I started wearing only mens clothes last fall, and this has included a lot of hoodies and jackets with tshirts under them. These look pretty good on me, but unfortunately the weather is warming up. I'm having a hard time finding shirts for warm weather that fit me well. I'm fairly big, and everything either fits really tightly across my hips or looks like I'm a little kid wearing a cloth sack. Stuff fitted for women does fit a bit better, but I really don't want to wear those. Any ideas?
I loathe the heat, it reminds me of my binder! Heat is terrible for pre op transguys because its hard to bind in the heat and cover up
I usually switch to thin button up shirts in the summer, sure its not as cool as a T shirt, but I would have to bind really tight for a T shirt, thin button downs are the best alternative IMO, and cargo shorts 9im just waiting for more leg hair before I start wearing those lol
Yeah, having my binder show is definitely a concern. I like button down shirts, but I have the same issue of absolutely swimming in anything that fits my hips. :-\
One of my favourite summer hip concealing items is a light, short sleeved button-up that I wear open. Open button ups in general - good. Closing them can pull across your hips depending on the fit, by leaving them open the specific fit matters less. Also, I have a nice pair of large kid's cargo shorts that fit me well and also help conceal curviness. Layering shirts is good and can help if your binder doesn't work perfectly. My best casual summer wear had a tight shirt under a looser shirt with the open button-up on top, then shorts that revealed my yeti legs.
lol, yeti legs, I've got those toooo.
I'm worried about summer coming up myself, I'm incredibly sensitive to the heat so I'm not exactly sure what's gonna happen. Personally though, I have to say I think the thin button-ups are actually better than t-shirts head wise, so long as they're shortsleeved. I wore this really loose, light one last year and it was infinitely more breathable than even the thinnest t-shirts I owned.
I'm scared about swimming, too. Usually we don't do it a lot but we go once or twice and I'm freaking out already that I'm going to be a big hindrance on my friends over it.
Nikolai, what do you wear under the button up? That sounds like a pretty good idea.
I wear light jackets throughout the summer. But then again I'm very heat tolerant (technically I'm from the desert!).
I recommend the open button up shirts too with a t-shirt under them.
Many guys here wear polo shirts :)
Cargo shorts cover an infinity of sins :) I passed last summer, pre-T, not even trying, in cargo shorts and a close-fitting T-shirt with a sports bra under it. Husband outed me and made me go stand in the womens' line for security screening for a concert, where I had to out myself to the girls who thought I was in the wrong line, and then the male security guards thought I was confused and pulled me out into the empty male line. I still get "she" sometimes in jeans, but cargo shorts = male.
If your torso just isn't even close to passable, throw an open buttonup over your T-shirt.
I usually wear a polo shirt over one regular T-shirt or I waer a t-shirt and then a regular bottom up shirt, Im also scared off summer coming again, it was so much easier now :P
Maybe I'm weird, but I actually prefer summer clothing for passing over winter stuff. I think it's much easier to pass in cargo shorts and a t-shirt or polo as opposed to jeans. Cargo shorts even out hips very well and they are pretty much definitively male. I wear short sleeved button ups sometimes, but like it was mentioned, I run into the pulling at the hips problem. They look odd on me when I wear them open too, so I try not to wear them much. Mostly I wear polos in the summer with a white undershirt. I'm more worried about swimming right now than clothing, lol.
QuoteCargo shorts cover an infinity of sins
This is gospel.
Button up shirts though, be wary...I find that they tend to emphasize things I'd rather not have emphasized. Probably depends on your body shape.
I just wear cargo shorts, and then try to find a shirt that falls in sort of a "boxy" way, if that makes sense. Shirts with patterns or logos over the breasts make things a million times easier in that department as well. If I wear a solid colour shirt it is pretty much guaranteed that they'll be very noticeable.
I went to the beach actually for Spring break and I just wore an old binder with a old shirt, and swim trunks, no one gave me weird looks, I'm not like super skinny, so it kinda makes sense that I'd wear a shirt swimming, but that's just me.
Dark colored T's with graphics, and POLOOOOOOOOOOOS! Stay away from the horizontal patterns on polos, but I've always found the thicker fabric polo's are great when binding, with a T underneath. The Ralph Lauren ones can get spendy, but try hitting up a TJMax or Marshalls.
