the fabulous Michelle Pfeiffer

I watched The Fabulous Baker Boys on Encore last night. I have seen the film before and enjoy it each time I watch it. The Bridges Boys are excellent and Michelle Pfeiffer is fabulous in her role as Susie Diamond.

The highlight of the film is when Ms. Pfeiffer sings "Makin' Whoopee" as seen in this video.



Enjoy the video, see the film, and consider femulating a woman like her.

2008 spring fashions

Perusing the January 2008 issue of Harper's Bazaar last night, I fell in love with some of the 2008 spring fashions previewed in the magazine.



I love this outfit that appeared in the "Trends From New York" feature. (Click on any image in this blog to enlarge it.)



I also loved these shoes. The pair on the left appeared in the "Runway Report" story, while the pair on the right appeared in the "Fabulous At Every Age" article. The later was actually in the section of the article that featured fashions for women in their 50's, which fits me to a tee.

magazines

I have a variety of hobbies and interests. To keep up with what is going on, I subscribe to magazines that cover my areas of interest.

Over the years, I subscribed to a variety of trans-oriented magazines. I seldom renewed a subscription to a trans mag because I found them trashy, boring, and/or lacking information that I wanted. I gave up on them and I don't subscribe to any trans mags today. (Please recommend any that you feel are worthwhile.)

On the other hand, I do keep up with what is going on in the femulation world by subscribing to woman's fashion magazines.

Years ago, I subscribed to Allure when it was a skinny magazine, but packed with useful information for the crossdressing fashionista. After a few years, I let my Allure subscription expire during a femulation lull.

I resubscribed to Allure about a year ago and was surprised when the first issue showed up in my mailbox. The skinny magazine had become a bloated tome of 200 to 300 pages, chock full of advertisements and little useful information. Whenever a new issue arrived, I perused it once and put it in the recycling pile.

I let my Allure subscription expire and recently subscribed to Harper's Bazaar. My first issue arrived yesterday and it was a pleasant surprise! It was full of ads*, but it also was full of useful articles. I think it is more sophisticated than Allure and I will be returning to it often.

* One good thing about the proliferation of ads in fashion magazines is that they pay for the magazine, so subscriptions are cheap, usually about $1 per issue or less. For example, go here and you can get a one-year subscription to Harper's Bazaar for $10 or two years for $15.

stuck at home

My dear friend Diana often e-mails me to ask if I would like to go out en femme with her. I turn her down more often than I accept her invitation.

Diana is single and lives as a woman full-time. I am married and live as a woman part-time.

Most of the time, I am in male mode because my wife married a man and prefers me in boy mode. She dislikes it when I am in girl mode and to keep the peace, I agreed that I only do the girly thing on a limited basis.

I am in male mode most of the time also because my employer hired a man and might not be too happy if I showed up at work in a dress and heels on days that don't end the month of October.

When Diana wants to go out, she opens the door and she is out (lucky girl!). When I want to go out, it is more complicated. I need two hours at a minimum to transform from boy mode to girl mode. And if it is an evening outing, that means leaving work early to get ready.

Since there are a number of complications in my girl life, I have to pick and choose my en femme outings and as a result, I have to turn Diana down more often than I would like. I just hope she doesn't get tired of my rejections and stops asking!

actor femulates Camilla for film role

Rupert Everett makes an unexpectedly glamorous appearance in the new St Trinian's movie in a cross-dressing role apparently inspired by Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

The flamboyant actor, who dons a blonde wig and knee-length skirt for the part of "pantomime dame" headmistress Miss Camilla Fritton, proved to be a striking doppelganger for the royal.

You can read the rest of the story from the Daily Mail here.

Tuesday, Tuesday

I found this in my e-mails this morning:

"Just a note to write that every day I take my vitamins and read your writings. You express feelings which I have and I feel less alone."

What a sweet thing to say!

To tell you the truth, I can use some vitamins and a little inspiration myself this morning. My allergies were bothering me last night and I had a hard time falling asleep, so I took two allergy pills to knock me out.

They did the trick, but I should have only taken one because I feel bushy-eyed and bright-tailed this morning and so far, coffee has not turned me around.

To make matters worse, it feels like a Monday rather than a Tuesday because yesterday I worked from home (to avoid dealing with the icy road conditions).

All work and no play makes Staci a dull girl, so during a break yesterday, a 20% discount e-mail offer from Newport-News moved me to do some online shopping. I spent a long while on the Newport-News Web site, adding anything that I liked to my shopping cart.

