History’s Secret Trendsetters: The Art of Flagging
Fashion can only evolve when boundaries are pushed, and queer culture is often the driving force behind these transformations. Queer culture and fashion emphasise the challenging of gender norms, and celebrating these unique forms of individual expression is vital in propelling fashion in new directions. ‘Flags’ are clothing and accessories that signal queer identities within the community, and although the forms of these flags have changed over time, the concept remains. Historically, fashion trends have been shaped by queer culture, especially once the greater fashion community adopts our favourite elements.
MENSWEAR
Throughout the 1800s, queer women such as English diarist Anne Lister, ‘the first modern lesbian’, adopted Victorian men’s fashion to subvert the gender norms of the period. Elements such as tailored jackets, waistcoats and tuxedos were not always legally permitted for women to wear and remained somewhat taboo during the women’s suffrage movement of the early 1900s. Although no longer illegal, the delicate art of incorporating menswear into daily wear is something the ‘blokecore’ fashion lovers of the 2020s understand all too well.
MONOCLE
Although the monocle originated as an accessory for aristocratic men in the 19th century, it had become fashionable for wealthy young women by the turn of the century. Marlene Dietrich, the iconic bisexual German actress and singer of the ‘20s and ‘30s, often wore a tuxedo, top hat and monocle in performances. Continuing Lister’s work, she continued to represent a rebellious level of masculinity in this time.
SAILOR AESTHETICS
With a long homoerotic history, the rise of the sailor fad during the 1920s and ‘30s queer party scene was no surprise. Prominent queer aristocrats Olivia Wyndham and Suzy Shalidor were famous in this scene. Wyndham was notorious for throwing the infamous ‘Sailor Party’ in 1929, launching the style into popularity among queer spaces. At the same time, Solidor would assume a sailor persona during performances at her queer nightclub. The sailor outfits' inherent masculinity meant that when worn by lesbians, a unique playful reframing of gender and sexual roles was born.
PINKY RINGS
The use of pinky rings as a queer flag traces back to post-WWI during which primarily queer men wore them. Inspired by queer icons such as Oscar Wilde, pinky rings signified rebelling against heteronormative practices and the blending of masculinity and femininity. Although this trend lost popularity by the 70s, its remnants are still seen in mainstream culture with the recent ‘eclectic jewellery’ trends.
WORKWEAR
Men’s workwear began to make its way into queer and women’s fashion during WWII when women continued entering the workforce as men went to war. ‘Rosie the Riveter’ is seen as an icon of this movement as the poster-girl for the WWII working woman, wearing a bandana and blue jumpsuit. Later, jeans and carabiners were adopted by butch women working blue collar jobs, allowing them to not only work effectively but stretch the boundaries of gender presentation. Carabiners, typically masculine due to associations with work and climbing equipment, became iconic for mid-century gender subversion. Carabiners were historically used as a lesbian flag but have been adopted into alternative fashion, still loved but not necessarily a flag.
DOC MARTENS
Although originally marketed as working boots to German housewives and the British working class in the ‘50s and ‘60s, Doc Martens became infamous when adopted by the punk movement in the 1970s. Still not strictly queer, it all changed when Elton John wore them in the 1975 film Tommy, catapulting their popularity in the queer community. In the early ‘80s, Docs became popular especially for their practicality in pride protests, becoming symbolic of political and queer expression. In 2025, you will be able to see a pair of Docs wherever you go, having cemented themselves in fashion history.
Queer culture has shaped fashion history through a gradual mainstream adoption of queer styles. If history is anything to go by, forms of queer expression in fashion will maintain the same elements of subversion of gender norms and self-expression. Still, they will likely continue to reinvent themselves in new and ever-evolving ways.
See Issue 4: Form