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Montreal Fashion Week And Crushing On Insanely Cute French Girl In Short Shorts Selling Tacos

Bonjour!

Writing you today from my best friend's living room in MONTREAL!!! Woooooo!!!! He is playing the violin. I am sitting on his white couch recovering from last night's debauchery. It involved a hipster garage bar in Mile End and I met an insanely cute girl in short shorts selling tacos. Sigh. So cute. I may never recover.
And yes, she really was selling tacos. Too many jokes. Too many. Go ahead, you know you want to.

So! I randomly ended up at Montreal Fashion Week yesterday! I started the day off by going to the Gay Village (which I have decided to only refer to as the "gaybourhood" from now on haha) and saw all the pink balloons hanging in the air. I saw some cool place I had read about on Autostraddle. http://www.autostraddle.com/

Sadly their lesbian Montreal guide is a bit out of date and a lot of the places they suggest are closed. I wish someone would make a new one. Maybe I should do that actually. Hohum

Side note: I am blown away by how incredibly nice people are here in Montreal. So. Nice. Just wow.

Anyways, I heard this really great electronic music and started following it up Saint Catherine's Street and ended up in an area covered in tents. I met some really nice people from Pink Tartan and also made a new stylist friend named Alexandra Melancon. In her booth she had this quiz to find out your fashion style. Mine apparently is "Rock" and also "Androgyny". .....Made me laugh because after my friend saw my new haircut she was like, "This half of your hair is so glamorous! And the other side is like, I WILL KICK YOUR ASS!"

Haha!

Here is the link to my Montreal Lesbian Haircut/ Shaved My Head adventure if you missed that:

http://brandymars.blogspot.ca/2014/08/shaved-my-head-lesbian-haircuts-for.html

Oh so yes, I was saying I followed the electronic music and ended up at this kick-ass runway show. Lots of fur. Got some good pics. I will attach them.

Shaved my head! (Lesbian haircuts for everyone!)

"No no! Take it down to here!" says the tall French man with black square glasses. He is fabulously chic. The kind of man you trust with a razor.
Behind him shoe forms are strung in the window with feathers hanging off of them. I actually thought it was a clothing store when I first walked in. But then once I realized I was in a hairshop I decided to shave part of my hair off! Haha!
He comes over to where I'm sitting and puts his finger on my neck. "If you are going to do it-DO IT! he says. "You don't want it the same as everyone else's. Everyone is doing it the same. Do it angular at the back like this!" he says.
"Ok! Yes! Let's do it!" I say.
Big eyes.
My hands shake.
Was it the 2 espressos? Low blood sugar?
A foot long chunk of my hair comes off in her hand. O.M.G!!!! I've done it now. The girl with purple hair and tattoos starts the electric razor. It buzzes happily. I'm filled with excitement and terror.
We all peer in the mirror together.
"Fucking awesome. Perfect for a fashion designer." says the wise French man. The tattooed girl nods in approval.
My first official lesbian haircut. Haha!

Nostalgic Vancouver Fashion Show Moment

Email from my brother:

Him: Check out these nostalgic pics from your Vancouver Fashion Week Show!

I open the attachment with a photo of me with all my models from the Brandycandy Line

Me: Haha! Nice! I look so different

Him: Not that different. You are still surrounded in hot chicks.

Me: Lmaoooooo

He's so funny. I should start sewing again though!

What It's Like Being A Lesbian In A Dress

Hey guys! Your gay ambassador here!

