Welcome to the club!

Which Way?

Bikini Envy

Teaching a New Drag Old Tricks

Friday Fotos

Recent random images that interested me.

Vogue contributing editor, Lauren Santo Domingo photographed at London Fashion Week earlier this month. I don’t know how tall she is, but she sure looks tall in this photo – “femulator tall” if you know what I mean.

Students crossdress in Spain during Carnival, as illustrated by this 2012 photo. (Every day is Carnival for some of us!)

An interesting photo from an e-mailed Brahmin advertisement. What part of the outfit is unisexual? (I love the skirt, by the way.)

Skirts for everyone was all the rage in London for about three minutes during the 1960’s. (The hairy legs of the miniskirted fellow reminded the chap in the white sweater  that he should have shaved his face closer that morning.)

In my opinion, the web site of Madeleine, the British online clothing retailer, consistently has excellent photos for displaying the clothing they sell. Have any Femulate readers actually purchased clothing from Madeleine? If so, what is your opinion of their womenswear?

Finally, here is one more photo of actor Michael A. Andrews femulating in the 1985 film Malibu Express. I saw the film a few times very late at night on local cable television. I don’t recall much of the plot except the part where Andrews crossdresses in the back of her chauffered limousine to go to a nightclub to meet another femulator for drinks. You can view that part of the film here.

And while I have your attention, there was another film that I saw on cable a few times that I have been unable to track it down. It was a circa 1990 British film that interested me because part of the plot involves various male characters attending a big drag party.

One scene that sticks in my mind are automobiles pulling up to the site of the party to drop off the crossdressed attendees. A couple of policeman are standing by and when one of the “girls” gets dropped off, the policeman acknowledge her with, “Good evening, Captain” or some similar title of authority.

Does anyone know the name of the film?

82 Club = Club 82

David asked about New York City's 82 Club, which was also known as Club 82, which was a nightclub in Manhattan that featured female impersonators in the 1950s and 1960s. The Club played an important part in my personal herstory.

Pre-teen, the only female impersonation I was familiar with was the Milton Berlesque type, that is, female impersonation played up for laughs with no attempt at true femulation. I wanted to be a female, not a joke, so I was not interested in that type of impersonation.

Then I discovered the weekly thumbnail Club ads in the back of the sports section of the New York Daily News. Each ad depicted a glamorous showgirl accompanied by the caption "Who's No Lady?"

I was amazed that guys could look like those gals! That type of female impersonation definitely interested me and soon I began experimenting with female impersonation myself and was well on my way to boarding the Good Ship Lollipop.

David asked for information regarding the Club and I was happy to pass along some Internet links.

Here is the link to my 82 Club/Club 82 postcard collection:

https://sites.google.com/site/femulate/Home/my-ephemera/new-york-city-female-impersonator-ephemera

Here are other pertinent 82 Club/Club 82  links:

http://queermusicheritage.com/fem-cl82.html

http://bedfordandbowery.com/2014/01/wed-found-this-cave-out-of-time-a-look-back-at-glam-rocks-club-82/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wayne-anderson/hidden-history-tobi-marsh_b_1592620.html

http://streetsyoucrossed.blogspot.com/2005/09/what-drag-too-many-snags.html

 

 

 

Wearing Tahari by ASL.

 

 

 

Actor Michael Andrews femulating in the 1987 film Hard Ticket To Paradise.

My Girls

Cyrsti wrote about " breast size obsessions in cross dressers and transgender women" yesterday, which got me thinking about my "girls."

I never obsessed about having big breasts.

I was cursed/blessed with feminine breasts. In boy mode, I obsessed about hiding them. But in girl mode, I was proud of my natural breasts. I was happy with their size, so I never wore any padding or falsies (unless I was trying to squeeze my breasts together for enhanced cleavage).

The only problem is that for decades, I wore the wrong size bra --- a size too small. My bra was was making my breasts appear smaller than their natural size.

When I finally submitted to a bra fitting by a professional, I discovered the error of my ways and began wearing the correct size bras, which displayed my breasts as nature had intended.

All good except some tops and dresses that used to fit the flatter-chested me, no longer fitted the more bosomy me, but such is life!

 

 

 

Wearing Diane von Furstenberg.

 

 

 

Actor Michael Andrews femulating in that television movie Murder Me, Murder You (1983).

