Vacation & Shopping

[State of Grace]

My BFF ♥ is a beautiful transgender woman & after 2 1/2 years I finally got to meet her.

She's here 3 weeks on vacation and we've shopped for shoes, clothes, makeup.  She has great taste & knows her style!  But she's not so great at sizes, and she doesn't try things on at the stores, so we've returned lots too. 

Some stores have family dressing rooms, I think we could just go in together with a handful of dresses or separates, but she doesn't want to yet.  She gets annoyed with me, too.  I'm either bugging her asking if she likes a style, too many questions.  Or i give her space to look by herself & she's mad I wandered off when she needed me.

One store, which we didn't like anyway, the clothes are all her size, not mine, and the rudest clerk was like "we don't have anything for you" and acting strange.  Another store that we loved, the employee figured out we were both interested in the clothes, and she was really helpful to both of us.

The shoes we found a unique solution!  She's size 11, I'm size 9, but my feet are the same width.  Since I'm shopping in sandals & she's shopping in sneakers, it's easier for me to try them on anyway.  We just have to eyeball if the extra length is enough, and it's working great.

I helped with makeup a few times, and today we went for manicures and pedicures.  It was her first time and the nail techs were their usual aloof selves talking to each other instead of us, but her long fingernails & pretty toes look great.

So once we get all the sizes & brands & basics figured out, I think she'll try some online shopping.  I understand feeling insecure or frustrated, 'cause I've spent enough time in dressing rooms in tears myself over the years - 'specially when swimsuit season arrives.

Would just enjoy other shopping success stories or horror stories, I guess?  I'd love to keep her here forever & completely watch this transition play out, but I'm so excited to be with her for these beginnings! Yes, I ♥ my BFF forever.

[justmeinoz]

Sounds like a great vacation.  I have become an ardent shopper like a lot of us who were finally able to catch up on what we missed for so many years. 

Realising the nature of female friendships was a revelation to me, after male friendships that lacked any real emotional connection.  BFF's are just awesome, and I am glad I have found more than one since starting my new life.

I have found that because the weather here in Tasmania is so changeable, that one of the major shoe shop chains send all their excess stock of boots from all over the country to their Hobart store at the end of Spring.  Tasmanian women need boots all year round. That means: Monster Shoe Sale!!!! Lots of larger sizes too.

Karen.

[JoanneB]

I have to assume during all that she was presenting as male to explain all the anxiety she had. My wife and I went shopping a couple of times and it was a high anxiety situation for us both with many of the same issues you had. Finding the right size is a major pain, especially given the extremes of vanity sizing these days. I have clothes that range from size 6 to 12 that all fit perfectly.

Department stores are best for shopping in male mode. I used to take everything into the dressing room, half covered by a Gigantor sized pair of male trousers. Size problem solved. The whole on-line shopping hassle I cannot even consider given the sizing issues I know I'll be dealing with. I first started out buying a range of sizes and returning at local stores. That was enough of a hassle untill I "maned up" and started using the dressing room technique.

The ultimate problem solver is shopping in female mode 

[State of Grace]

Thanks Karen & Joanne   I like your tips & encouragement.

She couldn't dress pretty at first 'cause she didn't have clothes yet, and now she does.  But when she flew home, they didn't fit in her suitcase and she left her beautiful clothes & shoes here.

She looked amazing when we went to a long lunch with a friend, and another night we went out for sushi   She looked so confident, flipping her sassy red hair.

When we got home, her remove-the-bra-now instinct was even quicker than mine, and i've done that daily for years.

Can't wait 'till her closet only contains pretty girl things! <3

Amy Grace

[State of Grace]

Wait, department stores are dangerous - for me.  at Macy's, she picked out tooooo many gorgeous things exactly my size/style for me!  I did come home with some Jessica Simpson shoes that rock my world.

[Sphaira]

Some store people are just bitches

Sounds like you had a blast! I love that moment of realization after you meet someone online and realize that you know each other better than IRL people. ^_^