I was a little unsure of where to place this, sorry!
I realised today that transition sticks us with something most folks hopefully never have to go through - buying an entire, functional wardrobe from scratch. As a guy, I grew up with clothes picked out for me; I added to that with some of my own tastes, and generally kept a nice routine in which clothes could be replaced, old for new. I always shopped like a guy, too - if I needed more day-to-day clothes I'd nip into a department store and buy a couple of cheap t-shirts, saving my cash up for the fancier goth wear. Even my choice to go goth simply meant keeping an eye out for darker or flouncier clothing as outerwear.
Now I'm trying to make 'full time' an option, I'm beginning to realise how much of a wardrobe I've accumulated, and therefore how much needs to be replaced. I've stuck to smart/casual so far, buying clothes to help me embrace the outer world anew - but this just means my masculine t-shirts have become loungewear. Underwear's a bit noticeable, but stuff like pyjamas, gloves and rain coats didn't really occur to me at first, and yet I need to add them to the list.
I've been planning a clothes shopping trip next week with a friend - I don't think he banked on my having a list this large! :P Where did you start, when trying to tick clothing for every occasion from your list? Got any useful tips?
I began with a trip to the local thrift store. I got a larger wardrobe with little cost.
I was going to say thrift store too. If you happen to live in an area with a lot of them all the better because you usually can't find everything in one place. But going to a number of them ups your chances of getting some cool pieces. Different ones can have different sale days too. For $100 you could probably get a lot of pieces. Then once you've got a base you can branch out to regular retail store for select pieces. Oh and don't forget to look at accessories at the thrift shops too. I always see costume jewelry, belts, handbags, hats, etc. that aren't in too bad of shape.
Quote from: Sinnyo on August 28, 2010, 10:57:14 AM
I've been planning a clothes shopping trip next week with a friend - I don't think he banked on my having a list this large! :P Where did you start, when trying to tick clothing for every occasion from your list? Got any useful tips?
Sinnyo, just thought I'd stop by and say Hi from a not so sunny Hampshire this morning.
The main thing to do before buying anything is to work out your body shape, as this helps to identify the type of clothes that will make you look your best. Grab a Trinny and Suzanna book cheap, or sit down and watch a few of Gok's "How to Look Good Naked". It's surprising how many great looking girls have a male body shape, and only benefit from an increased chest size. ::)
Try to work out your female sizes before you start. Most girls will be a single size like a "14", but we tend to start off a little larger on top, so 16 tops and 14 jeans are common for us. Depending on your proportions, this is also a good reason to stick with tops and bottoms to start with, rather than going for dresses which will either look like a sack, or simply have an over tight waist in the wrong position. ;)
The good news is "less is more", and like you say, getting good quality mix and match basics that will survive between wash days, is more important than single sometimes more fragile special items that cost a lot.
Don't ignore the likes of Sainsbury's. They have some really good quality items in this season, and even if you like goth I know they have some great mesh tops and laced black body's in stock now from £8 or £12 for 2. Most stores also have changing rooms now.
Shoes....If you have a larger foot size, then make a B-line for Evans. They have a lot of larger sizes in a wide range of styles that are conveniently displayed in pairs to try on. Prices from £15.
Don't forget that most high street fashion stores are on line too, so you can sort out some ideas of where you want to go before the day from studying the ranges and this seasons styles.
I presume you are going shopping as yourself..... if not, just remember to keep the receipts as virtually all stores now offer a no quibble refund.
If your taking a guy along, remember to smile and ignore everything he says....maybe send him to look at the guy stuff while you are browsing. ;)
Oh ...and did I mention shoes...? ::)
Have Fun....
:icon_hug:
Chrissty
Girl-mode shopping means shopping for outfits, not items. It took me a really long time to come to understand this (and I've mostly discarded it since transitioning my wardrobe) but it's important. Women's clothes are arranged and conceived in sets/themes/outfits, not by type of item.
