In my introductory post, I briefly mentioned our main sections of this newsletter—TRENDS, STYLESHARE, TIMELINES, SPECTATORS, EXPOSED, and SPOTLIGHT—and how I hope to bring as many LGBTQIA+ writers, artists, designers, and thinkers into its fold as possible. Think of our newsletter as a living archive of past and present voices, histories, figures, ideas, and trends. But, I have to admit: we all, straight and queer alike, have our particular fashion fixations, and I am no exception. On this post, you’ll find some more specific calls for posts I’d love to see from our community, and I hope what those calls do will also inspire other similar ideas. We’ll pay a little bit for you to collaborate with us, and if you have your own Substack, we’ll publish through a joined post for cross-promotion. So, please join us! Here are some ideas. I’ll continue to update it as more ideas come to mind!
Yours,
Addie Tsai
Founding Director
just femme + dandy
NEW: We’re taking Calls for (Virtual) Proposals for Panels or Workshops!
We’re looking for proposals that are queer fashion forward, but what that means is much more flexible than it might seem, so give it your best shot! As we’re a media and publishing platform, we’re always happy to provide a platform for writers, but this is also an opportunity to discuss mending, sewing, cosmetics, visual arts practices, and more! We hope to plan a small fest at the end of the year, depending on proposals and interest.
Peep the form here!
Substack Open Call for Submissions for Our Ongoing Sections
TRENDS—Although this column sounds timely, it doesn’t have to be. I’m thinking of anything that “trends” in the public whether it be a fashion trend or within popular culture. A lot has happened within queer fashion that has not been given adequate airtime, so I’m open to anything that has made it into the public imagination, at one point or another. Here is where I expect most reviews to go, and again, it can be anything from a fashion show, a dance performance, a concert headlined by a queer musical artist, a music video, a film costumed by a queer designer or with a particular look that considers gender and queer style, and so on.
STYLESHARE—Consider this a column on mutual skillshare, but make it queer fashion. A tip, a tutorial, etc. If it comes with a personal anecdote, a hack you suddenly found your way to that helped or revolutionized your own style game, we especially want to hear it.
TIMELINES—Our history column, but consider the history of a figure, an item, a practice, a making, a substyle, etc. And, again, the more of a personal connection you hold to your subject, the more it will connect with our readers.
SPECTATORS—You can think of this column as our review column. We welcome the traditional review, but we encourage hybrid approaches, that include the lyric essay, creative nonfiction, anecdotal or other addresses that bring that extra connection. Whatever the case, please make it fashion forward (but don’t feel you have to restrict yourself to only writing about the fashion). We’ll take pieces in this section on any type of performance in which fashion shows up, such as theater, dance, drag, live music, television, film, and onwards.
EXPOSED—You can think of this column as a personal essay column in which fashion is a through-line, or “fashioning” is a narrative thread, but less of an obvious journalistic structure and format as the other columns. Here you can meditate about fashioning a new self, the queer aesthetics of making a home, how buying a new outfit post-divorce taught you something about your self, and so on. If you want to reflect on something that makes sense in our company, we’d love to read it.
SPOTLIGHT—I’m largely thinking of a focus on the voices that are less heard through the fray of the big houses, but I’m also open to those, too. Is there an indie designer you wish we all knew about? Feel free to write this as its own profile, or have a chat with them, and let us host the text of your conversation (and you’re welcome to also include video).
Substack Call for Specific Submissions
A review of FLY: The Big Book of Basketball Fashion
For this review, I’d love for it to be written with a more personal essay feel, by a Black writer whose own style is informed by Black masculinity, dandyism, and/or the styles mentioned. It would be amazing to include quotes from the author, which I can help try to arrange. If this is you, be in touch so that I can try to secure a review copy!
An Ode to Sneakers
A personal essay that details the sneaker as an explicitly queer fashion choice. My only request that at least one section of this essay includes the beloved Converse.
Drag Contouring
For our STYLESHARE section, I’d love this piece to offer both a personal narrative/relationship to learning how to contour for drag, as well as a little tutorial. A strong preference for this to be written by a Black or brown drag artist, to highlight a skillset that is often invisibilized.
An Ode to Blaqueer Hair
I’m open to what form this takes, but I’d love to include a perspective from a Black barber, hairdresser, or loctician. Please include pics! And consider adding a little tutorial or tip of some kind.
