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The untold story of rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker, the ‘gay Betsy Ross’
As much performer as activist, the creator of the rainbow flag also made memorable protest drag costumes
The untold story of rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker, the ‘gay Betsy Ross’
As much performer as activist, the creator of the rainbow flag also made memorable protest drag costumes
By Tony Bravo
For Gilbert Baker, sequins and rhinestones weren’t just fabulous. In his hands, they became political. The late artist and activist is best known for creating the Gay Pride rainbow flag 40 years ago ...
This Week's Stories
Melania Trump’s jacket is not a joke; ‘It’s a jacket,’ spokeswoman says
First lady Melania Trump created a stir this morning by wearing a green khaki jacket with the words “I really don’t care do u?” written across the back in graffiti lettering, the Daily Mail of ...
Pixar’s incredible female team behind ‘The Incredibles 2’ super fashions
From her oversize glasses to sharply bobbed haircut, her style is hard to forget. Her fashion edicts are equally memorable: “No capes!” “This is a hobo suit, darling. You can’t be seen in ...
Graff jeweler reopens with a whisper for hush-hush clients in SF
In and around Union Square, the heart of luxury retail in San Francisco, a light has gone on in a window that’s been dark for several months. Graff diamonds , known for its flawless or near-flawless ...
The Podolls are closing their SF store and family fashion label
In a matter of weeks, the Podolls will be no more. After 15 years of success developing, launching and running their eponymous fashion brand and retail boutiques, the husband-and-wife design team is ...
Digital native brands test their concepts on SF’s early adopters
When it was time for 3-year-old direct-to-consumer shoe brand Rothy’s to open a physical store, founders Roth Martin and Stephen Hawthornthwaite chose Fillmore Street in Pacific Heights. In what was ...
Bay Area friends remember Kate Spade’s ‘indelible imprint’
Fashion and lifestyle entrepreneur Kate Spade, 55, committed suicide June 5 in New York City . Her brand and spirit touched many lives, from those who remember her spending time in the Bay Area with her ...
Kate Spade defined chic lifestyle for millions of women
Fashion designer Kate Spade, 55, was found dead by a housekeeper in her New York City apartment, an apparent suicide, the Associated Press reported earlier today . The news sent shock waves through the ...
Draymond’s suit designer, “RichFresh,” weighs in on who wore it first — and best
It was a battle of the calves at Sunday night’s NBA Finals Game 2 as Cleveland Cavalier LeBron James strutted in wearing his gray Thom Browne shorts suit for the second time this series. Also in a ...
LeBron’s Thom Browne shorts suit, explained
Off court at last night’s nail-biting first game in the NBA Finals at Oakland’s Oracle Arena, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James caused a wardrobe-related sensation with the gray shorts suit he ...
The Markle effect: 6 wedding trends inspired by the royal wedding
The wedding of Prince Harry of Wales and American actress Meghan Markle (now titled Duke and Duchess of Sussex) combined royal tradition with American dazzle. Some of the ceremony’s touches were big ...
Luxury brand Hermès woos the technorati in Palo Alto with second boutique
“It’s like ‘Alice in Wonderland,’” said arts publicist Florie Hutchinson at the after-party for the opening of the new Hermès boutique at Stanford Shopping Center. “Or maybe it’s Alice au ...
Why do we still care about royal weddings?
On May 19 in the year 2018 of our Lord, His Royal Highness Prince Henry (Harry) of Wales will wed Ms. Meghan Markle at Windsor Chapel. Congratulations, America: Once again, you’re on the guest list. ...
How Bay Area designers would dress Markle and other royal wedding guests
When Prince Henry (Harry) of Wales and American actress Meghan Markle announced their engagement in November, the countdown to their May 19 nuptials at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle began on both ...
Observed: Renegade crafters, art lovers and creatives converge
Artist and creative director George McCalman captures the style and personality of attendees at Bay Area events with his illustrations. This edition focuses on the Renegade Craft Fair, SFMOMA’s biennial ...
