Building wardrobe before full-time

[Ver]

So I just ordered a bunch of cute sandals online, namely because it's summer and I've never minded wearing "women's" shoes on a regular basis, but that got me to thinking: I know I'm very early in the process, but out of curiosity, how much of your wardrobe did you build before going full-time? Did you just buy stuff over time and let it accumulate? Tips? Recommendations?

[Mariah]

I would say of my current wardrobe it wouldn't be much of it. I went full time very quickly. Secondly as I have gotten further into transition what I'm comfortable wearing has changed so much. My short comings were why I stayed even more conservative to begin with.
Mariah

[JulieWeeks]

I am not full time yet and am building my wardrobe as I go.  It is taking longer and costing more than I had originally thought.  It's the little things that keep adding up - new wallet, sneakers, jammies, socks, spring and winter jackets, boots and mittens for next winter..the list goes on and on.  Probably best to get what you can before going full time.  Don't forget second hand stores, you can find some real gems sometimes at a fraction of the cost.

[JoanneB]

I built mine up over time. In the beginning I had no idea what REALLY looked right for me vs what I'd like to look right. It takes time to develop your look and sense of style. Thrift shops are a great way of learning at low cost

[michelle82]

I'm still purchasing things slowly. I'm part-time so I only have casual outfits though. At some point I will need to build a work appropriate wardrobe to get me by. I'm not really sure how I'm going to tackle that yet though.

[Anna++]

I had a few things before full time, but most things didn't fit all that well.  So I went shopping with a friend!  We visited several stores, and she showed me what to look for in good fitting clothes.  I've been gradually buying stuff ever since - large shopping trips can get expensive!

[katrinaw]

Not FT yet, but have a good wardrobe, in fact have had one for, many years, excluding purge times (very few).

About 8 pairs of shoes and ankle boots
5 long dresses, about 6 or 7 short dresses
4 pairs of jeans, lots of tops and sweaters
Lots of undies

Cycle them over 12 to 18 months....

Never too early to start, we love our wardrobes 

L Katy

[Rina]

I switched my entire wardrobe to androgynous clothes during the first year after accepting myself, but then when winter came in November I ended up going full-time as a product of simply not wanting to limit myself anymore. By Christmas, I was addressed in the feminine by store clerks and so on - I doubt I passed (at least on close range), but at least they figured I preferred female pronouns.

I had a few weird months of being full-time expression-wise but with a male name, and by mid January even my parents agreed it would be more practical to have a female name. So I changed it in late January.

So basically, I went full-time when my wardrobe became obviously female. Now I'll have to buy a lot of clothes for summer, and I probably will have to buy more come fall, but I prefer this over building everything before going full-time, since owning a lot of clothes I can't wear in public isn't my thing. It would simply be too frustrating.

[iKate]

I build mine here and there. Trips to the thrift store, kohls, Burlington, Walmart, target and my moms employee discount at Macy's tend to help. Not to mention online orders from Amazon and woot plus stuff people give me.

[Tiffanie]

I owned almost completely women's clothes long before coming out or going full time.  I wore women's clothes to work, but not the frilly things.  Due to fat feet my shoe selection is limited

[Lady_Oracle]

Well if you're not on hrt yet I'd say get the bare minimum for your wardrobe else you'll run into sizing issues once you do start. I went through like 2-3 different sizes of jeans within the span of a few years when I started hrt, same with underwear, basically everything lol.

[islandgirl]

Although I have not gone full time as of yet, I have ditched my male clothing (all except some running tops, and a few old tees that I use for working in the yard, painting or pottery) My cloths are made up if jeans, shorts, button up tops and a few tennis tops and shorts. All of which lean towards being androgynous. I have noticed that I get the odd stare when I am out shopping or for coffee but that does not bother me. My SO has helped me with my selection, although my colour range is pretty limited. I would like to throw some pink into the mix! Well, that will come later.

[Tessa James]

Wardrobe changes are fun but can get spendy if we are not at the thrift or without disposable income.  Echoing Lady O i recommend the thrift store way or going slow to avoid the risk of having a closet full of misfits and things to take back as your body changes.  Lots of fun shopping tho.....

I have been FT for two and half years and love the new range open to us as women who can wear what we want!

[Lynne]

I couldn't move forward with my transition in a pace I'm happy with in the last years so I'm still part time but I got enough women's clothes that I can dress for most occasions. I simply didn't buy any men's clothing for more than 3 years now, when I need new clothes I just try to get not overly feminine things and wear those in combination with what little men's clothing I still have when I have to go out as male. Lucky that I'm not dealing with customers at the company so no dresscode for me.

[iKate]

I had bought a few things to dress with initially but I now make regular purchases for everyday wear... Because this is what I wear now and I'm not full time.

[Mai]

this is the site ive been looking at quite a bit and making my shopping list off of, for what minimum to buy before i end up going full time.  personally, i think that the linked site is a good reference for clothing styles and wardrobe building, as do a couple friends of mine ive shown it to.



Mod Edit- Links require prior permission to post, but links to personal websites can be placed in your signature. TOS 1

[Jake25]

I jumped head start into full time wearing men's clothes. Buying them as I go. I'm still buying men's clothes. I really enjoy shopping and getting good deals. Kmart and Burlington are my favorite bargain places.

[Nicole]

Heres what my mother & I did.

When we went clothes shopping we started buying clothes that were on the female side of uni-sexed, as time went on I bought more and more female clothing. I had about 3 months between coming out & moving which is when I went full time.

Buy the time we moved, I had enough female clothing to just blend straight off the plane.

Mostly wore jeans for the first few months full time as it was winter as well.

Might have made it a little easier looking back going FT in winter, you're more likely to cover up