Just before going fulltime last year, I found an affordable and stylish black Tahari skirt suit at Burlington Coat Factory for a fraction of what a nice suit would cost elsewhere, and some pretty blouses to go with it. I took my best girlfriend shopping with me, and she helped a lot with picking out the best looks for me.
I buy all my shoes from Payless. Ditto on the stylishness and savings. They have larger women's sizes too. I found a very workalicious pair of black pumps for only a few bucks, a few weeks before beginning full time.
When I went fulltime, I switched from contact lenses to glasses, since the frames help to feminize my appearance. I had already bought feminine frames for my glasses months from a discount optician before fulltime, and paid about half of what they would cost elsewhere.
However, the morning of my first day of fulltime, I splurged all-out at a good salon for a nice hairstyle, spent way more than I could afford, but it was worth it. When I walked into work, people were amazed I was able to look that good as a woman. I received many expressions of support and admiration from my colleagues that day. I consider it the happiest day of my (pre-op) life. Coincidentally, it was October 11-- National Coming Out Day.
