Shopping Semi-Femulated

Looking through my wardrobe this past weekend, I was not enamored with the choices I had to wear when I go to work as a woman on Halloween Eve. I have new dresses that I have not worn yet, but they are all too dressy for the office. I also have dresses that are appropriate for the office, but I already wore them to the office.

Going to work as a woman is a very big event on my calendar. I wanted something new, so I began shopping online for an office-appropriate dress.

I scoured the DressBarn website and found four dresses that I liked that were office-appropriate.

Since time was of the essence, I did not order online. Instead, I planned to go to DressBarn Monday morning in boy mode with print-outs of the dresses I found online, snatch the dresses from the racks, try them on and purchase the best of the bunch to wear on Friday.

Trying on womenswear in boy mode is an inexact science especially for a woman like me who relies on foundation garments for her girlish figure. So I wore a panty girdle and waist cincher to work on Monday.

The only problem was that the waist cincher made my C-cups outstanding. Wearing a bra would only make matters worse, so I dug into my closet and found the most voluminous top I own and slipped it on. The top did the trick. Although I could feel my girls jiggling as I walked, what was jiggling was hidden well by the top.

After arriving at work, I told my boss I was taking an early lunch and around 10:30 AM, I drove to the nearby Dress Barn store where I am known as a good customer in boy and girl mode. The store was empty except for two sales associates, who know me well. After friendly greetings, I showed one of the sales associates the print-outs of the dresses I found online.

She informed me that she did not have my top two picks, but she thought the other two were available. So I followed her around the store as she found the two dresses. She also suggested a third dress that I overlooked on the website; it had potential, so I took the three dresses to the dressing room and tried them on.

For starters, all three fit me perfectly. Since they were all figure-hugging, wearing my panty girdle and waist cincher paid off because without them, they would not have been such a perfect fit.

Of the two dresses I found online, I absolutely hated the way one looked on me, while the other one was just OK. On the other hand, I fell in love with the dress that the sales associate suggested (photo above). I even have a pair of high heels that I have never worn because I did not have an outfit to go with them, but now I do. So I purchased the dress.

By the way, two weeks ago, I bought a gorgeous dress I found online. But when it arrived, it was not so gorgeous on me, so I returned it to DressBarn for a refund.

Which just goes to show you that the best way to shop for clothes is in person, preferably as a woman person or at least, shaped as a woman person.

Wearing Boston Proper.

Katie in an Alice in Wonderland Halloween costume, circa 2005.

Working Woman Meg

You remember Meg of Call Me Meg fame. Six years ago, she went to work as a woman on Halloween and she generously gave me permission to repeat her wonderful story, so here it is. Enjoy and be inspired!

Setting the Trap

My old manager, N, was a nice woman and a good manager. She worked with the team members to ensure that we weren't travelling too much, that we had the resources to do out jobs, and that everything was going smoothly. I enjoyed working for her.

One day we were discussing an upcoming job. She had already booked her travel but another obligation came up and she couldn't make it. Since it was to be my project, I was asked to go in her place. Then she said something that was straight out of chapter one of many TV fiction stories:

"It would be great if you could use my ticket. It's too bad you're not a girl."

I said, "I could be." She asked what I meant and I said I could "dress up" and maybe get away with it. She laughed and asked for proof. We went on to other issues about the upcoming trip.

I went home and printed "proof." I found a not-bad picture of Meg and printed it out and brought it to the office a couple of days later.

It was probably a week after that that I finally found N alone in her office. I asked if she had a minute and I reminded her of our earlier discussion. She grinned and said "yeah...?" and I pulled out the picture.

She said "no way" and insisted it was my sister. I told her I have a sister, but that's not her. She kept looking between the picture and me and finally acknowledged that maybe I was telling the truth. Then she asked "was this for a costume party, or is it something you do, sometimes?"

