Various Topics of Interest

I wear clip-on earrings, but they are getting harder to find. Avon stopped selling them and last time I visited the mall shopping for them, I came home empty-handed. 

A few days ago, while placing another Amazon order, I thought that since Amazon sells just about everything, maybe they sell clip-on earrings, too. A quick search revealed that they do sell clip-ons and I ordered two sets (these* and those*).

They arrived today and I am happy with y purchase. A nice feature is that unlike the clip-ons I already owned, the clips on these are tiny and look like pierced earrings.

👠👠👠

I was very surprised to learn that Virgin Atlantic Airways announced updates to its gender identity policy that include allowing staff to wear gender pronoun badges and eliminating the gendered uniform requirement. Now, Virgin staff can select which uniform they want to wear. (Source: LGBTQNation)

To add icing on the cake, Virgin Atlantic job applications doubled after they allowed women to wear pants and men to wear skirts. (Source: LGBTQNation)

Wow! I think I would feel very comfortable flying en femme on Virgin Atlantic!

👠👠👠 

My good friend Ann Onymous, commenting on yesterday’s post, wrote, “We need a photo of Stana in the dress...”

A photo of me wearing the Venus cocktail dress appears to the above right. I was a little hesitant publishing it because after viewing it, I thought it would look better if I was wearing dark sheer hosiery rather than the black opaque tights.

And so it goes.

* These links go to Amazon.

Wearing Boston Proper

Virgin Atlantic flight attendants wearing his/her uniforms. You can view Virgin Atlantic’s short video introducing the new uniform policy on YouTube. 

All Dressed Up...

In July, I ordered a green sequins cocktail dress from Venus. When I placed the order, Venus informed me that it was back-ordered. That was not a problem because I had no cocktail parties scheduled in my immediate future.

During the summer, Venus regularly emailed me that the dress was still back-ordered with a tentative shipping date in late October and an option to cancel at any time. I wanted the dress and did not cancel.

The local LGBT group has a big dressy event in the fall, which I have attended in the past. This year, the event was scheduled for early November, which coincided nicely with the delivery of the dress in late October. Now I had someplace to wear the dress, but I had two issues: my knee and the events $200 price of admission.

I had an appointment with my knee doctor three weeks before the event. If he gave my knee a shot, my knee might be in good enough shape to attend the event. He did give me the shot and three weeks later, my knee felt great.

The dress arrived on time, looked great and looked good on me, so I was moved to spend the tax-deductible $200 for a ticket to the event. After all, where else could I wear the dress before the meds in my knee wore off.

Diana had contacted me previously about attending the event with her (a girls’ night out). I told her about my issues and said I would get back to her. Now that all systems were go, I contacted her, but she was stuck on the Cape and could not attend. I did not want to go alone, so I cancelled my plans.

I don’t know where I will wear the dress... maybe a Christmas party. Meanwhile, I am all dressed up and nowhere to go.

Wearing Venus

Students at the Russian Imperial School of Jurisprudence emulating gypsy men and women, circa 1910.

An Arrival from Venus

Mailman delivered yet another package from Venus (the clothier, not the planet). 

I am a sucker for houndstooth and I could not resist adding this A-line houndstooth dress to my wardrobe. The only issue was answering the universal question of girls who order clothing online: Will it fit?

Out of the package, I had my doubts, but the proof is in the putting on the dress. So I slipped out of my boy lingerie and slipped into my girl shapewear to find out.

The dress is figure-hugging above the waist, then flares out below the waist “to create a flirty A-line silhouette.” It is short, falling about mid-thigh, but when has a short hemline ever stopped me before! The dress does not suffer from the loose button syndrome and its sleeveless sleeves are not an issue as I have thin lady arms. So the dress is a keeper and I hung it in my closet to wear in the near future.

The question is when is the “near future?”

I am still doing physical therapy with six more sessions approved by my health insurance, but I am very close to being ready to go out en femme. I am not high heel ready, but flats will work and I would like to go out about the time of my last physical therapy session.

Who knows? By then I may be high heel ready, but heels or flats, I’m going out and weather permitting, this confection from Venus will be what I will wear.

Wearing Roberto Cavalli

Femulating at Tuntenball

Friday Femulations: Update

Regarding today’s Friday Femulations post, Fiona commented, “Love the blue, both the color and the cut. You have the figure of a much younger woman. One point - shoes are part of the outfit, and we do not see them...”

So as not to disappoint, here are photos with shoes (Payless Christian Siriano Habit nude pumps).

Friday Femulations

I had a Zoom meeting en femme on Tuesday, so before the meeting, I had an opportunity to model the two dresses I recently Christmas-gifted myself from Venus.

The pleated turtleneck sweater dress is perfect for this time of year in frigid New England and it fits me like a glove. I like it so much that I have the same dress in black, too.

In the past, I avoided turtlenecks because it was difficult to put one on without smudging your makeup. 

