Making Michelle’s Year!

Michelle thanked me for posting her photo in the Femulator slot on Thursday, then added the following note.

I had a seminar to attend at an Atlantic City casino in October. I thought I was safe because they had express check-in that I signed up for online. But when I arrived, the kiosks were not working and I was dressed similar to my Femulator photo. I had to decide if I go up to the front desk as Michelle or go back to the car and change. I decided to go as Michelle (your inspiration).

I knew I would have to provide ID (my male driver’s license). Well, to my surprise, the lady at the desk asked for the ID and a credit card (I have one in Michelle’s name). She looked at the license, then me with somewhat of an odd look. She went to a back office without the license and then returned, finished the check-in and said to me, “Welcome, Michelle, and I hope you have a nice stay.”

And she added, “I didn’t know you were crossdresser at first, but you look very pretty.” 

Talk about making my year, but then seeing my picture on your website, Wow o Wow. I’m smiling all the way to New Year’s Eve!

Xmas Xdress

Found this image on reddit.

The accompanying text reads, “Found a photo of my grandfather doing drag at a company christmas [sic] party. Some time in the 1960s.” In the Soviet Union no less!

I thought attending company Christmas parties en femme was a recent development in the femulating community. I guess not!

Wearing Rue La La

Femulate reader, Mary Peters

A Fix

Writing about my recent day out, I mentioned that after losing 25 pounds, my feet are now smaller (by a half size or more). During my day out, my feet were swimming in shoes that used to fit fine and after awhile, they hurt badly.

I fixed the problem temporarily by stuffing facial tissues into the toes of my shoes so that they fit tighter, but I needed to do something permanent to fix the problem since I have about 100 pairs of shoes that were now too big.

Searching Amazon, I found two products that proffered help: Adjustable Toe Filler Inserts and Half Insole Shoe Fillers. I ordered both and tried them out as soon as they arrived at Femulate Headquarters.

The Adjustable Toe Filler Inserts approximated what I did with the facial tissues stuffed into the toes of my shoes. However, these were adjustable by removing a strip of foam in the center of the Toe Filler Inserts. Also, you can adjust them further by trimming the inserts with scissors. For very oversized shoes, you use these inserts as is. For shoes that were oversized, but not by a lot, you remove the foam strip. For shoes just slightly oversized, you trim the inserts as needed.

The Half Insole Shoe Fillers fit under the toes and ball of the foot and basically lift that part of your foot upwards to fill the empty space the shoes.

Both products require no adhesives and are washable and reusable.

I experimented with a pair of slingback 4-inch high heel pumps and a pair of 3.5-inch high heel pumps (the pair I wore out and about that day). The slingbacks required the most tightening and I used the Toe Filler Inserts as is along with the Half Insole Shoe Fillers. The 3.5-inch heels required less tightening, so I removed the foam strip from the Toe Filler Inserts and did not use the Half Insole Shoe Fillers. In both cases, the shoes were tighter and fit like Goddess intended.

I imagine that these two products individually or in combination will fix all the oversized shoe problems in my wardrobe.

Wearing Elisabetta Franchi

Femulate reader Connie ready for a night out with a friend.

Reviewing the New Payless

If you have been following along here for awhile, you know that I was a big fan of Payless shoes. (Last count, I own 47 pairs.) So it was no surprise that I was sad when they went out of business last year.

But, earlier this year, Payless announced that they were back in business and during the summer, they launched a new website. 

I was curious about the new Payless and wondered how it compared to the old. So I perused their website frequently, but did not find anything I needed until last week, when I saw a pair of heels that I just had to have – royal blue patent pumps. 

I ordered my size and the $29.99 shoe only cost $20.99 with their 12 days of Christmas discount. Shipping was free and I received my order three days later via UPS.

When my ordered arrived, I opened the package as quick as a Playboy bunny and noted the quality of my purchase. Belying their price, the shoes were not cheap – they are a good quality shoe, as good if not better than the old Payless products.

