Changing into femme clothing in public?

[Heather76]

There is an upcoming pride event I'd like to attend during the daytime. However, there is no way I can leave our house, and return, as Heather. From the experience of others, where does one go to change into their feminine self away from home short of renting a motel room? I can leave the house with panties and thigh highs in place. After that, it's adding a bra, forms, dress, wig, makeup, and shoes while also removing slacks and shirt. The makeup can be rather basic (concealer, foundation, blush, and lipstick) as I can wear sunglasses eliminating any need for eye shadow and eyebrow pencil. Where have others gone to do this?

[bridget thronton]

Wearing a sweat suit over your dress might work (you could remove in your car)

[Debbie Denier]

Your car would be the most common answer. Rest rooms, public conveniences or toilets.. Anywhere else you run the risk of being arrested.Wherever you decide be discreet.

[Elizabeth G]

Public test rooms will do the trick. Some places have single occupant family rest rooms that are non gender specific (Target comes to mind) that are good for this purpose. Or as Bridget suggested just wear some loose fitting male clothes over your women's things.

[Jane G]

Underdress at home and throw a pair of sweat pants over the top. Then you can drive closer to the event and change in the car or find a suitable cubicle. Then do your make up. I doubt you will be alone in your quest, enjoy.

[Angela Marie]

I used to dress at home minus the wig, leave the house via the garage and go to a parking lot in a mall. I generally parked away from other cars but not so far that it looked suspicious. The parking lot was a great spot to do my makeup, especially in the colder months when it got dark earlier. One point though; you should be well organized given the space limitations of the car.

[Rikidee]

I know some girls are dead set on wearing dresses but a skirt and blouse is much easier to change into or out of in a car. Riki

[kimdl93]

There was a time when I changed out of female attire into male in my car. It was very awkward and even though I was way out on the fringe of a mall parking lot, it was nerve wracking. Before I got to the point where I felt I could leave from home fully dressed, I did take advantage of public family bathrooms?plenty of room for changing and putting on makeup.

[Laura912]

Wear your femme clothes under male ones and turn up the A/C in the car. Put on makeup before leaving the house. Wear sunglasses and a COVID mask till clear of the neighbor hood.

[Krisi]

Wearing a sweatsuit over female clothing might work in the winter, but not in coastal South Carolina in the summer time.

I underdress as much as possible and then make the change in my car. No, it is not easy, but sometimes you have to do things the hard way.

I try to park away from other cars, but not so far away as to draw attention. And of course, once you have changed into your dress or skirt and wig, you can step out of the car to straighten things up.

I have used a "family" or "handicapped" restroom in the past, but remember, these aren't meant for crossdressers to change in, and you may be depriving someone who actually needs the restroom while you are in there changing. You could use one to check yourself and your makeup after you've changed in the car but try to make it quick.

[RoxieChristine]

I've had to do it a few times. A public family bathroom would be ideal, but bringing everything into it may be problematic if it isn't in an open area like a mall (we have few malls here anymore these days).
What I have done is wear a skirt and top and just put ? baggy pair of pants and tee shirt over them. I only have to worry about the walk to the car and since I opted for B cup forms, I can just slouch and even cover that up. I put the wig in a bag with makeup, but I've also taken makeup with me and done it in a parking lot.

[Fiona_44]

I used to leave the house in sneakers wearing long baggy pants over my leggings or skirt and an oversized shirt over my blouse. Then went to a parking lot where the male stuff came off and the wig, jewelry, sandals, lipstick & breast forms all went on. I use only lipstick & wear either sunglasses or regular glasses to shield my eyes. And then the reverse coming home. I've lost count of the various places I've changed and after a while it became a royal pain in the butt. These days I leave & return home dressed about 90% of the time. Other than one neighbor who lives directly next to me, I gave up caring if anyone else saw Fiona.

[Stephanie47]

I use to leave my home wearing pants and a sweatshirt over my dress and all the proper undergarments. The hooded sweat shirt concealed my wig. I suppose these days one can wear a mask and sun glasses to minimize the need for makeup. I always carried my heels to the car as I did not want to operate the pedals with high heels. Now, I do live in a home with a driveway that is seventy feet long. I can image a lot of angst if a person lives in an apartment building. Yikes! As an alternative there are family/single occupancy bathrooms at the local indoor mall. As a last resort there is always the Wal-Mart parking lot, ugh!

