Milady’s Merchandise

Jaye Anne wrote, “Maybe this will be of modest interest to our more self-conscious  sisters”

“Yesterday I went shopping at about 9:30 AM (at Walmart) and in drab, purchased three panties and a new shade of lipstick (I am partial to L'Oreal lipsticks). I checked out and paid the checkout lady, a woman of about 60. She didn't blink an eye, was friendly and wished me well.

“My point for telling this story is that people in general and women in particular don't care. They do their job and are happy for the sale.  I have, in the past, had the same experience with a skirt and blouse at Lane Bryant.”

I added my two-cents’ worth.

And if they do care, they usually keep mum because it is none of their business.

On occasion, I have had cashiers comment (always humorously) about buying stuff for milady. When they do, I tell them the purchase is for me and show them my photo en femme on my iPhone. That usually blows them away!

By the way, regarding the image above:

1) I’d like to try that while shopping in girl or boy mode, but

2) What are the health issues?

A little Googling came up with "How to Try on Cosmetic Testers in Store."

(Caveat Emptor: This is a repurposed post from 2013.)

Wearing Theory.

Winner of the 1972 "Miss America" pageant at Bryant (AR) High School. Starla sent me this image and remarked, "His Mom looks elegantly coiffed and attired. Like mother, like son?"

Sleeve Shopping

I am a 5'14" tall woman (or a 6'2" guy) and have long arms. I have trouble buying male clothes that have long enough sleeves and buying female clothes with long enough sleeves is even harder!

One workaround is that I tend to buy clothing that is not long-sleeved. Three-quarter sleeve, short sleeve, and sleeveless sleeves are my girlfriends.

Luckily, I have thin arms (for a guy) and do not need sleeves to hide anything. I just have to make sure to remove all the hair and to tan evenly.

But I cannot avoid long sleeves completely. Outerwear for cool and cold weather demand long sleeves and I have to shop long and hard to find what I need.

Size-wise, I am on the borderline of the Misses sizes and Plus sizes. I have found that when shopping for outerwear, I have more success with the smallest Plus sizes than the largest Misses sizes. Plus size outerwear is often larger in the sleeve as well as larger in the body of the outerwear. So, size 14W in outerwear often works for me.

Once in awhile, I luck out. For example, over the years, I had success at Fashion Bug. I have bought dresses and a coat off the rack in Misses size that had adequate sleeve length. But sadly, Fashion Bug went out of business.

Besides Fashion Bug, I have been successful shopping at at JCPenney, Dress Barn, Torrid, and Macy's. More often at JCPenney and Dress Barn, less often at Torrid and Macy's.

Alterations are sometimes an option. I bought my favorite coat (see photo), a three-quarter-length lynx fake fur online from Lane Bryant. It was a beautiful coat and a perfect fit except for the sleeve length, which was way too short. Wearing gloves did not camouflage the problem and I reluctantly prepared to ship it back to Mr. Bryant for a refund.

Before I did so, I noticed that the fake fur did not end at the end of the sleeve. Instead, the fur was folded over into the lining of the sleeve approximately four inches.

I wondered if a tailor or seamstress could do anything with it, so I took my coat to a local seamstress. For $20, she lengthened the sleeves with the fake fur lining and the sleeve length was perfect.

(Caveat Emptor: This is a repurposed post from 2013.)

Wearing Nanette Lepore.

Монро (Monroe), male womenswear model

Shopping En Personne

A dressing room selfie.

If you plan to try on the clothing before purchasing it, shopping en femme is better than shopping en homme because en femme, you get a better idea how the clothing will fit and look.

En homme, the clothing may not fit at all depending on what shapewear you wear en femme. And even if the clothing fits en homme, you still will see a "man in a dress" in the mirror and may reject purchasing the item because you don't like the way it looks. More than once, I tried something on en homme that was borderline, purchased it anyway and was very glad that I didn't reject it because it looked great on me en femme.

When I try something on in the store en homme, I always ask a salesperson if it is OK and I have never been turned down. (The worst thing that ever happened to me was back in the Dark Ages when a JCPenney saleswoman asked me to use the men's dressing room to try on a girdle.)

When I try something on in the store en femme, I always ask a salesperson where the dressing room is located, even if I know where it is. I always ask in order to protect myself in case someone complains about a male in the women's dressing room. If that ever happens, I can respond that the store gave me permission. FYI, I have never run into this problem.

I think that is good advice, but I don't always follow it. If I am feeling absolutely gorgeous and passing with abandon, I just sashay into the nearest dressing room without asking for directions. (Why ruin the mood!)

Another FYI, I shop in Connecticut; your mileage may vary depending on where you shop.

(Caveat emptor: This post is a combination of previous posts.)

Wearing Finderskeepers jumper and Alice + Olivia sweater.

Charlie Chaplin (center) in the 1914 film A Busy Day The Masquerader.