Living in the fashion capital of the United States means I get to witness all of the latest trends as they're happening (fashion un-conscious me is usually standing there saying "whaa??") One thing I've been noticing in general is the adoption by heterosexual society of styles started by lesbians. Printing birds on shirts, vintage western, the "boyfriend" pant at the Gap - these are all examples of the adoption of what I like to call "lesbian couture".The most obvious example of this is Elle magazine's recent article on dressing like the characters on the "L Word". It's hilarious to think that a 14 year old girl in New Jersey is studying tips on how to dress like a fashionable, rich lesbian in New York. It's also sad because no lesbian I know can afford that $200 pair of jeans or that $300 bracelet. Whether or not this makes the "L Word" a true representation of lesbian life I'll leave all of you to figure out. I've never seen the show so I can't comment. But, a lot of lesbian fashion is about looking good but not having to spend too much money - it doesn't sound like that's been translated over to Showtime.