When I was finished shopping, I reviewed the contents of my shopping cart and removed everything except for two dresses: a zip-front V-neck dress in "royal purple" and a sweater-knit dress in "heather charcoal," which I ordered (and now wait anxiously for their arrival).

updates

I updated my questions and answers page and added top 30 things every crossdressing man needs in his wardrobe to emulate a woman to my adventures in femulation page.

flicks for chicks

I am a big movie fan.

I like a varied genre of film. There are only a few that I do not like: action films and slasher films. I also don't care much for feature-length animated films, but I love cartoons.

Although I love dressing as a woman, I do like films that appeal to manly men, for example, war films, especially World War II films, westerns, spy films (Connery's 007 are my favorites), mob films, science fiction, horror films, etc.

My guilty pleasure is the chick flick. (I am writing this just after watching Friends With Money.)

Perusing the list of 100 great chick flicks, I've seen most of them, liked most of the ones I've seen, and consider some of them as my favorite films of all time!

As a crossdresser, I guess liking chick flicks is just another expression of my inner chick.

out yesterday

I went out en femme yesterday.

I ran late, so I had to forgo my shopping plans and drove straight to the university where I did outreach at two Human Sexuality classes.

I want to look my best when I do outreach, so I usually dress up and yesterday was no exception. I wore my favorite dress (the leopard sash-tie wrap dress that I bought from Newport-News), favorite shoes (the Joy Baby Doll Pumps I bought at Payless), black tights, and my short white fake fur car coat. Needless to say, I was overdressed compared to most of the females (students and professors) on campus; I looked like a visitor on campus and that's what I was.

Females were in the majority in both classes; each class had about 25 students with two males in the earlier class and six in the later class.

Usually, the later afternoon class is less energetic, but that was not the case yesterday. Both classes were enthusiastic and asked a lot of questions. The second class even applauded us at the end!


Coincidentally, the two same questions that were never asked before came up in both classes:

One was, "How do you hide your genitalia?"

My answer was right out of my Wednesday blog: I wear a panty girdle to keep my genitalia in check. As I wrote on Wednesday, I tried a gaff, 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.

The other question was "Do you do hormones or have you had surgery?"

The answer was "no," but I assume the students asked because they thought I might do hormones and had surgery because they thought that it looked liked I had, which means I looked more womanly than the average guy in a dress. So, I took that question as a compliment.

During the question and answer session in the second class, Maryanne, the transsexual I was paired off with, went on about how it was not about clothes, it was all about gender. She wished that we all wore sackcloths and then we would not have to deal with the clothing issue.

I was ready to jump in as soon as she finished because for me, it is all about the clothes! But just as Maryann finished, the professor, who knows me well, chimed in, "But for Staci, it is all about clothes!" Everyone had a good laugh after her comment.

After the first class, we walked to the Student Union for a bite to eat. I missed it, but everyone else commented on how another professor passed us in the hallway and turned around to get a better look at me. I hate it when that happens and I miss it!

The women in the first class loved my shoes and after the class, a number of them asked me where I bought them. Also, the woman working the Dunkin' Donuts shop in the Student Union where I bought coffee and a flatbread sandwich complimented me on my retro necklace. I thanked her and pointed out my matching retro earrings.

I was tired by the end of the day, but surprisingly my feet did not hurt because my Baby Doll Pumps are so comfortable even with a three-inch heel.

It was another wonderful day out en femme and as always, I look forward to the next opportunity to be the woman I sometimes am.

before going out yesterday

Before I went out yesterday, I took some photos and here are my two favorites from that photoshoot.

Both are my reflections in a mirror. They are out of focus, which is a good thing because being out of focus blurs the signs of old age and makes me look younger!

Top 30 Things Every Crossdressing Man Needs In His Wardrobe To Emulate A Woman

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!

out tomorrow

I am going out en femme tomorrow. If I have time, I plan to do some shopping in the morning (I need a new coat and I can always "need" a new dress).

In the afternoon, I will be speaking at two Human Sexuality classes at a local university. These speaking engagements are always interesting and gives me an opportunity to do some outreach on behalf of the plain, vanilla crossdresser community.

Later this week, you can expect a full report here about my day out.

the return of the belted sweater dress

The belted sweater dress I ordered Thanksgiving weekend from Newport-News arrived yesterday and went back today. Size was not an issue. I just did not like the way the dress looked on me.

Too bad; it looked great on the Newport-News model!

Maybe I can do some dress shopping when I go out en femme on Thursday to do outreach. (There is nothing like clothes shopping in person.)

the mystery of bras

Bras can be mysterious, especially if you are a femulating male trying to learn how to buy and wear one properly.