Cargo shorts cover an infinity of sins
For the win.
Athletic shirts (football, baseball, hockey jerseys) are very cool to wear (temperature wise) and are over sized by nature and opaque. Also I would think a photographers vest would make a good substitute for a hoodie when it's too hot.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=photographers+vest&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=16892237323708570142&sa=X&ei=T4KGTbP2PJCksQPx1 (http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=photographers+vest&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=16892237323708570142&sa=X&ei=T4KGTbP2PJCksQPx1)
Quote from: tekla on March 20, 2011, 05:40:45 PM
Athletic shirts (football, baseball, hockey jerseys) are very cool to wear (temperature wise) and are over sized by nature and opaque.
I disagree with this 100%.
It was only very recently that anyone figured out they could sell MORE athletic stuff - jerseys, team shirts, etc. - if they made different cuts and styles for women.
As a result, the whole oversized/hides all shapes/opaque jerseys are totally common things for women to wear, and they are expected to hide the physical form for most people. So if you go that route, it will NOT help you get read as male better. It will just place as good an emphasis on all the *other* indicia of sex that you've got going.
Basically, a jersey won't out you, but it certainly won't help you pass either.
I also notice that wearing t-shirts with shorts is much better to pass with than a t-shirt with jeans. So you could probably get away with it better in the summer with shorts. Also of course button ups and polos are good too.
With swimming, I wear a muscle/sleeve-less shirt because I think it looks better and more summer-y to swim with than a regular t-shirt.
Quote from: tekla on March 20, 2011, 05:40:45 PM
Also I would think a photographers vest would make a good substitute for a hoodie when it's too hot.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=photographers+vest&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=16892237323708570142&sa=X&ei=T4KGTbP2PJCksQPx1 (http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=photographers+vest&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=16892237323708570142&sa=X&ei=T4KGTbP2PJCksQPx1)
I have that exact vest in my closet. Picked it up for $3 at a thrift store and it's awesome as far as covering my chest when tossed over a short sleeve or long sleeve t-shirt. Thin button downs, one thin t-shirt layered over another thin one, shorts, and basketball shorts are all nice for summer too. Can't wait till I get top surgery and can just wear an A-shirt with a pair of shorts over the summer. Tall-tees are usually reasonably thin and you can help you cover your hips Lee
Quote from: Konnor on March 19, 2011, 12:20:18 PM
Maybe I'm weird, but I actually prefer summer clothing for passing over winter stuff. I think it's much easier to pass in cargo shorts and a t-shirt or polo as opposed to jeans. Cargo shorts even out hips very well and they are pretty much definitively male. I wear short sleeved button ups sometimes, but like it was mentioned, I run into the pulling at the hips problem. They look odd on me when I wear them open too, so I try not to wear them much. Mostly I wear polos in the summer with a white undershirt. .
This is me!
I've glanced at my wardrobe and I've noticed that I only have maybe one or two cargo shorts, whereas I have tons of jeans (just men's carpenter jeans now, I got rid of all my girly cut jeans a while ago). Time to go to Goodwill and Walmart again lol. Since it's starting to get hot here, I've been wearing my binder, a white A-style undershirt, and a button up shirt. Right now I keep my button-up closed because I notice that the binder is a bit noticeable under my undershirt. Am I supposed to wear a T-shirt over my undershirt? Or is there some type of white undershirt that isn't see-through that I'm not aware of? I'm afraid of layering when it's hot out like this and I want to be able to have my button-up shirt open without revealing my binder underneath.
i wear t-shirts/polos and a bit oversized cargo pants/ sports shorts. i partially agree with the sports jersey comment. im wearing a pats jersey rite now with a tank top and my binder underneath, its very breathable and covers my hips quite well. but it all mostly depends on your body type.
Quote from: Kohdy on March 21, 2011, 12:16:03 PM
I've glanced at my wardrobe and I've noticed that I only have maybe one or two cargo shorts, whereas I have tons of jeans (just men's carpenter jeans now, I got rid of all my girly cut jeans a while ago). Time to go to Goodwill and Walmart again lol. Since it's starting to get hot here, I've been wearing my binder, a white A-style undershirt, and a button up shirt. Right now I keep my button-up closed because I notice that the binder is a bit noticeable under my undershirt. Am I supposed to wear a T-shirt over my undershirt? Or is there some type of white undershirt that isn't see-through that I'm not aware of? I'm afraid of layering when it's hot out like this and I want to be able to have my button-up shirt open without revealing my binder underneath.
