Bras and Girdles

Wearing Rago Styles 2202 and 6201

It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind and when it comes to my unmentionables, I am doing my womanly best. I experiment a lot trying different combinations of foundation garments in order to achieve a shapely figure. As a result, my unmentionables du jour often varies.

These days, I wear three unmentionable. A long line bra, a long line girdle and a padded panty.

All my current unmentionables are Rago products.

Rago Style 2202 Long Line “Expandable Cup” Bra, one in white and one in black.

Rago Style 6201 Extra Firm Zippered High Waist Long Leg Shaper

Rago Style 915 High Waist Padded Panty

The long line bra is a size 40B. Its cups are a perfect fit for my breasts. And its long line flattens my tummy and help to shape my waistline.

The long line shaper (I call it a “girdle”) also shapes my waistline and flattens my tummy. It also does a good job of keeping my tucked friends tucked.

I have a flat derriere, so I wear the padded panty over my girdle to unflatten my derriere.

The three unmentionable combo is also very comfortable. In the past (30 pounds ago), I used to say, “My girdle is killing!” just like in the old Playtex ads, but that is no longer the case. My shapewear is doing its job painlessly.

Wearing Bebe

Yet another beautiful Femulator

What’s in your lingerie drawer?

Ladies like us wear some kind of foundation garment to help us achieve a more feminine figure. We have a lot of choices including various types of girdles, cinchers, corsets, bras, all-in-ones, shapers, as well as garments that have padding to give us the girlish hips and/or butts that we lack and desire.

During six decades of femulating, I have tried just about all of the shapewear options. Some were better than others and the best was an all-in-one I purchased in the fall of 1974. 

I was quite closeted back then and used the Halloween girl costume excuse for most of my in-person purchases. With Halloween approaching, I decided to purchase an all-in-one using that excuse. 

I visited an old school lingerie store to make my purchase. A middle-aged woman greeted me as I entered the store. I told her my Halloween story and added that I wanted an all-in-one.

That probably tipped my hand immediately; how many guys know what’s an “all-in-one.”

The woman used a tape measure to take my measurements. Then she went in the back room and returned a few minutes later with two all-in-ones.

“Take these to the dressing room, try them on and call me so I can see if they fit properly.”

I did not expect such a hands-on sale, but was glad to have it. I quickly stripped down to my briefs, zipped myself into my all-in-one and called for the saleswoman and by doing so, I tipped my hand again.

“Wow - that was quick,” she remarked. (I assumed that her other male customers were not as fast as I when trying on their “first” all-in-one.)

She checked me out and gushed over my girlish figure. I tipped my hand again when my face turned beet red in embarrassment. I could not pay for my purchase fast enough and get out Dodge.

I loved that all-in-one. It was constructed with spring-like metal stays and it gave me a figure like no other. It was my go-to foundation garment for years; I repaired it as needed and I wore it until it fell apart. I wish I could find one like it today! But as far as I know, no one produces anything like it. 

I approximate that all-in-one with a Rago style 2202* longline bra combined with a Rago style 6207* high-waist long-leg panty girdle. I add butt padding to pad my butt.

So what’s in your lingerie drawer? What is your favorite shapewear and why? Let me know by commenting below or via email. 

* An Amazon Associate link

Wearing Boston Proper

Esme Percy femulating in the 1930 Hitchcock film Murder!

Someone Needs a Bra

Tony sat on the edge of his bed cupping his breasts in his hands thinking back to the Shirts vs. Skins touch football game at the family’s Memorial Day picnic. Tony remembered being very embarrassed when he ended up on the Skins team and everyone saw his breasts bouncing up and down the field.

During the game, Uncle Terry remarked, “Someone needs a bra.”

Tony’s Dad was Uncle Terry’s kid brother and he always listened to his older brother. So returning home after the picnic, Tony’s Dad asked Tony’s Mom to take Tony to Macy’s to buy a bra.

The next day, Tony’s Mom picked him up after school and drove to Macy’s. As they entered Macy’s lingerie department, a sales associate named Jamie greeted Tony and his Mom .

“What can I do for you today?” Jamie asked.

“My son needs to get fitted for a bra,” Tony’s Mom replied

“I’ll need to take your son’s measurements, so please follow me to the dressing room,” said Jamie.

Tony followed Jamie to an empty stall in the dressing room, then Jamie told Tony to take off his top. 

