So I walked into the Legion of Honor recently, and immediately I clocked a man in a crisp white dinner jacket and plaid trousers. Champagne in hand, he looked like the lead in a forgotten ‘70s heist film.
Just ahead, a redhead sat on the carpeted stairs and served 1920s Berlin cabaret — pinstriped suspenders, billowy blouse, and the kind of sharp, knowing gaze that could dismantle you in a single glance.
It was the 2025 season launch of Villa Albertine, the French cultural institution that I know more as an intellectual salon. They offer tailor-made residencies for artists, thinkers, and curators in 10 American cities, and each season opener gives us a topic to ponder over Champagne and canapés. This year we discussed Dandyism, and in 2024 we saw Alice Waters, who forevermore I will remember as the woman who besmirched my beloved iceberg lettuce.
The dandy concept is familiar to me as a fairly prominent local crossdresser. I arrived on January 28th with my eccentric posse that included the boyfriend in a dramatic brocade cape and Paul Gallo, a San Francisco-based fashion designer who sported an entire wedding dress on his back. We all wore gold and black on theme with this year’s ballet gala.
These looks should feel normal in a place like San Francisco, but men shouted homophobic slurs at this same trio just a few months back as we walked to a fashion show on Market Street. Honey, we are used to it by now, but also I had hoped by 2025 that fashion would be a form of self expression, rather than rebellion.
As I learned through Villa Albertine’s keynote talk, though — history always repeats itself. Speakers Marine Kisiel and Clare Sears served up less panel talk and more PowerPoint presentation, but their impactful message lingered with me weeks later: San Francisco was not always the pillar of inclusivity we view it today.
Take for example Jeanne Bonnet, who was arrested more than 20 times in the 1800s for breaking a cross-dressing law that — adjusted for inflation — carried up to a $12,500 penalty per citation by today’s standards.
Then there was Milton Matson, arrested for cross-dressing in 1895 and 1903. The first arrest for check fraud took an unexpected turn when a telegram arrived for “Luisa Matson” in San Jose County Jail, revealing Milton had endorsed a check made out to his former identity.
This isn’t a history I considered from a menswear perspective because — while not yet broadly accepted — women began wearing pants in the 1930s after The Great Depression. By the time I grew up, Princess Diana, Hillary Clinton, and Ellen DeGeneres regularly donned suiting — alongside a bevy of actresses who pushed boundaries in many red carpet moments.
I realize of course that gender expression and identity exists on a continuum. Milton, for example, spent 25 years without others aware of his background. And while trailblazers like Clinton and Princess Di shaped my perception of a somewhat genderless fashion, San Francisco still had on its books a century-old ban on cross-dressing that ended only in 1974.
So, locally, our wardrobe freedom is only about 50 years old. This fact now loops inside me like a broken record when I think about all the times I hear “We’re so sick of Pride parades!” from queer and conservative people alike.
At Villa Albertine’s event, I watched as guests leaned into the dandy aesthetic — some with refined elegance, others with an ironic twist. Many attendees I recognized from an event aptly named Walk Your Values, a show at the Ferry Building last year that focused on sustainable fashion. Here at the Legion of Honor, we wore our autonomy as boldly as our outfits.
Viv Chen
Viv Chen wore a pearl-white satin suit with structured shoulders, delicate buttons running up the front, and a high, tailored collar — bridging the line between historical and contemporary dandyism. A matching chapeau added a playful nod to classic European fashion.
The real statement piece, however, was a plush terrier handbag, complete with a collar and red ribbon. She could have stepped out of a Wes Anderson film or a 19th-century dog show.
Roberto and Jeffrey Dunlap
Roberto and Jeffrey Dunlap delivered a modern take on dandyism, blending bold tailoring with playful, oversized accessories. Jeffrey’s pearls gave me a subtle nod to Coco Chanel’s legacy of blending masculine and feminine codes, while draped over a soft pink satin blouse.
The huge flowers served full-on Carrie Bradshaw does brunch at the Kentucky Derby, which in turn made me think of 90s dandy legend Stanford Blatch — RIP Willie Garson.
Raymond Holbert
Dandyism isn’t just about strict tailoring or historical references; it’s about intentionality and a command of style. Raymond Holbert has that in spades.
A structured navy jacket with gold military details, a playful printed waistcoat, and bold lime-green corduroys, finished with polished leather shoes and a crisp white shirt. The outfit exudes charm, but it’s the accessories — the leather camera strap, the effortless layering — that make it feel lived-in rather than costume-like.
This is my second Villa Albertine launch party and I think they’ve found a good rhythm. Director Sabine de Maussion and Florian Cardinaux — SF’s Consul General of France — delivered brief but impactful messages on the importance of dialogue in an era of increasing polarization.
Food and drink was as stylish as the crowd. JCB Collection kept the bubbles flowing with Hilda and Jesse providing complementing bites. Rize Up Bakery brought the kind of bread that ruins you for store-bought forever; and I missed the oil by UC Davis Olive Center, but heard it was spectacular.
I honestly felt skeptical dancing would happen, but it did. What’s the point of dressing to the nines if you don’t get to twirl in it at least once? I missed the performance by queer burlesque dancer Dasha Cayenne, but their energy kept us moving and engaged right up until Legion shooed us home at 10 p.m.
Is this the event for you? Well — it was invite-only. But Villa Albertine hosts and participates in many public events throughout the year in San Francisco, including prior ones like Europe in the Park, Litquake, and the SF Silent Film Festival. One I can highlight is Night of Ideas, bringing late-night arts and culture marathons, with this year’s theme touching on everything from political polarization to climate change.
Honestly, I see many more niche historical debates over cocktails and dancing in my future. As long as people show up in wedding gowns, or draped in pearls, or carrying handbags that look like dogs, there will always be space for a little spectacle. San Francisco isn’t always the haven it pretends to be, but nights like this remind me why we still fight to carve out our place in it.
Saul Sugarman is editor in chief of The Bold Italic.
The Bold Italic is a non-profit media organization that’s brought to you by GrowSF, and we publish first-person perspectives about San Francisco and the Bay Area. Donate to us today.
More photos of Villa Albertine Launch 2025
All photos by Drew Altizer Photography.