If I wear a white undershirt, I layer. If I don't want to layer, I wear a nonwhite undershirt (even just ivory/natural cotton colour is more opaque than the bleached white standard undershirt)
If you're wearing a binder I might almost consider that as the "undershirt" with a regular color tshirt or polo shirt over it. It seems it would be awful hot with the binder, an undershirt and a t-shirt.
I also see lots of guys wearing track jackets or windbreaker type jackets even in the summer. Some of the stuff Nike makes for instance is really breathable even though it's an extra layer.
Quote from: Kohdy on March 21, 2011, 12:16:03 PM
Or is there some type of white undershirt that isn't see-through that I'm not aware of?
They are hard to find but there are high thread-count A-shirts and plain white t-shirts that are less see-through. I use a thick one to wear over my binder when I change in the locker room at work when I don't change in a stall.
Kyril: A nonwhite undershirt sounds like a good idea. All I have right now are tons of white undershirts, guess I need to do more shopping soon...
insideontheoutside: Well the problem with my binder being an "undershirt" is it's the tritop underworks style binder and I cut off a few inches off the bottom of my old one (I need to buy more tritops soon, this everyday one is getting ragged), so I'm afraid it looks more like a "sports bra" type thing than an "undershirt". I had to cut it off because I have a gut and it kept rolling up on me and pulverizing my rib cage. I haven't tried the full compression binder from underworks that some people rave about, and I suppose it would better serve the purpose of being an "undershirt" (if only I had the money right now). As for a track jacket, I don't know. I'll consider it a possibility, but seems like a lot of layers for the summer still to wear a light jacket over everything I wear now (in the spring here it's already gotten up to 70-80 degrees F, in the summer it can get to 110 F).
Andrew: Cool, I'll keep an eye out for high thread-count white shirts in the future then.
I tend to wear polos and cargo shorts. Black polos tend to hide everything better for some reason. Maybe its sliming. I don't really know. I've heard shirts with vertical stripes are also sliming and would hide hips better. Haven't really tried it though.
But graphic tees are amazing. I wear t-shirts with a big graphic design on the front. The design tends to distract from anything else.
I think black is very slimming. And I used to wear black Tshirts all the time, but now I'm thinking that I need to wear black/darker clothes on bottom. My chest is tiny (size A without a binder, moobs are invisible when wearing a binder), it's my hips that I need to slim down/turn attention away from. I think it depends on body shape on what article of clothing you wear should be black/dark. If black is slimming, does anyone know what color would widen (for me in this instance, wanting to widen appearance of shoulders so they look bigger than my hips in comparison)? Would that color perhaps be white or bright colors?
Lighter colours can help with widening, but shape plays a bigger role. Heavy fabrics, structured cuts, and proper fitting (fitting closely at the shoulder but not pulling/stretching at the hips) all contribute to the illusion that your shoulders are wider. Tank tops and muscle shirts can also make you look broader, if you don't have binder underarm spillage.
Quote from: Kohdy on March 22, 2011, 08:15:02 AM
insideontheoutside: Well the problem with my binder being an "undershirt" is it's the tritop underworks style binder and I cut off a few inches off the bottom of my old one (I need to buy more tritops soon, this everyday one is getting ragged), so I'm afraid it looks more like a "sports bra" type thing than an "undershirt". I had to cut it off because I have a gut and it kept rolling up on me and pulverizing my rib cage. I haven't tried the full compression binder from underworks that some people rave about, and I suppose it would better serve the purpose of being an "undershirt" (if only I had the money right now). As for a track jacket, I don't know. I'll consider it a possibility, but seems like a lot of layers for the summer still to wear a light jacket over everything I wear now (in the spring here it's already gotten up to 70-80 degrees F, in the summer it can get to 110 F).
Ah ok! I actually had an underworks "compression tank" that I ended up just donating because it did nothing at all for me - like it just seemed like an undershirt style rather than anything with binding capability. I'm anxiously awaiting a "loveboat" one I just bought to see if it makes a difference (had really good reviews) and then I can try just wearing t-shirts all summer :)