At the time, I was pretty deeply in the closet and my first impulse was to take her "costume party" line and run with it. My brain was screaming "ABORT! BAIL OUT!" but I also thought she phrased what I do perfectly. I said "it's something I do, sometimes."

She said I had to come into the office like that. I suggested Halloween, still a few months off. She insisted I do so. We agreed I would come in on Halloween wearing women's clothing.

We had little joking passing discussions about this in the following weeks. I reminded her I was going to wear women's clothing on Halloween (actually, the day before Halloween ~ Oct 31 was a Saturday).

I, of course, wasn't joking.

Male to Female

In preparation for Halloween, I went to a few nearby salons, trying to line up someone to do my makeup.

You all know how I plan and replan and overplan. I had done my own makeup a few times by then, and I was comfortable with the results, but I wanted to have someone else do my makeup. I had three reasons:

• Mistakes were less likely
• It would take less time
• I had cover. I wasn't ready to admit to the office that I dressed at that time. If people commented on my makeup I could honestly say "I had a pro do it."

So, as I said, I went to a few nearby salons, trying to line up someone to do my makeup. There weren't many. Most opened too late to be useful. One sounded hopeful but after speaking to her once, the makeup lady stopped being available. I understand. We can be a little much for some people. I don't push myself at anyone.

By the way, there was no scheduled Halloween events at the office. Other than a silly hat or two, I'd be the only "costume."

I figured there were still two options.

Before the big day, I packed my clothes, shoes, wig, jewelry, and makeup into a small overnight bag and headed to the office.

There are two malls near my office. I planned to change at the closer, more upscale one. I didn't expect them to open as early as I wanted to get to the office so I just brought my bag in the car and went to work.

A little while later, N came in. She said "I thought you were going to dress as a woman!" I corrected her ~ I said I'd wear women's clothing and I was wearing women's jeans, socks, a polo, sneakers. I told her she'd have to take my word for it on panties. (I use that line a lot and everyone agrees to take my word. :) ) She agreed to do that as well, but she also (rightfully) accused me of chickening out. I told her I'd go change at 10 and be back at 11. She was good with this. I also wanted to make sure that she'd be in the office then ~ I wanted cover in case I came in and she decided to take the day off, or be on travel. N was not the best at letting the team know her plans.

Just before 10, I went to the mall. I took my bag with me and considered my two options.

One was to have someone at the mall do my makeover. I walked through Macy's, and there was also a Nieman and another upper-scale store. I planned to check them all out, but I wasn't crazy about the department store option. Then I walked past the M•A•C store. There were a couple of women working there and one customer. I walked up to one of the women and she asked if she could help me. I explained that I'm going to be dressed in drag and would like to know if someone in the store could do my makeup. Once I convinced her I was serious, she wanted to know when. I pointed to my bag and said I could change in about ten or fifteen minutes and come back. She said that would be OK. I said I may put on foundation and lipstick just so I don't stand out too much. She said that was fine too, or she could do it all. I asked her to please wait for me ~ I am serious and I will be returning very soon. She promised she'd be available.

Meg at M•A•C

I went down the mall to the family restroom. I had shaved as close as I could before leaving the house, and I made sure my arms, legs, and chest were clean as well. I quickly removed my "male" clothes and put on my bra, pads, hose, camisole, half-slip, and heels. I put on my wig and then realized I did not bring my favorite, but it wasn't a showstopper. It was good enough. I made a mental note to label the bags with my wigs ~ 1, 2, 3, and 4 ~ for my favorite down to the one I'd wear if 1, 2, and 3 were unavailable. This was number 3.

I put on sunglasses and looked critically in the mirror.

Woman from the neck down, with a man's face. I removed the dress and put on my liquid foundation.  I put on a coat of lipstick and my (women's, of course) sunglasses. It wasn't great, but it was better and good enough for the walk down the mall to M•A•C in a somewhat quiet mall.

I put on my jewelry, packed away my other clothes and shoes, and walked back to M•A•C, enjoying the sound of my heels on the tile floor. I avoided being looked at ~ when someone would look my way, or if I was even passing or about to pass someone, I did some "window shopping" and kept my gaze directed at the stores.