This week, New York magazine attempts to remove some of the mystery in their piece titled ""The Everything Guide to Bras'. The article covers (or uncovers) the following bra topics:

The Search for the Right Fit – For some, bra shopping is about as fun as dental work. But there’s a lacy underthing out there for everyone.

The Mechanics – It looks so simple. Gwen Widell and Jill Gurhan, design and technical vice-presidents respectively at Wacoal, describe the engineering necessary for a bra to do its thing.

How to Increase the Shelf Life – Proper bra care means your bra will keep its pristine shape about one year. Tips on keeping your delicate underthings in good stretching order.

Boom and Busts – A timeline of the brassiere, from 1907 to the present.

Ask the Lingerie Experts – Nikki Dekker and Maayan Zilberman of the Lake & Stars.

It is recommended reading for new and old femulators alike.

Walkin' 'Round in Women's Underwear

Walkin' 'Round In Women's Underwear is disc jockey Bob River's parody of Winter Wonderland. This Christmas song does not get a lot of airplay. I first heard it on WDRC-FM on a Christmas Eve ten years or so ago and I can count on one hand the number of times I have heard it on the radio since that first time.

Copies of the song are available on the Internet and I just discovered that video versions are also available (on YouTube). There are a dozen video versions. Some are lame, but there are a couple of good ones. I particularly liked this anime version.

we love plunging necklines

joke

How many crossdressers does it take to change a light bulb?

Three: One to climb a ladder and change the light bulb, one to hold the ladder, and one to take photos of the event.

random thoughts on a Friday afternoon

Yesterday, I received an e-mail and post office mail from Newport-News informing me that they shipped my new dress. Hopefully, I will get it in time to wear when I go out en femme on Thursday.

Today, I bought two pairs of tights, a black pair and a gray pair, to wear with the new dress. The dress is silver, so I am not sure which color will look better, but one or the other should work. (My guess is black.)

As I mentioned a few postings ago, I ordered the dress one size smaller than usual because (1) I lost some weight and (2) the clothing industry seems to be downsizing again, i.e., yesterday's size 18 is today's size 16. Hopefully, the dress will fit and I won't have to send it back.

The weather forecast looks good for Thursday. It will be cold ("high near 33"), but there is no precipitation in the forecast.

If I have some time before I do outreach on Thursday, I would like to shop for a new winter coat. All my coats are either old and worn or fake fur and therefore, too dressy for normal wear. I do have a cute white fake fur jacket that I wore whenever I went out last winter, but it does not look right with certain outfits, so I need a new coat.

And so it goes.

vintage crossdressing

My Tuesday post "meet the Retro Queens" rekindled my interest in vintage clothing.

All along, I have been attracted to clothing that recalled fashions of the past and I have bought a retro item on occasion.

About ten years ago, I searched eBay on a daily basis looking for vintage clothing, particularly dresses of the late-1940s to early-1960s era. It was a difficult search because of the size issues, that is, there was not much available in my size.

I did win a few items on eBay and have worn some of those vintage dresses out en femme, but about half my winnings were a disappointment: they did not fit.

I never bid on an item unless the listing includes the bust, waist, and hip measurements and I only bid on items when I have a good idea the item will fit me. But sometimes I estimated wrong. For example, the bust, waist, and hip measurements matched my needs, but the cut of the dress was such that it did not fit right.

I could not return the item and I was stuck with something I could not wear. After winning too many too small dresses, I stopped searching eBay.

Eight years later, I think I am a better judge of what will fit me, so I am hitting the eBay women's vintage clothing listings again. I have found some gorgeous dresses and already have bids in on some of them.

Wish me luck!

trying on a dress

"I never feel comfortable in the women's department. I feel like I'm just a little too close to trying on a dress."

So said Jerry in "The Red Dot" episode of Seinfeld.

On Seinfeld, Jerry did not play a trans character. In real life, I am not aware that Jerry is a trans person.

Larry David wrote "The Red Dot" episode and as far as I know, Larry is not a trans person either.

My point is that the "too close to trying on a dress" line came from a non-trans person. Admittedly, it was intended to be humorous, but I wonder if there is a grain of truth buried in that line.

Do non-trans men feel uncomfortable in women's department because they feel like they are a little too close to trying on a dress?

I don't know because I am trans. Whenever I am in the women's department, I always feel close to trying on a dress. In fact, I would love to try on a dress if I see one I like and I have actually done so on more than one occasion in boy mode.

But do non-trans men have thoughts about wearing dresses?

I am sure that the average guy would not admit it except in jest because he would not want to muddle up his masculine image. But, it does make me wonder how close the average guy is to joining my team.