[sometimes_miss]

As a last resort there is always the Wal-Mart parking lot, ugh!
FWIW, I have seen several Walmart employees in their cars out on the edges of the parking lots, in a flurry of activity inside their cars, eventually getting out of same and then standing and straightening out their clothing and putting their shoes on. So it's sort of a well known 'dressing room'.

[docrobbysherry]

And, cannot recommend it, but it worked!:thumbsup:

I was 50 miles from home and needed to become Sherry for a big T affair for from home. It was between lunch and dinner busy times so I selected a fast food place to change. 1st, I went in to eat and case the place. Where I watched the servers and clientel. After lunch I returned with a duffel bag and smiled at the counter girl who I expect recognized me as a customer. The rest rooms were around the corner. No one saw me enter the women's. It was empty and I entered the big, handicap one and began transforming. I heard a number of women come and go in the other stalls. About 45 minutes later, I waited until it was empty before stepping out of the stall with a long coat over my women's clothing and figure. I hurried out and no one gave me a second glance!:daydreaming:

I put on my heels, wig, and makeup in the car at my nearby destination 1/2 hour or so later!:battingeyelashes:

I wore an intimate and sexy outfit and a brand new experience for Sherry, out at a Hollywood trans gathering in a small club!:o

[TheHiddenMe]

Number one, don't overthink it.

Number two, do as much prep work as possible at home. You can always put boy clothes over a bra and put the forms in later, etc.

Number three, drive to The Pride event and do the rest of your changing in the car. It's Pride; no one is going to care. I have put on makeup lots of times in the car (keep it simple). Change in the back seat.

Number four: Go and have fun.

Number five: Return to car and reverse the process. Remember to take makeup wipes and remove the jewelry.

I have done the car change lots of times.

Another choice is a family room if you are a YMCA member. I have changed in their rooms before too, or at a minimum done makeup.

[Natalie5004]

Or just change at the event

[Geena75]

Speaking of sunglasses, the eye make-up could be done at home and hidden under the sunglasses. Loose guy clothes over your outfit may work, depending on the outfit. Some depends on how closely your neighbors observe you.

[Patience]

Community College or University Arts/ Theater department restroom, preferably in the morning, before class.

I like to use the disabled stall, as it is roomier. Bring a pair of sunglasses to avoid eye contact and wear comfortable shoes in case you feel you'd like to leave quickly. You can put the heels on later.

[Karren H]

I have used family restrooms on freeway rest areas many times. Just underdress and pack a small bad with all your outer clothing and makeup. I have also used handicap porta-potties in local parka before. Assuming they are clean. They Re very roomy but you need to take a mirror to do your makeup.

[Heather76]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I believe with everyone's help, I have formulated a plan. This event will take place in early October so hot weather should not be an issue. I have the pants and top pictured below on my "to buy" list and would plan to wear them along with my white sandals. I should be able to wear the pants under my male slacks. I don't see any way of wearing the top under my male shirt. My bras are (mostly) front closure so putting that on along with my forms won't be an issue. I will also have my thigh highs on when I leave home. After that, it comes down to wig, makeup and a few accessories. So where can I do this on a Saturday? Ha! Ha! I realized about 1 1/4 miles from where I'll be going, and on the same road, is the VA clinic I regularly go to. It has a very large parking lot that will be mostly empty on a Saturday. I cannot leave the house with makeup on as my wife currently isn't wanting to see me wearing makeup. We neither one leave the house for any reason without sharing a good-bye kiss. But that's okay. Everything I need will fit in a Walmart plastic bag that I can fill up the night before and take out to the car. I hope my boys are big enough to let Heather and the girls out that day.


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[Davina2833]

Great choice of outfit. It will look fantastic on you. Have fun.

[MonicaPVD]

Empty parking lots are not your friend. To anyone passing by, movement or activity inaide a car parked in a desolate lot is an immediate attention grabber. Meanwhile, a packed lot where you are surrounded by people busy living their lives in a hurry, offers remarkable cover. All the cars blur together into the landscape. I've geared up for years in high traffic Walmart lots, day or night, and have yet to encounter anyone who was even remotely interested in peeking into my car to see what I was up to.

Also, love your choice of makeup on the fly. My go-to basics are always concealer, liquid foundation, lipstick and liner, and eye shadow. Five minutes tops.

