By J.J. Atwell
Hello again
Glad you are back reading my Stuff.
In the last installment, I mentioned thrifting. Thrifting is going to the pre-owned stores like Goodwill to add to your femme wardrobe. I mentioned it can be incredibly cheap, but it can also be quite a hunt.
A Hunt?
Yes, a hunt. Even odder, a hunt with no real target in mind. You may be going in with a thought of what you need, but it’s almost guaranteed that you won’t find it. However, you are likely to find some treasures. You just never know what you are going to find when thrifting. Unlike going to a regular clothing store for something cute in a large array of sizes and colors, these stores only have one of a particular item.
Think of it like going to a restaurant. OK, not a fancy restaurant, but one that doesn’t have a menu because it is a smorgasbord. What you get either works for you or it doesn’t. If it works, you might find yourself leaving stuffed. And yes, you might go away hungry.
But I Can’t Afford It!
You remember I said in my previous post that thrifting can be a great opportunity to add to your wardrobe very inexpensively. Note the use of the word inexpensively rather than cheaply. Yes, some of us dress cheaply and if that’s your fashion choice, you’ll likely find it at a thrift store. Some of us prefer fancy, designer stuff. You’ll likely find that at a thrift store as well. Basically, just about any woman’s clothing you can think of you will find at a thrift store. Well, perhaps not true for underwear – which is a good thing.
Back to the inexpensive part now. If you go to a Goodwill store, all the merchandise will have a price tag on it. Much of what you’ll see will be under $20. Even better is that these price tags are in various colors. On any particular day, there is a color of the day and goods tagged with that color are half the marked price.
On a recent thrifting excursion, I was able to find some really good buys. I noticed that some were even designer clothes with the original price tag still attached. Amazing deals. I wound up with 20 new outfits (tops or dresses) for an average of $10 each.
I’ll Be Back
Yes, there will be more Stuff. In the meantime, comments are welcome either here on the blog or by email to Jenn6nov at-sign gmail dot com. JJ is always looking for more stuff, so if there is something you would like to read about, please let me know!
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| Wearing Mac Duggal |
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| Christopher Morley and Warren Fremming femulating in the 1972 film All About Alice. This is a femulator-full film with countless males playing female roles. Click here to view this “classic” on YouTube. |
According to their facebook, Morley died late last year, early this year. Not sure when, but somewhere between October and April.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that news about Christopher. I received an email from him back in 2011, in which he wrote, "...how he had never heard of the expression "femulate" before and that he loved it adding that femulate was "so much more accurate than 'female impersonator,'" which he never cared for and "drag queen," which he loathed. Click here to read all about the email I received from that great femulator.
DeleteYes, I saw them declare their pronouns before they died as he/she/they/dirty little secret. That and his reply to you made me confident enough to list him on the trans/genderfluid actors in horror list my friend Robyn Adams had put together (Morley is in Howling VI)
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ReplyDeleteBefore the pandemic hit, I had a weekly ritual. During my lunch break, I'd escape the office routine and head to a thrift store right around the corner. They had fitting rooms, which initially caused some hesitation. Trying on women's clothes in public wasn't exactly on my comfort list. Thankfully, no one notice the skirts and dresses I brought in.
This store was a treasure trove, especially for hosiery. They had a fantastic selection, and whenever there was a new estate donation, I'd be on the hunt for vintage stockings – 60s and 70s finds were the best! My all-time favorite discoveries were designer skirt suits. Scoring a size 12 shoe felt like hitting the jackpot, and I always suspected it might be thanks to another Femulator who purged (but that's a story for another time).
Paula G
JJ here: Thanks for relating your thrifting experience Paula. It can be addicting
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ReplyDeleteI enjoy all of your 'Stuff' postings. Today's post about thrifting is excellent, but it only begins to describe the world of thrift shopping as a way to grow a femme wardrobe. I have a fairly vast wardrobe that is 95% from thrift stores. I have been thrifting seriously for about ten years now and it never gets old. I have, across the years and across the many thrift stores at which I have shopped, acquired many really nice items. I have found quite a few items from Lafayette 148 including new with tags white linen pants, a stunning silk jacket, and several silk skirts. I also regularly find beautiful clothes by Ann Taylor, Chicos, Liz Claiborne, J. Crew, and Jones of New York. And, I have in my collection roughly twenty leather skirts, all from thrift shops. I got a pair of Via Spiga leather ankle boots in my size in like new condition for $4 at a local shop, but shoes are the rarest items to find in my size at any thrift shops. It's a long and fun list. The great thing about shopping thrift is that when I walk in I know that I can, usually, get anything I want there as it is all so inexpensive. The most I have ever paid for an item of clothing was ten dollars for a pair of new with tags Lord and Taylor leather pants.
If you enjoy shopping as an activity in itself then thrift stores might be right for you!
Best to you,
Marissa in Ohio
JJ here: Thanks for the kind words Marissa. I appreciate all my readers. :)
DeleteYour experience finding designer brands and brand new merchandise is very similar to my experience. I must admit I was at times blown away by the deals that could be had. It can also be a bit overwhelming in there.
There was a second hand shop that welcomed crossdressers. A could come all dressed up and the owner was friendly and welcoming. I'd call in advance to ask if it was a good time for me to come by. If the owner told me to come in I'd get gussied up and always receive a warm welcome.
ReplyDeleteAlmost always I'd leave with a new 2nd hand dress or skirt. The shop had a wide range of women's clothing ranging from very affordable to expensive and truly lovely evening wear.
What was really fun was the owner would have me try on outfits which I wasn't brave enough to try on: chiffon cocktail dresses or beautiful evening gowns. Once when I told her that I couldn't afford a beautiful dress she had, the lady said, "just try it on for fun."
It was fun and thrilling. Unfortunately the shop closed. I believe the owner got divorced and was forced to shut down.
I miss it.
Susan
JJ Here: What a great experience Susan! Sad that the shop had to close - it's certainly a place that I would have loved to visit.
DeleteThanks JJ. Whenever I visited that shop and tried on beautiful dresses I really felt like a girl.
DeleteSusan