Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I am planning on starting to cross-dress, but I am always self - Conscious, thus, my main question is how do i start? to be more specific, How do i get my first pair of clothes, I would get laughed out of town if i get caught in the women's section, and is there a formula for cloth sizes, or are they all the same, for Male and Female?
Also, what about Bras?  How do i know what to take for that? or should i not get them yet?
I'm still working on the voice.... So its not urgent (i wanna get my voice good before i go out, of course!)

You shouldn't have any problems with browsing the women's section of clothes. People will just assume you're buying for a friend or loved one as a gift. As far as trying stuff on goes, if you don't have the courage to just walk into the changing room with a dress, you can try finding a store  that has a single changing area for both men and women, like Target. Grab a bunch of women's stuff you'd like to try on, something from the men's section to put on top and head to the changing area. They'll just ask how many items you have and really won't care what items you have.

You need to do some serious searching for the clothing sizes, lol. They vary between manufacturers and sometimes even vary within manufacturers. Get yourself a seamstress tape measure and head to the Internet. However, all is not lost. I've found that for the most part, it's actually easier than men's sizes. I don't have to remember that my neck is this big around or my waist is this circumference or whatever. If I wear a size 16 in jeans, chances are it's the same size for almost everything I need to buy. In fact I think bras are the only item that actually go by circumference in women's clothing. 

My first time out and about was to a gay bar with a support group meeting. I'd definitely do it with a group unless you live in a very lgbt friendly area.

The trick is to find a starting point. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

I Started out very Hastily found an opportunity to dress up and spent the next two days getting an outfit ready.
i started with a idea for one outfit and put it together by browsing various clothing shops.
i found it less painful to do this as quickly as possable

Buying clothes is a big fear for many people and I can appreciate how you are feeling.

One thing to remember is that 99.99% of people who own shops or serve in them don't care in the slightest. You are a buyer and they want to sell. They are probably very use to cross dressers as well, particularly in lingerie shops. To be honest I can pick a 'guy' who is buying lingerie for themselves in a bra shop in seconds, so rest assured the staff can. And they don't care at all. You are a sale.

If (and when) you pluck up the courage ask the shop assistants to help with a fit, they won't mind at all.

I agree totally about the sales people.  I never had any problems with them, they want the commission and are more than happy to help (usually, its not like you won't run into a bad one once in  a while).

You may be surprised at how many people in your town do the same thing. If you are worried about shopping in a public environment just look for size conversions from men to women on the internet and shop online. But like everyone said, the clothing stores want to make a sale.

When it comes to sizes, you pretty much have to just try things on. I did all the research and did calculations before I ever bought a women's size. I decided I was in the size 14 to 16 range. Way wrong. I'm usually closer to the 8 to 10 range. The thing that makes it confusing is the waist-to-hip area. You can't quite go by waist size alone as you can with men's clothes. Add to that the fact that every clothing manufacturer is forever changing the meaning of their size numbers to flatter their customer's ever expanding waistlines. Just try a few things on and you'll quickly know your size range.

you are who  you are a crossdresser! be proud of being you and go buy the  clothes with pride and wear them the same way

I find it easier to start in the gender neutral area, a skirt over pants, on the line shoes, maybe a girly tank top, people don't seem to really care. The last year or so I've just been wearing whatever I want and haven't even noticed anyone care or even bat an eyelash. It's starting to feel like society is just getting used to us, whatever us may be. The goth / emo realm is also a good place to enter into crossdressing. Hope this helps!
Pansy

Thanks all!
Sorry I couldn't reply earlier. My internet was down. (Unknown reason)
My main problem now is getting there.
I don't have a car, and I think the nearest clothing store is about 10 miles.
Last time I checked, my brothers broke the breaks on my bike. :(
I'll figure it out.
Eventually.
Again, thanks for taking your time responding.
-[Undecided]

Start slow.. thats what I did when I started crossdressing.

The first item I wore was pantyhose, a black pair, I enjoyed wearing them, bought a few more pairs in different colours, that lead later to me wanting to wear panties. I got my first pair, a black pair of cotton panties, which lead to pair of silky panties. often I would wear these under my male clothing. this then lead to me playing nail polish, clear at first. I practiced painting toes at first.. later red.. then came my first bra and playing with makeup, high heel shoes etc.....  eventually I bought a dress and dressed up fully, that was the night I started shaving my legs.

