Stylsing It Out

Not an awful lot to report this week but this Saturday I had brunch with a friend and chose to wear for the first time a grey pinafore dress I have with large (yet useless) buttons down the side, white top, tights and boots. It was one of my smarter looks and I was quite pleased with it. Nothing new this week but there was a nice jumper with a jewelled collar I quite like which I may go back for and there was a nice grey pinstriped dress that looked a but work-y and I may have bought it if I had planned to use it for work. I still do think about approaching my boss about dressing at work but it depends on my mood whether I think it's a good idea or not.

Earlier today I also watched the first episode of the new series of The Windsors. Very enjoyable sitcom based on the Royal family back for a third series and I just have to say I love the style of their versions of princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Always a sucker for the rich, preppy, brat look and this is wonderfully OTT at times.

An article in The Metro also caught my eye earlier this week as it compared singers Harry Styles and Sam Smith who both posted photographs of themselves in dresses on Instagram.

The Metro: Battle Dress

Yes that was basically it but it was nice to see and it wasn't treated as anything sensational however I wonder if it did need to be commented on but it's still good that it was at least noticed. Pop stars can be very influencial in the way people dress. Back in the 1970s stars like David Bowie and Marc Bolan of T-Rex pioneered a more gender-bending look and it was the first time men started wearig make-up. Sam Smith publically came out as non-binary last year and former One Direction singer Harry Styles certainly has been quite public with some of his more extravagent looks. I've never really heard much about Styles but looking up some of his fashion choices while preparing to write this I have to say I admire the man a lot. He's dressed in some bright and colourful suits over the years and that's something that's very much a trend for men and I wonder if this could be some kind of halfway house between more traditional male and female clothing.

In particular Harry wore an all black sheer Gucci outfit with a pearl earring to the Met Gala last year and a dress for a Guardian Weekend article back in December. Here's a link to the article in which he also discusses his sexuality and fashion choices.

The Guardian: Harry Styles

I would also like to pick out this quote of Harry's from the article:

“What women wear. What men wear. For me it’s not a question of that. If I see a nice shirt and get told, ‘But it’s for ladies.’ I think: ‘Okaaaay? Doesn’t make me want to wear it less though.’ I think the moment you feel more comfortable with yourself, it all becomes a lot easier.”

Some wise words there. If you like it, wear it, whichever gender it may be assigned to.  I would also like to leave you with a couple of other articles on him. The first features the many, many different styles of Styles published in Vogue this very day (should I manage to finish this by midnight):

Vogue: Harry Styles Style Evolution

 The second features the joyous Twitter reaction to Styles' cover for The Guardian Weekend as publashed in Cosmopolitan. Worth reading when you think that the world will point, laugh and sneer should a man wear a dress. There is a lot of love out there, believe it or not. 

Cosmopolitan: Harry Styles Best Twitter Reactions

Birds of Prey

Ok, so no new purchases this week and that dress I mentioned last week seems to have been sold however there was a jumper that caught my eye. It's much like one I already have however it does have a silky, frilly undershirt just around the neckline. It's feels a little subversive, part masculine with a hint of femininity there. Whether or not I'll end up buying it we'll have to see.

Now, usually these days on the weekends if I'm seeing friends I do go out dressed however this was the first time in ages I haven't which was mainly due to Storm Dennis battering the UK this weekend so as I ventured forth to see Birds of Prey with a friend, already soaked from shopping I plumped for a plain jumper and jeans. I kind of regret it now and maybe I feel I should have worn a dress or a skirt. I saw plenty of women out and about wearing all types of clothes and perhaps I wanted to have the guts to do that. There's something quite feminine in wearing something glam but totally unsuitable for the weather so maybe one day I want to be the girl in the high heels and short dress tottering along the pavement, arms folded, head down, small handbag hanging from my arm furiously walking home. Well, perhaps not too much because flu but yeah it would be fun. Only after the fact though, I expect.

So, yes we went to see Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn this weekend and I very much enjoyed it. I did plan to paint my nails the traditional Harley Quinn red and black but I went with a combination of gold, blue and pink trying to emulate one the colour scheme of one of Harley's outfits from the movie. Harley has quite a few outfits throughout the film and I came away immediately wanting to cosplay her again as she's such a fun and crazy character to do.