Tony did as he was told, Jamie took his measurements and then told Tony to wait while he found some bras for Tony to try on.

Jamie returned with an armful of bras and by process of elimination, Tony was fitted with a bra.

At the Independence Day family picnic, Tony ended up on the Skins team again, but was not embarrassed because he wore his bra throughout the game – just like his uncles, cousins and Dad, who were also on the Skins team.

Wearing Ann Taylor

Femulating prisoners-of-war in the 1937 film Grand Illusion.

What Else I’m Underwearing

I realized that my previous post was incomplete after receiving this comment: “No hip pads?”

In addition to the longline bra, corset and padded panty, I wear a SPANX Oncore Open-Bust Panty Bodysuit to smooth and sculpt my body, i.e, to put the icing on the cake that my other shapewear had created.

Also, to be complete, I usually wear Berkshire thigh highs. Occasionally, I will substitute the thigh highs with No Nonsense sheer-to-waist pantyhose if my hemline is very short or if I am wearing a romper or shorts. HUE opaque tights are another leg wear option.

Getting back to the hip pads comment, my response was “No hip pads. The foundation garments I wear reduce my waistline so that it appears I have hips and a 42-34-42 figure, more or less.”

My “more or less” equivocation haunted me all morning. I had not taken my measurements in years – certainly not since I lost weight, nor since I began wearing the current combination of shapewear. 

To sate my curiosity, I slipped on all my shapewear, took my measurements and took them a second time because I was surprised by my initial measurements. Turns out I was little more voluptuous than I thought – my measurements are 44-36-44.

Wearing Boston Proper

Carl Switzer femulating in a 1937 Our Gang comedy Mail and Female

Rago Girl

I’m a Rago girl.

Rago bras and girdles are my favorite foundation garments. I have tried other brands, but always go back to Rago for the best hourglass figure that a boy can ask for.

On top, I wear Rago’s Long Line “Expandable Cup” Bra. It supports my girls, trims my midriff and is pretty, too. Also, it has a textured 2-inch elastic bottom to prevent the garment from rolling up.

Below, I wear Rago’s Extra Firm Zippered High Waist Long Leg Shaper or as I prefer to call it “girdle.” It fits tightly to give you the shape you desire, but it is still very comfortable – I can wear it all day (and I have). The girdle has a split crotch so that you don’t have to remove it when you use the little girl’s room, yet it is tight enough so that you can tuck those unsightly parts out of sight.

Fashionista that I am, I own a Rago bra and girdle set in both black and white.

The accompanying video will show you what Rago’s bra and girdle can do for you. I just wish they had used a girl like us to demonstrate the garments.

C’est la vie.

Wearing Tahari ASL

Professional femulator Sone Teal, circa 1960

Padding Your Hips and Rear Again

I recently reviewed the Padded Rear and Hips Shaping Girdle (PR&HSG) from Glamour Boutique. My review motivated Velma to purchase a PR&HSG for herself. Her review follows.

I just got a chance to wear my PR&HSG in the real world for the first time.

As per the Glamour Boutique, the sales outlet, they advised me via email on the proper size I should order. The order using standard shipping was totally timely, and discrete. I was further incentivized by the fact the garment was on ale for $10 off as well as the $5 first time purchaser discount.

I ordered waist size 38 and it went on with no struggle or tug. The first thing I noticed was how I achieved a real hip and derriere defined waistline so that skirts with elastic waistband would hang properly and not accidentally slip and fall on that specifically defined waistline.

I also tried the PR&HSG while wearing several different styles of jeans shorts'and regular leg jeans (woman's size 16/16W), which were made from the type of jeans cloth having the lycra-spandex stretch characteristics unique to womans clothing. Everything fit, just with a curvier feel and greater, curvier, visual aspect. That was a great relief, so I did not have to start replacing wardrobe due to size change. The nice feeling of sitting down while wearing the PR&HSG was also a plus.

I also tried to add more derriere by adding another somewhat thin, but curvy, pre-molded well-defined cheeks, shapewear derriere over the PR&HSG and that also did help enhance, but not exaggerate the derriere because men in our family are all seriously gluteus maximus deficient.

If I have any issue with the PR&HSG, it that it could use thicker and taller hip pads for more accent on the hips. I have some extra hip pads around the house and I plan to insert them on my next femulation foray.