Reducing

I have made three pilgrimages to Provincetown to attend Fantasia Fair and I overpacked each time I went!

The first time I brought eight bags! I think that was excusable because I had no idea what to expect, so I was prepared for anything. I should have learned something after that first trip, but I still overdid it the second and third trips.

My goal is to reduce the baggage this year.  I drive rather than fly to Provincetown, so there is no monetary incentive to cut down on the number (and weight) of the bags, but there is an incentive to save time by packing and unpacking less.

With that in mind, I created a spreadsheet listing all the day and evening events during Fantasia Fair and the outfit I plan to wear to each event. To tell the truth, I created a spreadsheet for my second and third trips, but it did not help much. Being a fashionista, the all the events listed in my spreadsheet require different outfits!

I always take too many shoes and too much jewelry and end up not using all the shoes and jewelry I bring. So far, I managed to narrow the shoes down to four pairs this year. I may add another pair as soon as I figure out which shoes to wear with my Oz costume.

I can also cut down on the quantity of my daywear by mixing and matching tops and bottoms. So I will work on that.

I could wear the same outfit more than once, but that might shock a few people!

And do I really need to bring my tackle box overflowing with makeup?

 

 

 

Wearing Elie Tahari (jacket) and Greylin (skirt).

 

 

 

Actor Michael Andrews femulating in the film Malibu Express (1985).

Room for You in the Dressing Room

Last Monday, I wrote about shopping in person and left out a couple of stores where I have shopped en femme recently and used the dressing room without an issue: Kohl's and Lane Bryant.

Also, I mentioned that when I try something on in the store en femme, I always ask a salesperson where the dressing room is located, even if I know where it is. That way, if somebody complains about a “male” in the female dressing room, I can say that the store gave me permission.

I think that is good advice, but I don't always follow it. If I am feeling absolutely gorgeous and passing with abandon, I just sashay into the nearest dressing room without asking for directions. (Why ruin the mood!)  

 

 

 

Wearing Alice + Olivia.

 

 

 

Richie Rich femulating in Richie Rich Bank Book (1975).

Sibling Rivalry

 

 

 

Wearing Jessica Simpson.

 

 

 

Actor Karen Dior/Geoffrey Gann (right) femulating
in television’s Xena Warrior Princess (1997).

My Shopping Sites

On Tuesday, Paula left the following comment: Love your style; please share your secrets with us and post your favorite on line shopping sites!

I answered the first part of her request yesterday (my secrets) and will answer the second part of her request today.

Since I prefer to try on items en femme before I purchase them, I use the websites to scope out what is currently available at the brick and mortar stores before I go shopping en femme. I almost never buy anything online from a store that I can visit in person, but I almost always check out their websites beforehand.

One problem with that strategy is that the brick and mortar store may not have everything that is online, but when that occurs, I usually find something else that is just as nice.

On the other hand, there are websites that do not have brick and mortar stores where I do purchase items without being able to try them on first. My success rate with these online-only stores is about 50%. Either the item does not fit correctly or I do not like the way the item looks on moi.

Although, many of these websites make it easy to return items (sometimes for free), I have been buying less from these websites lately because of the lack of success rate and the resulting return issues.

These days, my go-to online-only stores are Avon, ideel (formerly ideeli) and Nine West.

Avon - Yes, the Avon lady people sell very nice clothing at reasonable prices and I have been buying more from them lately. And my success rate with Avon is very high, probably around 90%. By the way, I am an Avon lady and receive a discount on items I buy, but no so much so that the price sways me to buy stuff I would not buy otherwise.

ideel - ideeli sold nice close-out clothing at bargain prices and I purchased items from them frequently. Then they got bought out, changed their name to ideeli, increased their prices and beheaded their models. Since then, I have bought little from them and have a $60 credit that has been sitting there for months, but I still visit their website frequently hoping for the best.

Nine West - They have a vast selection of shoes and their sizes are consistent, but their prices are high, so I only indulge when they have a sale, which is often. By the way, Nine West does have a local brick and mortar store, but they only stock sizes smaller than my size, so their brick and mortar store is useless to me.

As for brick and mortar stores I check out online before I show up in person, they are Dress Barn, Fashion to Figure, Nine West, and Payless. I also check out Macy's and JCPenney, but their inventory is so huge that what I see online often does not match what is in the store, so I usually don't bother unless I am looking for something special.

