so iv been looking to start wearing more ladies clothes and shoes in private to start with how did you buy your first peice of female clothing did you go into a store and walk past the changing room assistant with a dress in your hand or did you buy it on line and hope that it fit.
second thing is iv fount tall clothing that was easy but size 12/13 shoes is a bit harder has any one got any companies that they like for larger shoes
i do know about bare foot tess but they want $70 just for delivery to the uk, i wouldn't normall spend $30 on delivery

First of all. Normally I don't comment on that here because it's apparently impolite for English speakers, but in this case I feel it's needed. Make actual sentences, use commas and try to make your text easily understandable. I did understand, but painfully and only because it was relatively short. You'll get more results and make repliers happier if you do just that.

Now, on-topic. Clothes: When I went for the first time, I was hypocritical. I went into a store, and complained to the clerk how guys' stuff never fit my butt, and that I needed help to find girls' but not too girly stuff. Now as for REAL girls' clothes, well, I'm going for the first time tomorrow, and at the moment (more so tomorrow when I have fake breasts - oh yes the joys of crappy doses of HRT) I mostly pass, so I won't need any workaround, I think.

Shoes: Many companies make large shoes; however most stores don't carry much or any of them, because they don't sell a lot. So your best bet is going to be the Internet. If you want, you can go into a store, look at some models, try to figure out the proportions (whether they would suit you in a bigger size or whether they're just not made for your feet), write down the model and then go to the manufacturer's website (or some other online store) and see if they have your size. Apart from that, well, you can always try those stores that classify shoes by size, so you can just go where your size is and see if there's anything you like. I think there was something called Payless Shoe Store. Something like that. Dunno if it's international though.

Just to note that women's shoes on amazon.co.uk go up to size 14...

And may want to be careful with buying too much until after a few months of HRT. Losing 4 jeans sizes at the waist and actually dropping a shoe size can play havoc with your wardrobe otherwise.

yh i had thought about that as im on a diet any way but i did not realise i could lose that many dress sizes or even a shoe size

Actually, my female item I brought was a multiway bra from M&S, I dressed en femme and I asked for a young female staff to help me as I was looking for a right size.  I use gel polymer putting underneath the bra.  You are right, I do always feel like women are more easier to get along with when coming to transition especially we are going to be female, not male.  Anyway, she did help me and even she said that I could order it from the shop and collect it a few days later if the size I was looking for was not in stock. Overall, she was very helpful to me.

The second time I brought women's clothing was from Asda.  The old lady (cashier) smiled to me and told me that ''it is a lovely clothes I got''. How amazing experience it was! But of course, you need to get a few female clothes online before you actually can dress en femme for shopping. I really recommend that buying clothes in store is always better as you can try it in the dressing room.  I got a tunic from Tesco yesterday and the woman smiled to me and said '' are you alright? would you need any help?'' What do you usually wear at the moment?

Iv brought underwear before and just made out it was for my gf I have a m and s multi way bar its out of there 2 size bigger range (iv always boobs ok only a-b cup but we all have to start somewhere right) but that bra make me feel great

Sorry, ducking into you girls's section!  Try thrift stores! I work at a conignment store and we actually have a nice collection of women's shoes that are size 9 and up!  It is also easier to try stuff on because there is a smaller amount of people there and usually you just have to count off how many things you have when you try them on.  No worry about trying things on in a woman-only store and no one checking on you every few seconds.  Just find out how many items you can take at a time and just try that many on each time.  I'm in the middle of trying to find boy clothes and that is how I am finding them.  As I hang clothes up I find boy clothes I like, put them in my hold box and then try them on.  Just a thought.

Thanks for the advice and don't worry about ducking into the girls section we are all in the same boat here

I actually got kinda sneaky when trying on clothes, i would grab a couple different size and styles f say mens jeans, i would then mix in a couple of pairs of womens jeans. If most people looked quickly they would see nothing but the mens jeans, once in the fitting room i only tried on the womens jeans. I have also noticed some stores are very TG and CD friendly. I shop at a local Lane Bryant and the girls all love when i come in because they all pick out outfits for me. There is also a local mom and pop store that is TG/CD friendly but only if there daughters are working. Best bet tho no matter what is call the stores your thinking about going to and simply ask how they feel about it and try to go during slow hours instead of peak hours.

When it comes to shoes the best thing i can suggest is having a friend go with you who has the same size foot try them on for you. Really the only thing that gets hard to shop for is panties and swimsuits.

I hope i could help some.
Kari.

I can't remember my first, but I did shop online and I did go to a store with dressing rooms where there wasn't an attendant.

Online shopping was a bit hit and miss for the first time, since I ordered different sizes (to see what size would fit) but after that it's been pretty good, unless the measurements listed on the product page are lies (which happens occasionally).

I went into the store the attitude that I'm a transgender person, and I'm not doing anything wrong by buying female clothes. I did it openly and didn't care who noticed.

I find I need that attitude frequently.

Remember, there is NO SHAME in being transgender.

To answer your second question, I buy my size-12's at Payless, but like others have said, they may not be on your side of the pond.

i totally understand that there is no shame in being trans but where i live this area england people are still old fashioned and being trans is not fully understood or accepted

Actually for me it was not a problem I went with a friend she helped me pick things out in the ladies department in a department store it was J.C Penny's we were on lunch break from work. I was still presenting as male and no one gave us problems. Just picked out a nice skirt and blouse and tried them on paid for them and walked out.

Quote from: wardyjnr on June 13, 2013, 10:10:51 AM
i totally understand that there is no shame in being trans but where i live this area england people are still old fashioned and being trans is not fully understood or accepted

True, so far, did you manage to get anything from store? You could try Matalan too.  However, I really recommend that you should go to M&S as there are always female staff at the women clothing department.  Have you been there before? I am sure that you would be able to try clothing, bra or jean on if you would like to.

I never had any shame about it- even when I was shopping presenting as male. If someone looked at me weird, I would just stare right back at them dumbfoundedly until they would look away.

The funny times were when people would look away, then look right back. Then I would start staring at them with intent. Wide eyes, turn my body directly towards them, until their gaze finally dissipated. It was really rather funny. Sometimes I even started to walk toward people like I was going to talk to them. It's really easy to make people feel awkward when their gaze should just mind it's own business. Stare wars are fun, I think it's best if you just embrace who you are and not be afraid.

Quote from: saraharmstrong on June 13, 2013, 06:57:35 PM
True, so far, did you manage to get anything from store? You could try Matalan too.  However, I really recommend that you should go to M&S as there are always female staff at the women clothing department.  Have you been there before? I am sure that you would be able to try clothing, bra or jean on if you would like to.

F+F at Tesco and George at Asda using self-service checks are a trans-girls dream. I can't say ive had a problem paying at a counter either. Be confident. Measure yourself properly at home first and get what you like. Ive not had a problem with returns or exchanges either.

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