To Blend or not to Blend

[Edwina]

That is the question.
There have been many discussions on "passing" and "blending" and I, for one, have no hope of blending as I love skirts too much.:heehee: I think the current trend of women wearing jeans has to fade sooner or later and then skirts will come into their own again :daydreaming:
In the meantime I will try be guided by Paris Hilton who has made an appearance in the latest edition of the [I]Oxford Dictionary of Quotations [I] for this sage piece of advice "Dress cute wherever you go, life is too short to blend in" :D

:love:

Edwina

[dragdoll]

i like the jeans though, so its easier for me to blend i guess. i was never much of a skirt wearer.

[Mollyanne]

Hi Edwina, I agree w/u, sooner or later skirts will be back!!!!!
Jeans have there place I guess but to my way of thinking a skirt is sooooo much more comfortable.

Mollyanne

[diane51]

I know what you mean Edwina. I'm not much of a jeans/pant girl. I don't think I could find a pair to accomodate my long legs. Thats difficult enough in guy mode.
I simply love skirts and dresses. There are very few places I can think of where the ggs are dressed in anything but pants, sweats, or leggings. That makes it difficult to blend in when your in a skirt. Hopefully skirts will come into vogue again giving us our chance.

[deja true]

Well, sorry ladies, but jeans will never disappear until the world runs out of cotton or spandex!

There's not a war between skirts and jeans, they're just another option in the world of possibilities for "looking cute"!

Of course some will look "cuter" that others, but why not take advantage of every possibility?

Even Paris agrees! (A google search for "Paris Hilton" & "jeans" yielded over 1 million pics...

[Blaire]

Does "Blending" have to equal jeans?

Skirts aren't exactly "out", any more than jeans are truly "in".

I would think that to blend would be to dress appropriate to the location. Y'know, simple common-sense things:


Don't wear an evening gown to the grocery store
Don't wear a super-micro-mini unless you're planning on spending time on a street corner.
Make sure you weigh the same after applying makeup as you did before

That sorta thing.

Wearing a skirt to a pants dominated place probably wouldn't get noticed if the "level" of dress is still the same. Compromise and wear a denim skirt!

[Nicole Brown]

Hi Edwina,

I have always considered blending in and passing as 2 separate things. IMHO if you dress appropriately for the time and place you can blend in. As Blaire suggested, no evening gowns at Walmart or Sears.

If you can also achieve a feminine and attractive enough appearance you will pass, if passing is really important to you. I know that I do not always dress appropriately for the time and place, I just love my dresses and skirts too much. So I've learned to either slip on my one pants suit when I need to visit Sears tool department, or just don't go.

All I really want out of being Nicole is to be accepted for who I am. I know that I can blend in, and if I can pass, at least some of the time, :battingeyelashes: I am in heaven.

Nicole

[Rogina B]

It is so easy to dress down in a skirt and blend with the jeans crowd.And what better place to do it than the tool section at Sears.I often buy garter stockings at Sears and do tool shopping at the same time.Blend in and the guys will oogle you like a gg!:2c:

[Laciegurl]

I am one of the local sanitation workers and we pick up "stuff" at the university here and down town amongst the rest of the city also. But I notice that there is a multitude of girls that still wear dresses and skirts. Especially downtown the high heels are definately still in. But the university is full of cute little skirts and dresses just most are accompanied by flats not the high heels. Of course out of this percentage the number may grow in the jeans department but the skirt is still alive and well around here.

[Glenda58]

Blending in doesn't mean you can dress up. Just don't wear a cocktail dress to go shopping for food. A nice denim skirt and tee with mid heels and you blend in.

Women still wear skirts or dresses while shopping just look around.

[Stephanie Miller]

Yes, I love my dresses and skirts too. Yet, I don't know if I really look at it as though skirts/dresses are out,(addmitedly pants are more predominant), as much as as I think you just get noticed more in dresses/skirts. I think of a barnyard full of brown chickens and a single colorful rooster. Which one does your eye catch first? ( No, forget the sex of bird thing. I'm just talking color here.:doh:)
So... when you get noticed you no longer "blend" and the details get picked up.

[Rachel Morley]

Ah yes, that big dilemma for a CDer ..... to wear something pretty and stand put a little, thus leading to an increased chance of getting "read" faster or to wear what you want to wear because like to feel pretty?

I suspect when Paris said "cute" she was including anything she determines cute .... including jeans. I do wear jeans sometimes, but I gotta be honest when I'm choosing my outfit I always think skirts or dresses. If I'm trying to blend then it's usually a jean or a cargo skirt or skort. :)

[TxKimberly]

Dresses and skirts are not so uncommon as you might think. As y'all know I spend a lot of time in airports and traveling, and I've noticed that the ladies ARE wearing a fair bit of skirts and dresses. Not only that, but many of them are very pretty and feminine in design.
I went through a very brief period (a couple of months) where I made an effort to wear more "every day" things and it made me miserable. In the words of one of my heroes, Karen Hutton, "Crossdressing is supposed to be fun!". The point being, why bother to do it at all if it doesn't make you happy? So wear what makes you happy, wear what brings a huge smile to your face when you look in the mirror, wear what ever makes it worth your time and effort to do it.