Lately I have been hearing a lot about fem-invisibility. Basically lesbians who don't "look like" lesbians and are tired of not being acknowledged as queer and are getting no action.
I hear your cries. Don't defenestrate yourself! We are going to figure this out together!
It's true people- some of us like pedicures and making out with girls. It's a real thing.
How do we solve this problem? Not acknowledging fem's just strengthens these stereotypes. We shouldn't have to shave our heads, head to Brooks brothers for button-up shirts, and stop wearing mascara. I like mascara, darn it!
In a way though, I am like Clark Kent. Heterosexual on the outside. Lady lover insides. I can go freely about without being hassled. No one see's me buying mangoes and thinks, "Sodomite! She must have a girlfriend!" And not being able to buy mangoes peacefully would be soooo sad because mangoes are one of my favourite things in the entire universe. I would solely eat mangoes if I could. In fact recently I accidentally did this out of passion for the delicious fruit of wonder and then one day I was driving home from the dog park and started craving protein sooooooo badly. I was like Gollum and I swear if there had been a salmon in front of me I would have clubbed it on the head and eaten it right then and there.....it was my inner Kraken
myyyypreciousssssssssssessssssss
....anyways!
Then we get to fem lessie dating. I can tell you first hand that a lot of people thought I was not gay when I was with my first girlfriend 3ish years ago. I have long hair. I listen to girly pop/hip-hop/fluffy rock music a lot. I drive a cute red car. I love wine. I have a fufffy white dog named after Bettie Page. Half my clothes are pink... shall I go on? You get the picture.
I'm super curious to hear what you guys think of fem invisibility as it is something I have been musing on for the past couple days. What do we do to make it more acceptable for women to keep their "femininity" and to be taken seriously as a queer lady? I use quotes there because also, you don't have to wear pink to be "feminine".
I haven't experienced this yet but I have also heard about lesbian women not accepting fem's into their social circle simply because they are fem's and don't seem "gay" enough. Personally, if that's someone entire basis of deciding if they want to be my friend then I'm down with passing on their friendship anyways. People are people. Hang out with people who rock your world! And share your mangoes with them. And don't club fish on the head.
Amen.

Check out my unique, funny, LGBTQ greeting cards here:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/brandymarsdesigns

My Intern At Quiksilver In Huntington Beach, Los Angeles

I'm standing in Compton beside a metal poll hoping to not get shot or abducted. If you aren't familiar with Los Angeles I will tell you- Compton is notorious for gang violence. In particular the Bloods, the Crips, and the Sonenos. When I told the driver of the orange bus that I thought I was lost she went, "I think you are too." in a deadpan voice. And now I'm standing beside a poll which has a teeny tiny sign on it that meekly says "bus" and I'm deeply regretting wearing this denim mini-skirt. When the bus FINALLY arrives the driver announces that he thinks it is going to break down because it's shaking the entire trip back to the previous bus station.

By the time I arrive at the Quiksilver office for my interview sweat is running down my face and legs because I just ran for 15 minutes straight in the blazing California sun. Upon arrival I decide I am not going to get the job and should just enjoy the interview and relax. And so, of course, I got the job!

There is a big skate park out back and famous surfers are around sometimes. It's pretty dope. I am working in the pattern/technical design department. There is a big sewing room where they make in-house samples and they keep huge rolls of fabric and swimwear bra-cups in massive boxes. My job is to test fabrics to see if the colour bleeds and also a little computer garment sketching(CAD). I also spend a lot of time cutting people's patterns apart for them after they get printed off of these huge roller printers. I'm just happy to be there soaking it all up. Sponge-like.
Every now and then I go through the creative design department. It smells like popcorn and there are colourful things everywhere. It feels like home :)

What It's Like Being A Lesbian Fashion Designer

I know I have been talking a lot lately about being gaaaaaay. But ya know what? I kept it all inside for 27 years. In fact hiding it pretty much became me. For example, here is typical dialogue I would have in my head while casually shopping:
"Oooo! Cute tank top! High-low hem! It fits well! Nice print on the front of tropical birds. Maybe I should buy it. But it's grey melange. Grey...hummm......is that a lesbian thing? What if someone from work see's it and they figure out that I'm gay. Omg no one likes lesbians! My life will be over! This grey tank top will ruin my life! AHHH!!! Get me out of this store!"

Whooooahhh, eh? So ya. My life is much much simpler now. I feel calm. And the words are pouring out of me now that it's not taking my ENTIRE being to hide this one teeeeny tiiiiiny part of myself.
Plus, dating women is the best thing ever. Ever.
Ever.
And I want to share that with all of you!
Because you are beautiful and lovely and supportive.

Coming out is the most terrifying thing I have ever done. More terrifying than when I was 20 years old and moved to New York alone with only $500 in my pocket and lived with 3 other girls in a one bedroom apartment and slept on a 1 ft wide blow up river raft which would deflate during the night and I did an unpaid internship in Soho and then one of the 3 roommates got MRSA(anti-biotic resistant flesh eating disease) and I had to flee the country. Yup. Scarier than that! So scary I had to create the world's longest run-on-nightcap-of-a-sentence!!! The response I've received from both my new fashion design job and with friends and family has literally been 100% positive.

So on that note I shall say goodnight. Have a great week you guys and also thanks for all the support you have been showing me. Love.

For more about me coming out of the closet:

http://brandymars.blogspot.ca/2014/07/orange-is-new-brandy.html

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