fantastic news

I'm going to Fantasia Fair!

FanFair is an annual week-long mid-October event in Provincetown, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where transfolk have the run of the town presenting themselves in their gender of choice 24/7.

I have many friends and acquaintances who have attended FanFair in the past and they have nothing but great things to say about their experience. They have urged me to go, but until now, I have been unable to do so.

Presenting as a woman 24/7 for a week will be a new experience. I have done three-day events in the past, but not a week-long event, so this will be more of a real life test for me!

Anyway, I am thrilled that I will be able to go this year. And I wonder how the experience will effect me.

hair color poll

Please vote in my new poll... which hair color suits me best?

torrid time

I went back to Torrid yesterday (in boy mode) to return the cropped jacket I bought two weeks ago (it was too big).

The manager greeted me and with a Torrid shopping bag in hand, she figured I was returning an item. She asked, "Was it too big for her?"

Without hesitation, I replied that it was too big for me.

She was very friendly. She said that I didn't look like a size 3 (thank-you!), which was the size I was returning and she assisted me in finding another cropped jacket in my size, i.e., size 2.

I asked her about the odd sizes and she explained that Torrid's sizes 0, 1, 2, 3, etc. were the equivalent of misses sizes 14, 16, 18, 20, etc, but that the store prefers to use the single digit sizes.

It was an equal exchange and I was quickly on my way to run other shopping errands.

I got home and tried on the new jacket with the rest of the outfit I planned to model in the fashion show and it looked perfect!

fashion show update

I just found this poster online advertising the transgendered fundraiser fashion show in which I will be modeling.

The model shown in the poster looks dressed a little over the top, so I guess the micro-miniskirt and 4-3/4-inch platform pumps I planned to model will be fine.

The fashion show will be on September 14 at Tommy's Restaurant, just off Route 9 in Middletown, CT, which is as its name indicates, is in the middle of the state. If you are in the area, come see the show to cheer me on and help support the transgendered community.

Here is a link for more information: http://www.transadvocacy.com/

my favorite talking redhead

I took my car in to the dealer today for its 7500-mile servicing. The television in the dealer's waiting room was tuned to CNN. So my 9 AM appointment was perfect timing because at 9 sharp, my favorite talking redhead, Heidi Collins, begins her daily stint on CNN. She has a new do since the last time I saw her and she looks fabulous! Makes me want to consider getting a new wig in Collins red.

the art of standing apart

I just read a very interesting blog entry by Lesley M. M. Blume titled The Art of Standing Apart. As if a 6-foot 2-inch tall crossdresser in a short skirt and high heels needs advice on standing apart, I still found this blog interesting and I recommend it to you.

caught with my panties down

Sometimes, when I am out en femme, nature calls and when nature calls, I try to answer as soon as possible.

My first choice is to use a unisex/family restroom to answer the call. Such facilities are still rare in these parts, so I usually end up using my second choice: the women's restroom.

I have used the women's restroom countless times and I have never had anyone question my use of those facilities. In fact, a couple of times, women in the restroom have engaged me in conversation admiring my shoes on one occasion and my outfit on another occasion. (That never happens in the men's restroom.)

I imagine I was passing fairly well when those conversations occurred. Nonetheless, I am always concerned about being recognized as a male by someone, who subsequently complains to the authorities and gets me in hot water for using the women's restroom.

I wish there was a "Get Out Of Jail Free" card for crossdressers!

A transsexual can get a "carrying letter" from his/her therapist. The letter attempts to excuse the transsexual for presenting as the opposite gender because he/she is participating in a gender reassignment program and presenting as the opposite gender 24/7 is a required part of the program.

A plain-vanilla crossdresser like me cannot use that excuse. And a letter attempting to excuse a crossdresser because he/she enjoys/prefers presenting as the opposite gender is not going to fly especially if, like me, he/she does not have a therapist to sign off on it.

I guess I will just have to try and be as passable as possible especially when nature calls.

dresses for men by Brooks Brothers

This fall, Brooks Brothers will be introducing a new collection of "up 25 men's looks with a slimmer silhouette than the average Brooks man is accustomed to."

Included in the collection conceived by avant-garde designer Thom Browne is the plaid wool shift dress with matching cape (shown here).

Wow! That is a cute outfit. I can definitely see myself wearing that!

You can read more about this Brooks Brothers' collection here.

new photos

Today, I uploaded nine new photos to my flickr account. Click here to see them all.

poll results

Thirty-seven of my blog readers responded to last week's poll, which posed the question, "How often do you crossdress in public?"

The results did not surprise me. Here they are:

How often do you crossdress in public?

6 daily
9 weekly
10 monthly
2 yearly
10 never

Thank you for participating in the poll.

roadtrip summary

Sadly, my plans for going out en femme during my roadtrip did not pan out for one reason or another. It just was not in the cards.

roadtrip - day 4

Thus far, I have been stymied in my efforts to go out en femme during this roadtrip. Tonight is my last chance, so keep your fingers crossed.

roadtrip - day 3

Nothing!

roadtrip - day 2

I had a big cup of coffee after dinner last night and I only caught about four hours of sleep last night. So, I was dragging all day long and crashed after I got back to my hotel room this evening. As a result, I was not up to getting dressed and going out en femme tonight. But, as Scarlett said, "Tomorrow is another day!"