Harley Quinn in battle mode in Birds of Prey
Photo credit: Claudette Barius via The Hollwood Reporter

Margot Robbie first played Harley in Suicide Squad back in 2017 and was perhaps the best thing in that movie. With her signature outfit of a 'Daddy's Little Monster' top and glittery shorts she was a cosplay favourite that year and you still do see a few versions around. One thing that the SS version has brought to the mythos does seem to be her hairstyle which previously had either been blonde or black and red most commonly in bunches but here we have blonde bunches with the ends coloured blue and pink (apologies if I have this wrong and it appeared earlier in other media). Needless to say, Robbie is brilliantly nuts in the film and has an interesting range of outfits that have a wonderfully crafty quality to them, like Harley herself had spent ages making or customising them. It certainly fits this more real world version of the character although props to the producers of both this and Suicide Squad for including the classic Animated Series outfit even if it wouldn't quite be workable in this day and age unless you were making a proper live action cartoon. There's a little nod to this (I think anyway) in Harley's golden jumpsuit. The main outfit in this movie is a pink top coupled with a denim cutoff shorts and pink braces sometimes with additional t-shirt and see-through jacket adorned with crime scene tape.

There's a lovely article here on the film's costumes from The Hollywood Reporter:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/birds-prey-costume-designer-erin-benach-dressing-margot-robbie-as-harley-quinn-1276618

Whether or not this will end up as a cosplay I don't know (I've been trying to put together so many recently) but who knows. Certainly I think I would need something that covers a bit more of the body but you never know. 

Valentine's Day

I'm not really one to celebrate St Valentine's Day only had someone to celebrate it with once, so it just tends to pass me by with minor irritation. Tonight though I thought I would share a couple of Valentine's captions with you all.

The first one, Chocolates By Ember, ws created as part of the February 2019 caption contest over on Rachels Haven and won the Judges Award. It features my witch character Ember Montoya who I absolutely adore writing for. The second is brand new and was created for Lacysliplover. It's also part of a series I'm thinking of doing on months of the year.

Anyway hope you like.

Chocolates By Ember (2019)

February (2020)

Socks and Oscars

Out shopping this weekend I tried on a few things including an odd dress which I couldn't even find the right way to put on which is certainly a first. Had to give up in the end as it was taking too long. I have been considering a dunagree dress but yet trying to keep away from my usual black and blue. Seeing nothing in the red I wanted, I tried on something pink. Didn't fit but I liked the colour. I nearly ended up buying a blue chequered dress but so far I resisted however if it's still there next week I may end up going for it after all. 

What I did end up buying though was socks! Normal boring non-girlie socks (hey, get off my back I needed new socks!) but they were not the only socks I bought this week though and I ended up buying a pair of Harley Quinn/Birds of Prey knee socks with yellow glittery diamonds on like Harley's dungarees in the new movie. Not sure what I've got to wear them with but I wanted them as soon as I saw them and had to wait the weekend to get them. 

The Oscars were also this week and as per usual there were photos of the leading lights of Hollywood all over the papers this week and in one I was delighted to see that Queer Eye's Jonathon Van Ness was wearing a lovely navy gown (below). 

Photo Credit: Stewart Cook/Shutterstock
Taken from Footwear News

The full link to Footwear News is here: Footwear News: Best Dressed at Elton John's 2020 Oscars Party. Don't ask me why it's Footwear News. 

I first saw this photo in one of the papers, just tucked away at the bottom, and I'm delighted at how matter-of-fact the reporting has been. It's simply noted that he's wearing a gown, no shocks or suprises or outrage that a man is wearing a dress. Just that he is and it's beautiful. It's pleasing to see and gives hope to us all. 

Here's another round-up courtesy of the BBC: Oscars 2020. I would have to say my favourite has to be Florence Pugh's wonderful teal dress. Also once more the wonderful Billy Porter from Pose was featured wearing more extravagant creations including a lovely maxi dress. I've seen Pose since I last posted about Billy though and I have to say I really enjoyed the first two series. The series is set in the late 1980s and centres on the world of drag balls and the LGBT community and is well worth a watch.  

See, it wasn't all about socks in the end. 