Back at M•A•C, I found the makeup lady had kept her promise.

One difference between M•A•Cand the department store counters: the department store makeovers are free. M•A•Ccost $50 but you can put that towards a purchase. I was OK with that, and I bought a couple of the products she used on me: powder and lipstick, and I picked up a foundation that matched the powder. I can't remember; I may have picked up a blush as well.

My quick change wasn't as quick as I expected, and she took her time on the makeover but I didn't leave too much after 11, feeling fine and femme.

One difference between mall makeovers and do-it-yourself: the store employees want to do a female makeover on a female face. My face needs a bit heavier hand than they use. I think I didn't look as femme as I would have liked to, but I think I was OK. I also think my number 1 or 2 wig would have made a difference.

Good enough. I thanked and (over)tipped the makeup lady and asked for her card. I also asked her to take a picture or two before I left, which she did.

Most days, I walk to the mall from the office if I want to get lunch there, or maybe shop. Today I drove, just because the ten minute walk is a two minute drive and I wanted to be out of the office as little as possible.

It was time to face the office.

Meeting Meg

Even though it was close to lunch time, I saw almost no one in the parking lot or lobby. I was going to go into the cafe on the first floor, just to say hi, but I didn't really want to have to explain myself or tip off anyone from my office who might be down there.

As part of my pre-Halloween visit, I scanned my card and replaced my male pic with one of Meg. I left my name. I put this over my card ~ we use contact readers so all I had to do was hold the card up to the reader to get into the office.

I went up (alone) in the elevator to the top floor. I walked through the glass doors straight to the receptionist.

We do not get a lot of visitors. We get groups of strangers in for training in the morning most weeks, but by lunch time they all have temporary badges and they are not going into the secure areas anyway.

She said, "May I help you?" and I grinned and showed her my badge without saying a word. She looked puzzled for a second, then burst out laughing. I gave her a broad smile and headed towards the side where I sat (there are two sides, one is training, consulting, IT. The other is finance, marketing, and things like that).

As I held the card up to the reader she was still laughing.

I walked past my desk to N's office. She wasn't there. OK, this wasn't good, but it wasn't bad. I noticed S, our office fashionista, was talking to one of the guys from marketing. I stood behind him, where S could see me while they chatted about this and that. After a minute or so, S said, "Can I do something for you? I'm S."

I said, "I know that. I'm..."

She let out a yelp that I was sure alerted everyone on the floor. I saw our head of security who was maybe ten yards away look towards us. S screeched, "{male name}" and got up and hugged me. She asked what I was doing dressed like that and I told her N suggested I do this for Halloween.

S seemed to genuinely enjoy my new persona. I wasn't sure what I was going to do next. I came in to show N and had no further plans really. I usually interacted with about a third of the people on the floor ~ mostly the ones on my side of the office. Marketing and other corporate activities... not so much.

But S took over. She took my hand and brought me to the nearest employee, a woman who had an office on our side, but the opposite wall from my desk. S introduced me with a made-up name and said I was there for an interview. She offered her hand, we exchanged greetings and she saw my badge and started laughing. Then when we left she joined my new posse.

Most of the people on my side were out or in training sessions or gone for an early lunch, so S grabbed my hand again and off we went to the other section. There she introduced me to one of the accounting guys by a different name and said I was "her new assistant." Again, we got away with it for a short time ~ this time, he said something like "what do you think of {the company}?" and I said, "I've been here for a year. I've only been S's assistant for a little while" and he looked confused so I showed him my badge.

