8:10 AM POST
I got ready in record time!
Out the door at 6:50 AM. If I went straight to work, I would be about 20 minutes later than my normal arrival at 7, but I had to stop at the gas station to fill up.
I went to the gas station I normally go to. There were no other customers, so I pulled up to the gas pump I usually use, filled up and walked inside to pay up.
The woman who runs the place recognized my car, so she knew who I was underneath my feminine finery, but she said I looked "spectacular" and that she would date me!
I drove to work and arrived at 7:30. Walked in unnoticed, dropped my computer bag in my cubicle and went to the ladies' room to check my self out.
Then I went to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. There I encountered two male co-workers. One jokingly called me "honey" and asked if I was going to Walmart during lunch. My retort was that I was going to Dress Barn!
9:15 AM POST
10:00 AM POST
Friend who knows that I am trans stopped by to see if I was presenting as a woman today. He was happy to see my outfit and remarked that everyone expects me to show up on Halloween en femme.
I said, " I would never let them down!"
The fellow who is in the next cubicle walked by my cube on the way to his and then returned to remark that every year when he walks by my cube on Halloween morning, he wonders who is using my cube!
The director of engineering walked by and remarked that I looked good and that I outdo myself every year.
I am wearing dangly earrings today and each time I move my head, I hear them jangle. I love it!
10:40 AM POST
I stopped by the office of the senior vice president's administrator. She is one of the few women in this location (there are 7 counting myself). She loves my outfits and is someone I would feel very comfortable coming out to.
When I stepped into her office, she said she was just coming over to see me because she was dying to know what I was wearing today. I did not disappoint her ― she loved my outfit.
I can't believe how fast the morning is flying by. I am very busy doing work and very busy being a fashionista!
12:45 PM POST
I did go to Dress Barn during lunch. But before I did, I visited their website to see if there was anything to die for. And I found this: a Cable Knit Buckle Sweater Dress.I fell in love with the dress and drove to the nearby Dress Barn with hopes of scoring the dress. As I walked into the store, I immediately spotted a rack containing that dress, found a size 16 and asked a sales associate to open a dressing room to try it on.
The sales associate was Laura, a woman who has waited on me many times at Dress Barn. Like an old girlfriend, she asked me how I had been and made some small talk as she escorted me to a dressing room.
The dress fit like a glove, so I hung it on the Buy rack.
Laura asked me if there was anything else I'd like to look at and I mentioned that I needed a suit.
She worked with me as I tried on different sizes of skirts and blazers. Eventually, we ended up with a size 16W blazer and a size 14 skirt... both in black and very professional-looking.
A different sales associate rang up my order and with all the coupons and Dress Barn perks I had, I saved over 1/3 off the sales price. While she was ringing me up, she complimented me on my dangly earrings while we chatted about buying more fashions than we can wear.
Then I drove back to work.
1:30 PM POST
It is a quiet afternoon.
A few co-workers stopped by after lunch to check me out. One fellow asked if I brought flats to walk the parking lot (three loops of the lot is a mile). I did bring flats just in case, but my outerwear (a light cape) is inadequate for the weather conditions (50°F with a steady 15 MPH wind), so I told him I would not be walking today.
By the way, approaching hour 7 in heels and my tootsies are fine, although I admit that during 6 of those 7 hours. I have been sitting.
I plan to stop at the mall on the way home. Macy's and Ulta are calling out to me.
2:10 PM POST
Pat asked what shoes I am wearing, so here is a run-down on everything I am wearing: JustFab black sweater dress, Payless nude Janine pointy toe high heels, Berkshire nude thigh high stockings, Avon silver necklace, bracelet and watch, dangly silver clip-on earrings (have no idea where they came from) and unmentionable shapewear undies.
2:50 PM POST
Stana is leaving the building, so this will be my last live blog post. I will catch up with you all later.
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| Wearing Self Portrait. |
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| Stephen Carr femulates in a 1952 episode of television's Adventures of Superman. |
Sounds so exciting, love the re-mark about Dress barn!Liked the story about getting gas also, it's great to show your true self to people you meet everyday! Keep posting!!!
ReplyDeleteI am having one of those times of my life!
DeleteGo Girl - What a treat it is......
ReplyDeleteLooking so lovely... enjoy your being your authentic self! :0)
ReplyDeleteKathi
Thank you, Kathi. I feel so wonderful and true to myself today!
DeleteLove the dress, nice curves! cute shoes, perfect accessories.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Paula!
DeleteDear Stana,
ReplyDeleteBRAVA! You look gorgeous, as always! You go, GIRL!
Love,
Sheila.
Thank you, Sheila!
DeleteEcho the other comments,I used to dread buying petrol but nowadays I love strutting in and out and many times receiving compliments, I know how you feel!
ReplyDeleteYour new slimline presentation is lovely, any tips on how you were able to resist the temptations of good food and drink?
love, Caro.
Thank you for noticing my "new slimline presentation." Basically, I cut down on breads and sweets and avoid eating in between meals. I don't drink much alcohol (maybe one glass of beer per month), so I did not have to cut out alcohol.
