I've been crossdressing off and on for almost 30 years, but have never had the courage to go out in public. It was only about 3 or 4 years ago that I got the courage to tell clerks that I was shopping for myself rather than always looking for "gifts". I've gotten fairly comfortable shopping in male mode and have tried on clothng probably one hundred times in different places, always some distance from where I live. I've found hree specific Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug and Dress Barn stores that were always very accomodating and always made me feel welcome. (Although I've always been treated like any other customer everywhere I've shopped) In fact one of the clerks (Nancy) at Lane Bryant knew me by name and asked me some questions about my crossdressing, including whether or not I was going to "have an operation". (I told her no, I just loved wearing girls clothes.) We became quite friendly and she would suggest things she thought I might like, including suggesting one time that I try a specific bra because it was one of her favorites and often suggesting shoes, since we wore the same size (12W). She was always very supportive of my shopping and seemed to take a personal interest in me.
Yesterday I finally worked up the courage to get dressed up and go out. I reserved a hotel room so I would have a place to change. On the way to the hotel I decided to stop at Victoria's Secret and look at their "Miraculous" bras. I had bought one of their "Very Sexy" bras "as a gift" recently so I thought I knew the size I needed. I walked into the shop which had a few other customers and walked around for a minute or so until I saw a sign for the Miraculous bras. One of the sales clerks came up to me and asked if she could help me. I told her I was interested in the Miraculous bra, that I usually bought 38B but they didn't come in that size, so I wanted to try 38C or maybe 36B. She said "is this for a wife or girlfriend or?" Her voice seemed to sense it might be for me and I told her it was for me. Great, she said, would you like me to measure you? I told her sure and proceeded to show me the bras they had in 38C. "This one is great," she said. "I wore it under a white blouse yesterday and it didn't show at all." I told her I was looking for something sexy and we found a white one with some lovely eyebrow lace. Then she also showed me their new Unforgettable bra in a 38B. She showed me a beautiful lavender bra which she said she just loved. She picked that up also took me to the dressing room where she measured me over my clothes (I wasn't wearing a bra) and said I might be closer to an A cup. She left to look for a couple other bras to try. She returned to check on me and when she asked if I'd like her to take a look I told her yes. In all I tried on 4 different bras and she came in each time to see how they looked and help adjust the straps a bit. She didn't really like the other two she brought, but the white with the lace she said "that looks great!" and the lavender Unforgettable was "ab fab!" Needless to say I bought both of them and happily headed off to the hotel to change. What a wonderful experience!
It took me almost an hour to put on makeup, get dressed and make myself feel I was ready for my first time out. I wore black capris, gladiator sandals, a pink camisole and a black blouse with large ruffles in front. I had on the Miraculous bra, which is supposed to increase you by two cup sizs so I was a 38D. My toenails were painted a bright pink and my fingernails had a clear polish. I wore a black and silver necklace, and black bracelet and black and silver clipon earrings. I was amazingly calm as I left the room and got into my car.
I went to Lane Bryant first and was greeted by a very friendly clerk who had waited on me before a few times in guy mode. She told me about some of the sales they were having and let me look. She didn't act any different than with any other customer although I am sure she figured out I was a guy. I found one item I was interested in and she asked if she could start a dressing room for me. She asked for my name and I said Veronica. She smiled and took the item from me. As I continued to look I suddenly saw Nancy come toward me and exclaim, "you look great! I'm so glad to see you!" While that was great, I was actually a bit disappointed as I had hoped I looked so much different that no one would recognize me. As I continued to look, the other clerk helped me find some other items and I entered the dressing room. As we were entering the dressing room I asked the clerk "do I look okay? This is my first time out in public." She told me I looked great and complimented me on the coloring in my makeup.
Nancy continued to find other items she thought I might like and gave them to me over the top of the dressing room door. She said things like "I want you to try this Veronica" and "I want to see you in those palazzo pants Veronica". She kept using my name and making me feel very good about being there. I opened up the dressing room door a few times to let her see how I looked. She gave me a pair of boots and told her some woman had just returned them because they were too big in the calfs. She told me the palazzo pants and the top I tried with it looked very elegant. She told me the boots made my feet look smaller (they do) and gave me some height (I'm 6 feet tall without them). I spent over an hour there and it was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life, being truly accepted and having someone really cheering me on. As I was checking out I asked Nancy if I looked okay, as it was my first time out. She told me I looked great and that when I first came in she saw me and said to herself I know that lady looks familiar but couldn't remember me until she suddenly figured out who I was. She asked if my wife had helped with my makeup and I told her no. She said I'd done a good job but I might want to use a bit less rouge next time. She also told me that they had weekly dances in town that were $5 to get in and I might want to consider that to expand my social experiences. I was shocked and said probably not tonight. She said she knew that but maybe another time. I took it as a good sign that she thought I could actually go to a dance dressed as a girl. The original clerk had gone home for the day while I was in the store and two other clerks were there with Nancy when I left. One of them was at the counter as I was checking out and complimented me on some of the items I was buying and the other clerk said goodbye and told me to come again as I left. They all seemed to treat my just like any other girl!
I went to Dress Barn and Fashion Bug also. I tried on some dresses at Dress Barn but didn't find anything that fit well. The clerk was very professional and didn't say anything unusual, but had me use the dressing room in a separate area from the main dressing room area, the same place I've gone when I shopped in male mode. At Fashion Bug they acted like I was any other customer, let me go back to the dressing room and mentioned how much she liked the camisole I bought as I checked out.
All in all I can't imagine a better experience for a first time out. I can hardly wait for a chance to do it again.