Crossdressing is amazing and i loved the feeling of woman's clothes on me.. I grew at my own pace.. don't force yourself or think you have to fully dress until you are ready. But it can be slippy slope.. and you may not want to stop doing it.. I embraced it and loved it.. ok for me it was more, and I started getting counseling and discovered that i was transgender which then lead to hrt.. now 2 and almost 3/4 years later.. I am very happy pre-op transsexual.

Do not be afraid to buy clothing. If there are any questions be honest and tell the vendor the truth. Whenever I purchase shoes or a new dress the cashier will notice the size and it becomes quite apparent the items are for me. Very few gender women wear those large sizes. Especially shoes.
P.S. Once you get started and enjoy being femme you may find you can never stop being your female persona. You might attempt several times to give up. However, as many of us know it is impossible.

How about your hair style?

Hair style is far more important than clothes in looking.

I gave up my voice, and I do not care about passing.

barbie~~

Quote from: barbie on August 16, 2013, 05:57:39 PM
How about your hair style?

Hair style is far more important than clothes in looking.

I gave up my voice, and I do not care about passing.

barbie~~

Well my Dad & grandma (who dont know about me being TG) are desperatly trying to cut my hair. It's at about 2 inches, but I have no idea what I can do with at amount of hair. On the other hand my mom mentioned that it was thick and that she wishes she had it. I think that counts for something...?

Grab both clothes from the men's and women's section. Only get the sizes you think will fit you in the gender you need and if you want a general guess about where you are in terms of sizing, some websites do conversions of male-to-female sizings and female-to-male sizings. Shirts can be pretty easy as it's usually: X-small, small, medium, and large or beyond. Go larger on those than if you were picking guy attire, so if you wear medium in men's go for large/x-large in women's unless they are androgynous cuts or styles of shirts. Be mindful of the cut or style of shirts, some cinch the waist more, have dipping v-necks, or have more feminine styles that make the shirt smaller than it states on the tag.

For instance, a "babydoll" shirt has an hourglass cut which makes it tighter in the waist but flares on the bottom so despite me being a medium/large in regular women's shirts, I often have to go for large/x-large if I go with a "babydoll" shirt. (I'll admit it's due to having a gut, not other oversized proportions.) So don't be shocked if you don't always fit one size as brands and styles vary across the board. Just take the first step and you'll be a natural before too long. Don't be ashamed to browse the women's section, just act like you belong there and people usually leave you alone.

Quote from: wolfduality on August 16, 2013, 11:36:45 PM
Grab both clothes from the men's and women's section. Only get the sizes you think will fit you in the gender you need and if you want a general guess about where you are in terms of sizing, some websites do conversions of male-to-female sizings and female-to-male sizings. Shirts can be pretty easy as it's usually: X-small, small, medium, and large or beyond. Go larger on those than if you were picking guy attire, so if you wear medium in men's go for large/x-large in women's unless they are androgynous cuts or styles of shirts. Be mindful of the cut or style of shirts, some cinch the waist more, have dipping v-necks, or have more feminine styles that make the shirt smaller than it states on the tag.

For instance, a "babydoll" shirt has an hourglass cut which makes it tighter in the waist but flares on the bottom so despite me being a medium/large in regular women's shirts, I often have to go for large/x-large if I go with a "babydoll" shirt. (I'll admit it's due to having a gut, not other oversized proportions.) So don't be shocked if you don't always fit one size as brands and styles vary across the board. Just take the first step and you'll be a natural before too long. Don't be ashamed to browse the women's section, just act like you belong there and people usually leave you alone.

First of all, nice avatar.
Second. Thanks! But I'm really skinny for my age (i mean really) and i wear small, and sometimes thats too big for me. would that be a Medium? Or is there something in between Small and medium?.

Quote from: EdekStaszek on August 17, 2013, 11:08:44 PM
First of all, nice avatar.
Second. Thanks! But I'm really skinny for my age (i mean really) and i wear small, and sometimes thats too big for me. would that be a Medium? Or is there something in between Small and medium?.

medium should work fine.  Women's small doesn't exist in mens sizes (save for a few specialty places that sell XS to men), its pretty close to a boy's size L.  I used to wear boys shirts when I was embarrassed to shop in the women's section and couldn't shop in the mens because S was too big.

