- This topic has 19 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 4 years ago by
.
- Posts
So today I was out of town and was able to go shopping at one of my old favorites,Ross. Great place to get new dresses for cheap but I no longer have one near me! So I had s first today while shopping since I was out of town…I took a leap and even though I was completely in male mode, I decided to try on the dresses I was looking at! And let me tell you, I am in love with big ball gown / evening gown looks, so these were OBVIOUSLY women’s dresses as I walked back to the dressing room. They require you to hang your items up in the center of the isle to count items and give you a tag. The wonderful lady didn’t even bat an eye at me! It was great!! I bought 2 of the three knowing they fit for once! Now here is the kicker…I had such a great time that I looked for another store near where I was and hit it before coming home😋! So this store had 4 beautiful dresses that I wanted to try on…again all of them floor length, big, and colorful! The store was WAY more crowded at this time of day so I was more nervous but kept thinking about how wonderful earlier was, so I walked up with confidence. The lady walked over and made a comment joking about me trying them on. I said yes. She looked at me and said “No seriously…who are they for?” This was starting to make a scene…I got upset and confidently said,”Yes, these are for me and I would like to try them on!” She commented a couple more times and I just confirmed my intent. She finally gave in and gave me the tag which I took to the men’s dressing room along with the very cute 4″ black heels that I found IN MY SIZE!!! SCORE!!! I loved every minute of trying them on and left with a mermaid style dress that I love!
I thank God for people like the first lady who helped me today and hope I opened the eyes of the second woman for the next nervous tgirl she encounters!
I wish I had your courage to go out and shop. Certainly since I am afraid of the reaction like the second lady. I am still in the ‘buying for my wife’ mode. Nice to hear there are people like the first lady, who just let you enjoy shopping.
Thanks for sharing!
Love, Liv
I have tried things on in John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Long Tall Sally. I went with a friend to Marks & Spencer and a couple of assistants wouldn’t let me try on dresses in the men’s changing room. Luckily a third assistant let me, but I was nervous about emerging from the cubicle to ask my friend to check how I looked. I went to the other two stores by myself. Long Tall Sally specialises in clothes for tall women and sells shoes up to size 13, which is good for men with big feet – I have never had petite feet for my age. I booked a special session at the women’s fashion section at John Lewis. I stayed in a room while the assistant chose various items of clothing for me. It was an enjoyable experience, apart from wearing a corset that almost caused me to faint; I didn’t buy it.
I may pluck up the courage to use a changing room in a charity shop. I have been told that I can wear a blue or black skirt when I do some charity work. I bought some skirts from charity shops. One was too small, but two are a bit too long. Perhaps I could have saved some money if I’d plucked up the courage to try on the skirts, but I am still nervous about the reactions of other customers. I went to an LGBT event at Friend last week and one of the organisers said I had nice legs. I’m pleased about that, as one of my friends said I didn’t have nice legs. Hopefully, I can build up confidence over the next few weeks.
I’ve only had the courage to do this once before, but it was with jeans and I hid them to where you couldn’t tell they were women’s jeans. I’m not sure where the original courage came from but it felt, I don’t know, right to finally tell someone face to face that I wanted to wear these beautiful dresses. I’ve been lying to everyone about this for so long in my life and having the first person ever to openly see this and be ok with it was SUCH a reassuring feeling…even if I’ll never see this person again, she gave me a huge blessing. I don’t know what I would have done if the first girl responded like the second. It just bothers me that it is such a big deal when it really shouldn’t be. Most women love to look beautiful so why is it so hard to think that some men might also enjoy that same feeling? Regardless I’m SO excited about these dresses!! I wish I had a ball to go to now👗😋
Hello Ilona; I also shop in drab. I’ve used the changing room in two different vintage clothes stores in my city. The first I tried on two dresses and a skirt. The second, two more dresses and a baby pink teddy. My problem with vintage and formal is fitting my size, vintage is smaller and formal doesn’t have much stretch. I did get the teddy. Check off my wish list.
Congrats Holly. I understand how difficult it can be. Though I have no issues trying on clothes at stores, I usually avoid the changing rooms in the women’s sections, preferring instead to trek my selections halfway across the store to changing rooms in the men’s sections. I know that I do this in part out of courtesy of the female patrons – I don’t want to make any uncomfortable, but some of it is still nerves on my part. I have not yet had the opportunity to use an attended changing room, so I can’t say how I would react.