An Ode to the Carabiner
I don’t think anything more needs to be said for this one. But I’m only taking this one from the owners themselves. 😂
All Hail to Queenx DOECHII
I need someone to write about the queer aesthetics of Doechii’s style, performance, and choreography throughout her promotion of Alligator Bites Never Heal.
Better Things’ Frankie’s Evolution
I’d love to see someone write about the evolution of the character Frankie on the FX sitcom/drama Better Things, particularly how Frankie’s gender identity slowly shifts particularly through the clothes they wear, including especially the Jerry Lewis homage.
A Historical Celebration of the Sapeurs subculture
It would be amazing for this piece to be written by someone who identifies as part of this community, but in the absence of it, I’d particularly want this piece to be written by a Black writer who connects with its stylistic markers.
Southern Dandies on AMC’s Interview with the Vampire
Please for a Black southern masc writer to take on the incredible costuming of Louis and Lestat in the televisual adaptation of Anne Rice’s debut novel? Bonus points if that writer is also an old school fan of Rice’s original series.
A Review of Kareem Khubchandani’s Lessons in Drag
I’d love a review of this by a South Asian drag artist, and perhaps one that could include a quote or two from the scholar/writer and drag performer LaWhore Vagistan.
A Review and/or Interview of VI KHI NAO’s forthcoming The Three Sapphic Movements
I’d love to see someone take on engaging with this new work, especially considering queer design in terms of formatting and other visual methods used within the text.
An Interview/Profile of the Made-in-India Unisex Label Gul Sohrab
Would love to see a South Asian nonbinary person write a profile, perhaps an interview, of the new “gender agnostic” Indian label, Gul Sohrab, perhaps seeing if there is an opportunity to try out some of the pieces to include a review.
A Love Letter to PARADE
Would love to see a Gen Zer (although not mandatory) who shopped for underthings exclusively at PARADE write about the company’s adaptability to gender expression, affordability, style, etc.
FASHION REVIEWS of Books, Films, Visual Art, & more!
We’d love to start publishing reviews in the form of carousels of fits! You could approach this in a number of ways, but we’re thinking a short micro-review of the book, film, art exhibit, etc., at the front, and then a series of curated outfits inspired by the work! Don’t feel you have to respond to this prompt literally, you could also curate outfits based on tone, color, themes, etc.!
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The finer details: I’m open to word count (800 is a good ballpark to shoot for), and we can pay something very small, which varies on the labor and depth provided. We’re generally interested in essays, interviews, reviews, and profiles in the following columns, but are also open to ideas for columns or anything else you think we’d love to hear about that doesn’t quite fit.
Call for Submissions for Features we’d love to see in POCKET SQUARE, our upcoming fashion album:
A bonkers Editorial (a la a queer version of ones found in Vogue, etc.) of an independent designer’s collection (at least 3-4 ensembles). Happily welcome a photographer/designer collaboration, but can also seek out a photographer ourselves to work with a designer (if that’s you).
Pride Recap: US: NYC, the Bay Area, and somewhere in the South, preference to Black & Brown events. Elsewhere: Canada (Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver); London; Paris; and beyond! Would happily except recaps in vibrant, smaller locales. Are more interested in niche events that build community rather than just parades. Please include pictures! If you’re a designer, feel free to work with us on designing it!
Show Reviews: Exhibits, fashion shows, or other events that highlight queer fashion.
Paris or Berlin Fashion Week: Would love for someone to cover shows of LGBTQ designers.
Queer City Guide: We’ve seen these before, but we’d love to offer queer city guides that are specifically focused on fashion, such as recommendation of thrift stores or boutiques that offer items appealing to LGBTQ+ shoppers/wearers, guides to queer hair salons, clothing stores that are safe and friendly to trans folks, etc.
From Screen-to-Closet / Worn on Screen: Think Worn on TV, but make it queer and affordable.
Fall/Winter 2026/Spring/Summer 2027 Capsule: Recommendations of capsule outfits across seasons with potential designers who provide each item, plus if they’re affordable, independent designers, bonus points if they’re Black, brown, and/or Indigenous designers.
Classifieds: Please reach out if you’d like to advertise with us!
For POCKET SQUARE for 2026, we have a deadline for September 1.
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We do expect you to be part of the LGBTQIA+ community although we are open to interviews, features, reviews, and beyond that you feel have a particular significance to the queer community, and no, we won’t be asking you directly. Writers from trans, Black, and Indigenous communities are especially encouraged to reach out.
Any inquiries, pitches, submissions, or questions can be sent to: addie@justfemmeanddandy.com.