This makes the initial shopping trip easier, though (actually this was the approach I took while I was transitioning my wardrobe - it works for guys' clothes too, it's just not as necessary). You go to the store - thrift store, department store, whatever you prefer - and you find one item that you really like. Or just pull something out of your closet if you have a few things you love, and wear it out shopping. Then you imagine yourself in the situation where you'd like to wear this item of clothing you've chosen, and you think of the most important pieces you need to wear with it. Assume it's a shirt, for instance - you need a bra, panties, and pants or a skirt just to be basically decent and presentable. So you find those. Spend some time, pick out the best things you can. Then think about the accessories - you need shoes, maybe a belt, hosiery, jewelry. Then imagine that you want to wear it in winter. You'll need a coat, gloves, maybe a hat. It seems like a lot of types of stuff, but you only need one thing of each type. When you're done, you have a complete outfit.
Some of the stuff you've bought can probably be mix-and-matched with other stuff you already own. You probably only need one or two coats for each level of formality you're concerned with, for instance. So the next time you go shopping you won't have to buy quite as many pieces. But it's important that each item you buy fits into a bigger picture somehow - you don't buy a coat because it's a coat, you buy it because you need a coat to wear with some specific set of clothes. If you buy a coat just because it's a coat and you like it, it likely won't really go with anything else, and you'll find yourself having to go out again and shop for an entire new outfit revolving around the coat. Which could result in something really nice. But it can get expensive.
Make a lot of shopping trips. Make them as small as you can. Never overwhelm yourself with new items that you didn't really try on together to see if they worked. If you just go out and buy a pile of stuff you think you need, you'll wind up with a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear.
(Pyjamas are the exception to this. They're worn by themselves, so you can just go buy pyjamas that you like and not worry about it. Underwear isn't an exception though - unless you wear something really unnoticeable like low-rise cotton G-strings, you'll need to select underwear that works under a particular pair of pants/skirt. And bras are even more important. If you don't plan to buy a new bra, then wear the bra that you want to wear with the shirt you intend to buy, even if you're not yet quite sure what that shirt is.)
Oh my, applause all 'round! That's some brilliant advice, especially where "outfits, not items" is concerned. Thanks, Kyril.
Greetings to you too, Chrissty - though I think I've seen sun all day in the northern reaches of Hampshire. Guess I'm lucky. ;)
I have found body shape logic to be quite useful. At 42-38-40 I tend to lean towards the 'inverted triangle' and 'apple' stuff, and it's a real boon to know that flared trousers and scoop necks can work to my advantage. Knowing what will fail beforehand makes browsing the racks much easier! I cannot stand to watch How to Look Good Naked, though. Something about Fashion Fix makes that quite fun, but I struggle to sympathise with perfectly normal-looking women complaining that they look 'boyish'. Harrumph.
I'm quite looking forward to this now. I'd started out by thinking "I have x shirts and y trousers"... Discarding that sounds both more fun and more effective!
*Hugs*
Quote from: Sinnyo on August 29, 2010, 11:41:19 AM
Greetings to you too, Chrissty - though I think I've seen sun all day in the northern reaches of Hampshire. Guess I'm lucky. ;)
*Hugs*
Hmmm... Yep you are lucky ;D ....It's amazing what a difference a few miles can make in Hampshire... I'm North too, and on the Surrey/Berkshire border and it's been very changeable ... :rolleyes:
I'm currently 42-36-43, which for me equates to a 38 B/C bra and an overall 16/18 top half with a 14/16 bottom half, but my main problem is my 6'1" height, so I'm often found in the "Tall" sections of the fashion shops. Most of what I wear is a mix and match of taller items from Next, Dorothy Perkins, Debenhams, Sainsbury's, and sometimes New Look.
As we have a similar top size, my only real advice would be to avoid cap sleeves, as they can make our shoulders look massive, and always pay particular attention to how a top looks from the back . Until HRT works it's wonders on the muscle shape it's way too easy to end up a Jeckel and Hide giveaway... So go for either vest or at least 1/3rd sleeves, think about the rear neckline as well as the front, and darker colours on the top (suiting your Goth idea) will help to slim down your upper body...and layering is such fun.