 

Cheerleaders

Well, nothing to report this week clothes-wise. I had my eye on a blue Christmassy looking skirt for 99p and a purple Clara dress that looks like it may be too small for me and there's no changing room in the shop anyway...but I still want it. Also, I mentioned my Clueless cosplay earlier and I've seen some wonderful photos of the progress this week. This is something I've wanted to do for a long time. 

Anyway, from one high school movie to a very American fantasy - cheerleaders. There are a couple of reasons I thought I would write a little about this today and one is that I've just started watching the third part of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. This certainly is a go to fantasy for many especially wearing the uniform with the flippy skirt, dancing around, singing and chanting (perhaps cheekily giving everyone a glimpse of your panties) and imaginging you're one of the popular girls. Am I the only one who wished they made the guys wear the skirts as well? When I was younger male cheerleaders were an intoxicating idea, I mean really they let us do that? Really? Oh...maybe not. Just a t-shirt and trousers huh. Any chance of a uniform like one of the girls? No? Damn! 

Not that I ever tried out or anything; we never really had that sort of thing in UK schools. Not in my day anyway. Cheerleading is a frequent caption topic for me although I'm not sure I've done one for a while now however I did want to concentrate on one in particular. 

I wanted to put up a caption I did for the Haven caption contest back in October 2015 which had the theme of Heroes and Inspirations. Below is a little potted history of some of the people and events that have led me to where I am today all wrapped up in a cheerleader caption. This is probably the most personal cpation I've ever written and one of the ones I'm most proud of. Enjoy!

Cheerleader (2015)

 

A Simple Note

So anyway, I wanted to make another post just to break into five this year and at least post more than last year and I remembered I had this. I first wrote A Simple Note as a caption series for the Rachel's Haven monthly caption competition back in September 2015 with the topic of 'Back to School'. I think this was probably my longest series yet at six panels. Before I found the pictures though I actually wrote it out as text which is something I never do. I have thought of expanding the story though into perhaps a novella as it is based on a fantasy of mine. I haven't added to this although I was tempted as I wanted to present the original form. Anyway, enjoy. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

It was just a simple note that started it all. A small note on pink paper that had drifted onto the table one day while I was studying in the library. “You’re one of us now – The Glamourz”. It had to be a joke. The Glamourz were the biggest clique of popular girls in school and I was just geeky Ben. Nobody ever noticed me let alone wanted to hang out with me least not the popular girls. The only remotely interesting thing I had about me was that I was an English transfer student. I found another note in my locker telling me to meet them in the Starbucks in Horowitz Road; a noted hang-out of theirs. A prank, no doubt. Screw them, if it even was them, or whoever was pranking me. 

The next day I was faced with the sight of the three angry Glamourz: Victoria, Ashlee and Carly. I was discretely asked to join them in an empty classroom. Victoria demanded to know why I had snubbed them and I explained why, making myself sound a little more pathetic and them like the school superstars which they were. It worked though and they were satisfied but surprisingly Victoria still extended the offer. Quite how this was going to work, I couldn’t tell but I agreed. 

I was allowed to start gradually hanging out with the girls. We met after school at the mall or Starbucks and they asked me about myself and what I thought about various subjects. For my turn, I asked why they wanted me. What would I bring to the clique? Victoria said that they wanted someone smart to make sure their grades stay as high as they could be (not that they weren’t doing well already) and that Carly saw ‘something’ in me that they could use and no-one was quite sure what. 

One thing that I did know though was that I would need a makeover to be truly considered part of the group. I was taken under Victoria’s wing and would stop by her house before school every day and she would gradually feminise me. First I would be wearing panties every day, then a bra, then a necklace and other pieces of jewellery. I wore girl’s jeans, leggings and yoga pants plus t-shirts, blouses and tops. All female versions of male clothes so as not to arouse suspicion. The jocks surprisingly left me alone, which I expect was the girls – my friends – asking them not to. There was the odd suspicious push in the corridor but even that stopped as my feminisation continued.  

My nails also had to be painted and I grew my hair long. Ashlee took me to the salon for my first appointment. I had hair extensions put in too and they looked lovely. I also had a tan and had my make-up done professionally. My mum voiced some concerns but she told me she was just happy I was making new friends. The girls also put me on their diet and instructed me on the right foods to eat. At a sleepover they also taught me about ‘our’ favourite books, films, songs and TV shows plus our hair and make-up regime and on what days we wore certain clothes. On Wednesdays we wear pink, Tuesdays we wear plaid skirts etc. 

