I don't know how to buy female clothes

[blossom]

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and I'm not sure who could help me learn?

[Lyric]

Well, it's not brain surgery. You go to the store. You pick up something you like.  You take it to the dressing room and try it on. If it fits you buy it. Glad I could help. Perhaps your personal anxieties are making this more complicated than it is. Try to look at the situation as simply what it is.

[blossom]

but how do I know where to even start with choosing?

[Laura_7]

Well you have a few options :
-you can buy used on the internet . Looking from a cozy place at home can be fun ...
there might be shops dealing with used clothing where its easy to return if it does not fit.
It might be possible to order a few nice items in one package.

-buying in second hand stores.
Clothing is often not even sorted by gender there.
So maybe beginning with a few nice pants and a few nice sweaters ...
a skirt of medium length...
and maybe a dress of medium length ...
during hrt its possible size changes so buying used might be a good idea ...

-buying on the internet

And you might look for support groups in your place.
Its well possible there are a few trangender people who go shopping together.


And you might start by looking at a few sizes tables...
https://www.susans.org/wiki/index.php/Clothing_Sizes


*hugs*

[KarynMcD]

but how do I know where to even start with choosing?

What do you mean?
Have you ever shopped for men's clothes?
It works the same way.
You see something you like, you try it on and see how it fits and looks.
If you feel uncomfortable trying it on in the store, shop at a place with an easy return policy and try it out at it home.

[Serenation]

if you are really struggling, just find some people you like the look of, celebs, or fictional characters. Just dress like that. That's how you start, gets more advanced when you have to take into account of dressing for your body shape, age and complexion

[Lyric]

One good idea with things like this is to only concentrate on one type of thing at a time-- rather than trying to do it all at once. Maybe learn all about bras, then shop for them, find out your size and what you like. After you've got bras down, advance to some other clothing item. Eventually you'll have it all down.

This method works especially well with makeup, too. Rather than trying to get everything and do your entire face right at once, start with, say, foundation and a beard cover. Practice and try products until you're doing it satisfactorily. After that, move on to, say, eyebrow pencils. Work you way through these things gradually.

[Stevie]

  You can look at what women that are your age are wearing.

   You could try bootcut jeans, they flatter most body types. You would probably want to get them from the misses or junior section as you can find styles that the hips are not as curvy as women's jeans.

[Dayta]

You might also buy from some place that has a catalog, like Roaman's or FullBeauty (they focus on larger sizes, which is VERY important to me), and then you'll start getting so many catalogs you won't know what to do with them! That may give you ideas on putting outfits together, and keeps a steady supply of new things coming constantly. 

[blossom]

Laura, my head is spinning at all those sizing charts.  Where do I begin?

[Laura_7]

Laura, my head is spinning at all those sizing charts.  Where do I begin?

You could use this:
http://www.womenssizechart.com/

and simply start with the first table.

You might look for your size, and then look for a nice pair of trousers and a nice sweater.
Maybe in black and a bit of a flowing style, so you might wear it in guy or girl mode.

*hugs*

[blossom]

but laura, i have a flat man chest and a big stomach, all those sizes assuming large hips and breasts if your stomach is big whatever will I do

[Laura_7]

but laura, i have a flat man chest and a big stomach, all those sizes assuming large hips and breasts if your stomach is big whatever will I do

Just give it a try.
Sweaters should fit in any case.
Trousers are available in different lengths and in many different styles.

If in doubt you might visit a second hand store and try on a few clothes, to get aquainted with sizes and fits.


*hugs*

[Emileeeee]

but laura, i have a flat man chest and a big stomach, all those sizes assuming large hips and breasts if your stomach is big whatever will I do

I had that too when I started, but it's doable. Get yourself a tailoring tape measure (the flexible kind) and get to measuring. Inseam, outseam, hips, waist, chest. With that you can find a baseline using the sizing charts. A pair of pants, a shirt, some underwear, and a bra. Then after trying them on, adjust the size until you get it right (it will probably be a little off). You can branch out from there. Some crossdresser clothing sites also have sizing charts that convert from mens sizes to womens. I used that myself. There are lots of shoe sizing charts online that have male and female sizes side by side, so you could use that for the first pair of shoes.

It's going to take a little time to figure out if you're not willing to use dressing rooms. There's really no rime or reason to some of the sizes. For instance my daughter wears a 14 and so do I. She's not even a teenager yet. They kind of go up then hit a different age bracket and start back at 0.

Once you get your initial outfit together, I'd watch some fashion shows on tv or the net. There are little tricks women use to enhance their good features and hide their bad ones. You'll want to learn that too for picking out clothing that works with your body best. I get stuff that flairs out in spots that I feel my body is too narrow in, like hips and chest. Color and stripes make a difference too. I use layering to help hide my stomach and take the focus off it.

[blossom]

muchas gracias!

[Laura_7]

muchas gracias!

De nada


*hugs*

[blossom]

Your so awesome laura ;p

[Daphne Alice]

All I do these days is look at women on the street or at work and only see what they are wearing! lol. I'm still a mtf lesbian, but I am so starved for the clothes and things I want that it's all I see. If you are sexually interested in women, perhaps you are conflating your interest in them in a romantic way and your interest in, as I say, being them!

I feel that is an interesting and potentially common issue among mtf lesbians like myself.

Id just try on a cute dress and look at your body in the mirror. You might be surprised how it feels/looks. Best of luck! <3

[Asche]

Laura, my head is spinning at all those sizing charts.  Where do I begin?

The dirty little secret of women's clothing sizes is that the actual size and the size number don't have much to do with one another.  Back when I was married, my wife had some items that were size 20 and others that were size 12.  That's why you have to try stuff on.  If you buy from catalogs, you make sure they have a decent return policy.

I mostly buy from catalogs since I don't like most of what's in the local department stores.  Every women's clothing catalog or website I've seen has size charts.  When I've wanted additional information, I've called customer service.  If they're a decent on-line clothing merchant, they'll have someone who can look up things like hem lengths, sleeve lengths, neck sizes, etc.  (And if they don't, I don't want to do business with them.)

[Asche]

One other secret to buying women's clothes: only buy stuff you really like.  Don't buy stuff you think other people like to wear.  Or what you think other people expect you to wear.

The point of shopping is to go through the millions of "latest fashions" until you find something that calls to you and says, "wear me!  You know you want to!"  Then you try it on.  If it fits, and you like how it looks on you (and you can afford it!!) you buy it.

That's one reason women spend so much time shopping: 99% of what they see isn't to their taste, or won't look good on them.  It's like panning for gold.

Also, if you're just starting, don't worry about whether you'd have the courage to wear it out in public.

For one thing, the point is to hone your sense of style, so eventually you can tell what you like and what you don't.  (And what works on you -- that is, what makes you look the way you want to look -- and what doesn't.)

For another, just because you don't have the guts to wear that bright red spandex micro-mini outside your bedroom today doesn't mean you won't be dying to flaunt it a year from now down at your local watering hole or that upscale mall.  Tastes change with practice.  (Mine have, a lot.)