Steven Menendez shares a new “Deco Doll” portfolio with The Queer Review shot in November, 2025 in New York City.
Steven Menendez: In this series of portraits I wanted to pay homage to the revolutionary feminist style icons of the 1920s like essayist and novelist Anaïs Nin; dancer, actress and Civil Rights activist Josephine Baker; and actresses Louise Brooks and Clara Bow. The flapper lifestyle and fashion in the 1920s revolutionized the idea of femininity with the adoption of shorter hemlines, shorter hair, looser silhouettes, and androgynous looks which symbolized the increasing freedom and liberation of women. They rejected modesty and pushed back against societal expectations. In the flapper era the word “Doll” became slang to describe someone who was “dolled up,” or dressed up. As Clara Bow put it, “We had individuality. We did as we pleased. We stayed up late. We dressed the way we wanted.”
Model, Rosalina Michele, independent filmmaker, organizer, and co-founder of P2C Collective a multidisciplinary collective created by and for transsexual women @pssy2cnt
Makeup, @christianbricenomakeup represented by @thewallgroup Makeup products @aboutfacebeauty
Stunning fascinators by milliner Parrish Lee @parrishhatter
Burgundy silk and gold embroidered deco robe by David Quinn @quinndustry
Photographer @steven_menendez_official
Leave a Reply