arts >> Amies, Sir Hardy

Official dressmaker to the Queen of England for 48 years, Sir Hardy Amies was known for his restrained, conservative, but beautifully tailored suits and dresses.

arts >> Balenciaga, Cristóbal

The best known Spanish fashion designer, Cristóbal Balenciaga is regarded as the master of twentieth-century fashion.

arts >> Bowery, Leigh

Club host, fashion designer, face about town, and artists' muse, Leigh Bowery transformed his body into a centerpiece of his performance art.

arts >> Clark, Ossie

Ossie Clark helped define the fashion mood of 1960s London.

arts >> Dior, Christian

French designer Christian Dior revitalized haute couture after World War II, creating luxurious designs characterized by a feminine classic elegance.

arts >> Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce, Domenico (b. 1958) and Stefano Gabbana (b. 1962)

Italian design duo Dolce & Gabbana, partners both in business and in life, are known for their sexy, glamorous women's clothing and sharp men's tailoring, all of which embody a distinctively southern Italian feel.

arts >> Fashion

The association between homosexuality and fashion is multifaceted, ranging from the role of clothes as signifiers of sexual orientation to the immense contributions gay men have made at all levels of the fashion industry.

arts >> Ford, Tom

Heralded as the savior of men's fashion, openly gay designer Tom Ford has both tapped into and assisted the fundamental change in men's attitude towards their appearance; he has since become a film director.

arts >> Galliano, John

The highly theatrical style of British fashion designer John Galliano probably reflects his personal style as an openly gay man.

arts >> Gaultier, Jean-Paul

Designer Jean-Paul Gaultier incorporates elements of gay style into his clothes that typically fuse classic fashion with unconventional elements and challenge traditional notions of masculinity.

arts >> Halston (Roy Halston Frowick)

The first international fashion superstar, Halston dressed and befriended some of America's most glamorous women.

arts >> Hartnell, Sir Norman

As official dress maker to Queen Elizabeth II, the late Queen Mother, and occasionally, Queen Mary, Sir Norman Hartnell clothed three generations of Britain's aristocracy.

arts >> Klein, Calvin

American designer Calvin Klein has created an extraordinarily successful fashion empire through his simple and elegant designs and his skilful employment of provocative advertising campaigns that are saturated with homoeroticism.

arts >> McQueen, Alexander

Fashion innovator and provocateur Alexander McQueen was the youngest designer to receive the coveted award "British Designer of the Year."

arts >> Minton, John

The work of British painter and illustrator John Minton, a key member of the 1940s neo-Romantic movement, was greatly influenced by the artist's homosexuality.

arts >> Saint Laurent, Yves

One of the seminal fashion designers of our era, Yves Saint Laurent not only created a venerable fashion empire, but has also inspired many other designers.

arts >> Somerville, Jimmy

Noted for his diminutive size and amazing voice, Jimmy Somerville achieved fame as the lead singer with the openly gay pop groups Bronski Beat and The Communards; many of his songs are overtly political and deal with such issues as gay relationships and the loss of friends to AIDS.

arts >> Vaughan, Keith

A painter of figures and landscapes in oils and gouache, British artist Keith Vaughan specialized in the depiction of male nudes in landscape.

arts >> Versace, Gianni

Renowned not only for his lavish tailoring and tight body-hugging garments but also for his exuberant personal taste, Gianni Versace never hid his homosexuality.