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I don't know how to buy female clothes

Started by blossom, March 07, 2016, 05:13:19 PM

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Hunchdebunch

Yeah I'm going to second what was said about women's clothing sizes being odd; I might wear a 10 in a vest, but a 14 or 16 in button down shirts on account of my shoulders. It's worth trying stuff on if you can, but if not you could always order more than one size if you're unsure and then return any that don't fit. I've personally found it intimidating to try on men's clothing in store, but finding out what size shorts (or whatever item of clothing) I need in a particular shop is very valuable and usually then means I am able to order clothing from them online (in the comfort of my home!), now knowing what size should fit.
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Kulena

Measures around your chest that will tell you what size of bra to buy,and you need to decide cup size that depends on what size are your breast forms
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blossom

Thank you again everyone, but Asche, why did you pick that avatar of Oscar the grouch?
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SimplyThea

I had very similar anxieties when I first started buying women's clothes because it seemed like a completely foreign world to me and a couple of the outfits I bought at first I absolutely hate now, but if you just try different things and pick what you think you look good in you'll slowly start to figure out your style. Also if you can find a close female friend to go shopping with you whose opinion you trust then that might help you get the ball rolling as well since that is what I did.
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blossom

Oh simplythea, what I'd do for a close female friend :'(
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Allykitty82

I also suggest double checking to make sure that if you order online from ebay or the like that you verify the measurement. I ordered what was listed as a size 18 slacks and when they got here they were an 18 alright. !8" waist laid flat.

I've also had tops vary slightly inside labels. This is something that even Cis girls deal with though. Trial and error and try it on when you can.
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Asche

Quote from: blossom on March 26, 2016, 03:57:20 PM
... Asche, why did you pick that avatar of Oscar the grouch?

Because I feel like I'm so disagreeable and negative a lot of the time.  It sort of says, "yeah, I know what I wrote was kind of negative, but what can you expect from a grouch like me?"
"...  I think I'm great just the way I am, and so are you." -- Jazz Jennings



CPTSD
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FrancisAnn

You poor girl. Find a girlfriend & go thrift store shopping!!! Have fun, enjoy the colors & styles that you like, try on lots of things, dresses, blouses...shoes.....Shopping is such fun. I'm going thrift store shopping today.
mtF, mid 50's, always a girl since childhood, HRT (Spiro, E & Fin.) since 8-13. Hormone levels are t at 12 & estrogen at 186. Face lift & eye lid surgery in 2014. Abdominoplasty/tummy tuck & some facial surgery May, 2015. Life is good for me. Love long nails & handsome men! Hopeful for my GRS & a nice normal depth vagina maybe by late summer. 5' 8", 180 pounds, 14 dress size, size 9.5 shoes. I'm kind of an elegant woman & like everything pink, nice & neet. Love my nails & classic Revlon Red. Moving back to Florida, so excited but so much work moving
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Rin-likes-rain

I agree that you should wear what you like. But I think you're looking for more advice than that. Like what's your color? How do you dress for your body type?

Finding your color is really complicated. Cool toned means cool colors like blue, green. And warm meaning warm colors like red, orange, etc. You can be both too. But check to see if the colors make you glow, or make you look drained.

1. Check Your Veins
Push your sleeves up right now and look at the veins on the inside of your wrist.  Are they blue or green? If they look more blue, you likely have cool undertones. If the veins look greenish, you're warm. It's worth noting, warm girls, that you're veins aren't actually green—they look it because you're seeing them through yellow-toned skin (yellow + blue = green.)

2. Eye and Hair Color.
Your natural eye and hair colors can help figure out your coloring. Customarily, cool people have eyes that are blue, gray, or green and have blond, brown, or black hair with blue, silver, violet and ash undertones. Conversely, warm-toned women usually have brown, amber, or hazel eyes with strawberry blond, red, brown, or black hair. Their hair tends to have gold, red, orange, or yellow undertones.


As for your body type, there are several.

The triangle, hips wider than your shoulders

Wide necked shirts like ones that hang off your  shoulders are the way to go. they widen your shoulders. Poofy skirts and tight fitting jeans or skirts will emphasize your hips.

The inverted triangle, shoulders wider than your hips.

Most trans women fall under this category. Avoid wide necked shirts, horizontal stripes, poofy sleeves, or any sort of decoration like frills around the neckline and shoulders. These will make your top look wider. try shirts that hug your neck or are sleeveless paired with a poofy skirt (a circle skirt or something to add volume to your hips).

hourglass, shoulders, breasts, and hips equal in ratio with a smaller defined waist,

this is considered the ideal body type.

boyish/box, shoulders and hips of equal ratio with a less defined waistline and usually smaller chested.

Also considered an ideal body type. This is by far the easiest body type to dress. You want to avoid anything that hugs your figure too much because it will show your lack of figure. Poofy skirts, shirts with frills, those will add volume to the places you need or want them. Empire dresses are really the way to go with this body type. (tight around the bust and then falls without hugging your body). These give you a feminine appeal that hides your lack of a waist. I think empire dresses are adorable. They just look so cute and innocent to me even without sleeves.

The apple, wider waist than hips or shoulders.

This is the hardest to dress.

First of all, since a lot of attention is going to be drawn to the top part of your body, get yourself a good fitting bra.
Tops that highlight your body at the slimmest point which is often just underneath your bust. They should have enough space for your belly but not be too wide. Buy t-shirts that are ruched in the middle. This will confuse the eye and you can't tell that there's a big tummy underneath. Get Tops with a V-neck to break up the size of your chest and create a vertical line. Look for tops with a thicker texture that don't cling so much. Woven tops can be great.