Mac
I know how you feel Holly however the good ones makeup for the bad.
IIf you don’t let them upset you then you have won.
Any way who cares the dresses were worth it I am certain.
Congrats, Holly. So far, the only thing I’ve tried on at a store was a couple pair of jeans at Target – which has one fitting room area for both genders to use at the same time. Target gives you tag with the number of items you take in, but as you said jeans are easy enough to keep vague when walking in.
It took me years before I had the courage to walk into a store and try on shoes, and eventually jeans, dresses, tops, and even bras.
Most sales people and dressing room attendants don’t pay any extra attention. There have been a few on both extremes, either wonderfully supported or uncomfortably dismissing.
I too had a high and low day once. Visited one store, had a dressing room attendant that was so helpful. Visited another store in the same chain, same day, and had a disapproving dressing room attendant. It was an odd feeling to feel accepted and rejected all in one day.
I still see that rejecting dressing room attendant in one of the stores, but I built up confidence and changed my tactics. Just for my own satisfaction, if I see her, I make sure to pick up the most feminine clothing and bras to try on that day. The look of disgust on her face is priceless as she points me to dressing room – I’m still the customer, no matter what. Sometimes I just go into the dressing room, sit down for a break, and walk back out without even trying on the clothes.
Lea that’s hysterical! That’s definitely how I felt that day. I was so mad that she was giving me a hard time that it gave me more courage to be completely honest and defiant to that woman! Her face when I came out and said I was taking the heels and one of the dresses was priceless 😋
One of my friends said that room attendants should realise that they benefit if people buy goods from their stores, regardless of whether they agree with the choices made. I don’t know whether sellers get commission or not; if they do, it is to their advantage not to be prejudiced. When I had good service at Long Tall Sally and John Lewis, I asked to be able to show my appreciation by filling in a form. I know from experience that being appreciated by customers makes me feel better.
There are some great and not so great experiences here… I have only once tried on clothes and that was in TKMaxx on a weekday so the attendant wasn’t there, but it felt so amazing to openly walk into the changing room with a pair of skinny jeans and a floaty floral top. I loved it, and I bought both!
I quite often visit charity shops and I always get the feeling that the older ladies who work in them are much more accepting than I expect; we chat about the clothes I’m buying, which is always obviously women’s clothing. If anyone ever asks why I’m buying women’s clothes in charity shops my prepared lie is that it’s for my eBay store. Never been tested yet though!
The first time I had to courage to shop as Gina I was absolutely scared to death it would be a negative experience. I went to two different places and the saleswomen at each were absolute professionals and made me feel so at ease. Not every experience since then has been so enjoyable, but the ability to overcome the anxiety has done so much to further Gina’s confidence.
Being extremely new to this ‘buying ladies clothes dressed as a man’ experience, I thought I would share.
Today was the first time I have tried to summon up the courage to buy some women’s items completely in quite ‘blokey’ male guise.
I went to Tesco in Scunthorpe with the intention of getting a nice simple summer dress, and maybe some knickers/tights too. The place was very busy, lots of assistants, lots of customers, and I was just too nervous to actually pick anything off the hangers.
I then went to Pulse & Cocktails (an adult shop) just down the road, and there were two male shop assistants but no customers. One was extremely friendly & helpful, after I plucked up courage to tell him exactly what I was looking for, he helped me get the right size and I did not feel even a slight bit uncomfortable. They did not have any shoes in my size, not dresses, but I managed to get two pairs of lacy knickers, and bra which actually fits me, and a couple of pairs of stockings.
It’s a little bit ‘tarty’ but it’s a start, and I am now determined to get some shoes, dresses, and a nice skirt/blouse combo.
I do feel very nervous, especially as I am a complete closet CD’er for the moment.
It definitely does get easier with time, but I still have days where it’s easier than others. I haven’t been so bold as to walk up with ball gowns to try on while in male mode since this experience though. I think the second lady just shook me too much, but I have gone out 2 times in one weekend in femme mode shopping and it was exhilarating!
- The forum ‘Personal Crossdressing Stories’ is closed to new topics and replies.
Recent Comments