6 trans and gender-diverse Australian creatives on curating an affirming wardrobe

“It takes creativity to show up in this world however you want to, and so much thought and intention is put behind how I show up.”

Whether you’re a thrifter or a hype beast, a coquette girly or a Y2K baddie or a combination of different styles and pieces, for many Gen Z style fanatics, there seems to be a rise of distinct aesthetics for those who want to match their fashion to lifestyle.

But for a lot of trans, non-binary and gender-fluid folks, personal style has many psychological restrictions due to gender dysphoria. The mismatch between someone’s body and facial features versus their personal experience of gender seems to lead to tight constraints on personal style that exist very minimally for many cisgendered people.

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I’m personally in the process of becoming more comfortable with masculine fashion to quell some of my dysphoric anxieties, but I’ve always found masculine fashion incredibly boring – to me, femme fashion is infinitely more fun because of its flexibility in playing with different silhouettes and styles.

But by applying some of my femme fashion styling techniques to more masculine silhouettes, I’ve been able to create a more affirming wardrobe. By combining traditionally masculine items of clothing like looser fitting pants, cable knit sweater vests and ties with feminine accessories and colours, the process of getting dressed has become much more enjoyable.

In search of inspiration, I turned to five other trans, non-binary and gender-fluid creatives to see how they’ve personally curated more affirming wardrobes.

Naavikaran, she/they, club and theatre producer, writer and activist

How would you describe your style?

Generally, when I’m putting together an outfit, there are three things I pay attention to comfort, sustainability and innovation. Generally, I’m looking at how to dress in a way… that [involves] a sense of opulence that [I] can create through fabric and how [I] can add to the culture [I’m] a part of. I think fashion, in all its sense, is queer… to have a sense of fashion and style is questioning the status quo.

What you can wear, what you can afford and how best you can use what you can find… is ‘op shop boujee’. when you look at a lot of queer movements… that involve an emulation of opulence and style by using things that are affordable by [marginalised] people, and how they can look a certain level of luxe on a $20 budget, that’s how they can question the status quo.

Do you find your current wardrobe affirming?

I think we’ve lived far too long as communities being scared and afraid, and for me, especially from my own lineage, [the fear to be myself] stops with me. Trans people are expected to live in a sense of tragedy… I am proud of who I am and I’m proud of who I look like. Affirmation is an aspect of myself that I worked on, but also it has come at the cost of exploring and questioning the status quo.

@naavikaran

Annie Hui, they/them, architect and artist

How would you describe your style?

I enjoy softness… I aspire to very soft, billowing silhouettes and romantic forms. I wear less form-fitting stuff, but I still like clothes that hold their shape because of the way that the fabric [drapes].

Do you find your current wardrobe affirming?

I enjoy certain feminine touches, but I used to be really uncomfortable with expressing femininity when it was viewed in a very womanly way… I was scared of makeup. I fucking hated any formal event… but now I feel like dressing a certain way and incorporating makeup doesn’t make me feel [dysphoric] because I’ve questioned how I view gender and how I express it.

I get a lot of inspiration from fictional male characters because they’re very feminine and… can express femininity without being viewed as womanly… I guess I like to wear clothes that make me feel very princely.

@madebyhui

Guech Lim, they/he, artist

How would you describe your style?

I kinda just feel like a flamboyant dude. I very much feel like my base is masculine, but there is flair and it is flamboyant. I think being trans itself is an art form – it takes creativity to show up in this world however you want to, and so much thought and intention is put behind how I show up, so… to me, that’s what it means to be creative or artistic. Everything else is an extension of that philosophy.

Do you find your current wardrobe affirming?

Masculine clothes aren’t always made for bodies like mine. Sewing and upcycling is a way for me to carve out space for myself… because [masculine fashion] always seemed either very loose or perfectly fitted to a very specific male body type. My style is ever-changing, and I think the way I relate to masculinity is always fluctuating – even though I feel very comfortable in my masculinity, it’s not something I hold super rigidly either.

I think I’ve been trying to… [redefine] what it means to be masculine because growing up, I never really had an example of what healthy masculinity could be. I guess being trans-masc has allowed me to really find a more intimate relationship with it because I had to work so hard for it.

@babygotburntout

Bee Mayanja, they/them, cosplayer and student

How would you describe your style?

I would describe my style as on the darker side of colours and a mix of masculinity and femininity. Generally, growing up AFAB, I was hyper-fixated on girly stuff… I wanted to be involved in girly stuff because I grew up with all brothers. As I [explored] my identity in being non-binary, it really opened up my comfort in exploring masculinity and mixing masc and femme clothing.

Do you find your current wardrobe affirming?

I find my current wardrobe extremely affirming! It’s the most affirming wardrobe I’ve had in my life; my journey with understanding my style and my gender identity is very intertwined… a lot of the clothes I have now are from my mum’s closet… so that makes me happy and they’re such good quality as well.

I feel that if I wake up and want to present masc, I can just go in my wardrobe and find something masc. If I’m feeling more femme, I can find something in my closet that is mostly femme… I have options in my closet, and it feels very safe and affirming for me.

@bumbleebeecosplayy

Lyle Makepeace, they/them/he, musician and activist

How would you describe your style?

I wear a lot of streetwear and portray myself as masc. I struggle to find the words to describe my style… when I was younger, I’d wear a lot of sporty clothing which developed into clothes that would hide my body. I then got into a button-up gay phase… and it was an atrocious time. I then got into streetwear because for me, it’s important to have clothes that would fit when I lose weight but also when I gain weight.

Do you find your current wardrobe affirming?

My style is very gender-affirming for me. Chains and jewellery make me feel really masc. My current wardrobe is pretty affirming to me, but I’m doing a cull because I realise that I have a lot of clothes that I don’t like. There are a few things in my wardrobe that aren’t affirming because they show off my hips… I kinda just wanna be a pencil.

@makepeacemusik

For more on gender-affirming clothing, head here.