Eleanor Medhurst, a lesbian fashion historian based in Birmingham, UK, offers a wonderfully expansive exploration of lesbian fashion history in her first book, Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion. Let us hope she has many more to come, as this is a strong opening volley.
Medhurst, who holds a BA in Fashion and Dress History and an MA in History of Design and Material Culture, has devoted her academic and professional career to uncovering and analyzing lesbian history through the lens of clothing. Her blog, Dressing Dykes, and its corresponding Instagram account, illustrate how her contributions have established Medhurst as a significant voice in the fields of queer and fashion history. Unsuitable, a culmination of her extensive research and personal passion, fills a crucial gap in historical literature, highlighting the often invisible narratives of lesbian fashion.
Medhurst’s approach is far from the studiously detached. She states in the acknowledgments, “I didn’t write this book as an objective observer; I wrote it because I wanted it. Because as a lesbian and a fashion historian I was desperate to discover a history that I was at the end of. I wanted that end to be open and inclusive, because history is not a closed door. In the billions of human lifetimes across the entirety of the world, there have been other people who felt what we feel today, and innumerable moments when clothing has been chosen or changed to reflect those feelings.”
This personal investment is palpable throughout Unsuitable, infusing the historical narrative with a sense of urgency and relevance. Her gender-expansive vision, particularly her effort to highlight transfeminine and transmasculine stories, sets the tone for a book that seeks to honor the diversity and complexity of lesbian fashion across different eras and cultures.
Unsuitable is organized loosely chronologically, taking readers on a journey from ancient times to the modern day. The first chapter, “Tunics and Violets: Sappho and Her Afterlives”, delves into the symbolism of violet flowers and the color purple, tracing their associations with lesbian love back to the ancient poet Sappho. This sets the stage for exploring how certain colors and symbols have been reclaimed and reinterpreted by lesbian communities over centuries.
In the chapter “Christina of Sweden, Girl King”, Medhurst examines the political power of fashion through the figure of Christina of Sweden. Known for her disheveled appearance and the unconventional choice of wearing men’s shirts in tandem with her dresses, Christina challenged gender norms in the 17th century. Medhurst notes that Christina’s very ornate cape was subsequently worn by other male kings of Sweden, highlighting how Christina’s sartorial choices left a lasting influence on the royal court.
Medhurst does not shy away from the more predictable yet essential figures in lesbian fashion history. There are chapters on Anne Lister (made familiar to modern readers thanks to the titular character on Sally Wainwright’s television series Gentleman Jack), the Paris salons of the 1920s that were known as the “sapphic capital” presided over by women like writer Lady Una Troubridge, trans lesbians in Weimar Berlin, the lesbian bar as a site of community, “T-Shirts: The Billboards of the Body” featuring The Lavender Menace and “the dyke uniform” of button-downs with jeans and boots. However, Medhurst enriches these narratives with fresh insights and lesser-known details, ensuring that even familiar stories offer readers something new, or at least more detailed and properly footnoted.
Of the more obscure and thus perhaps more delightful subjects, one of Unsuitable‘s most enlightening chapters is “Literary Lovers: 1910s Japan”, which focuses on Hiratsuka Raicho and Otake Kokichi, feminist writers and political activists. Medhurst describes how their choice of clothing defied societal norms, with Kokichi, in particular, being demonized by social conservatives for her masculine appearance:
“The garments worn by Raicho and especially Kokichi are repeatedly described as men’s clothing. But we have to remember that men were not wearing these clothes at this time—at least, they were encouraged not to. In early 1900s Japan it became popular for men to dress in Western-inspired fashions, while women were urged to wear kimonos. The dress of Hiratsuka Raicho and Otake Kokichi is a statement and reminder of the power that Japanese women did and did not have, and that they could or could not claim.” This chapter underscores the intersection of fashion, gender, and political resistance, illustrating how clothing can be a powerful form of self-expression and defiance.
In “The Queer Modernism of British Vogue“, Medhurst discusses the influence of Dorothy Todd, who took over the magazine in 1922, and her partner Madge Garland, who served as fashion editor for most of Todd’s time at the helm, which ended in 1926. “We know that modernism was not solely a lesbian movement, but that lesbians flocked to it and helped create it. If Vogue was a fashion authority, modernism its champion and lesbians its editors, then surely we can also claim that there was no modernist fashion without lesbians. Dorothy and Madge were not masterminds of the movement, but they were, perhaps, the players that pushed modernist ideals, styles and culture across the board: with British Vogue, they gave modernist lesbians in high collars and Eton Crops a curtain of fashion to live and love behind,” she argues.
Unsuitable also explores historical figures who defied gender norms through cross-dressing, or cross-working, or cross-living. In “Breeches Roles and Female Husbands: Cross-Dressed Britain in the 1700s”, Medhurst discusses women who passed as men for professional and personal reasons. “People who cross-dressed in order to pass as men could be taken to court for fraud if they worked in a male-only profession or married a woman, but the wearing of men’s clothing was not in itself a criminal act. This is part of the reason why a culture of women in breeches was able to thrive,” she explains. This chapter provides a nuanced look at the legal and social implications of cross-dressing in historical contexts, from roles for women acting as men in theater to women passing as men to marry other women.
Although many historians have covered the suffragettes, few have given any substantive detail about the activist strategies of their fashion. Medhurst’s chapter, “The Lesbian Threat of the Suffragettes”, examines how the suffragette movement grappled with accusations of lesbianism: “Aggressive masculinity, a lack of ‘feminine charm’ or being a spinster were all accusations that followed the suffragettes and often suggested lesbianism or relationships between women. However, these accusations were consistently countered by the hard work of the suffragette brand, which prided elegance and femininity among its members.”
Suffragettes’ visual code “had a strongly encouraged palette and style; to conform to it was to be part of the movement. The colour scheme, immortalised in so much imagery and modern-day merchandise, was purple, white and green. Purple supposedly represented loyalty, and white purity, with green being the colour of hope,” Medhurst notes. It’s very interesting to learn how the suffragettes used fashion as a tool to bolster their cause.
Medhurst’s commitment to inclusivity is evident throughout Unsuitable. She strives to cover a broad spectrum of lesbian fashion, from the “dyke uniform” of button-downs with jeans and boots to the flamboyant styles of notable American butches like Gladys Bentley and Storme DeLarverie. Gladys Bentley was a renowned Harlem Renaissance blues singer known for her tuxedoed performances and unapologetic embrace of tuxedos. Storme DeLarverie was a legendary drag king and queer rights activist celebrated for her masculine attire and pivotal role in the Stonewall uprising. Each chapter brings to light subjects that have seldom been the focus of other histories of lesbian fashion, making this book a valuable resource for anyone interested in the intersection of fashion, gender, and sexuality.
Overall, Unsuitable: A History of Lesbian Fashion is a meticulously researched and passionately written book that offers a comprehensive and inclusive look at the history of lesbian fashion. Medhurst’s work is an essential addition to both fashion studies and queer history, providing readers with a deeper understanding of how clothing has been used to express lesbian identities and resist societal norms. Indeed, Unsuitable is particularly valuable for fashion programs, offering a starting point for students and scholars to explore the rich and diverse history of lesbian fashion across different cultures and periods.
The author rightly concludes, “Lesbian fashion cannot be defined. It takes many forms, some of which I hope to have honoured in this book, and more that I haven’t had the chance or space to capture.” By uncovering these hidden narratives, however, Medhurst honors the past and opens the door to a more expansive and nuanced understanding of fashion history.