Quote from: EdekStaszek on August 16, 2013, 10:06:07 PM
Well my Dad & grandma (who dont know about me being TG) are desperatly trying to cut my hair. It's at about 2 inches, but I have no idea what I can do with at amount of hair. On the other hand my mom mentioned that it was thick and that she wishes she had it. I think that counts for something...?

Put some extra effort into keeping your hair well groomed while growing it out. There's pretty much always family disapproval of hairstyle changes. It's just because it's different. They'll be less likely to if you look really good, though. Look to magazines/the Internet for pics of good looking hair at around your length and imitate that. Keep it looking better than ever. You might even want to go to a stylist, explain you are growing it out and ask to have it trimmed in a way that will look good while it does. They can also give  you tips on looking good while growing it out, too.

Once you grow your hair to a good looking long length and maintain it well-- even if it's in a commonly feminine style-- they'll probably get used to it and accept it as the way you look.

Openly crossdressing while still living at home with your parents might be difficult to pull off.  On the other hand, trying for an androgynous look at first might be more acceptable.  Bright colors! Wild jeans! Unisex jewelery!

Quote from: Jamie D on August 21, 2013, 12:27:53 AM
Bright colors!

Done. Waaaaaaaay done. :)

Quote from: Jamie D on August 21, 2013, 12:27:53 AM
Wild jeans!

What do you mean by this?

Quote from: Jamie D on August 21, 2013, 12:27:53 AM
Unisex jewelery!

Looking for something that might be acceptable at school. (Currently shark tooth necklace is all I have)

(https://d44ytnim3cfy5.cloudfront.net/assets/2620931/view_large/raw%20wild%20back.jpg?1291553205)

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdata.whicdn.com%2Fimages%2F27876282%2Fwild_20jeans-f22401_large.jpg&hash=8d3fe4b249b6feb91b4a9abde8b1897c28d0b511)

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.classybabyboutique.com%2Fimages%2Fwild_child_jeans_pockets_300px.JPG&hash=87c07de552117407775dcc55d2733bd3763cae0f)(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dhresource.com%2Falbu_339070423_00-1.260x260%2Fhot-men-s-jenas-plaid-patchwork-jeans-wild.jpg&hash=e028b4ca19d3373d73015515a287f9f8f071c025)(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.markowiczfineart.com%2Fimages%2FThumbs%2Forlinski-jean-rouge-richard-orlinski.jpg&hash=ec0cd9405fe48490a6df9d338cd9b3ac17a09e74)

Wild jeans and shirts are the ultimate in androgynous and unisex fashion.  And they don't have to break the bank.  You can find great vintage stuff cheap at thrift shops.

 :eusa_drool:  Ripped jeans are so hot, I don't care who hates them because they look ragged or cheap

Quote from: Jamie D on August 21, 2013, 03:04:20 PM

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdata.whicdn.com%2Fimages%2F27876282%2Fwild_20jeans-f22401_large.jpg&hash=8d3fe4b249b6feb91b4a9abde8b1897c28d0b511)



Wild jeans and shirts are the ultimate in androgynous and unisex fashion.  And they don't have to break the bank.  You can find great vintage stuff cheap at thrift shops.

Your right..... they are indeed Very weird jeans.
But i get the idea :)

Quote from: EdekStaszek on August 21, 2013, 04:18:33 PM
Your right..... they are indeed Very weird jeans.
But i get the idea :)

LOL   ;)

Live a little kiddo!  You are only young once.

Quote from: Alice In Genderland on August 21, 2013, 03:10:24 PM
:eusa_drool:  Ripped jeans are so hot, I don't care who hates them because they look ragged or cheap

Well, I've never bought any like that. Mine seem to just get worn and ripped on their own-- and never in a very sexy way.

Quote from: Lyric on August 22, 2013, 08:03:55 AM

Well, I've never bought any like that. Mine seem to just get worn and ripped on their own-- and never in a very sexy way.

THIS

OMG I can't count the number of times that I have had the crotch of the jeans rip out. So embarrassing.

exuse the stupidity,
but if you are on a budget and wanting to see which size breast you want you can get rice into sandwichbags to form breasts, 250 grams of rice or maybe 3, 325 or 350 grams would be sufficient to create breasts accordingly your bodystyle... then get a masectomie bra to put the bags in...

i've done it in my developing a feminine sillouette stage... i'm transgender but i've got a lot of info what not to do and the oposite in that period of becoming Judiana