As S dragged me around the floor our little group grew and camera phones appeared. I posed for a couple of pictures, and pictures of my meet-and-greet were taken. Each time, S gave me a different name and a different title. When we got to accounting, I was the "marketing representative for the midwest." When we got to marketing, I was in "product quality." In shipping, I was "the new trainer." Each time I was greeted, usually with a handshake and once with a look that was so close to a leer that I got a little hint of what women have to put up with from guys just being guys. He seemed VERY embarrassed when he realized who I was. And I was VERY relieved that he was embarrassed. :)

Our IT head came over to me later and told me I looked great. Then he did the same thing a few days later.

I had a great time, but I hadn't met with my manager yet. She was in a conference room giving a presentation for a potential client.

I told S that my goal was to meet with N and this was much more fun that I could have ever hoped for. I thanked her profusely. She had to meet a friend for lunch and I was on my own again. Well, almost. A couple of the women came by to talk to me, which was unusual and nice. Oh... the head of security saw me as she was walking through the cubicle farm on my side of the office and yelled out, "Hi {male name}." I later asked her how she knew and she said "it was obvious." But I knew she heard S's first squeal and my "secret" was out ~ to her.

One of the women went into the conference room and got N's attention and told her I wanted to see her. She said it would be another ten minutes and this was relayed to me.

It was way longer than ten minutes, but I spent some time getting an idea as to what it's like to work in an office as a woman. I continued with my usual routine except for my usual coffee overdose. I did NOT want to have to use the ladies' room.

N finally got out of her meeting and came to my cube. She took some pictures and seemed to genuinely enjoy my "Halloween costume." I waited around for her boss, J, to see me, but he was out of the building at a meeting and never made it back. I finally returned to the mall and did a quick "undo." I was back in the office looking male within a half-hour.

Even though I was the only one in the office "dressed for the holiday," I felt great, not embarrassed like I thought I might be. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and one of the managers sent out an e-mail to all staff commending me on bringing cheer to our normal end-of-month crunch.

Alas, I'm in what is technically a military installation right now. I doubt there will be a repeat for 2012. But maybe I can finally make it to the high heel race.

(Not long after this, I came out to S. I figured she earned it, and I wrote about that here.)

Wearing Fashion to Figure.

Laurette's 1989 Southern belle Halloween costume

Nurse Paula

By Paula Gaikowski

It was the 1960’s, a hospital in Brooklyn, New York, the corridors were cacophony of sounds, smells and people. If American is a melting pot, then Brooklyn is the place where it gets stirred. The hallways were crowded with families, police, and medical staff. Here was a place that almost everyone was destined to pass through. My mother held my hand as my father seemed to clear a path that I was pulled through.

My grandmother, who ironically I was named after, laid ill down the hall. My parents had rushed in from New Jersey and brought me with them.

I was left with the nurses as my parents went to my grandmother’s side. I was calmed and comforted by them and followed them like a puppy. They were loving, gentle and sweet. Watching them tend to so many fascinated me. I followed them as they went on their rounds.

You see, I was 8-years-old and I had already started praying each night for God to turn me into a girl. My father was a mechanic and my uncle a plumber. My friend’s Dad drove a truck. The idea of doing any of these things for a lifetime was even out of place then. I hated the garage where Dad worked; it was wet, dirty and noisy.

A nurse, yes, this is where I belonged, this is where I fit in! Helping people… I wanted to help people and be like these ladies. I identified with them.

Driving back home thru the New Jersey Mmeadowlands, I volunteered, “When I grow up I want to be a nurse.”

My Mom and Dad said something to each other in Polish as they often did when they didn’t want us to hear.

While lighting a cigarette my Mom yelped back, “Boys can’t be nurses, only girls are nurses.”
My Dad added something about being a doctor or lawyer.

It was the 1960’s and boys couldn’t be nurses and for that matter boys couldn’t be girls either.
Now it’s 2015 and times have changed. Today boys can be nurses and girls can be doctors and lawyers.

What’s more, boys, who want to, can also be girls, and today, for a short time I made right a wrong turn so many years ago. I was both!

Happy Halloween!

Wearing Ann Taylor.

Son and mother in their daughter and father Halloween costumes.