...hey..what am I talking about, your top looks fine in your avatar.. ;)
Still, the sun is back out now, and I'm going to put the BBQ on.... 8)
Happy Shopping next week, and let us know how you get on... ! :icon_walk:
:icon_hug:
Chrissty
Mmhmm, my arms are a bit of a nightmare - some mens' shirt sleeves turn them quite hideous, so I tend to go for elbow-length or further. My back's easy - cover up, no exceptions; damned back hair. :/ Still, it's nice to wear shrug jackets, cardigans and stuff. They help with confidence too, and were high on my starter shopping list. Buy simple, buy confident. :)
Quote from: Janet Lynn on August 28, 2010, 11:33:52 AM
I began with a trip to the local thrift store. I got a larger wardrobe with little cost.
Great advice! I must do this too.
Any of you like to watch fashion-advice shows on T.V.? I love 'em! My favorite is "What Not to Wear" with Stacey London and Clinton Kelly on The Learning Channel. Their advice about body type, coloring, structure, shape, style, accents, hiding flaws, etc., knocks me out! :D
Sinnyo is right: There's so much to learn and to buy! I LOVE IT!!! The mall: Fashion Heaven ... my natural habitat! :D I looovvveee window-shopping and freaking out on fashion! :D
You've received a ton of great advice; I'll just throw this in: Make sure you have something to wear to a funeral and a wedding. If you have those two dressy items/outfits, you can finagle almost anything else that's fancy.
Buying things that you can layer well will be advantageous; you get many more seasons out of them and mixing and matching give you more options.
Good luck, and have fun!
Ah, that's good advice too, LilDoberman. I haven't attended a funeral in something like 12 years - somehow I doubt hat trend'll last too long! I do have an upcoming civil partnership to dress for, though - really looking forward to dressing for that.
My trip out on Tuesday was amazing, by the way. I fell ill the day after, and so haven't been around Susan's since, but I wanted to pop back and give a thumbs-up to the advice, now it's been reality-tested. ;D I didn't buy all that I needed to, but I did discover the joy of camisoles! I needed a pink one for Pride (http://www.flickr.com/photos/52422437@N03/4956885003/#) anyway; then I bought more to layer under some fun blouses, suitable to lounge in.
Outfit logic can be cruel too though, as it shows up just what I'm missing. "Come back next time" is not a fun thing to hear when you want closure on a fun day! Everywhere I went, I realised more and more that I need to wear leggings, for example. That'll be an interesting day, when I go out wearing glorified tights...
My own advice is:
- Changing rooms are effectively a mobile phone blackout area. Not very handy when a friend is trying to meet up with you!
- If, like me, your size appears to vary (some shops have me as 18, some as 16.. some styles within the same range differ this way too), it's not enough to just take the larger option to try on. From a batch of garments in sizes 18 and 16, I had some 18s fit well, some 16s fit well, a couple of 16s which needed to be 18, and 18s which needed to be 16s. I never did find pieces in the latter category again, because the likes of H&M womenswear don't seem to keep to plan. Clothes get picked up and hung up again anywhere the wind may blow them. ;)
One thing I have yet to master is trying stuff on
quickly - I felt like I'd spent 20 minutes in H&M's changing rooms. o.O
Hey, I'm glad it went well, but I'm sorry to hear about the illness :icon_bunch:
(I hope it wasn't the flu/bronchitis thing that seems to be doing the rounds).
...and H&M, out of all the outlets I haven't managed to find much that suits me over the years, and it can take 20 minutes just to queue for the changing rooms in the Oxford Street store.. :-\
QuoteI realised more and more that I need to wear leggings, for example. That'll be an interesting day, when I go out wearing glorified tights...
Going back a few years I would agree, but there are some great fabrics and looks around now, so we are no longer just stuck with the old plain black ones.. (I'm in love with a pair of light grey velvet "jean style" leggings I picked up at Next.. ::) )
Sounds like you may be back out for more retail therapy soon ;)
Chrissty
Quote from: Janet Lynn on August 28, 2010, 11:33:52 AM
I began with a trip to the local thrift store. I got a larger wardrobe with little cost.
Another good resource is your local TG / CD groups. Many do periodic "clothing swap" events where you can either just swap your wardrobe for another or also purchase items from other girls in the group. As they're already open to CD anyway its a very safe and great environment to get advice on what works / what doesn't and also to try stuff on and basically have a good time and make friends and possibly get a bit of a wardrobe upgrade.