Check-Up #5

Well everyone, I finally bought some new clothes this week...ok so a replacement pair of blue tights for a pair I tore by accident. The colour is slightly off so I may still have to shop around but I'll keep them as I expect I'll find out what works with them. As they say over at Buzzfeed, the results will suprise you. One thing I'm proud of is my developing fashion sense and it's exciting to keep trying new things and new combinations of skirts, tights, tops etc. When everything finally clicks and you find an outfit you love then it feels so rewarding and you feel so good about it. I will write a lengthier piece about this at some point but I would just say it's something you learn over time so if you're in a quandry about starting to dress because you think you have little idea about women's fashion then don't worry as it will come in time and you will develop a style you like if you find it's something that you're into.

Speaking of tights I just wanted to mention Snag Tights. Some of my friends have highlighted how much they love these tights and how the company are struggling in this time of lockdown as are many others. Full disclosure: I've never tried the tights myself but I will be ordering some soon especially the Rasberry Pie pair and possibly the Beach Bum. They also seem to be using male models in a couple of shots too which is quite cool.

EDIT: Checking out the website they also specify that they are a fully inclusive brand and welcome people of all ages, sizes and genders which is pleasing to see. 

https://snagtights.com/  

One final thing I'll mention this week is a programme I was watching today. It was called My Life: I'm Not Just A Boy In A Dress and was a half hour programme shown on CBBC which I noticed as I was looking through the TV listings. Even at my age and despite working out some of my issues, my eyes are still drawn to any programmes to do with drag, crossdressing or explorations of gender identity as I still feel I may learn something about myself.  The programme centered on a lad named Lewis who at 14 has his own drag personality, Athena, and put on a drag show in his town with some of his friends. Shows like this usually bring back a lot of feelings I had as a teenager and how much I wish I had that sense of identity at that age but then I also grew up in a very different time and perhaps like anyone else I had to go through the things I did to become the person I am. At least it gives me hope for future generations. Drag itself has certainly changed and become a lot more acceptable since I was a teen which I expect is mainly down to Ru Paul's Drag Race. As with anything though I expect I would still have been too awkward and shy to do anything about it at that age.

Check Up #2

Again, there's not an awful lot to report this week and I expect it will be the same for at least the next month. I'm even facing a reduction in wages due to cuts made at work because of the crisis so I doubt spending money on clothes will be a priority although there was a Tardis themed dress I saw recently that I was going to buy to wear to a now-postponed event. Still, may get the chance at another time later in the year if and when things get back to normal. The trouble is that there's no new normal at the moment. New restrictions keep coming into place all the time so it's hard to adjust to things.

One little silver lining though is that working from home allows you to dress and this week I have finally dressed for work. Finally the chance to wear some of my more work-y dresses. Normally I shy away from buying them as I have nowhere to wear them to but you all know how much I love a Clara Oswald style dress with a Peter Pan collar. So far it's been quite nice sitting taking calls, legs crossed, pad on my lap, like a secretary. Luckily I don't have any video conferences to do.

So,this period can be a great time to explore crossdressing especially if you're on your own. Want to dress for work how you've always wanted to? Why not. If only I had bought a skirt suit somewhere along the way. Perahps one day I could lean more into the bimbo and wear some pink. I can't also claim to know what spending isolation with a partner is like but who knows this time might be the ideal one to bring up crossdressing as something you're interested in. Perhaps this might be the time to experiment, suggest a clothes swapping game or dress-up day if you have kids. Now, of course I don't know everyone's familial situation and I don't pretend to but I know that the last thing you want is for someone to react badly while you can't just walk out the door. One thing I have done though is to size up a partner to see how they may possibly feel about me going a bit girlie. One good thing about being so out is that I may meet my next partner while dressed which at least would save an awkward conversation.

This may also be a good time to experiment with make-up too (something I've been meaning to) and there are lots of tutorials on YouTube. I was so tempted to keep my painted nails after the weekend but I've been trying to look as businessy as possible to try and avoid being stopped by the police when I do have to go into work. This may also be the time to write some captions or TG stories if you've always had a yearning too think up some cosplays.

So please stay safe everyone and, if you can take the chance to go girlie while you can

To Hell Bunny and Back

So I realise I may be coming on a bit like a broken record these past few weeks but again I've been tempted into spending money on another new dress. To be fair though it was a Hell Bunny for under £10.00 and was another charity shop find. Not some kind of demonic rabbit you understand but if you haven't heard of Hell Bunny (and I'm sure I've mentioned them before) they make lovely vintage look clothes and I already have one of their dresses; a lovely purple one covered with birds. Unfortunately I couldn't find a link to the dress itself so I assume it's not on sale anymore but it's dark blue with a lace collar and some white buttons. I do quite like it although I'm not fan of the lace collar so much and it's a little tight but otherwise fine and looks a bit secretarial which is always quite nice.

