Recently I’ve been going out dressed again on a fairly regular basis - in the daytime - doing normal stuff. The main purpose is to build up my confidence and interacting skills again. Skills I had lost during my lengthy hiatus.

Since starting out, I have been reviewing my wardrobe versus those of the women I pass in the street. My first reaction was that generally I was over-dressed. Most women dress fairly casually – some smart casual but casual and those who are more formally dressed are generally office workers, bank employees or chemist shop girls. Only a relatively few women wear dresses or skirts but, of course, I knew this beforehand I’m not so naïve.

Nevertheless, my personal preference is to dress up. Always in a classy dress or skirt suit or skirt and top, never in pants and never in jeans – in fact I would find no joy in going out casually dressed. I think I pass reasonably well but I’m sure I don’t pass 100% of those who see me or interact with me – but my attitude is, and always has been, that I never want to look androgynous. Also I like to think if I fail to pass those who read me will at least be impressed by my style.

I think if I were living full time as a woman my attitude towards dressing up would be quite different and blending in would seem more comfortable but I get enough casual time in male mode. In fact in male mode I actually prefer to be fairly non-descript wearing navy continuously and avoiding male dress ups – a perfect candidate for “Queer Eye…”.

However I am struck by the notion that my dressing habits are very tranny. But then I am a tranny and, in the dressing sense

But how do you dress in daytime? Like Miss Girl Next Door or Mrs Average Housewife? Or do you dress like an up to date version of Joan Collins from Dynasty? Or if you haven’t ventured out yet how would you prefer to dress?

Fiona

Since I started this thread we've moved into hotter summer weather down - though today is decidedly cool. Anyway the decision of what to wear to in hot weather is decidedly easier. It is much more difficult NOT to blend in as just about every woman wears lightweight skirts, tops and sandals. The pants/jeans v dresses/skirt suits decision is gone.

love Fiona

Since I started dressing, I have enjoyed dressing up. Since going full-time, I still dress up a lot. I am an office girl, so nice skirt-suits are not totally out of place at work (although I am one of the better dressed people there). On weekends, I dress down a little, but I still want to look nice. I haven't worn jeans since I went full-time (in my mind, I identify jeans with my male self so I can't imagine wearing them again). I wear skirts most of the time, but that isn't totally out of place - enough women still wear them so I can still fit in. Due to "figure flaws", I don't look very good in pants anyway - skirts fit better and cover up some of the flaws. The somewhat loose-fitting jackets that come with business suits cover up the flaws even better; I probably look best of all (and pass best of all) in a nice skirt-suit. When it is cold outside, I wear a loose-fitting mink jacket (definitely overdressed for many occasions, but it sure is warm and comfortable). When I wear that jacket along with fancy clothes, I probably look like a rich bitch (I'm not - the jacket took a bite out of my finances for a few months [and I got it for an amazingly low price], but it was worth it).

In the summer, I will dress down somewhat, both at work and elsewhere. The description above primarily refers to my winter wardrobe. When it is warm outside, a typical outfit would be a sleeveless top, a knee-length skirt, and sandals.

So in some ways, I fit in, but in some ways, I am often overdressed. I don't really care - I dress according to my mood and personality. I know a few genetic women who dress up most of the time, so while it is unusual, it isn't totally unheard of either.

Heather H.

Heather,

its funny that you see jeans as part of a male self as I am the opposite. I gave up jeans whilst male as it gave me reason the wear nice pants, 3/4 cargos and shorts as a male without anyone knowing a thing. It was quite a thrill to relise that some of what I wore outwarldly was bought in the the ladies department and yet hang out with my army mates without them evr suspecting a thing. You see most army guys are from the country and I have lived in Oz's biggest city always so they just thought city guys were like that. They thought of me as a clubber and that also explained my hair care range and why I had the longest hair in the division! It was long enough that when I went out on weekends I had to pull out my army Id to prove that I was in the services!

When I made the move to full time I bought a pair of jeans for the first time in 5 years and they made my figure look very fem. So I have many pairs of jeans now in a range of styles. To me jeans are for funky looking girls. Guys wear jeans too but the tend not to look as nice.