The proof is in the footing, so I slipped on a pair of knee highs, slipped on my new shoes and tried them on for about four hours. They were very comfortable throughout the tryout and I had no problem maneuvering in their three-inch heel. 

Overall, I am very pleased with my first purchase from the new Payless.

Their website needs a little work, though. They show the colors of the shoes you can purchase, but don't name the colors. Just showing pictures of the available colors does not suffice; they need to add the names of the colors, too.

Also, I believe there is an error in the description of their Fioni pumps. No way do they have 2-inch kitten heels. They look more like 4-inch stiletto heels.

Wearing Rotate

Another one of the “Millions” on the Internet

Up and Down and Up Again in High Heels

By Gina V

Perhaps the most quintessential part of a woman’s wardrobe is at the bottom, where her shoes live – especially if they are the high-heeled variety. I read somewhere that said items were invented by the vertically-challenged Catherine the Great to lord it over taller court rivals*. But whatever their origin, I am pretty sure they were not designed for comfort. Yet millions of women still don them at times in preference to something more practical (nowadays without eyebrows being raised as a result), for it is fairly likely they know it is a quick-fix means of looking elegant and feeling gloriously ladylike. 

Despite the trial presented, many appear able to strut about in them the way a duck takes to water. Yet even the most agile can (metaphorically and physically) get too close to the sun when they reach for the sky. With the result that they look in dire need of the nearest toilets!

Many things have come easily to me in life (and if not, then I made it someone else’s problem), one being able to wear high heels without effort when I came out the closet in my late 30’s. I could pose in imposing ones for a drag revue I produced plus spend all night on the local transvestite scene in them with no problem. I once even walked several miles home afterwards in some. 

Despite that, I eventually realized said scene wasn’t meeting my aspirations (that’s another story). So I “retired” for several years and put on several stone. I then relocated to a place of my own, and shifted a fair bit of blubber in the process. So took advantage of that to try out my old femme gear again. Fortunately the more-forgiving garments didn’t make me look like a sack of potatoes, but every pair of shoes gave both my feet and Achilles tendons a hard time.

Regardless, overall results were encouraging enough to rejoin the scene as the next step in my rehabilitation process. So I wore a different pair of approximately 3-inch heels whenever I went out in the expectation I would get used to them as the evening wore on. I realized I was rusty as well as older and heavier, but saw it akin to “riding a bike.” However, it soon became clear the natural ability I once possessed had now deserted me. 

So I then took several pairs out with me and when those I wore became insufferable, I would kick them off with great relief before stepping into a more comfortable pair. Yet despite that, I would still end up in stockinged feet thanks to the discomfort. The final straw was doing a gig while dressed and having to keep perching on a stool to give my complaining calves some much-needed relief.

Therefore, I realized that something else had to be done to reach the dizzy heights of yore. Initially, I solved the problem by acquiring some shoes with a 1½-inch kitten heel. They were manageable, but I felt that I was not only cheating, but envious of my peers prancing about in ones at least twice as high. So I finally bit the bullet and realized that for once in my life, I would have to put in some hard work.

When Olympic champion Jessica Ennis came back to athletics after a break, I read things were not going according to plan due to similar problems. However, that she managed to overcome them to win the world title gave me encouragement in my own battle to triumph against the odds. I also noted that actor Sean Bean prepared for the role of a transvestite by walking around his house in heels on a regular basis. Not an ideal way for an actual crossdresser to tackle the problem, as the thrill might be diminished or even lost in the process. All the same, it was still something to think about. For if one could no longer walk the walk, one would need to take a more down-to-earth approach in order to be less down-to-earth.

So I reluctantly resorted to Mr. Bean's method (Sean’s, that is, not THE Mr Bean!) in the hope that I could overcome my physical and psychological issues. Unlike many, I could wear heels in my home at my leisure, thus, I did so (trying out ever-more daunting ones as time went on) when the mood took me, which was usually while relaxing with a glass of wine or three. Once I got into that habit, I decided to wear some even when not feeling particularly inclined. In that regard, I kept in mind the following experience I had a few years back.

