Times Online News recently published the
Top 30 Things Every Woman Needs In Her Wardrobe.
I read the article and thought how to apply that list to men that are emulating women. It did not take long to realize that crossdressers needed their own list.
With over 40 years of crossdressing experience under my wide patent belt, I decided I am qualified to put together such a list. So, here is my list of "the necessities" that no man's wardrobe can be without if he wishes to emulate a woman successfully.
waist cincher — The right waist cincher can mold your body into a feminine figure by pulling in your waist and displacing what it pulled in to your hips and breasts. (It helps if you are a little overweight like me. My waist cincher displaces enough of me into my breast area that I can nearly fill the B cups of my bra and forgo breast forms.) I have tried a lot of waist cinchers over the years and I prefer an underbust corset-like design with metal boning and a lace-up back.
wig — Style is your choice, but buy the most expensive synthetic wig you can afford. Inexpensive wigs look like wigs, whereas expensive wigs look like real hair. One of the nicest compliments I ever received was when a woman thought my expensive wig was my real hair.
panty girdle — A panty girdle serves two purposes: (1) it shapes your lower torso into a more feminine shape and (2) it allows you to hide your male parts. I tried a gaff to achieve the latter, but discovered that it was very uncomfortable and that my male parts would escape frequently and required regaffing. The panty girdle did a much better job keeping those parts in place and was much more comfortable. By the way, if you favor short skirts (like me), wear a brief panty girdle rather than a long leg panty girdle, so that your girdle is less likely to show.
beard cover — I feel so badly when I see a beautiful femulator with the tell-tale signs of a beard because there is an easy fix: a good beard cover. By "good" I mean one that is sheer and orange (to counteract the blue color of a beard). (
Update: I received e-mail asking what beard cover I recommend. I use and recommend RCMA (Research Council of Make-up Artists, Inc.) BC-2. I bought it online two years ago for about $8. I checked
here and the price is now $22.)
little black dress — Purchase a classic little black dress and it will never go out of style. I lost count the number of times I couldn't find anything to wear, end up wearing my LBD, and get compliments on my look.
moisturizer — Moisturize every day even during periods when you are not going out
en femme. After many, many years of shunning skin care, I began using a moisturizer and it made a huge difference. My skin is smoother, more supple, healthier-looking, and my makeup goes on easier and looks better.
boots — Buy a pair of boots for practical reasons (to protect your feet in cold weather) and for style (to look sexy).
breast forms — If you are not naturally endowed or if your foundation garments do not displace sufficient flesh to fill the cups of your bra, then use breast forms (unless you are going for the flat-chested waif look). I seldom use forms, but when I do, I use the bird seed in pantyhose versions I made 25 years ago. They are so inexpensive that I made two pairs: a small pair to fill out a bra when my flesh just fails to do so and a larger pair for when I fake cleavage and need big breasts to match.
wallet — Buy a woman's wallet. Don't destroy your look by pulling a man's wallet out of your purse.
watch — Buy a woman's watch. Don't destroy your look by pulling up a lace cuff to check the time on your man's watch.
camisole — Buy one camisole or better, buy two: one in black and another in white. I own a half dozen because they can solve so many personal wardrobe dilemmas.
gold and silver jewelry — To compliment most of your outfits, buy one gold-colored set of jewelry (earrings, necklace, bracelet) and one silver-colored.
makeup — It goes without saying that you must buy and use makeup to emulate a woman. These are the makeup items that I consider necessities: concealer, foundation, powder, blush, lipstick, lip-liner, lip-gloss, mascara, eye shadow, eyeliner, and eyebrow color.
outerwear — If you live in cooler climes, you will need a woman's coat, woman's gloves and perhaps, a woman's hat if you plan on going out
en femme during the winter. A man's coat, gloves, and hat will not cut it if you really want to look like a woman.
hand cream — A man has man's hands especially if he does manual labor. So, shave your hands if they have hair and use a hand cream daily to help feminize your man hands.
deodorant — Unless your manly deodorant is unscented, use a woman's deodorant to avoid the manly scent of a man's deodorant.
makeup brushes — Buy a good set of makeup brushes and throw away those foam applicators that came with your makeup. The pros only use brushes. To achieve a professional look, you should use brushes, too.
