Current or retro?

[Marla GG]

Hi girls,

I can't help noticing what a wonderfully diverse collection of personal styles and tastes we have here. Some of you obviously prefer current fashions, while others are attached to the clothing of a particular time in the past.

I know many of you love the clothing of the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and 80s, and others enjoy wearing, or at least fantasizing about, outfits from earlier decades. Some even have a fascination for Victorian fashions. Very cool!

What I would really like to know is, why do you think the clothing of your favorite era appeals to you so much? Do you prefer the image of femininity that was in vogue then? Do you have nostalgic memories of your first childhood crossdressing experiences with a particular style of clothing? Are you thinking of actresses or other female icons who dressed that way? Or is is there perhaps a particular garment from that time period that you love the look and feel of?

Come on, let's hear it!

[Deidra Cowen]

I dress to blend in and attempt to pass. Therefore mainly jeans and low key blouses since I mainly go clubbing and shopping as a fem. BUT...if I really dressed like I wanted to it would be the 80s look. Sundresses, lots of makeup and big hair. Gawd if that were in style again it would be much more easy to look like a GG, and I love that look, probably cause thats what I saw growing up.

Current fashions are tough cause GGs don't wear much makeup...and their outfits are very unforgiving for those of us that have big shoulders and are not thin.

But its all fun regardless! Nice thread idea.

Hugs,

Deidra

[StephanieCD]

I have a few likes - many of my fantasy tastes (being things I wish I had the budget to try) are rooted in the gothic. That would come from a personality quirk I developed through adolescence But "goth" itself gets much of it's fashion from antiquated tastes... I find them very sexy.

My other major weakness is retro pin-up style! I was a young boy (already dressing) and just discovering sexuality. I found a secret room in my family basement - more a locked door behind a bunch of stuff that "never" moved. I went in this little room and found a tiny workshop of sorts. It was my father's and it had these pin-up girls all in it - not to mention some *ehem* reading material. But it was the posters that did it. These (now) retro girls had a massive impact on my definition of sexy as they had the first "girl parts" I ever saw.

That's me - gothic retro. Wish I had the money for the fashions though... only in my head for now

[cindybarnes]

Marla,
Its funny, as much as I love antiques and retro stuff ,(my house is full of them)

I never got onto to classic older clothing and lingeree etc.

I may see a cute outfit while looking through a magazine and try to find something similar, even if from a thrift shop.

We go through phases tho so hey ya never know someday I may change

Cindy

[Tiffy]

I prefer the 80's because the women of the era make my blood boil. And this was the first type of clothing I had.

Kisses, April

[Sharon]

My preference is to wear the fashion of the typical woman on the street, meaning mostly jeans or simple skirts, and tee's or flouncy blouses. My intent is to pass and mingle without attracting unwanted attention towards myself. Besides, I came of age in the late 60's and early 70's when denim was practically a requirement, a look I have enjoyed ever since.

[Amelie]

I like best, the late 70's-early 80's punk. Clothes that are tight as well as torn are best for me. Ripped tights, saftey pin earings, pink mohawks, wide neck tops, with the shoulders showing. I still see some younger girls dressed similar to this way, so the style isn't completely dead.

[Mx Justina]

One of the things that has spurred strongly my lifelong crossdressing has been the fashions (both masculine and femenine of the 1930's and the 1940's). If money were no impediment, my wardobes, shoes and hairstyles would likely reflect the visual moods in the late 1930's thru 1940's... Which to me represented a high modern period in femenine expression. The 1940's women's hairstyles (especially hair-up and pompadours) would be my favourites.

Since I am bisexual...my fantasy of what a boyfriend or male chaperone would appear dressed as would be in some sort of complimentary masculine style... No ugly modern sneakers, T-shirts, jeans or tacky baseball caps allowed (in the fantasy).


(Addendum) 1938 magazine cover, and 1942 Warbonds promotion, below.






J.

[KewTnCurvy GG]

I have a few likes - many of my fantasy tastes (being things I wish I had the budget to try) are rooted in the gothic. That would come from a personality quirk I developed through adolescence But "goth" itself gets much of it's fashion from antiquated tastes... I find them very sexy.

My other major weakness is retro pin-up style! I was a young boy (already dressing) and just discovering sexuality. I found a secret room in my family basement - more a locked door behind a bunch of stuff that "never" moved. I went in this little room and found a tiny workshop of sorts. It was my father's and it had these pin-up girls all in it - not to mention some *ehem* reading material. But it was the posters that did it. These (now) retro girls had a massive impact on my definition of sexy as they had the first "girl parts" I ever saw.