While attending a wedding, I enviously took note of a couple of female peers dancing at the reception in high heels they probably didn't wear any more regularly than I did formal male attire nowadays. I then overheard one say to the other, “My shoes are killing me now!” To which the other responded, “So are mine! But you can’t take them off, can you?” To which they both giggled before carrying on boogieing without apparent concern, as I watched on in my own “shackles” of suit and tie even more wistfully.

So I have kept that regime up for a while now and as a result, have come to view the higher heels in my collection as at least acquaintances, if not friends, as opposed to the intimidating strangers they were before. Sadly, these troubled times dictate that at present, the only convenient place available to test my endeavors in public is my local precinct. Which I have no immediate plans to visit en femme anyway – coronavirus or not!

* I believe that is why court shoes are so-called!

Wearing Boston Proper

Rob Lowe and Paul McCrane femulating as nurses in the 1984 film The Hotel New Hampshire
You can view the film’s trailer on YouTube.

Not My Size

I mentioned in a previous post that I worked in the clothing receiving department of Caldor during the summer of 1969. Before that summer job, I worked part-time after school printing signs for in-store sales.

My print “shop” was in the mezzanine that surrounded the sales floor... in a secluded and unfinished portion of the mezzanine. It was like working in an unfinished attic.

Next to my “office” was a pile of shoe boxes – shoes that customers returned for a refund or exchange. Naturally, I perused the returns and tried on all the high heels that were there, but sadly, they were all too small.

Wearing Tommy Bahama

Tyler James Williams dressed up in a 2013 episode of television's Go On

On My Feet

Tanit commented on my photo in the Femulate Illustrated post, “Very nice - show us the shoes!”

Her wish is my command, so here are photos of my new shoes.

Nine West Bliss pointy toe pumps in a metallic paint snake print (these are “killer” heels and they will require some breaking in before I will feel comfortable wearing them out):

JustFab Sophie peep toe pumps in natural (these 3.5-inch heels are very comfortable and very cute – love the tiny gold padlock):

And I just ordered these from Nine West, their Beck ankle-strap pumps in ivory:

Wearing Venus

D is for Davis (Louisiana) High School in 1968, where we find today’s “Not a Civilian?” Runner up is a Downey, California miss, who has appeared in this blog in the past.

Wearing JustFab tweed high-waisted shorts and crop jacket and JustFab Sophie peep toe pumps for my May 6th photoshoot

Go West, Young Woman

Since the demise of the Payless shoe store chain, I have received emails asking what do I do now to put new shoes on my feet.

I miss Payless. Their prices were very reasonable, they had stores everywhere and they carried shoes in larger sizes to fit ladies like us.

On the other hand, their sizes were inconsistent. I recall trying on shoes at a local Payless and finding shoes that fit me in three different sizes! That is not a big deal if you shopped in the store, but that made shopping online a crapshoot. Luckily, they had an easy return policy – you could ship returns back to Payless or return them to a local store.

Those days are gone with the wind. So, I took Horace Greeley's advice: Go West, young woman! That is, Go Nine West to be specific.

Actually, I have been purchasing shoes from Nine West for years; just not as often as Payless.

Nine West has a couple of things going for it. The quality of their shoes is very good, whereas the quality of Payless shoes occasionally failed. Their sizes are very consistent – I never had to return a Nine West purchase because the shoe size was unfit (or for any other reason). And like Payless, they have shoes for ladies with larger feet.

On the other hand, they have few, if any, local stores. (There was a Nine West store in a local mall, but not anymore). Also, their prices are higher than the Payless experience. But, they always have sales and I just wait to purchase that shoe to-die-for until it goes on sale.

And so my feet go.

Wearing Nine West

Massimo Bellinzoni (left) in the 1992 Italian film What A Night (Nottataccia).