[msginaadoll]

Im not sure if I try to blend in or not. I do try to wear outfits that I think are cute on me, but appropriate for the situation. I love my leather minis as much as the next girl but there are only certain places I wear them. Also my makeup is different for going to the mall than out at the club. I guess as a crossdresser I see myself wanting to look feminine but appropriate for the situation, like other ggs. I know everyone is different. Some girls prefer a out there look at me, etc look. I dont like the word blending in a way cause it almost implies just trying to be average. Im not tryuing to be average, but the cutest, most attractive Gina I can be. Its just that pants can be sexxy to me as well as skirts. A nice silk blouse is just as lovely as a halter top.

[Jenniferpl]

Due to my size, I will never pass, so blending in is not something I think about.

[slamddoger]

i think it is better to blend in then not too blend in because you open your salf up to have bad out there

[kellycan27]

Personally I don't want to blend in.. I want to be noticed. I like the attention I get. That doesn't mean dressing in a flamboyant or skanky way... rather demure and lady like... in jeans or a skirt. make up appropriate for the place and time of day. Age appropriate. I even wear a dress over my jeans at times.... depending on where I am going.

[sherri52]

I also don't blend in well and I too like skirts and dresses. I do wear womens jeans but only when i'm in male mode

[carhill2mn]

I, too, prefer to wear skirts. I wear pants (never jeans) only in certain situations. I usually wear skirts to the mall or grocery store but I try to choose outfits that do not stand out as being too dressy. I think that I usually "blend in" quite nicely.

[Sammy777]

Your personal idea of passing and/or blending may differ from what other people might think. :D

Like others have said - Wear what you like as long as it makes you happy.
But yes, leave the prom dress at home when running to the post office, :lol:

And just remember one thing ladies:
What you see in the mirror is not always what others might see in you. :D

http://samantha.arcaco.com/diff2.jpg

[trannie T]

Due to my size, I will never pass, so blending in is not something I think about.

I believe that there is a difference between blending and passing. If I wear a tight lime green top with a bright orange mini skirt I will definately not blend nor will I pass. If I wear a more conservative outfit I may not pass but will be more likely to blend into the crowd.

[Cathytg]

Yeah, well Paris never walked into a cowboy bar, I bethcha.

What you say about skirts is true, of course. I immediately notice when I see a woman in a skirt or a dress. It does seem to be getting rare here in the middle of Arizona. Sigh.

While I am at it - where did nylons go? Have they all been abducted by Martians?

[Brina Halloween]

I don't go out much but, I wanted to get a better strapless bra today. I put on the forms, a nice top, a mini-skirt and 3" wedges. A little make-up while watching the Colts win (yah!) and I headed for Victoria's secret for measurement and ask advice for the best bra for my forms. A little nervous walking through the mall but, no one seemed to motice me, including the kids. Leaving the mall 2 guys and a girl seemed to go quiet but, oh well. I suspect I blended better than I thought, even being the only mini-skirt in sight. Kids are good indicators to watch and I didn't see any reactions.

Dresses are not dead, the ladies just wanted more variety

[JiveTurkeyOnRye]

Yeah, the OP mentioned that article. And the quote.

Egg on my face. I forgot about that part when I read the article and thought "hey that's like that topic..."

Deleted my post.

[kellycan27]

Egg on my face. I forgot about that part when I read the article and thought "hey that's like that topic..."

Deleted my post.

Ok so now I am gonna have to delete my post so people won't go..What the heck is she talking about...

:heehee:

[Miranda09]

Actually, I love to see a woman in jeans...I find that very sexy!!! So I personally hope jeans NEVER go out of style, but skirts and dresses are really nice too. :)

[Lisa Gordon]

"Long live the skirt"

Lisa

[tricia_uktv]

Ha-ha, a really appropriate post. I'm actually (whisper it) in a position where I just about pass. And I find it hard because I don't cause a stir when I walk around town. I suspect I need something in the middle so have bought some clothes which will force people to look at me, I hope. Lets see what happens.

[skirtsuit]

Maybe things are different down in S. Africa, but dresses especially seem to be coming back into style here in Philadelphia, a very refreshing change. Also, in the financial and fancy shopping areas of center city during the day there is a large mixture of differently dressed women including standard skirt suits, skirts and dresses as well as pants and, of course, all kinds of casual wear.

My point is that one could easily blend in CC in a suit, dress or skirt. I'm going to try it soon - as soon as I can figure out how to get out of the house & my row house neigborhood without being too obvious. I'll be wearing a skirt suit or maybe a sheath and jacket with 'sensible' shoes.

All the Best,
Ann / SS