DeleteYou look great. Quite professional.
ReplyDeleteThat dress from Dress Barn is really nice.
What shoes are you wearing today. I am not sure if they are the Payless Karmen (of which I have 4 pair in different colors) which I can go 8-10 hours without sore feet.
Pat
Close call on the shoes, Pat. I'm wearing the pointy-toe version from Payless (Janine), but they are just as comfortable as the round-toe Karmen.
DeleteI believe I have one pair of the Janine in black. The are almost as comfortable on me as the Karmen's. Good pick. I do not know how to beat Payless on price, style, size and comfort
DeleteDear Pat and Stana,
DeleteThanks to previous recommendations by Stana, I have 6 pairs of Payless pumps. Half of them are the round Karmens and the others are the pointy Janines. Again, half are in black and the others in beige. One of the black pairs has the duller matte finish (which I tend to wear with more casual or office skirts and dresses). All the others are shiny patent. These Payless models (Karmen and Janine) are WONDERFUL. Relatively well made, and a classic 1960 era pump style with 3" heel. The prices are amazingly affordable. They look wonderful, and they're so inexpensive that you can just replace them when they wear out. They even have a cushioned inside base.
I also exclusively wear Berkshire Thigh-High Nylons in size Queen 2 (perfect for a 6-footer). The Berkshires were also from a recommendation by Stana. I usually wear them as is, but on rare occasions, I'll attach them to garter belt (when I want to look especially feminine in my intimate apparel.
Stana, I'd LOVE to see a photo of you in your new black skirt suit. I love skirt suits, also. And, I suspect like a lot of we T-Girls, a skirt one size smaller than the jacket seems to be perfect. I don't wear padding for hips or butt, so I need a smaller waist skirt size in relation to the jacket size.
Please don't forget to show us your picture in your new suit ... you rarely show us photos of you in a skirt suit.
Love,
Sheila.
Sheila,
DeleteI returned the suit to Dress Barn because I did not like the way it looked on me, so no photos - sorry.
You say you have used a garter belt with the Berkshire thigh highs. I tried to do that, but I could not attach the garters to the thick band at the thigh-end of the thigh highs. The band was too thick to clip the garters on. How did you manage to accomplish that?
You are rocking that dress with your feminine curves Stana. You are an inspiration to us all. Thanks for the live blog!
ReplyDeleteI also went to the office in Office Girl attire today, got great comments from many people including comments on how great my makeup was done.Practice makes perfect.
Patty O
Yes - practice makes perfect. Just wish I had the opportunity to practice more often!
DeleteYou look lovely as usual, Stana! I'm jealous!
ReplyDeleteGlad you were able to do it...
Mandy
Stana, I'm late to the game to offer up comments. Many have offered favorable comments . . . I'll take a different path.
ReplyDeleteWhat, no men offered to hold doors for you? No one offered to buy you coffee, or lunch? No on wanted to take you out for drinks at the end of the day? NO ONE HIT ON YOU? What cads those "men" you work with must be. How can it be that a woman so presenting so beautifully at work is not surrounded by a thousand admirers?
Rest assured, we girls have your back. Maybe next year a bunch of us need to show up and take you to lunch with great fanfare. Think about the optics of that!
So all in all, sounds like today was a resounding success and joyful day for you. Happy happy for you. As always, thank you for sharing your great adventures with us.
Kindly,
Rhonda
Wait 'til next year, as they say in Brooklyn! LOL
DeleteThank you, Rhonda!
I took the challenge! Worked my 10 hour shift in the office, the women in the office mostly seemed to be ok with my choice. I didn't want to be a caricature of a woman, I wanted to look like your typical office woman. Our clientele seemed to enjoy working with me, too. It was lots of fun. And then...I got home. My spouse had a friend come over. We sat and talked for a couple of hours and I suggested going to dinner. I didn't get our of my skirt, blouse and wig. The three of us girls went as we were. So much fun.
ReplyDeleteFantastic, Heather! I'd love to be able to work en femme dealing with civilians, but I am one of those workers who are behind the curtain. Anyways, congratulations!
DeleteThanks Stana! It was fun and I made sure to tell my co-workers that I enjoyed it too. In the office, I'm like the "official greeter." I'm the face of the office who directs our clients to whichever team they need to see. So... I was really out for everyone to see. And, the best thing was that I didn't get any negative comments. One guy said something along the lines of "I hope that is a costume" but that was the closest thing to dissent. Most people smiled and told me how good I looked. I even overheard a co-worker say something along the lines of "takes a strong person to do it."
DeleteWhen the guy said "I hope that is a costume" you could have said "Costume! What costume?" Last year at work, a friend saw me en femme and greeted me with "Happy Halloween" and I replied, "I didn't know it was Halloween!" or somesuch. LOL
DeleteI would love to go to work en femme on Halloween - but I am currently self employed. (Which, I guess, means I go to work en femme MOST days!) I did manage to do it twice in the past 16 years - but that's all. ~~sigh~~
ReplyDeletec'est la vie!
Delete