One solution is to get dressed first and then do your makeup with a towel or some such over your shoulders to prevent makeup crumbs from messing up your clothing. I tried that once and it worked, but keeping the towel in place while applying makeup was a pain. 

Another solution, which I now use, is to put a plastic bag over your head after applying your makeup and slip your bagged head into the turtleneck. Works like a charm.

The animal print ruched dress is very sexy and shows off all my curves. It is also mid-thigh short, but short hemlines have never stopped me before! I will wear it to the next cocktail party I’m invited to.

And, yes, I am wearing a new hairdo: Maura from Paula Young. 

And, yes, I know it is an inexpensive wig, which runs counter to my recommendation not to go cheap when buying a wig. It was a spur-of-the-moment purchase – what can I say?

Speaking of wigs... 

I was watching Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC yesterday and fell in love with her new hairdo. And I wondered if I could find a wig like her new do. 

After a little Googling, I found a Raquel Welch wig (Upstage) that is a reasonable facsimile of Andrea’s hairdo (see below). Upstage is available in a large cap size, which makes it even more attractive, but I am a little hesitant about making the purchase because it is expensive, but that has never stopped me before! 

And so it goes.

Wearing Bebe

Helene Tagada, a Femulate reader from France

Review: Venus Floral Printed Velvet Dress

I always wanted a Cheongsam style dress and when I saw this offering on the Venus website, I quickly placed an order and received the dress in the mail 10 days later, which is atypical for Venus – usually their orders take longer to arrive.

This is a bodycon dress made of stretchy, figure-hugging velvet in a seductive style designed to show off your every curve. The velvet is so soft and comfortable that although it is like wearing a second skin, it does not feel tight because it stretches as you do.

I ordered a size 16 and as you can see, the hem falls just below the knee. The sleeves are a little short (my arms are too long), but I don't believe that it detracts from the overall look of the dress  

The only qualm I had before ordering the dress was its high neck collar. I was concerned that the collar would ruin my makeup when I slipped into the dress. However, I had nothing to worry about because the collar has a zipper in back to facilitate getting the dress on and off.

I like the dress a lot and I plan to wear it to the next cocktail party I attend.

Wearing Bebe

Yet another one of the “Millions” on the Internet

Men are from Mars, but they can wear Venus

By Jeanine Williams

I was prompted to write this Femulate entry when I saw the lovely Carollyn Olson’s photo wearing the “Lace Detail Sweater Dress” from Venus that I also own and am pictured wearing here as well. 

I emailed Stana a few weeks ago after noticing that she featured several Venus items in the Femulate. I told her that I had mixed results with Venus sizing, so she encouraged me to write about it, but mentioned that she was happy with her selections.

I purchased this dress because I love sweater dresses, love the color and felt it was eye-catching, elegant and very feminine. Nevertheless I returned my XL for a 1X because it was too tight in the bust and underarms even though I was already swimming in it below the bodice. My wife, a professional seamstress, told me she can always take something in, so ordering a larger size is better in the long run. She’s altered several things for me, so I count myself lucky to have a spouse who not only approves of and assists me in my femulating endeavors!

Lots and lots of room in the 1X, which she took it in, but there was still way too much fabric to provide the silhouette I was trying to achieve, that the lovely Venus model accomplishes so nicely. That’s the reason for the belt. I didn’t have a briefer or bra that has detachable straps to allow me to use the clear ones I bought for this dress, so please try to overlook that.

The back of the dress is bunched and folded and held in place by the belt, so it does make for a nice look that way and I may still wear it with the belt after the second round of alterations. It is comfortable to wear, although the lace can be a bit scratchy. I would not consider it a quality garment, even though it has the appearance of one. It’s sized from XS to 3X, so Venus accommodates those of us like to wear the nice-looking skirts and dresses that usually stop at size 14 with other retailers.

If I had to change something about this dress it would be to lower or reduce the fabric at the neckline a little. I’ll discuss that a bit more with my comments on the “Glitter Bodycon Dress” that I’m also writing about, but it’s generally appealing as is and I like the hem of my skirts and dresses a few inches above my knees. I hope to wear it out and about in the future, but the verdict isn’t in yet.

My next review is the Glitter Bodycon Dress, which I had better luck with. It’s an XL and fits much better as it’s just a little bit too big for me below the waist.  In the photo, I’m using my left hand to sweep the extra inch or two behind me so that I can get that bodycon silhouette – so that’s on the list for an alteration.

I don’t like the higher neckline though and want to see if my wife can reduce or eliminate it and just leave the mesh insert. The other minor issue for me is that the dress gathers at the hem between the legs, which I’d prefer it didn’t, but it’s been designed that way and is part of the look. I’ll get used to that.  It’s a New Year's Eve or party dress, but it doesn’t look like I’ll be attending either this year.

My personal preference is a V or scoop neckline because it gives more area for the viewer to cast their gaze upon and takes away from emphasizing my face. I like to include my neck and a few inches below that in my appearance – it seems to round out my total look and tends to center the gaze of others on a larger area rather than concentrate on just my facial features. I think it also expresses confidence by showing a bit more of yourself, but then again I’m fortunate as I have a small Adam’s apple, so I don’t need to worry about that.