Shops for Plus-Sized Gurls

I am a lucky gurl! 

The local mall has both a Torrid store and a Fashion to Figure store and they are right next door to each other. I shop at both stores because they are geared toward younger plus-sized gurls, whereas stores like Lane Bryant and Catherines cater to more mature plus-sized gurls.

Lately, I have purchased more at Fashion to Figure than Torrid because Fashion to Figure's prices are easier on my pocketbook than Torrid's.

And by the way, all the aforementioned stores are very accomodating to gurls... even in boy mode!

Make your legs look longer.

Tuck sheer tights into suede knee-high boots and finish with a mini-skirt. The broken up look will give off the illusion of legs for days. (Source: Popsugar)

Perez Hilton's Madonna costume, Halloween 2014.

Femulating on the Tube

High School Girls

Anna Maria and Paula alerted me to a Shiseido cosmetics advertisement featuring what is purported to be a class of Japanese high school girls, who are actually femulated boys. The ad is amazing not only because the femulations are perfect, but because of the time and effort put into producing the ad.

You can see the ad here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n3Db6pMQ-8

And you can see how the ad was produced here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM_uPPvXUXs

I'll Switch

Poking around the Internet, I discovered The Switch, a television show from Chile, which features femulators competing in song. The program is sort of a combination of The Voice and Ru Paul's Drag Race.

The contestants are drag queens female impersonators, that is "men who live a regular life throughout the day... but in the evening they transform themselves into great (pop) stars." but in In my opinion, their transformations are less drag and more ladylike, that is, they look more like professional female singers rather than drag queens.

There are a bunch of videos on YouTube from The Switch. Here are two samples:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYqP2JFQ7CQ
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCaM1nYmYzE 

By the way, The Switch is also the name of a new Canadian television program, which "features Julie Vu, a transgender woman and YouTube sensation, in the lead role of an upwardly mobile IT manager who loses her job and Vancouver apartment after coming out of the closet.

"But rather than being a downer, the Canadian single-camera comedy follows Vu's character as she rebuilds her life in Vancouver's queer underground with the help of friends, including five transgender characters, each played by a transgender actor." (Source: The Hollywood Reporter)

Wearing Boston Proper.

Actor Christopher Hewett plays the femulating Roger De Bris
in the original 1967 version of the film The Producers.

Actor Gary Beach plays the femulating Roger De Bris
in the 2005 remake of The Producers.

Tips for Halloween Working Girls

Ready for work, Halloween 2013

Since I am fast-approaching my sixth trip going to work as a woman for Halloween, I am passing along some things I have learned over the years.

As some wisewoman once opined, "Time is of the essence." Since most of us do not normally dress female for work, it is a good idea to plan ahead so that our high heels are not late when they make their first click on the company premises.
  
So, on the night before:

• Pick out your outfit and have all its parts (including undies, hosiery, jewelry, shoes, outerwear, etc.) out and ready to wear.

• Comb and style your wig so it is ready to crown your head with minimum fuss.

• Set up your makeup mirror and lay out the makeup you plan to use so you won't have to go looking for something missing in the morning.

• Remove all body hair that your outfit will expose.

• Transfer your "papers" from your boy wallet to your girl wallet and pack your handbag including an extra pair of hosiery and extra fake fingernails just in case.

• Set your alarm clock to go off earlier than usual so you will have adequate time to prepare to be a woman (I usually set mine an hour earlier than usual).

On the big day:

• If your outfit includes high heels, take a pair of flats with you, too. They will come in handy (or should I say "footy") if your feet tire from wearing heels all day. Also, if you are not used to driving in heels, wear the flats during your commute.

• Bring a bag of candy to share during your workplace trick or treat.

• If the other girls don't invite you to lunch, go out during your lunch hour and do something outside the workplace as a woman. Go grocery shopping. Go to a sandwich shop. Go to the mall and try on some dresses. 

And don't worry about passing ― it's Halloween!

Wearing Alexia Admor.