That's me - gothic retro. Wish I had the money for the fashions though... only in my head for now

Do you like Dita Von Teese?

www.ditavonteese.com

[cosmolovesph]

Do you like Dita Von Teese?

www.ditavonteese.com

Oh thanks for the link, I REALLY like her and her style/era!

[Mx Justina]

Do you like Dita Von Teese?

www.ditavonteese.com

Indeed!... Just like the old Bettie Page!!!... Lots of timeless erotic symbology, and undefiled by the tactless, or mediocre. Can't honestly recall what Brittany Spears, or the latest Miss America look like...but this Dita female connects like a focused laser.

J.

[Jo_2s]

I just try to fit in with what a gg of my age would wear now, but as I have to wear jeans and trousers to fit my " man " image my fem side is always a skirt etc.
I think sometimes I could cry when I see a woman who could look so good in a skirt or dress, but has on drab man type clothes, if only I could be alowed the choice in public. But that's what it's all about, freedom, to be and do what you want to, it's what the " weaker " sex have faught so hard for.
Anyway I'll get down off my soap box now, for me the best age would be the 50s and 60s all to do with petticoats and slips, the look and feel, that little bit of lace showing a golden age.

[Jamie_will_do]

Great thread!

Whilst I love the 'retro' look (wow, some of the outfits in his thread are gorgeous), my personal tastes are for the current/futuristic. I don't know to what extent that's just a shape and material thing or just that I'm a futurist!

I am, however, completely delighted by the continuing trend of updating classic garments using modern materials; seeing (and wearing) the modern, cyber-age versions of corsets, skating skirts, girdles, suspender belts, classic 50s cut dresses - even the humble cummerbund gets a look in. Whilst modern materials include vinyl, latex and PVC, you can also easily find satin, cotton, velvet or silk 'retro' items with a modern take - be that in the fastenings, the cut, the stitching, the trim or wherever. I'm also a big fan of the retro-gothic look, and find crushed velvet and lace (in terms of delicate lace trim, as well as lacing) to be a winner every time.

Jamie xx

[Tristen Cox]

I prefer the 80s probably cause thats how (while growing up) I first learned to take notice of women and fashions of the time. Hated the seventies and don't know what happened after the 90s got started. But that's just me

[Katie Ashe]

Why do you think the clothing of your favorite era appeals to you so much? Do you prefer the image of femininity that was in vogue then? Do you have nostalgic memories of your first childhood crossdressing experiences with a particular style of clothing? Are you thinking of actresses or other female icons who dressed that way? Or is is there perhaps a particular garment from that time period that you love the look and feel of?

Well lets see there :think: ... I am a Member of Generation X, Still sometimes live in the 80's. I still have some clothing, and still fold my jeans cuffs the same as I did back then. I always wanted to me Madonna, she was so alive and bold, free spirted when she dressed with her undercloths outside. I looked up to her for be herself. I was always afraid to show what I liked in fear of persacussion. I was the kid everyone picked on and made fun of. Between... likeing girls clothes, looking different, having no friends, never kissed a girl until I was 15 (witch was done as a cruel joke, later found out)... I would say living in the past with objects I liked was my way of keeping my sanity. I started out with Boots and classic pumps. and graduated to pantyhose many years later. For many years after that, being in denile, not understanding whats wrong with me, I went in to the military thinking they would make a man outta me. After 10 years of loyal service, I was a repressed guy wearing girlly things. I'm thinking wear is Madonna when I need her(strike a pose, touched for the very first time)? I found this site searching for what is wrong with me, And found I might just might be normal, but just different. Most important not alone anymore. Women to me are the Pecaso of life, and I want to be apart of it no matter how silly I look.

I hope this answers your ?'s soory to be so long, this is pretty deep for me.

[Marla GG]

I am really enjoying your answers, and the pictures! Thank you, girls

Deirdra, I had never thought about the point you raised, that the fashions of certain periods (like the 80s) are more suited to the body shape of most CDs. Big shoulders, and short skirts to show off those terrific legs.....that makes sense! I was surpised to see how many love the 80s look. As Tristen and April said, for a lot of you it was what you saw growing up or the first women's clothes you wore.

Several of you made an interesting point, that the clothes you wear when attempting to pass are not necessarily the clothes you would prefer to wear. That says to me that it is more important to you to be seen as "one of the girls" than it is to please yourself by dressing in your ideal fantasy outfit. Both of those choices bring their own unique kind of satisfaction, I imagine. I hope you are able to incorporate both into your life at different times

Justina, Cosmo, and Ava, I completely understand your love for the clothes of the 30s and 40s. I love them too. In that era women were experimenting with power, not only their sexual power, but a newfound independence and self-awareness that came as a result of essentially keeping the country running while the men were away at war. The mothers of these women had fought for, and won, the right to vote (in America), and they were the first girls to grow up with that right. To me, it's almost as though the 50s represented a backlash against this by returning to a more frilly, delicate, demure, and restrictive version of femininity.