One weekend a month later, I was taken to the mall to choose new clothes. A few of my choices were wrong but I proved I had listened to the girls’ fashion advice and felt overjoyed when they complimented me on my choices. I even had to put a top back because Carly wanted it for herself and of course she outranked me. We then had our post-shopping coffee, one of our new traditions I suggested, which saw us surrounded by bags in the middle of the store. It was then, as I looked wiped my hair out of my eyes, looked down at the outfit I was wearing and the skinny latte in my hand chatting about dresses that I felt part of them, one of the Glamourz. Once we were back at Victoria’s house the girls made me put on a fashion show for them. I also had to prove that I could put an outfit together and behave in a manner befitting the clique. Monday was going to be the big day: I was to sit with them at lunch. My new name was Beth (short for Elizabeth of course because of the Queen) and I left with Victoria who built up my confidence. We all entered the school together for the first time, strutting down the corridors like superstars, and I loved it. 

Everyone accepted me as the new girl. I was with The Glamourz now and everybody was jealous. By now I knew just how to act like one of them and we were dressed in similar outfits too. I gave the impression I was as haughty, spoilt and privileged as they were and even started to believe it myself as we marched down the halls with big, expensive bags on our arms and phones at the ready.  I had never been part of a gang like that before and although I was nervous, I was loving it. I wanted to be seen and admired. There must have been an attention seeking brat inside me all this time. At the end of the day, the girls decided to give some of the guys a treat. We all stood outside their locker room with our backs turned around and when the guys came out we were to lift our skirts and flash our panties to them…except when the guys came out I found that I was the only one who did it. When they started laughing a giggling Ashlee grabbed my hand and we ran down the hall. My initiation was complete. I was now a full member. Afterwards the girls told me the embarrassing things they did to get in. 

I was now Beth and that’s all everyone knew. Ben seemed to disappear from the school and no-one cared. The teachers even called me Beth and there was no suggestion that I wasn’t a girl. My new status got me into all the best parties and we were treated like rockstars. People were just happy to have us there and I started to become a proper party girl. There were a certain number of parties we all would attend and within days I had tons of invites. Everyone wanted to know the new Glamourz girl and I became keen to show myself off although I still had to be aware I was representing The Glamourz. Our reputation and popularity was everything. 

My new status even got me into the cheerleading squad. After seeing the girls in their uniforms, I was so proud to get one of my own. It was hard work dancing and learning the cheers but I was proud to be part of the team. My girls also got me a boyfriend, Ted, who was on the football team. Although I still had feelings towards girls, I couldn’t resist playing the role  - and manipulating him - as I was taught to. He later told me he was gay so we kind of helped each other out. Mmm a piece of very juicy gossip I might be able to use later, I thought.  

It was then I found out who I would become. Victoria was the leader, Ashlee the trendsetter, Carly the gossip and me - the bitch. I became ‘Beth the Bitch’ or ‘Bad News Beth’. One day in class, Courtney Mariens laughed at my shoes and I snapped back at her; ridiculing her outfit with such venom that my girls were impressed. From then on they would get me to tell other girls that they were wearing mis-matched outfits or last year’s fashions or picking on other characteristics. First of all I felt bad, as someone who had previously been bullied, but then I realised that many of those girls had picked on me or bitched about me and it felt so good to get my own back. I loved the power, no consequences (as Victoria told me) and feeling superior. It was intoxicating and brought me such pleasure when I told Lindsey Meyer her dress looked like a $2 hooker had rejected it for being too slutty. The girls then realised what they saw in me and who I could be. People were now afraid of me and I saw it, girls visibly flinching as I broke away from my group and sidled up to them with a superior smirk on my face, applying a fresh coat of lip gloss as I went, to whisper poison in their ear. If a rumour needed to be started or quelled then I would be the go-to girl. 

I went from a nobody to ruling the school and it felt so wonderful. Victoria also told me she would be prepared to whisk me away to a private clinic in the holidays to take care of that small problem in my pants once and for all (she already arranged to have me given regular hormone injections) and I can’t wait for the chance to really become one of the girls.