I think Venus is likely aware of the crossdressing community, based on some of their offerings. Although they don’t seem to market to us directly, I suspect we’re part of their target audience because of the extra large sizes, the ruched styling, the high necklines to hide the Apple of Adam and certainly, the hip and sultry look of their designs. If any of you know about their company policies please, do tell.

It occurred to me as I wrap this up that it would be wonderful and a service to Femulate readers for other women readers, as Stana does from time to time, to describe your purchase experiences and insights – what’s your favorite outfit, did it fit, was it sized right, was it worth the price, how does it make you look and feel and would you buy another item from the company? 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jeanine

Wearing Metrostyle

Gabriel Sanches femulating in the 2017-2018 Brazilian television series Pega Pega (The Big Catch)

Shopping During the Pandemic

This came over the Mojo Wire from CBS News a few days ago:

Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant's corporate owner filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Thursday, the latest retailer to do so during the coronavirus pandemic.

Ascena Retail Group of Mahway, New Jersey, which operates nearly 3,000 stores mostly at malls, had been dragged down by debt and weak sales for years. As part of its bankruptcy plan, the company said that it would close all of its Catherines stores, a “significant number” of Justice stores and a select number of Ann Taylor, Loft, Lane Bryant and Lou & Grey stores.

That’s bad news for girls like us and all girls, in general. I shopped at Lane Bryant when I was heavier, at Ann Taylor when I was lighter and I will miss them both.

Meanwhile, DressBarn, which closed all its stores’ doors last year keeps on chugging along via the Internet.

Initially, their Internet offerings were blah and did not interest me. But lately, they have been showing some edgier clothing – a lot of it intended for younger customers. Seems that they are now selling clothing from other sellers. For example, the dress in the photo above right is from SukiSo. (Click on the boutique menu on the DressBarn website to see what I mean.)

Meanwhile, my femulating is still quarantined. There is no place for a girl to go to show off her girl! Frustrated by it all, I keep buying more clothes that I can’t wear out yet! Two new dresses from Venus should arrive today and a new dress from Haband should be shipped real soon now.

And so it goes!

Olivia

Boys can can-can, too!

Wednesday Wanderings

Actresses Portraying Transwomen: Counterpoint

My post yesterday suggested that male actors should portray transwomen in films and on television. My friend Diana suggested something different and you can read here post on this topic here.

Second Planet from the Sun

Monday, I wrote about my discovery of clothing from online seller Venus. It's not like I just discovered Venus a week ago; I have been aware of Venus for years, but I thought that in general, their clothing was too sexy and I held off buying their clothing... because I didn't want to look too sexy???

I Love the Smell of Ohio in the Morning

Did I mention that I will be living as a woman 24/7 for 5 days the weekend after Mother's Day? I'm so looking forward to my annual trip to Ohio for Hamvention! I hope to see some ham radio sisters there.

Wearing Etienne Aigner (Source: Etienne Aigner)

Bill Kaulitz

Transwomen are from Venus

Venus "Neck Detail" jumpsuit

I have been shopping for a new outfit to wear when I make my presentation at Hamvention next week. As a presenter, I thought something "business casual" would be appropriate (like the jumpsuit I wore last year).

Not finding anything I liked in the brick and mortar stores around here, I began looking at the usual suspects online. Nothing caught my eye, so I began exploring online stores that I have never purchased from before. Doing so is a little unpredictable because I have no purchase history and don't know if a store's clothing runs small, large or true-to-size. I also don't know anything about the quality of the clothing.

Despite those reservations, I visited Venus and among their large selection of jumpsuits, I found one that screamed "business casual;" I thought it would be perfect for making my presentation. They had my size and I put it in my shopping cart ($49).

I also was on the lookout for a second new outfit to wear during my roadtrip. So I poked around the Venus website and found a romper – an item of clothing that I have considered purchasing in the past, but never did because I thought the styles were too young for me.

The romper I found is unlike most romper styles I have seen in the past. It is called a "tailored romper" and looks so business-like that some women might not think twice about wearing one to work. It certainly would be appropriate to wear on my trip, so I added it to my shopping cart ($29) and checked out.

I placed my order on Sunday and began worrying if the clothing fit? Was it cheaply made? I soon received an email that Venus shipped my order and tracking it indicated it would arrive on Friday.

It arrived on time and I opened the package soon after the mailman dropped it off on the front porch. My first impression was that the quality of the clothing was very good, but my second impression was that the jumpsuit looked too small for me and I was disappointed.

Looks can be deceiving and in the past, clothing that I think looks too small fits fine when I try it on, so I slipped into my shapewear, tried on the jumpsuit and discovered it was a perfect fit as was the romper.

I was so impressed with my purchase from Venus that I plan to revisit their website real soon now.

Venus "Tailored Romper"

Bert Errol, early 20th Century professional femulator (Source: Queer Music Heritage)