One thing before I go: I neglected to do a supplemental measurement of my new waist/hip measurement numbers just to be more aware of future clothing purchases.

Would I purchase it again? Yes

Wearing Venus

Richard Kline (right) femulates in a 1982 episode of television's Three's Company.

Putty in My Hands

My body is like putty. With my large collection of shapewear, I am able to mold my "baby fat" into a reasonable facsimile of a feminine figure.

When I was more weighty, I had a pretty good handle on what shapewear to use to rearrange the furniture, but now that I am quickly approaching my goal weight, what worked before no longer works as well when I was a full-figured gal. Twenty-five pounds makes a big difference, so I have been experimenting with different combinations of bras, girdles, corsets, waist cinchers, Spanx, etc. to create a female figure out of my less voluptuous bod.

I don't want to lose much more weight because then I will have too little fat to mold. I will probably settle with losing two or three more pounds and then maintain my weight.

By the way, it has been interesting how my body lost weight. It seems that most of my weight loss was in the trunk of my body, so now I look leaner and my wife has taken to calling me "skinny." On the other hand, the size of my breasts has not changed and my girls still fill a B or C cup depending on the style and/or brand of bra that I wear. But with the weight loss of my torso, I can feel my girls bounce...  something that wasn't there when my torso was fuller. (And I love it!)

Wearing Unique Vintage (Source: Unique Vintage)

The always classy and beautiful Rhonda of Rhonda's Escape fame.

Over or Under

If you are like me and wear a girdle to slim your waist and tummy, but also wear a padded panty to enhance your hips and derriere, do you wear the padded panty under or over your girdle?

My guess is that you should wear the padded panty over the girdle, otherwise the girdle will compress the padding and negate the enhancement provided by the padded panty.  But I could be wrong, so let me know what you do if you do.  

I fell in love with this Dress Barn outfit and had to buy it when I discovered it was on sale (40% off) on Cyber Monday.

Pretty in polka dots, Annastasya, out and about in Nuremberg (Source: flickr)

Means to an End

In response to my offer to Ask Me Anything, Romney wrote, "How cognizant are you of underclothing, your so-called 'unmentionables,' during the day? Are you constantly aware or are there lapses while you're engaged in activities?"

When I am dressed as a woman, I am seldom cognizant of my unmentionables.

I typically wear a longline bra and a girdle. I like the way that they look on me and I like the shape that they give me, but they are not a turn-on.

Once I put them on, I forget about them unless something causes discomfort, for example, a too-tight bra strap digging into my shoulder. Otherwise, if my unmentionables are doing their job, they become my "invisibles."

Romney also asked, "Are you 'dressed' to some degree each day?"

I am not "dressed" to some degree each day. I only dress when I go out or when I am trying to put together an outfit to wear or when a new garment is delivered and I want to see how it looks and fits. I love wearing women's clothing, but like my unmentionables, they are not a turn on. Rather, they are a means to an end and that end is being a woman.

My wife married a man, not a woman, so I pretend I am a man most of the time. I am only a woman when I am not with my wife. Sounds like I am living a lie when I pretend to be a man and I guess I am, but I am committed to my marriage and so it goes.
 

Wearing Versace

Nancy Ng's Pan Am stewardess Halloween costume was her favorite.
(Send me a photo of your all-time favorite Halloween femulation and I will post it here, too.)

Girdling My Loins

My diet has been very successful. Maybe too successful because I now have some loose skin where there used to be firm fat particularly on my thighs.

I am taking non-surgical steps to tighten the loose skin, but in the meantime, I am girdling my loins. I purchased a high-waisted long leg shaper or old school "girdle." It is from Rago and it is just like the girdles my mother used to wear — the girdles I borrowed from my mother when I started down the femulating path.

I also bought a Rago long line bra. I am hoping that with my weight loss and the combination of high-waisted girdle and long line bra, that I can forgo wearing a waist cincher, thus lightening my foundation garment regime.

A nice feature of this Rago girdle is that it has a slit in the crouch crotch that allows you to urinate without removing the girdle. (I have owned girdles that do not have this slit and in those cases, I have opened up the seam and created my own slit.)

Another nice feature is the built-in removable garters and clips, a feature that is often missing in 21st Century girdles and shapers.

The all-male cast of The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes

Progress

Katy Perry

Paolo Ballesteros femulates Katy Perry.