I was in the market for a LBD (Little Black Dress).  I was in full male mode at the time.  The first store I walked into didn't have one... So, my next store was a Dressbarn.  There I meet Theresa, and she was fabulous.  She sized me up right away and got  me a selection of LBD's to try on, wow I was in Fem heaven.  I thought that typical male I'd be on the plus side, but I'm shopping the Misses side now thanks to Theresa.  I love shopping DB.  Last weekend I even stopped in just to say hi, as Theresa had been out during my prior two visits.  She was there and we had a nice talk even thought I didn't purchase anything. 

I also love to shop Target, specifically for my panty/bra/hosiery but also have a sweater-dress from them as well. 

Then there's the Red Liz Clairborn dress that I picked up from JcPenny's along with a black cardigan sweater.  I know that most department stores I'm not the first TG person in there.  Depending on location, (some people just can't leave their narrow views to themselves) I've been in the regular female dressing rooms.  Funny, they look pretty much like the Men's dressing room (actually pretty much the same with the women's room too: once you've seen one cubicle, you've seen them all). 

So, I recommend you go to a department store during slow hours, maybe just after the lunch hour 2-4pm on a week day would be a prime time, they can peg your size to a couple of options, and you can try them and find the sizes that work for you.  While there are some variations between the different manufacturers, if you're a 20 it'll typically be between an 18 or a 22.  So, getting sized and trying a few on will get you an idea of what works and what doesn't. 

Happy shopping.  I hope you find lot of items you love to wear.

-Alana

Hi Amber,

I would recommend Forever 21 if you are in the process of changing or losing more weight. It's relatively cheap and the styles are up to date.
Do you have any CIS Female friends that can come with you? During my first few visits, I always have a friend with me to get opinions and talk about styles and which bottom or top would go better with it.

Pic below were all bought from Forever 21

Yesterday a TV news report says that "crossover" shopping or 'showrooming' becomes popular here in my country, which means that you can try the cloth offline and purchase online.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/2392441

barbie~~

I am a pretty simple girl and shop at places like Wal-Mart and Target since those are the only places in the immediate area. I also buy clothes on Amazon as well. I love buying my panties at Wal-Mart, you would be surprised by some of the sexy lingerie that they have.

I used to buy only online, but it was hard to get the sizing right and I wasted a lot of money. Then I tried thrift stores, I was too scared to try stuff on so I would just find something that looked close to my size that I liked and would buy that. If it didn't fit, it wasn't a waste of money. I have built up enough confidence now to go to department stores like Macys and Ross and actually try stuff on, and WOW what a difference! It is such a good feeling to purchase something you know will fit and that you like! I would definitely recommend this approach if you can be confident enough and not worry about what other people think. I am still working on building confidence to try on shoes, boy will that be a game changer!

I buy everything online. Favorite clothing site is OneStopPlus.com - Jessica London makes good quality clothing and the prices are unbeatable. There are often 25-30% discounts and I have rarely paid more than $30 or so for a dress. Like most online stores they have a pretty generous return policy so if the size isn't right you can always try another one - I found I got the hang of it reasonably quickly. (Figuring out sizes for some other items can take a little longer . Also like Asos - some really nice work-type dresses but they're a little pricier and delivery takes longer. I've bought shoes through ShoeBuy. Get lots of accessories and other supplies through Amazon. I don't know how far I would get if I had to purchase everything in person.

Grace

So far I've only bought from Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe which are places that my cis female friends typically buy from and I also tend to think has cute clothes. Maybe I'll branch out in time but for now I like buying online the most.

I have ordered on line from Amazon, Forever 21, Kohl's and Long Tall Sally.  I have Amazon Prime and so I get things very quickly from them, sometimes the next day, and they have a great return policy.  I have shopped for things in store at Target, Wal-Mart and Kohl's.  I hope to do more in store shopping in the future as I get further into my transition.