favorite, put it in the comments and I'll be sure to share it in my next post about butch clothing companies. For now, check out these five: TomboyX. They sell underwear, and their specialty is super-soft boxer briefs for butchy types. My buddy C was telling me about these, and around the same time, the company reached out and asked if I wanted to try some. Um... Yes! So I did, and I love them. I went for the 4.5" trunks, and although they do ride up a tad (I think I'll try the 6" or 9" this winter), they are incredibly soft and the seam doesn't show through pants. I'm not usually a boxer-briefs kind of butch (traditional three-in-a-pack Hanes women's sporty briefs for me, thanks), but TomboyX could make a convert out of me. I LOVE wearing nice warm briefs that don't have a fly or extra room up front! They have tons of styles--some of my favorites are pictured above. Focx is another underwear company who designs its products with queer women in mind. It's based in Britain and I've tried their stuff, too. The style is different from TomboyX in a few ways: a wider variety of wild prints (see above), a smaller variety of lengths, and slightly different material--to me, it had more "sheen" and felt a little less cottony and a little more swimsuity (pretty sure those are the technical fashion terms). TomboyX fit me better and the seam showed through my pants less, but it's worth trying both if you're looking for just the right butch underthings. WildFang has been around for quite a while--since at least 2013, and maybe even longer. They've got tees, collared shirts, casual suiting, jackets, and more. TBH, they're not really my style. Too ornate for me, maybe? Or just too young? Not masculine enough? Not suitable for my professional dress? I can't quite put my finger on it, but I've never been moved to order anything from them. You should definitely check them out and see if they're your style, though--and if so, send me a pic! Tomboy Toes is a shoe company that designs masculine-styled shoes in a much wider variety of sizes than most men's shoe companies do. If you're like me and always lamenting that your favorite styles start at a men's 7 and 7.5 (just out of reach for yours truly), lament no more. I'm thinking of ordering the blue downtown dappers, which somehow are only $67(?!). A friend also recommended Acemarks to me, which--though they don't explicitly advertise to queer women--start around size 5. Unfortunately, they also start around $250–300 per pair, which is why I haven't tried them yet. #fashiongoals Seven Even Clothing doesn't sell anything I'm lacking options for in terms of fit. That is, they sell stuff like hats, sweatshirts, tees, and mugs--stuff I can find lots of perfectly-sized versions of in the wider world. While I wish that they made stuff like button-up shirts or shoes or socks or anything else I have trouble getting to fit me, I appreciate the fact that they're a queer-focused company, and they definitely have some cool designs. In addition to letting me know what other companies I should feature, please comment to let me know what you're looking for--what you can never seem to find in your size, style, and/or price range. I'll see what I can find for you!
6 Comments
Razorsharp
9/6/2017 01:53:17 pm
I finding most Butch clothing lines are expensive to very expensive for most people's budgets. So they are an odd purchase rather than a staple wardrobe filler. There are a few companies I use, genderfreewear (GFW) who do shirts in different cuts depending on your body shape and well placed extra buttons to stop gaping. AndrogynousFox is another love their shirts and tshirts. Oddballs for boxers, Not cheap but great designs and good quality. But I have also found for suits I go to a couple of mainstream men's stores and get my suits tailored (both offer the service for £20) House of Fraser Men's tailoring dept in Plymouth and Moss Brothers in Staines, London but I am the type of personality that won't shy away if I'm shopping from asking for the same service as any customer and as such find most shop assistances are more than happy to assist. After one suit fitting at House of fraser two female sales assistants told me I'd inspired them to get their own suits and tailor. Most decent off the peg suits can be tailored you just have to ask. Shoes wise I'm lucky as Im a UK 10.... anyone else got any other brands I need to check out?
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jkjk
9/8/2017 04:14:52 pm
Theres Rejected Society with XXX as the logo. Made for and by butch and gender non conforming women.
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Mattie
9/11/2017 06:56:26 am
Would love a link to your "traditional three-in-a-pack Hanes women's sporty briefs".
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Tatuana
11/1/2017 05:53:47 pm
Have you tried Old Navy? I like their men’s pants a lot. They have a line with built in flex which makes them stretchy and comfy through the hip and thigh.
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Tatyana
11/1/2017 05:51:46 pm
Androgynous Fox (https://www.androgynousfox.com) is another great site! They make awesome short sleeved button ups, a huge array of great t-shirts and henleys, as well as some accessories and outerwear. Plus, they are fairly affordable. I have all their button ups and they fit sooooo well!
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liz
8/18/2018 01:10:41 pm
thanks for an update to your Butch clothing post! I was bummed to see all the shops were closed from your last post.
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