Bryan Boy's 2014 Anna Wintour Halloween costume

Another Working Girl Femulation

I love this trend! 

Jennifer Michelle Jordan is another girl, who went to work en femme on Halloween. I know I did not start this trend, but by example, I have been an evangelist of going to work as just another working girl on Halloween. 

Anyway, here is Jennifer's story followed by her photo.

I have been following your blog for years and really enjoy every post. You spend so much time giving us so much information about yourself and your travels plus all kinds of great style ideas. Please keep up the great work and let us girls enjoy you blog always.

I have been crossdressing as long as I can remember, I really enjoy the classic office look, skirt suit, pretty blouse and heels. Last year I got my courage up to go the the office dressed for Halloween. I was extremely nervous as no one knew of my hobby.

I got to the office and no one recognized me, at first thinking I was a visitor. When all the light bulbs went off for my fellow co-workers heads, they were in awe. The women loved how much trouble I had gone to come to the office this way. Most men just could not believe it was me.

After the initial fear of being in the office, it was a super day. Several of the ladies talked to me at end on breaks and lunch. They wanted me to go with them for a couple of drinks after work, but alas I had to go home and Cinderella was back to her pumpkin.

Thank you so much for letting me tell you my story,

Hugs,

Jennifer Michelle Jordan

Jennifer Michelle Jordan's working girl Halloween costume

Wearing Brahmin.

Throwback Tuesday: At Work En Femme

It is hard to believe that the first time I went to work en femme on Halloween was 15 years ago! Wow! Anyway, here is my story of that ground-breaking day.

Halloween is "National Crossdresser's Day," so they say. I guess there is some truth in that because my first public crossdressed outing was on Halloween and I know many other crossdressers also poked their bewigged heads out of the closet for the first time on October 31. And over the years, I have continued to crossdress on Halloween to attend parties given by friends and my support group. But, this year was different.

One week before Halloween, my company announced that they were sponsoring a day of Halloween events including a costume contest. In all my years of being gainfully employed, no employer of mine had ever sanctioned wearing costumes to work on Halloween. I know some of you have gone to work en femme on Halloween and I often considered it, but I never had the nerve to do it. However, this year, I could go to work en femme with the blessing of the boss! T'was a crossdresser's dream-come-true.

There was no doubt that my costume would be en femme, but how en femme was the question. I considered my options and decided to dress appropriately for my workplace, which is an office. My costume would be "office girl drag."

I had a plenty of outfits that qualified as office girl drag, so I went through my stash to decide what to wear. I narrowed my choices down to three outfits. To make the final decision, I slipped into my unmentionables and modeled each outfit. My wife and I agreed that the black print, short-sleeved, knee-length sheath looked best. To round out the ensemble, I chose tan pantyhose and a pair of black patent pumps with 3-1/2-inch spike heels.

The night before Halloween, I prepared for the next day. I depilated, combed out my wig, and laid everything out so I could get ready as quickly as possible Halloween morning. I turned in early because I had set the alarm clock for 4:45 AM to give me enough time to depart for work at 7:15 fully made-up and dressed. However, turning in early did no good because I was so excited I had a hard time falling asleep. It was after 2 AM before I finally nodded off and I woke up 15 minutes before the alarm clock was set.

I got up, shaved, showered, and applied my makeup. For a change, I had no makeup disasters and was finished by 6:15. I put on my undies, dress, shoes, and wig, then I checked myself out in a full-length mirror. Was that Nicole Kidman's reflection in the mirror? Not quite, but when I squinted real hard, I thought I saw Nicole Kidman's mother.

Last thing to do was my nails. I glued press-on nails to my pinky and ring fingers, then I had an incredibly hard time gluing the nails to my middle fingers. None of the press-ons fit quite right and the glue could not make up the difference. Time was running out, so I decided to forgo the nails. After removing the press-ons from my pinky and ring fingers, I grabbed my purse and hit the pavement.