DressBarn also known as DressBarn - This is one of my favorite clothing stores. Their styles are working girl oriented, but their sizes are a little inconsistent, so I always go to the store to try on what I see online. And, by the way, they are very trans friendly!

Fashion to Figure - This is my other favorite clothing store. They specialize in larger sizes and their styles are younger and sexier than DressBarn. But like DressBarn, their sizes are all over the place, so an in person visit is recommended.
 
Payless - This shoe store has a nice selection of reasonably-priced shoes in the larger sizes that I require. However, their sizes are very inconsistent. I own Payless shoes ranging from size 10.5 to size 13 that all fit, so going to the store and trying on their shoes is a must in order to get the right size.

That's all she wrote. Again, if you have any questions, please ask (stana-stana at sbcglobal.net).

 

 

 

Wearing Rachel Zoe (dress), Eugenia Kim (hat), 10 Crosby (booties) and (ALC)bag.

 

 

 

Actor Stephen-Fry femulating in British television’s Jeeves and Wooster (1993).

My Secrets

On Tuesday, Paula left the following comment: Love your style; please share your secrets with us and post your favorite on line shopping sites!

I had to think about my "secrets" because most of what I do style-wise comes naturally to me. I don't think about it, I just do it. And this is what I do. 

Emphasize your assets.

My legs are my best assets, so I show them off by wearing short skirts and high heels. Heels make my legs even more shapely and short skirts reveal the results.

And there is some truth when I say, "My skirt's not too short – my legs are too long! " I have resigned myself to the fact that the styles I prefer are going to be on the short side due to my leg length.

Dress for your body's age, not your calendar age.

My arms are svelte enough for sleeveless sheaths and my legs are toned enough for short hemlines, so I show off what I've got (while I've still got it).

When in doubt, wear nude pumps.

Matched to my skin tone, they're a safe bet and they make my legs look even longer.

If it works, keep working with it.

When I find a style that looks good on me, I become a fan of that style and populate my wardrobe with more examples of that style. For example, I discovered that I look good in wrap dresses and as a result, I now own an assortment of wrap dresses.

On the other hand, keep an open mind. When you are shopping, try on styles that are not in your style book. You never know – it may look great on you. That's how I discovered that jumpsuits belong in my style book.

Never buy a boring coat.

"Outerwear should never be an afterthought," says Holmes & Yang co-designer Jeanne Yang. "So many people only see you in your coat—if you're not wearing something great underneath your trench, they'll never even know!"

With that thought in mind, fur coats are never boring. I own two full-length fur coats and a fur jacket. And I love animals, so all my furs are fake.

Own something in animal print.

Animal prints are timeless, racy enough, and always glamorous. I own a variety of animal print clothing and accessories.

Scarves are not for hiding.

Scarves are recommended for girls like us to hide our Adam's apple. I don't have much of an Adam's apple, so I never wore scarves... until about five years ago, when I came across my dear departed Mother's stash of scarves. One girls' night out, I wore one of her scarves in her honor; I liked the look and began collecting and wearing my own stash of scarves.

Bigger jewelry is better jewelry.

Most girls like us are proportionally larger than cisgender girls. As a result, some of the jewelry designed for cis-girls is proportionally too small for us. So when I shop for jewelry, I shop for jewelry that is bigger rather than smaller.

***

If you have any questions about my secrets or anything else, please ask (stana-stana at sbcglobal.net). In another Femulate, I will deal with the second part of Paula's comment and discuss my favorite on-line shopping sites.

(Thanks to InStyle.com for helping me bring out my secrets.)

 

 

 

Wearing Cynthia Rowley.

 

 

 

Gaurav Ghera femulates as Mrs. Pammi Pyarelai on Indian television (2013-15).

Caveat Emptor: Pinterest

I enjoy viewing the transgender images on Pinterest and have posted a few myself. But some of the transgirls images on Pinterest are too good to be true. I have seen images of so-called transgirls on Pinterest that I know for a fact are not trans, so it makes me wonder about the validity of the other transgirl images. (One bad Adam's apple spoils the whole bunch.) It does not mean that I will stop visiting Pinterest, but I will view the transgirls images with a grain of salt.

 

 

 

Wearing Diane von Furstenberg.

 

 

 

Painter Francis Bacon femulating in the 1930s.