How a mother turned the death of her son to an art-filled mission of peace
Mother’s Day is celebratory for many women, but not for Pati Navalta. Her 23-year-old son was killed during a robbery attempt four years ago with a gun that had been illegally obtained and resold on ...
Latest Allbirds shoes do actually grow on trees
They’re shoes that feel good on your feet, and that you can feel good about buying. So it’s no surprise that Allbirds ’ super-comfy kicks — made of natural, renewable fiber — have garnered an ...
The next wave of clothing is coming. It’s made by microbes.
On Jan. 26, 1939, the San Francisco Chronicle introduced its readers to a new material that, though they didn’t know it at the time, would soon envelop them from toe to head. An article reported that the ...
New generation discovers vintage fashion’s enduring appeal
Imagine throwing away 200 T-shirts every year. This number — roughly 70 pounds of clothing — is how much the average American tosses out annually. Thanks in part to the introduction of synthetics into ...
Global fair trade brand Indigenous puts down roots in Petaluma
Scott Leonard is no latecomer to the sustainable fashion game. Quite the opposite: He and his Sebastopol business, Indigenous, are pioneers in the world of organic, fair-trade apparel making. For just shy ...
On the verge of a vegan fashion revolution
Aurelia d’Andrea is the travel and beauty editor of VegNews, a print and online publication that is now based in Los Angeles after more than a decade in San Francisco. She has been a vegan for 18 years. ...
More Style
Refinery29’s 29Rooms: Indulge your social conscience while...
If life is where you “selfie” in 2018, then experiential attractions like lifestyle site Refinery29’s 29Rooms pop-up must be where we’re living to our fullest. On its most surface level, the ...
Cow Hollow North Face store explores new territory: women’s...
“I knew at a young age I was different,” indomitable ultra-runner Diane Van Deren began as she addressed an intimate crowd of Bay Area women on a recent evening in Cow Hollow. The occasion was the ...
Indie fashion lines band together with SF Bay Makers
Garlands of vibrant carnations adorn the door frame of the 384-square-foot brick cottage at the Elizabeth Spencer Winery in Rutherford, built in 1872 as Rutherford’s post office. Inside, butter-soft ...
A day of ‘I do’s’ at City Hall
On weekdays, black-robed wedding officiants float up and down the 45 stairs at San Francisco’s City Hall performing up to six ceremonies each hour in the Ceremonial Rotunda and other picturesque ...
As SF Design Week looks to future, William Stout offers...
This week, design and architecture disciples have shuttled to dozens of workshops and talks about visual culture. Organized around San Francisco Design Week, many events are covering emerging technologies ...
Kipper Clothiers finds the perfect fit with LGBTQ audience
Erin Berg recalls with precise clarity the moment he knew it was time to open Kipper Clothiers, a custom suiting and tailoring business. “I remember exactly where I was —19th and Mission. I even ...
Floravere helps brides say yes to the plus-size dress
No retail category has been more affected by shifting concepts of luxury, affordability and instant access than bridal wear. Buying your wedding gown online doesn’t raise eyebrows anymore, neither does ...
Girl or boy?: Creative ‘gender reveal’ parties catch on...
A baby used to be a mystery, blindly gestated and born screaming into the hands of a doctor who would assess the slick infant and triumphantly declare “boy” or “girl.” The rise of prenatal ...
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van: Marin’s newest obsession
The West Coast may well be ground zero for #vanlife, with nearly 3 million hashtags on Instagram alone. (Think gorgeous, unencumbered young couple living out of a Volkswagen bus, cruising up and down the ...
It’s raining weathermen!
Drew Tuma loves to talk about the weather, and not just to make polite conversation. The KGO (ABC7) meteorologist’s face breaks into the high-wattage smile familiar to Bay Area TV audiences as he ...
Forget co-working: Women flock to ‘gathering space’...
