Okay, I have to be honest, Dancing With the Stars is not one of my favorite shows.  You would think it would be since I’m such a rabid fan of So You Think You Can Dance, but such is not the case.  That said this season there is actually a reason watch and to celebrate.  Chaz Bono is one of the “stars” this season and along with a bunch of controversy, mommy defending et al it is great to see him, with beard, dancing his buns off for the world to see.

Chaz has been growing into his style since he was Chastity.  The one thing that even I have struggled with, and I am not a ftm candidate, is that fine line between masculinity and femininity especially when you feel like you are somewhere in between and especially when you are trying to figure out how to present yourself in the world of style and how you want others to see you.

In Chaz’s case he became clear that he was in the wrong body and that’s a whole ‘nuther story, but in most Andro’s cases we feel a pull towards the masculine if we are female and towards the feminine if we are male but feel very much at home in the skin and gender that we are in.  But I digress.  Even though Chaz does not really fit into the category of Andro’s, he is definitely a manly Dandy, he does cut a dashing figure in his suits and I wanted to show his style for all of my butch and ftm readers.  He is a big guy but his jackets fit him very well.  They are tailored to his body.  You can even see this in his vest in the Dancing With the Stars picture.

I think my favorite look on him was the one he wore on Oprah before she left the air (above). Even though at first glance there seems to be a lot going on; pin stripes on his suit, checks on his shirt and a pattern on his tie.  But it all really works.  I thought the colors looked great on his skin tone and that everything complimented each other.  Don’t be afraid to experiment.  If you keep a running theme of color, in this case it was different tones of purple, with the brown tie literally tying it all together, you will generally be safe.  To many primary colors will take you down the wrong avenue.

Suits often define masculinity so when you buy, get it fitted to you and don’t be afraid, especially if you carry a more feminine frame (and this can include Andro men), to go for a men’s inspired women’s suit.  They will fit you better and to have a men’s suit actually fit a Dandi you will have to have a few darts put in anyway.  I would balance it out with a men’s shirt.  I am not a big fan of ¾ length sleeves (yucky!)