So, I'm typing away here on this blog while the television is on across the room. I did not care for the movie I started watching, so I changed channels to find two characters in drag on an old Dukes of Hazzard rerun. I never watched the show, but I stay tuned to see what was going on drag-wise. Quickly, I surmised that the characters in drag were a sheriff and his deputy. The sheriff indicated that he was anxious to get out of drag because his girdle was killing him. End of show.

I changed to the next channel and it was the end of an old Who's the Boss rerun, which was another show I never watched because I never cared for the acting acumen of Tony Danza and I always thought that the show's co-star, Judith Light, always looked and dressed like a transvestite, not that there is anything wrong with that... if you are a guy!

Tomorrow is another day!

blog interviewer

An interview with yours truly now appears on the Blog Interviewer web site. Click here to read the interview and be sure to "Rate this Blog!" while you are visiting the Blog Interviewer web site.

roadtrip

Tomorrow morning, I begin a week-long work-related roadtrip to the State College area of central Pennsylvania. Most of my evenings will be free, so I packed two outfits to wear if I get an opportunity to go out en femme.

Due to the trip, I may not be able to post new blog entries as often as usual, but if I do go out en femme, I will have some new tales to tell here when I get back from the trip.

when you're the boss, you can be yourself

Nel Kisaragi smiled as she handed over her business card. Slender and fair-skinned, she is the president of Newgauge Inc., an IT marketing and system-consulting company with a dual mission: to make a profit and to improve the lives of members of the transgender community.

Kisaragi, a man until she adopted her female identity two years ago, is now in her late 20s. She started Newgauge in September 2005 with two other transgender executives. Among the company's 17-member staff, seven are male transsexuals.

Read the rest of this inspiring story here.

shopping today

I had the afternoon off, so I went shopping (in boy mode) for a birthday gift for my wife. I also was on the lookout for a cropped jacket to complete the ensemble I plan to model in the fashion show next month.

First stop was Target to buy cat food and litter and then peruse the clothing departments.

My friend Rena said that Target had a clearance sale in their shoe department, so I checked that out after getting the cat stuff. None of the women's shoes that were on sale interested me, but I did get a pair of men's sneakers for $8.

Then, I walked through the aisles of the women's departments looking for something for my wife and a jacket for myself. I found nothing.

After leaving Target, I drove across the street to the mall and continued my search. I found some denim skirts that were exactly what my wife wanted on sale at Christopher & Banks and I bought her four. I hope they fit and I hope she likes them.

I continued my search for a jacket searching through all the women's clothing stores and all the women's clothing departments of the department stores. Sears had a cropped jacket that was sort of what I wanted, but at $80, I decided it had to be more than sort of what I wanted, so I kept looking.

My friend Patty recommended Torrid, which offers "exciting and cutting-edge apparel and accessories for young women sizes 12-26." It is like an edgy Lane Bryant.

I looked through the store and lots of things caught my eye including some short skirts that I would not mind modeling instead of the skirt I had planned on modeling. The salesgirl let me alone, but I wanted some help, so I told her that I'd like to put together an outfit for modeling in a trans fashion show and that I was looking for a short skirt and a cropped jacket.

A black with white polka dot pleated skirt caught my eye, but she could not find one that remotely was close to my size; they were all too big! She did find a cropped jacket and gave me two of the same style, one in size 2 and the other in size 3, to try on. (Size 2 and 3! Later I also saw jackets in size 0 and size 1.)

We were still looking for a skirt and I spotted a black pinstriped pleated miniskirt hanging high on the wall. The salesgirl thought that there might be one in my size, which she guessed was 18. There were no 18s, but she suggested I try a 16, which she found.

Off to the dressing room I went and tried on the skirt first. It fit perfectly. Although different sizes, both jackets fit fine, but I did not like the way they looked. They were cropped too short and exposed too much between the hem of the jacket and the waistband of the skirt.

I sought out the salesgirl and asked if she had something less cropped. Three more trips between the dressing room and the salesgirl and I finally found a nice black short-sleeved jacket that is cropped just right.

I paid for the skirt and jacket and headed home.

At home, I quickly slipped into my undies to see how the outfit looked with a proper femulated figure underneath. The skirt still looked great, but I am not so sure about the jacket. When I have more time, I will try a couple of different tops on under the jacket to see if I can come up with a look I like. Otherwise, the jacket goes back to the store and my search continues.

I really like the skirt, though. Here is how the Torrid web site describes it: "Black pleated mini has white pinstripes, lace and ribbon detail across the hips and a tulle underlayer. Back zip entry. 15" long."

Ooh La La!

new poll about crossdressing in public

I started a new poll here today asking how often do you go out in public crossdressed. Please vote and check the results as the poll progresses.

I considered adding one more answer to the poll: "not often enough," but I figured that everyone would vote for that selection!

Please vote.

Changing My Name poll results

The Changing My Name poll is over and here are the result:

With 29 votes cast...

10 (34%) voted for Lana Hunter (a new name)

17 (58%) voted for Staci Hunter (my current name)

2 (6%) voted for "none of the above"

I thank everyone who voted.

Although the majority of voters preferred my old name, I still like the new name a lot and may change it anyway. But, your vote has given me food for thought. So, instead of just stumbling forward and making the change, I will think about it for awhile.