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Hi James,
Women’s clothing sizing is confusing to a newbie, and you will find they are not consistent between brands. And if you are buying online, you must beware of Asian sizing. Things to consider: Women’s top are based on the bust, but we have to allow for broader shoulders; rule of thumb, go up one size. Skirts are sized on hip measurement, and the skirts hang on the hips; but we don’t have hips, so waist measurement is critical.
For a baseline: I’m 5′ 10″, 150#, 34 waist, 42 chest (coat size). I wear a size 14 dress, XL top (sometimes L), size 10 Gloria Vanderbilt jeans or skirt (if numbered), and Medium skirts. Size 7 panties. 60-denier tights or hose are opaque and will conceal hair. In hose, the higher the number, the heavier the material. For shoes, try them on first, if possible. Lots of size variation, but mostly go up 1 or 2 sizes from men’s, and most will be Medium, which equals a B; you probably need to buy Wide. Final tip on dresses: Avoid non-stretch fabrics with zippers in back. Hope this helps you shop.
Bettylou
From personal experience, especially buying on line, your first few purchases will either result in too small or too big. After you’ve gotten an idea on sizing you can start narrowing down the measurements and using those items of clothing that fits as a baseline.
For blouses, I try to avoid long sleeves as the shoulder width plays a factor. If you can manage it, sleeveless will eliminate that shoulder width measurement. I have a few cap sleeve blouses and for me the shoulders play a small factor vs the long sleeves.
As for skirts, I have hairy legs and if you don’t want to wear tights then the maxi skirt is the way to go as it will go to your ankles. If you want shorter you’ll have to shave or wear tights (high den opaque ones to hide the hair). I prefer just above the knee skirts, so I wear 2 pairs of high den tights to hide my leg hairs.
Tips? Mine is don’t get discouraged. It’s going to take a while to find out what works, and what doesn’t. For example, some go sleeveless to mask their shoulder width. I wear sleeves to hide my man arms.
In general, I suggest staying away from button down blouse. It’ll look too much like a man’s shirt on most CDs.
Hi
As usual, wonderful advice given, all I would add….if you are going to shop online, make sure the sellers have a good ” returns ” policy….because to start with, probably nothing will fit !!!
best wishes, grace xx
When you buy online, most will have a size chart for a given item. However, this requires that you measure yourself. There will also be diagrams and instructions on how and where to measure yourself. Alphabet and number sizing only serve to get you in the ballpark as there is no such thing as standard sizing for women’s clothes.
Case in point: I have 5 dresses by Sharagano, same style and same fit but different colors. But, by the tags the sizes are 16, 16W and 18. No way to make any sense out of that.
Something else comes into play with women’s clothes and that is fit. The designer may have intended for a garment to fit traditionally, be body conforming or be oversize. Case in point: Some years go I was given a blouse and tank set. The tags said size 8. I am more like a size 16. I could put the tank on, but I dare not inhale. By contrast, the blouse fit. Presumably the tank was somewhat oversized but the blouse was considerably oversized. That made sense as the material was light and flowing.
If you are not going to shave your legs, then the only choices are longer skirts and boots or shorter skirts and opaque stockings. Also, as far and stockings and tights go, you may need Tall or Queen size due to your height. Once again, there will be sizing charts.
If you buy from Asian vendors, pay close attention to the measurement information as the they tend to be undersized with respect to US sizing.
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In general, nice jewelry is the frosting on the cake. If you are an average size male or larger, tiny jewelry will only serve to make the size difference, compared to those Assigned Female At Birth (AFAB), more noticeable and attract attention.
Use colors and patterns to draw attention away from more masculine features. For example, dark colors make you look smaller; horizontal patterns tend to make you look less tall, etc.
Early on I would go to thrift shops and take three tops into the dressing room like a size 8 10 and 12 or a medium larger and x larger to try on for fit to develop what size fits best. Now that I know I am a size 8 I can go to Macys or any big box store and take just two outfits into dressing room to determine which looks and feels best. Some styles may require you moving up or down a size.
Everyone always talks about leg hair so obsessively. No one ever talks about chest hair. As I found out the hard way, women’s tops just don’t look right without something underneath them, a bra or a camisole or both. The fabric can be so clingy and sheer, everything pokes through. The neckline is another concern. Scoop neck, or v-neck tends to show alot of your upper chest. If you’re furry in the chest…. well you get the picture. You might want to consider crew neck or turtle neck tops.
Some girls may wear a nude body stocking to hide all the hair.
Hope this helps. Have fun and enjoy the journey!
Robin
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