First came the co-working spaces. Located in the South of Market area and Financial District, they catered to coders, marketers and other urban laptop warriors with their strong Wi-Fi and office amenities. ...
Tech veteran pens Silicon Valley chick-lit book
In the midst of the #MeToo movement and revelations of sexual harassment in Silicon Valley, it’s an interesting time for a female Silicon Valley executive to pen a book about her life in the inside ...
‘You can’t microwave love,’ says former Cosmo editor...
Is there such a thing as finding a “real” relationship in a digital world? That’s the question at the heart of Joanna Coles’ new book “Love Rules” (Harper Collins; 235 pages; $25.99), which ...
Style
Style Radar: Express yourself with these Pride picks
Maybe it’s the freshness and promise of sunshine after a downpour that makes a rainbow so uplifting. With political and cultural tensions clouding the social landscape, colorful symbols on clothing and ...
Food critic Rachel Levin contemplates close encounters of the...
“This disgusts me,” Rachel Levin says, transfixed, inching closer to the raccoon. Levin is standing in the Randall Museum, in San Francisco’s Corona Heights Park, to see some of the animals ...
How to look your absolute best at any age? We asked the experts.
Being told “You look good … for your age” is one of the most common — and hopefully inadvertent —backhanded compliments in the English language. But with more life-extending medical advances, ...
“Gospel According to André” shows André Leon Talley’s...
André Leon Talley had one major ambition, according to his college friend, shoe designer Reed Evins, in “The Gospel According to André” a new feature-length documentary about the legendary fashion ...
I rode electric scooters in SF for a day. Here’s why we need...
Scooters have descended upon San Francisco — like locusts or much-needed rain, depending on whom you ask. Nobody requested these scooters, and no one ever dreamed that the sidewalks would be dotted ...
Heads of the class: High school kids created 420 decades ago...
It was a private signal that became a worldwide symbol. In 1971, five teenage boys at San Rafael High School created a code, 420, for the time to meet after school, get high and search for a plot of ...
The Podolls are closing their SF store and family fashion label
In a matter of weeks, the Podolls will be no more. After 15 years of success developing, launching and running their eponymous fashion brand and retail boutiques, the husband-and-wife design team is ...
Lea DeLaria talks Bowie, butch style and her favorite SF spots
In Lea DeLaria’s four-decade career, she has done everything from stand-up comedy to classical theater, but since her role as Carrie “Big Boo” Black on the Netflix series “Orange Is the New ...
This Week's Stories
Melania Trump’s jacket is not a joke; ‘It’s a jacket,’ spokeswoman says
First lady Melania Trump created a stir this morning by wearing a green khaki jacket with the words “I really don’t care do u?” written across the back in graffiti lettering, the Daily Mail of ...
Pixar’s incredible female team behind ‘The Incredibles 2’ super fashions
From her oversize glasses to sharply bobbed haircut, her style is hard to forget. Her fashion edicts are equally memorable: “No capes!” “This is a hobo suit, darling. You can’t be seen in ...
Graff jeweler reopens with a whisper for hush-hush clients in SF
In and around Union Square, the heart of luxury retail in San Francisco, a light has gone on in a window that’s been dark for several months. Graff diamonds , known for its flawless or near-flawless ...
The Podolls are closing their SF store and family fashion label
In a matter of weeks, the Podolls will be no more. After 15 years of success developing, launching and running their eponymous fashion brand and retail boutiques, the husband-and-wife design team is ...
Digital native brands test their concepts on SF’s early adopters
When it was time for 3-year-old direct-to-consumer shoe brand Rothy’s to open a physical store, founders Roth Martin and Stephen Hawthornthwaite chose Fillmore Street in Pacific Heights. In what was ...
Bay Area friends remember Kate Spade’s ‘indelible imprint’
Fashion and lifestyle entrepreneur Kate Spade, 55, committed suicide June 5 in New York City . Her brand and spirit touched many lives, from those who remember her spending time in the Bay Area with her ...
