Fashion Designers
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.
Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani made his name synonymous with sophisticated and elegant fashion, but even as he achieved spectacular success in business, he suffered the grievous loss of his partner from complications of AIDS.
The best known Spanish fashion designer, Cristóbal Balenciaga is regarded as the master of twentieth-century fashion.
Club host, fashion designer, face about town, and artists' muse, Leigh Bowery transformed his body into a centerpiece of his performance art.
Ossie Clark helped define the fashion mood of 1960s London.
French designer Christian Dior revitalized haute couture after World War II, creating luxurious designs characterized by a feminine classic elegance.
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.
American fashion designer Perry Ellis achieved spectacular success, based on his clean-cut, casual, yet often whimsical designs; but his career was cut short by his early death, rumored to have been the result of complications from AIDS.
One of the most innovative designers of the twentieth century, Erté created striking, often homoerotic, Art Deco fashion designs and lithographs.
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.
The highly theatrical style of British fashion designer John Galliano probably reflects his personal style as an openly gay man.
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.
Associated particularly with the 1960s fashion revolution, Rudi Gernreich was one of the great modernists of fashion design, making his clothes futuristic both technically and stylistically.
The first international fashion superstar, Halston dressed and befriended some of America's most glamorous women.
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.
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.
A noted director of Hollywood's Golden Age, Mitchell Leisen is credited with more than 40 feature films, which are celebrated for their stylishness and visual elegance.
Among the most prolific and respected of contemporary costume designers in America, William Ivey Long has always been openly gay in his professional life.
Fashion innovator and provocateur Alexander McQueen was the youngest designer to receive the coveted award "British Designer of the Year."
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.
Perhaps the most successful African-American designer in fashion history, Willi Smith designed clothing that was stylish yet affordable and that people enjoyed wearing.
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.
Flamboyant figure skater Johnny Weir won three United States Championships and twice represented his country as an Olympian; although there had been widespread speculation that he was gay for several years, he did not come out publicly until 2011.
The Sexual Revolution, 1960-1980
Clause (or Section) 28
Hijras
Milk, Harvey
YMCA