Elsewhere this week I went to some birthday drinks and chose to wear a grey dress with a black collar and big black dots all over it couple with some purple tights, black cardigan and trainers. As usual I shaved my legs but I also did my arms as well. I don't always do it but sometimes it just feels better and even though I was wearing my cardie all the time, the dress did have fairly short sleeves. I always seem to have trouble choosing my shoes now and normally just plump for my trusty trainers but I've started to think more about what matches with what (it was just as well I had already decided on the dress otherwise that would have been another decision).

Coats are also an interesting choice at this time of year when the weather is quite cold here. I only have one girly coat and it's short, pink and has a fluffy collar and sleeves. I've worn it only once but that may be due to it's length, instead I prefer to hide behind a long black coat as I feel I can cover my clothes up a bit more wheras in a bright pink, short jacket it makes you stand out (more so than being a guy in a dress). Perhaps if I had a longer pink coat it would be different. Brighter colours would probably work as these days I always seem to have a mixture of blue and black.

While at the party I was also given a tip by a friend who said that wearing a hair slide can make you look a bit more feminine so I think I will give that a try and see how it looks. Hair slides have also come back into fashion during the last year especially really big rectangular ones.

Making a Match

Hi everyone,

As usual I have a number of things I would love to post about and have meant to over the past few months but haven't because of things and stuff and reasons so I thought I would combine them in one post (which I haven't written yet and will be a bit long) but there is also a new entry in my Quantum Leap series (which is long and mostly written) so I thought I would just put something up as to that effect but luckily I have something to say.

A few months ago I bought some coloured tights (red, green, blue) cheaply and today being a Bank Holiday and I'm at home so I thought I would try the red pair out but I was a little stumped as to what they would go with so I sought some answers online (it holds the answers to everything).  I came across an article by Jessica Booth on Gurl.com from 2014 which was very enlightening for example pairing a pair of coloured tights with all your neutral colours, a striped dress, a black dress or using them to give a pop of colour to an outfit. Alternatively you can just go for it with whatever outfit and see what happens. I know from experience that things just go together sometimes when you didn't think they would.

Here's the link: How To Wear Coloured Tights

The one piece of advice I really took on board was to draw a colour from your outfit. For example, when I wore the green tights I paired them with a black dress that has green bird shapes on. There's also my Lost dress (which is not named for the mystery island TV show which ran from 2004-2010 but because whenever I wear it I get lost. This is the dress I got myself stranded in London in) which has pink and light blue flowers on it so I began thinking of the combinations I could use.

So what did I go with in the end? I am presently wearing a pair of blue denim turn-up shorts, black T-shirt (with Optimus Prime on) and a black cardigan with the red tights of course (not a a bright red but more of an earthy colour) plus bright red nails. They've also gone quite well with a pair of brown faux-sheepskin boots I have and some blue trainers. Ended up going for a walk in them too which still takes a spurt of confidence.

Other People's Clothes

I was reading one of the Sunday papers the other week and comedian Jenny Eclair, when asked who her style heroes are, answered "young women on the street" and I have to agree with her. The best thing you can do to know what's in and how to wear it is by observing other people. That's not meant to sound/be creepy by the way.

For example, I could tell you that big coats, hats and scarves are in especially this week. Go figure. Well, if I were to go into more details I would say that bobble hats are in often with a big furry ball on top (some have two for that extra Minnie Mouse look). In fact fake fur is in now especially dyed all sorts of bright colours. This winter I've seen lots of coats, many green anoraks with the hood covered in bright fur (often pink or blue). Furry gilets are still in and coats of fur that are many different colours and patterns. I think I did mention this before and I feel that it's Game of Thrones inspired.

I have to also admit that while my interest in Take Me Out has waned over this last series, I still like seeing what outfits the girls wear and there have been some lovely dresses and tops/skirts combos this year. I'm noticing necklaces more these days too. I've also very recently been looking at 60s Mod dresses too. So cute.

Valentine's Day

St Valentine's Day is coming soon so here's a little tip from me.

Lots of guys will be shopping around for gifts for the missus so it won't exactly be that odd to see a man in the women's clothing section of a big clothes store, if you get my drift. A nice excuse to use. If anyone asks, that's all you need to tell them. Perhaps, by suprise, the missus just happens to be the same size as you. As I've said in the past, if you're heading for the changing room then it might be a good idea to mask the clothes you really want to try on with some shirts or something.

Using the changing rooms can be a bit daunting and it's something I'm still getting used to. If it's a unisex changing room though, you may get lucky and find that someone has left something in one of the cubicles which has happened to me a couple of times. Funnily enough, last Saturday was the most recent. I was trying on some jeans and found someone had left a nice top in there. Black with a flowered blouse below cut right up the back like a surgery gown. Quite popular in the summer a couple of years ago, I remember. Just my size too (a bit bigger actually). Didn't buy it, felt a bit funny with the split in the back, but nice to try on and see what it looked like.