Kate Spade defined chic lifestyle for millions of women
Fashion designer Kate Spade, 55, was found dead by a housekeeper in her New York City apartment, an apparent suicide, the Associated Press reported earlier today . The news sent shock waves through the ...
Draymond’s suit designer, “RichFresh,” weighs in on who wore it first — and best
It was a battle of the calves at Sunday night’s NBA Finals Game 2 as Cleveland Cavalier LeBron James strutted in wearing his gray Thom Browne shorts suit for the second time this series. Also in a ...
LeBron’s Thom Browne shorts suit, explained
Off court at last night’s nail-biting first game in the NBA Finals at Oakland’s Oracle Arena, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James caused a wardrobe-related sensation with the gray shorts suit he ...
The Markle effect: 6 wedding trends inspired by the royal wedding
The wedding of Prince Harry of Wales and American actress Meghan Markle (now titled Duke and Duchess of Sussex) combined royal tradition with American dazzle. Some of the ceremony’s touches were big ...
Luxury brand Hermès woos the technorati in Palo Alto with second boutique
“It’s like ‘Alice in Wonderland,’” said arts publicist Florie Hutchinson at the after-party for the opening of the new Hermès boutique at Stanford Shopping Center. “Or maybe it’s Alice au ...
Why do we still care about royal weddings?
On May 19 in the year 2018 of our Lord, His Royal Highness Prince Henry (Harry) of Wales will wed Ms. Meghan Markle at Windsor Chapel. Congratulations, America: Once again, you’re on the guest list. ...
How Bay Area designers would dress Markle and other royal wedding guests
When Prince Henry (Harry) of Wales and American actress Meghan Markle announced their engagement in November, the countdown to their May 19 nuptials at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle began on both ...
Observed: Renegade crafters, art lovers and creatives converge
Artist and creative director George McCalman captures the style and personality of attendees at Bay Area events with his illustrations. This edition focuses on the Renegade Craft Fair, SFMOMA’s biennial ...
How a mother turned the death of her son to an art-filled mission of peace
Mother’s Day is celebratory for many women, but not for Pati Navalta. Her 23-year-old son was killed during a robbery attempt four years ago with a gun that had been illegally obtained and resold on ...
Latest Allbirds shoes do actually grow on trees
They’re shoes that feel good on your feet, and that you can feel good about buying. So it’s no surprise that Allbirds ’ super-comfy kicks — made of natural, renewable fiber — have garnered an ...
The next wave of clothing is coming. It’s made by microbes.
On Jan. 26, 1939, the San Francisco Chronicle introduced its readers to a new material that, though they didn’t know it at the time, would soon envelop them from toe to head. An article reported that the ...
New generation discovers vintage fashion’s enduring appeal
Imagine throwing away 200 T-shirts every year. This number — roughly 70 pounds of clothing — is how much the average American tosses out annually. Thanks in part to the introduction of synthetics into ...
Global fair trade brand Indigenous puts down roots in Petaluma
Scott Leonard is no latecomer to the sustainable fashion game. Quite the opposite: He and his Sebastopol business, Indigenous, are pioneers in the world of organic, fair-trade apparel making. For just shy ...
On the verge of a vegan fashion revolution
Aurelia d’Andrea is the travel and beauty editor of VegNews, a print and online publication that is now based in Los Angeles after more than a decade in San Francisco. She has been a vegan for 18 years. ...
Featured Columnists
CCA raises $1.2 million at gala
California College of the Arts shattered its previous fundraising records on May 23 as it honored board trustee Kay Kimpton Walker — and raised a whopping $1.2 million for student scholarships. This stylish arts champion and former contemporary gallerist drew an artistically stellar ...
The untold story of rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker, the...
For Gilbert Baker, sequins and rhinestones weren’t just fabulous. In his hands, they became political. The late artist and activist is best known for creating the Gay Pride rainbow flag 40 years ago in San Francisco, which he never trademarked so that it could be freely reproduced and ...