Ghost of Payless

Christian Siriano for Payless Women's Habit Pointed Pump

Me and a lot of Femulate readers miss the recently departed Payless shoe store. Their prices were reasonable, their styles diverse and they had larger sizes that girls like us prefer.

Roscoe commented that Payless is alive and well selling their foot ware on Amazon. Their Amazon brand is called “dexflex” and includes the styles we were familiar with under the Amazon brand. The “Christian Siriano” brand is also available on Amazon. And all the sizes we got used to from Payless are available, too.

Initially, I thought that their presence on Amazon might be permanent, but after perusing what is available, I noticed that various sizes were sold out for various styles. So it looks like Payless may be just dumping their leftover stock there.

I searched the Internet trying to confirm what is going on, but could not find anything. If anyone knows better, let me know. Meanwhile, don’t hesitate; stock up now before the stock is depleted.

Wearing Venus

Reed Birney femulating on stage in Casa Valentina.

Shoe Shopping

My latest Amazon purchase: Nine West "Epiphany" slingback pumps for $39.99

I love my shoes.

Shoes are the last item I don when I get dressed. And when I slip on my high heel pumps, it's as if my fairy godmother waves her magic wand and I suddenly feel absolutely marvelous.

I own a lot of shoes. My favorite brands are Payless and Nine West. Both have shoes in my size (12). Although Payless shoes are less expensive than Nine West shoes, Nine West's are better quality and usually real leather.

Payless will be history soon, so that leaves me with Nine West.

The local Nine West brick and mortar store never has size 12s, so I order online. Nine West prices being what they are, I only order when they have a sale. Even then their prices are typically higher than Payless normal prices, but what's a poor girl to do?

"Go to Amazon," is what a poor girl should do.

I recently discovered that Amazon has lots of Nine West shoes for sale at very attractive prices. Unless I missed something (which is possible because I often miss something), this is a recent development because when I looked for Nine West shoes on the "Big A" in the recent past, there was only a small selection.

The only catch is that the Nine West shoes on Amazon do not necessarily match what is currently available on the Nine West website. The Amazon selection is older than what you will find on Nine West online or in their brick and mortar stores, but that is OK by me. The savings, quality and real leather make up for it.

Wearing Nine West (Source: Nine West)

Brian Deacon femulates in the 1973 British film The Triple Echo.

Party Notes

Here are some comments regarding the company Christmas party I attended on Thursday.

👠👠👠

All my previous femulations among my co-workers was with blonde hairdos, so when I showed up as a brunette on Thursday, some people did not recognize me.

While standing in line for the buffet, the co-worker in front of me remarked that she had no idea who I was because I looked so different as a brunette. She added that I looked gorgeous as a brunette.

👠👠👠

Although I had a great time celebrating the holidays with my former co-workers, it was also a little depressing to hear the news I missed during the past year. One co-worker's son committed suicide, another co-worker was diagnosed with colon cancer, and the company is being sold (again), which may result in my division disappearing.

👠👠👠

Good news is that I reached my weight loss goal this week. Bad news is that I now have a closet full of shoes that no longer fit. I had no idea that losing weight would result in reducing my shoe size as well as my dress size.

I plan to go through my collection and see what fits and what doesn't fit. Every cloud has a silver lining, so I assume I will also find shoes that were too small six months ago that now fit.

I discovered my shrinking foot problem when I tried on the Nine West metallic platform pumps a few days before wearing them out. They were very loose and after a few steps, I would lose one shoe or the other.

Being a stubborn fashionista, I was determined to wear those shoes with my new dress to the Christmas party, so I inserted heel liners in each shoe. The liners helped and I did not lose a shoe throughout the day, but often I had to clench my foot when it felt like a shoe was not going my way. So they are destined for the "do not fit" division of my shoe wardrobe.

Wearing Boston Proper (Source: Boston Proper)

Alan Sues femulates Jo Anne Worley on television's Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In.