First boutique shopping experience

Over the past two years I have shopped for my fem clothes in charity shops and places like Walmart, places where I can be sure I will not be approached by a sales assistant. Over the past few months, since accepting crossdressing as a genuine part of me I have been trying to better understand what I like about clothes, what attracts me and why. Initially I was attracted to impractical, but exotic clothing, mostly "sexy" underwear and small, tight dresses. I am aware that most CDs go through a phase like this as they discover their fem side and as that side gets more exposure it matures in a similar way to a GG.

I am 43 and although it would be exciting to dress like a 18 year old I think I would feel trashy and I'd loose a bit of respect for my self. My goal for the coming months is to find dress sense, find what makes me comfortable and what allows me to maintain respect for my fem side. Also, I need to learn simple stuff like names of garments, my size, how to combine different items... stuff that GGs learn from their mothers and peers.

To this end I decided to visit a women's apparel boutique. I had noticed a place called the Gazebo, next to one of the charity shops that I often shop at. It is located about 400km from my home, but I pass it regularly on my way to the job site (I work weeks on and 2 weeks off). I figured I'd be unlikely to meet anyone I know there and that it would be a pretty safe place although I was still anxious about how the sales assistants and other customers might respond. A few weeks ago I reached out the the store through their facebook page:

Me>This might seem like a slightly odd question, but do you cater to male clients?
Gazebo>Yes we have a men's wear store.
Me>What about men that are looking for female clothing, would they be welcome at the Gazebo?
Gazebo>Yes everybody is welcome!!

So pretty receptive...

While returning home from the last rotation of the season I decided to take the plunge. To take out some of the guess work for the sales assistant I decided to wear a floral top with half length sleeves under my puffy down vest. Enough to be a nod to someone paying attention, be subtle enough that I would not get lynched while crossing the parking lot.

After about 5 minutes sitting in the car questioning my choices I decided to go for it, what is the worst that could happen? I stepped into the store, the door chimed alerting the two assistants, one male, one female, to my presence in the store.  The male assistant, an older gentleman greeted me with a comment about the weather, it was sleety snow outside. I was stuck like a deer in the headlights for a second, but managed to make conversation about the weather. I then glanced around the store and a beautiful and baffling array of women's tops, dresses, coats, shoes... all very expensive looking and perfectly laid out. I turned to a rack of tops and started looking without having any idea what I was looking for. The male sales assistant approached me asking if I was looking for something for the missus, but he did not wait for a response before he started showing my some sparkly cocktail dresses. he asked if I was looking for anything in particular and I said not really, just looking for inspiration and commented on what beautiful stuff they had. He retreated to the cash desk where the other assistant was watching from. I continued looking through dresses and tops, totally blown away by the quality of the garments, they had a weight and texture to them that I had not witnessed before.

After watching me fumble my way through racks of clothing the male assistant returned and asked "are you shopping for yourself?" I responded "yes". He reassured me that he was fine with that. I explained that I was pretty new to this [shopping for female clothing] and that I didn't really know what I was looking for, but I'd probably know when I see it. While I continued looking at tops he bustled around the store gathering up articles to show me. I explained that I didn't really know my size and he suggested I try some things on and that he could hang a range of sizes in one of the fitting rooms. Between us we picked out a black, glittery sweater dress, some black pants with a shear opening up the outside... like a semi transparent window from the knee down (like I said, I need to learn the names of stuff). He also noticed me looking at a light brown sweater dress and suggested I try that, I agreed. Then I asked about shoes and told him I was looking for a simple heel boot, but again wasn't sure of the size. We picked out a nice simple style of boot in a size 10 and 11. Then I spotted the 75% off rack tucked away in the back of the store. I could see why many of the items were discounted, they were not the most inspiring, but I searched from one end to the other and found a ruffled brown satin skirt with velvet textured pattern and lace trim and a cream, lacy top with camisole. The top and skirt must have been the remnants of their fall collection, they certainly had a rustic, autumnal feel to them. I asked if they could add them to my collection in the fitting room.

The time had come to try the clothes on. I entered the fitting room to find myself surrounded by full length mirrors, a collection of clothes carefully hung on a rack and a pile of shoe boxes on one end of the small bench seat.

Hmm, where to start, I suddenly realized that I'd need to take a logical approach if I wanted to try different combinations without being in there for the rest of the day. I was under dressed with black tights so I figured I'd try the skirt, lacy top and heel boots first. The skirt went on pretty easily once I discovered the zip. The top with the camisole inside was a bit more of a challenge until I realized that the camisole was a separate garment that I could take out and put on first. The satin/velvet skirt was heavily pleated and ruffled and the fabric was quite stiff, the top was very lacy, slightly scratchy, but not uncomfortable so. The outfit had a rustic beauty that really appealed to me. Once I had it all on I checked the mirrors and was pleasantly surprised. Although the clothing was very feminine it did not look out of place on my very male body. Looking down I felt a bit flat-footed, so I tried the size 10 heel boots... too small. I tried the size 11... a perfect fit, the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn! The top and skirt went in the keep pile, but sadly the shoes were $150, which while a fair price was more than I was prepared to spend on shoes that will never leave the house. Next, the brown sweater dress. I put it on and was struck by the heft of the tightly knitted fabric, it was form-fitting, but not tight and hung perfectly. Looking in the mirror It certainly looked nice and I could see it would look beautiful on a female figure, but was wasted on my boxy frame. after a few more looks I hung it on the return rack. Next the black, glittery sweater dress. It was slightly lighter weight but fit just like the brown dress, but looked a bit more formal. I wanted to see how it would look with the black pants. so off with the shoes and the tights and on with the black pants. First I tried the large, then the medium, then the XL. I found the large was the best fit. I checked the mirror again. I liked the dress and pants combo. I am not sure how I would describe the look as the dress was kind of semi formal and the pants more casual. While I liked the clothes I could see that they didn't suit me as much as the skirt and top so I put them on the return rack. I got back into my mostly male cloths, gathered up the skirt and top, took one last look at the rack load of clothes I was leaving behind and headed out of the fitting room and nervously approached the cash desk.  I don't remember much of what happened after this point. I was so nervous, I had tunnel vision could only mutter a few words. The assistant asked how things fitted and if I liked them. I told him yes, things fitted very nicely and I liked everything, but I can only take the skirt and top. he offered to put other items on layaway and I declined. After paying for the clothes I made a point to thank the assistant for his help and understanding and I shook his hand.  I then headed back out to my car for the remainder of the 1000km drive home.
I feel that it is important to acknowledge how understanding, helpful and discrete the assistants were, so I took some time once I returned home to reach out again through their facebook page and thank them. I also asked permission to add them to the places list on CDH, which they gave.

All in all a very intimidating but very rewarding experience.

Please take a minute to visit their facebook page

and show some appreciation for a welcoming and receptive little store.