DYKE A Quarterly, No. 1 p. 69 Dyke Salad

These were random thoughts and ideas. Little bits tossed together. Dyke was published by Tomato Publications so the vegetable theme was there. Why Tomato Publications? Because some survey we read said that the tomato was women's favorite vegetable, although technically it's a fruit. And fruit is a word used to describe queers so it all fit together.

No. 1 was the only issue with this feature.

We loved women in men's suits. So we had to include this image - probably from  Rona Barrett Gossip - of Theoni Aldredge accepting the 1974 Oscar for The Great Gatsby. It was a huge thrill to see a woman in a suit, a tuxedo, at such a public event. Lesbian or not, the subversiveness in itself was remarkable.

Although Aldredge was the costume designer for the film and got the Oscar, the men's suits in The Great Gatsby were designed by Ralph Lauren, whose clothing Liza had written about in the first of her series, "What The Well Dressed Dyke Will Wear" in Cowrie Magazine. She called Lauren's little boutique at Bloomingdales "The Eat Your Heart Out Blazer Dyke Boutique"

Helmut Newton, Le Smoking

Helmut Newton, Le Smoking, French Vogue 1975

This photo by Helmut Newton came out in French Vogue the same year as this issue of DYKE, 1975. Le Smoking, features a tuxedo by Yves Saint Laurent. We cut it out and framed it, not realizing just how famous the photo, or the photographer, would become. For us it was Haute Dyke, despite the fact that we figured the model probably wasn't actually a Dyke - and the fact that the stylist had dressed her in high heels, which you can't see in this image, but kind of ruined the effect, for us at least.

Saint Laurent and Ralph Lauren didn't invent women in tuxedos though. They just copied some high profile, high style women-loving women like Marlene Deitrich, Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker in Tuxedo. Sudio Piaz.

And others, less famous, but whose images were taken by well known photographers like this one by Brassai.

Brassai. Young invert at Le Monocle, Paris 1932

We were inspired by all of these women.