Here in Helsinki, if you dress a bit more feminine, people tend to take you for russian or estonian. I don´t mind...

Laura

Laura,
I have to ask why is that? And do you speak either Russian or Estonian?

Yes Fiona, I speak both russian and estonian.
Finnish men actually admire very much estonian women, just because they dress so well and mostly in skirts and dresses and heeled shoes.It is just a difference between them and us, nothing more, even though finnish men try to explain it by saying that estonian girls are hunting rich men by dressing like that.

Laura

Thanks Laura,

I wish I could speak something other than english myself. I would like to learn but prefer to do it by being in the other country.

That is perhaps the benefit living in Europe in a small nation, you travel a lot in different language areas, or even work there, as I have done. Also all our tv-programs are in original languages with subtitles. If you have some language talent, you learn other languages automatically already as a kid.

Laura

Laura,

My partner has a Finnish friend - she has been her friend for a about 20 years. She is now 60 but looks 45 - petite, blonde - but she must really be Estonian she's always dressed up

Probably Aussie influence

love Fiona

Heather,

You are a woman after my own heart. I do think dressing up disguises shortcomings plus it deflects attention

love Fiona

Hi Fiona-

You make some interesting points. Although I don't get to go out all that often, certainly not everyday, though I would like to, I try for middle of the road. I like to wear skirts and tops but I have worn jeans on a few occasions. Nice jeans not jeans that look like I've been working in the garden.

And no, I wouldn't wear what I'm wearing in my icon pic out in public.<lol> Not in a million years. But if you click on my name, the other pic in my profile is more like what I would usually wear to go shopping or something like that, just a sort of every day kind of casual but not too.

It would be interesting to hear from other girls, especially girls that are out 24/7. Like you, I have to believe that if I were out everyday, I would probably tend to be more casual.

Hugs, Joni

Hi Sandra-

Thank you for the insights on this. I have to think that if I were out and dressed every day for everyday sorts of things, like work, going to the store and so on, that I would dress just like any average woman in that particular situation. I think I would always try to look nice and not sloppy or unkempt, which I think all of us t-girls tend to do, even when we're dressing down. Somehow I have the feeling that all of us respect women so much that we don't want to "degrade" our image of them. Does that make sense? At least it's how I feel.

My only problem (okay one of a host) is that I feel I have to do "full on" makeup to look halfway decent. Maybe I just need more practice at toning it down. When I look at most women in stores, whether they are there as customers or work there, they tend to do no to minimal makeup. Usually just a little lip gloss and maybe do their eyes very lightly. Oh well, nothing that a little FFS and electrolysis wouldn't help me with, I suppose.<lol>

Thanks for starting this thread, Fiona. It's a good topic and one we all struggle with, I think.

Hugs, Joni

Hi Sandra-

Oh yes, I certainly agree about younger women's freedom to choose among so many styles of makeup and dress. It's one of the things I envy so much about women. And as regard to "studied" you are so right, some girls just seem to throw it on, but others know exactly what they want to achieve and how to achieve it.

I was in a stationery store a few days ago and the clerk there, a young woman probably around 25 years old, struck my t-girl eye. She was not real pretty, and I'm not trying to be mean or judgemental at all, but she had taken great pains with her makeup to emphasize her good features, she had beautiful eyes and obviously knew how to make the best of them. She caught me looking at her and kind of smiled but looked puzzled. I wished I could have told her why I was staring and talked to her about how she did her eyes.<lol> But otherwise she had not used a lot of makeup, perhaps a little blush and just some light lip coloring. Her clothes were nice, loose slacks and a sweater and flats and she looked very attractive.

I'm afraid I've developed a bad habit of staring at women's faces, which of course is a social faux pas, it's considered either rude or flirtatious. But most of the time I'm looking at how they did their makeup and even sort of "grading" it.<lol> I wish I had enough nerve sometimes to say, "You look great, do you mind if I ask how you did your eyes?"<lol>

And I have some little fetishy things, too, as you can tell from some of my pix.<lol>

Hugs, Joni