Fiona, I thought you brought up something interesting too, about finding contemporary styles that somehow echo the spirit an earlier time. You can certainly see a wide variety of historical influences in the clothes of today, and that gives us a lot more choice!

Katie, I love Madonna too. I personally think she must be a crossdressing enthusiast like me. Who else would dress male dancers in cone bras and (years later) sing "Do you know what it feels like for a girl?"

[maidthesy]

the high period for maids were the 19470-1950's. My Mistress just sees it as fitting that her maid should be dressed after the fashion of these years.

These 1950's clothes have now my way of dressing for the past 2 years and while I admire the feminity and elegance of that time, I also admire the endurance and condition of the women of this era , being girdled and corsetted, stockinged and nyloned as they were.

Sometimes during hot summerdays I ask myself how they coped , because I do have my problems with my foundations.

Your Maid in service
Thesy

[Mx Justina]

In my mind the image below, exemplifies what a "true retro" outfit would appear like...

If money were no impediment (to me), the outfit (or one very similar in design) would be my choice for social functions...for what the dress and matched accessories are obviously designed for!...

Only personal (accessory) change I'd make would be the spikes, choosing instead heels designed for the dance floor.

J.

[samanthajay]

i have to say 80s cuase of my blondie and joan jet tops

[kellypm]

i have often asked julia about her dress sense she has been cd for a long time and i thing although she has matured with age her dress sense has not really followed

i try and giver her guideance these days and help her to pick things that really do suit rather than things that make her look like a grannie dressing as a teeny bopper

kel

[Fallen Angel]

im with tristen i love the 80s styles the shoulders are wide on the tops.wide belts lots of leather (luv pencil cut minis) the hair styles and the hi heels so i do tend to lean that way a bit. but i also try to have my own little bit of style to make me stand out a bit as well xxx

[Mx Justina]

This plaid vest is a likeable and versatile item. Works well with the shoulder-padded white blouse underneath, and covers nicely the upper waisted part of the loose black skirt.

It's a three-piece combo that fits different time periods and body types (short, tall, wide or thin)...

My only problem with vests (femme or otherwise), is that if the garment is too low in relation to the waist...it kills the shapely intent...and vests are difficult (in my experience) to modify, in order to hang properly relative to specific build.

J.

[Mx Justina]

Deirdra, I had never thought about the point you raised, that the fashions of certain periods (like the 80s) are more suited to the body shape of most CDs. Big shoulders, and short skirts to show off those terrific legs.....that makes sense! I was surpised to see how many love the 80s look. As Tristen and April said, for a lot of you it was what you saw growing up or the first women's clothes you wore.

Several of you made an interesting point, that the clothes you wear when attempting to pass are not necessarily the clothes you would prefer to wear. That says to me that it is more important to you to be seen as "one of the girls" than it is to please yourself by dressing in your ideal fantasy outfit. Both of those choices bring their own unique kind of satisfaction, I imagine. I hope you are able to incorporate both into your life at different times

Actually, there are many aspects of women's 1980's dress style, which echo back to the 1940's, and even earlier into the 1930's... Yes, very padded shoulders have in the past been used to accentuate an air of self-assured independence... However, accentuating the up/down lithe perception of the femenine silhoutte has always been intrinsic...and something which is consciously and subconcsiously desired by experimenting fledgeling CDs. Again "Oversizing" the '80s "power jackets" served also the svelte femme accentuating intent.

I always noticed how the waisted dressy yuppie '80s dresses seemed to have built-up and puffed up shoulder details reminiscent of 1930's and 1940's also (which I liked and prefer personally)...that yet another design technique intended to accentuate the femenine lithe silhoutte.

Below, please note past examples of the femme silhoutte accentuation I'm alluding to. Note also how the dress collars lay flat against the shoulders, while extending away from the neck opening towards the shoulders (Sears page c. 1934).









J.

[Amelia Moxon]

I prefer modern girls clothing the sort that girls wear now, because when I go out in a month or so's time for the first time I want to pass as a girl as much as possible, so I buy modern clothes and shoes from Dorothy Perkins, Evans etc.

Michelle xxx

[Stephanie Brooks]

I prefer modern styles as I try to go out in public and pass. My preferences are towards dresses and skirts and blouses.

I love some of the older styles, but mosty to me they're costumes. While a GG might be able to go about in something from the 50s, or attend a special event in something victorian, those are attention-getting. I want to blend into the environment. (I'd be a pouff bunny if not for the impracticalities.)

Fwiw, "blending into the environment" is something I do even en homme. I prefer to move about the world unnoticed regardless of how I'm dressed. I want to look fine, but I don't want to get attention.