credit card — Most credit card companies will issue additional cards under the same account for other family members. So get an additional card issued to yourself, but just use the initial of your first name with your last name. For example, John Smith would get an additional credit card issued for "J Smith." Use this card when shopping
en femme; it is just another small touch that will help you pass as a woman.
makeup mirror — A makeup mirror can be your best friend. Get one that has lights that you can switch to produce various lighting effects and a magnifying option, which is so handy when you are doing your eyes.
eyeglasses — If you wear eyeglasses, next time buy a pair with unisex frames or if you can afford it, buy a second pair with a feminine frame. (With an eyeglass prescription in hand, you can order eyeglasses online and avoid the embarrassment of buying female frames in person.) If you need eyeglasses for reading, you can buy inexpensive reading glasses with very feminine frames just about anywhere (the local pharmacy, Wal*Mart, etc). Also, you can buy woman's sunglasses just about anywhere, too.
clip-on earrings — Clip-on earrings are a rare commodity and I buy them whenever I come across a nice-looking pair for sale. If you don't have pierced ears, you should collect clip-ons, too.
wrinkle remover — If you have wrinkles, use a wrinkle remover. I never paid much attention to those miracle skin care products that are supposed to remove wrinkles. However, one day I received a free sample of a product that was supposed to deal with wrinkles around the eyes. Looking in the mirror at the wrinkles developing around my 50-something-year-old eyes, I decided to try the free sample. After a week or so, I noticed that the wrinkles were less noticeable. After a few weeks, I had to examine my eyes closely to find the wrinkles. As a result, I was sold on the product and continued using it everyday. Today, the wrinkles around my eyes are still there, but they are not as deep as they once were and as a result, they are less visible especially from afar, which is the goal for using this stuff.
makeup box — Males need more makeup than real females to look female, so get a big box for your makeup. Don't be shy about buying the biggest box you can find or afford. If the box is not full now, trust me, you will fill it eventually. (When I outgrew the last makeup box, I went to the sports department of my local Wal*Mart and bought the biggest tackle box that they sold.)
jewelry box — My wife gets credit for this. Instead of using traditional jewelry boxes to store your jewelry, use clear plastic stackable compartmentalized storage boxes. They are inexpensive and allow you to see what is stored in the box at a glance.
nails — Long painted nails are so feminine, but how is a guy supposed to hide them when he is in boy mode. The solution is to use fake nails. I prefer the pre-painted, pre-glued, press-on nails; they go on in less than five minutes and usually do not come off until you purposely remove them.
perfume — Buy one bottle of an expensive perfume and use it when you dress like a woman so that you will have the scent of a woman, too.
cuticle remover — Whether you paint your nails or use fake nails, you should use a cuticle remover to clean up your natural nails before you go glam.
razor — Purchase an electric razor with a the sideburn trimmer and use the trimmer to remove long hair, then use the head of the razor to remove stubble. For closely shaving your face, get a multi-blade safety razor and always use a new blade before going out
en femme in order to get the closest shave.
tights — Tights are very handy when there is no time to shave your legs and they are also very fashionable lately.
attitude — I wish you could buy attitude, but you can't. Attitude is something you acquire and is critical in your success of emulating a woman. When you go out
en femme, act as if it is the most natural thing in the world. Don't be ashamed. Rather, strut your stuff. It is your life and if you want to live it as a woman even momentarily, it is your right to do so. If someone has a problem with it, it is their problem, not yours. Go for it, Girl!
Bras can be mysterious, especially if you are a femulating male trying to learn how to buy and wear one properly.
Instead of joining the throngs of people shopping the day after Thanksgiving, I am going to shop online today. I plan to make some Christmas gift purchases for my loved ones and I also plan to buy a new dress from Newport-News that is on sale (15% off) this weekend. 
My girl friend Patty sent me this link to Simpsonize myself. The results are to the left.
I like tights and tights are in. So, everything is perfect in the world!
After a busy day yesterday, I sat down to relax with some reading material in front of the television. I narrowed my television viewing choices to the Patriots vs. Bills football game and the American Music Awards. 
The image is a postcard size advertisement for Eldorado, which was a Berlin nightclub well-known for its diverse clientele during the Weimar era.
During outreach Wednesday night, one of the students asked how much different are our boy and girl personalities. 
Last night, I did outreach at Dr. Janell Carroll's graduate-level family therapy class at the University of Hartford. Joining me were my old friend, Barbara, a male-to-female transwoman, and a new acquaintance, Teo, a female-to-male transman.