Get trousers that have zippers at the side to avoid adding extra bumps on the front.
Trousers should be flared or straight and not cling to tummy or thighs unless you are opting to create the long and lean silhouette using vertical lines (see above). Avoid pleats. Also choose jeans that are tailored and  either straight or flared. Trouser jeans are ideal. Pants with a high rise will create a nice silhouette. It's best to get trousers with some stretch for extra comfort and a good fit.

Layer with a long cardigan or a long sleeveless vest. Make sure the top underneath is not too short. Try to have v-neck lines with your long long jumper or tops underneath the layering piece. Longer tops and jackets that skim the body can be worn with leggings or skinny jeans


It's worth mentioning that male body types tend to hold their weight in their shoulders, and feminine body types hold it in their hips, so you want to create as much hip-defining illusions as possible. There are special things designed to give you hips.

If you want to know more about your body type, then just google each of the body type names.
Everything fades.
Not just happiness
but sadness too will fade.
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blossom

Wow AcesAlex, you really took a lot of time to write that reply. Thank so much to you and everyone else.
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Soli

yea cool  AcesAlex, thanks for the cool and very informative post  :)
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Cindi Jones

Quote from: blossom on March 07, 2016, 05:13:19 PM
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and I'm not sure who could help me learn?

I haven't read through all the posts. You live in the Bay Area. How lucky for you! There are many support groups there. It's been a while since I lived there but there was an  ETVC organization in the city. Google: ETVC San Francisco  That should bring up several other groups as well. Go and ask questions. Look what others are wearing and what looks good. ETVC is a crossdresser organization so they will tend to dress nice. Okay, you aren't a cross dresser but you need that exposure. I won't explain why but it may become self evident to you.

There are other organizations in the bay area. Before you spend a lot of money, take advantage of a free (or low cost) resource. You'll find friendly people who are willing to at least provide some advice. Some may know where the best places to shop are.

Good luck,
Cindi
Author of Squirrel Cage
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Rin-likes-rain

Quote from: blossom on April 01, 2016, 04:08:09 PM
Wow AcesAlex, you really took a lot of time to write that reply. Thank so much to you and everyone else.

I just like fashion. And I'm not gonna let you walk into a store scared and not know what you're doing. I want you to walk in and out of there confident and fabulous.
Everything fades.
Not just happiness
but sadness too will fade.
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FrancisAnn

Just go shopping & less time talking about it. Start with shape wear, panties, bras, jeans, blouses, earrings, shoes.......Have fun. Ask women friends to help you become a nicer girl or woman, most all will help you, go shopping with them.
mtF, mid 50's, always a girl since childhood, HRT (Spiro, E & Fin.) since 8-13. Hormone levels are t at 12 & estrogen at 186. Face lift & eye lid surgery in 2014. Abdominoplasty/tummy tuck & some facial surgery May, 2015. Life is good for me. Love long nails & handsome men! Hopeful for my GRS & a nice normal depth vagina maybe by late summer. 5' 8", 180 pounds, 14 dress size, size 9.5 shoes. I'm kind of an elegant woman & like everything pink, nice & neet. Love my nails & classic Revlon Red. Moving back to Florida, so excited but so much work moving
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Olivia86

Quote from: blossom on March 07, 2016, 05:13:19 PM
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and I'm not sure who could help me learn?

Ebay and amazon have been very helpful to me. Start with something cheap to get how certain sizes fit you. For the most part I am a large to XL. You can also take measurements of you bust(chest), waist, and hips. No one can help you with what type of style you want you have to figure that out yourself. I love camisoles because you can sleep in them and wear them out. I found cute skirts for a dollar on ebay and shorts for dress for a little more. One bit of warning do it slowly if you can because it will add up quickly I spent 80+ dollars on underwear alone and only like 40 dollars maybe less on shirts and skirts. Window shop as well online. it helped my find the style I liked and also made me wish I had 2k dollars to spend.
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blossom

cindi james, i tried googling that, but there meetings are now in walnut creek.
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blossom

acesalex, why did you pick that profile picture?
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Denise

The suggestion I received was to go through some fashion magazines cutting out pictures of what I liked and didn't like.  That will help you to figure out a style fit you.  Make sure it's age appropriate then go to a department store (in the US, the suggestion was either Macy's or Kohl's). 

I have put both guy and girl clothes in a cart and went into the dressing room.  Put the guy clothes back and checked out.  Next time I probably skip the deception since no body cares.

I did have a cashier make a big deal about buying for my wife, her assumption.  I commented to the manager that she should warn clerks to "not bring it up and/or drop it" it's none of their business and it could make the customer nervous.

She was appreciative of the comment and I think she understood my concerns.
1st Person out: 16-Oct-2015
Restarted Spironolactone 26-Aug-2016
Restarted Estradiol Valerate: 02-Nov-2016
Full time: 02-Mar-2017
Breast Augmentation (Schechter): 31-Oct-2017
FFS (Walton in Chicago): 25-Sep-2018
Vaginoplasty (Schechter): 13-Dec-2018









A haiku in honor of my grandmother who loved them.

The Voices are Gone
Living Life to the Fullest
I am just Denise
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Rin-likes-rain

Quote from: blossom on April 08, 2016, 05:12:16 PM
acesalex, why did you pick that profile picture?

I drew it. Rain Dove is an androgynous model and is the reason I discovered being non-binary. She's kind of my inspiration.
Everything fades.
Not just happiness
but sadness too will fade.
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blossom

I'm afraid to go into the girl's section. I wish I had someone to hold my hand and take me there.
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