The commute was uneventful and I arrived at work 15 minutes early. I exited my car and walked to the main entrance enjoying the feminine beat of my heels clicking on the sidewalk.

Inside, the first people I encountered were our receptionist and a woman from Human Resources. At first, neither of them recognized me. Then, they both recognized me and started gushing over my costume. So far, so good.

I went upstairs to my cubicle. Since I was early, there was no one around to see me, so I went to the cubicle of one of my best friends at work (she is one of the few people who gets to work earlier than I}. I stuck my head around the corner of her cubicle and said, "Trick or treat." She was floored!

After she regained her composure, she began calling me "Stella" and insisted on escorting me to the cubicles where other early birds were already at work. Our first stop was her boss, who had been with the company about six months. I don't work directly with him, but he is only three cubicles away from me and we cross each other's paths each day. My friend pushed me into his cubicle and he had no clue. At first, he thought I was a new female employee, but my friend blew my cover, "Don't you recognize him?" He didn't until I explained that I was the guy three cubicles away.

And that was the way it went all day long. A tall woman in a Halloween costume environment is a dead giveaway. As a result, the majority read me as a man in drag, but did not know which man until I showed them my mug shot on my security card. On the other hand, a minority did not read me at all including some folks that I work with on a regular basis.

By mid-morning, the word was out that there was a guy in drag upstairs and a procession of onlookers began marching up to my cubicle to check me out. (No other guys appeared in drag. In fact, only a handful of guys wore costumes at all. On the other hand, the woman had a lot more Halloween spirit and approximately 1 out of 4 women appeared in costume.)

In general, women loved my costume. Some were amazed that I shaved my legs and my arms. Others complimented me on my makeup and some asked, "Did your wife do your makeup?"

"No, I did it myself," I responded, which caused further amazement.

A few remarked that I should quit my job and become a professional female impersonator! One woman said, "You made my day," and she returned to my cubicle three times with two or three new onlookers in tow each time. A pretty administrator remarked, "You look better than most women I know."

I don't think I fooled everyone. A few women gave me knowing looks, like they knew I looked too good to have only done this once. But, I didn't mind.

On the male side, the majority appreciated my costume, but there were two or three who seemed to be phobic about it, typical macho twaddle, I guess.

Shortly after getting to work, my pantyhose began running like crazy! I don't know if they were defective or I was careless, but by 10 AM, I had three runs that were getting bigger by the minute. I wanted to look my best, so I left the building for a few minutes and drove to a nearby CVS to buy a new pair.

Now, this is the scary part because CVS was not having a Halloween costume contest. I parked the car and walked into CVS passing a handful of people who paid me no mind. I entered the store and to avoid causing a commotion, I went to the first salesgirl I saw and explained that I ran the pantyhose of my Halloween costume and needed a new pair.

"Hosiery is in aisle eight, Ma'am," she replied, unfazed by my Halloween costume hint.

I guess I was not going to cause a commotion, so I went to aisle eight, picked out a pair, then I went to the register where the same salesgirl rang me up without a clue.

Now, here is the amazing part. I never used a femme voice. I spoke in my normal male voice, which is admittedly soft-spoken, but definitely male. I guess the salesgirl's eyes convinced her that I was a woman no matter what clues her ears might be picking up. (I had read about this phenomenon, but did not believe it until I actually experienced it.)

I returned to my office and waited for the results of the costume contest. A lot of people said they would vote for me and I guess they did because I won. I thought there were three or four costumes that were better than mine, but I guess having the guts to wear the costume I wore was that little extra that pushed me over the top.

I feel a little guilty about that because it did not take any guts to do what I did. This was something I wanted to do for a very long time. I also felt like I cheated a little because this wasn't a costume I put together overnight. I've had practice dressing like this for years.

I'll admit that I did have some qualms about possibly losing the respect of some of my colleagues. But when I thought about it, if somebody lost respect for me because I crossdressed on Halloween, then I don't want their respect. So, qualms be damned! Tighten that corset as tight as you can. Today you are a woman!

