HIGH FASHION & GAY CULTURE

Gays and lesbians have been “hidden from history” for too long. Indeed, not to explore the history of LGBTQ people in fashion is to be complicit in perpetuating a system of secrecy and shame. Surprisingly little scholarship has focused on high fashion as a site of gay cultural production. But if we look at the history of fashion through a queer lens—exploring the aesthetic sensibilities and unconventional dress choices made by LGBTQ people—we see how central gay culture has been to the creation of modern fashion.