I made one fashion blunder: my choice of footwear. I had not worn that particular pair of high heels in such a long time that I had forgotten why I stopped wearing them. Because they hurt a lot in a very short time! I have other pumps with the same heel height and even higher that don't hurt like that pair did. The only saving grace is that I did not have to get up and walk around too much. I could just sit at my desk and pose for my admirers whenever they showed up.

However, I regret that I did not wear more comfortable shoes because I wanted to go to the mall, have lunch at the food court, and do some window-shopping. But by noon, my feet were so hobbled that walking around the mall would have been very ugly.

I also had a fashion revelation. Wearing a tight corset all day was quite painless. The corset did inhibit movement, but it did not cause any aches or pains (like my shoes and clip-on earrings), while improving my figure immeasurably.

I had the time of my life. I wished the day would never end, but it did and now I have a lot of wonderful memories about my first day at work en femme.

Wearing Joie.

Nancy Ng's cigarette girl Halloween costume

Snow!

Sunday, I was moping around the house feeling sorry for myself because I was not going to Provincetown for Fantasia Fair.

l checked the time and it was high noon. If I had left for P-Town at 9 AM as I had for past Fantasia Fair trips, I figured that by now I would be off the Interstates and on the Cape working my way up Route 6 for the final hour of travel to Provincetown.

With visions of Commercial Street dancing in my head, I glanced out the window and noticed that it was snowing! I have never seen it snow this early in the fall before and it made me shiver thinking about walking around Provincetown in a skirt.

Last year, it rained almost every day during Fantasia Fair, but at least, it was not cold. The forecast for the next few days is for unseasonably cold weather. The temperature got down to 32 Saturday night and Sunday night is supposed to be colder. It will not be much different on the Cape, but it is expected to be more seasonable later this week.

The weather almost makes me glad I did not go to Fantasia Fair! Notice I wrote “almost.”

Wearing Love...ady.

Lauralee's Halloween costume

We attended a play at a little theatre and my wife wore my work shirt, pants and company logo cap. Despite my height 6' 4" without heels, some people were unsure if I was man or woman. One older lady after sitting next to me for a bit blurted out "You're a man!" This outfit is a little over the top, but it's Halloween. Could have done a better job with the makeup, but didn't want the patrons wondering if I did this on a regular basis.

TGIF... not!

April Ashley

Ever notice how "TGIF" loses its luster when you are on vacation?

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Here is something from Media Matters to file away for future use when the next yahoo gets up on his or her soapbox about the bathroom issue: Texas experts debunk the transgender "Bathroom Predator" myth Ahead Of HERO Referendum.

Have gender identity/transgender public accommodations protections resulted in increased sexual assault or rape in women's restrooms? The answer is a resounding "No."

Read all about here.

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One of my first transgender heroines was April Ashley. Her first 15 minutes of fame occurred about the time I was trying to sort things out. Her story taught me that I was not gay, but rather that I was probably transsexual (a fact that I denied most of my life).

Anyway, on her recent 80th birthday, Ms. Ashley was given the Icon Award for her services to the LBGT community. A Liverpool Echo article about the award also mentions that Ms. Ashley had previously received an MBE from Prince Charles... something I did not know (yes, you do learn something new every day!)

Wearing Ann Taylor.

Rihanna's Liza Minelli 2013 Halloween costume

Two years ago, I was Liza. That was really fun. I deliver meals on wheels and we were encouraged to wear costumes, so I did. I had delivered to a particular older gent before, and he hadn't always made too much sense. He came to the door, looked at me, and said, "Well, you must be John Wayne!" I said in my best lady voice, "Yes, yes I am." He took his meal, I wished him a good day, and left.

I had scheduled things a little tight that day, with a doctor appointment in the early afternoon, so off I went. I can't describe how much fun I had with his nurses and office staff. It made my day, even a little better than winning the costume contest at the party that night.