[BrendaPDX]

I am all for medium filled parking lots. I got clocked once, but all she did was smile and gave me a cute wave. Whew!

[Rachelakld]

today - car change
yesterday - car change
actually - weekdays - car change (decently busy car parks, I prefer a car parked both sides of me)

Weekends - at home if leaving before sun up, otherwise another car change

[Cynthia T]

What I do: I put on my false lashes and eye makeup (not obvious with glasses on) Bra with false tits, jacket over, pantyhose under slacks. Now the tricky part. At Pride parades I use a porta-potty. Or the unisex restroom of an indoor venue. Carry a big bag, strip off slacks, put on skirt, heels, wig, earrings, lipstick, etc.
Did this two months ago in the mens room at Exxxotica. Blasted out fast as possible without making eye contact with the guys in there.
If I have to change in the car I dress from the neck down. Then I only have to put on my wig, makeup and jewelry in the car.

[CDMargret]

One time after a day of activities. I had my bag of goodies and stopped at McDonalds. Went into the guys restroom, changed fully into girl mode in the stall. When the room was empty I stepped out, walked straight to the exit and out to my car. No one noticed or said anything. But you could hear my heart beating like a bass drum from across the street.

[RachelB.]

One thing about changing in parking lots, most of them are monitored with security camera's. No one may be watching but there is always that possibility.

[AnelineM]

This is something I think about alot. I can wear a bulky jacket and loose athletic pants over a dress or a jacket over a blouse with gurl jeans. Put the shoes and wig in a gym bag. Do foundation and eye makeup before I leave the house and wear sunglasses to conceal that. Then I just need to find a quiet parking area with no security camera or a pullout on the side of the road to don the wig, put on my earrings, and my breast forms, change my shoes, and apply lipstick. Though I can do lipstick while I'm driving. I have a couple of spots around here and always keep an eye out for more. If I wear nail polish I have to keep my hands low while driving.

[HollyGreene]

My car has factory fitted tinted windows to the rear and the back seats. Almost impossible to see in.

[Fiona Lindum]

Mostly I partly dress before I leave home and then finish dressing in the car or in public restrooms.

[Genifer Teal]

I am sorry so many of you have to consider these options. I don't always appreciate how good we have it.

[Heather76]

I cannot leave the house with makeup. Since I will wear sunglasses, I may just take lipstick with me. I just picked up the pants and top today. Until I put them on, I won't know if I can leave the house with them under my male clothing or not. The bra, forms, and sandals won't be a problem as I can just put them in the car. Since the bra will be a front closure, it will be easy to put on in the car. I'll be getting dressed in this new outfit later tonight. I can hardly wait. (giggle, giggle)

EDIT: Also, the press on nails won't be an issue. I now have the pants and top on. They fit well. I tried to put on a pair of my wife's size 14 pants which I couldn't do, so I guessed a size 18 would be right. Good guess. They fit perfectly other than the legs are ever so slightly longer than I like them. However, woen are simply higher waisted than men so their legs are proportionately longer than men's legs. At 5.8" I wear a 29" inseam, so my legs are even proportionately shorter than most men's legs. Next up for tonight is to add the hip/butt pads and sandals.

[Jenn A116]

Sounds like an excellent outing coming up!

A comment about height and inseam. I'm 2" shorter than you with a 29" inseam so I understand what you are saying about proportions. I've found that my figure looks best with a tucked in top. My inclination was to wear my top untucked to hide my lack of a defined waist. But with appropriate padding it seems to give a better look when tucked in.

Also, I shop more in the petite sections of the store or on line.

[Heather76]

I just found the final thing for my outfit - something I didn't know existed. Yep, press on toenails. I found them on Etsy. I've also decided I'm going to take the pants to a seamstress to have the legs shortened. I want them to be comfortable to wear at my normal waist and not up around my neck (or so it feels lol!!). Oh, I can hardly wait. I cannot wear the top or pants under my male clothing when I leave the house, so I will have to be creative when deciding where, and how, to change.

[Patience]

Whatever you do, make sure you can walk comfortably. Uncomfortable footwear can turn a dream outing into a nightmare and walking awkwardly in female shoes is a notorious "tell" for CDers.

I had this great outing on a national holiday planned to the minutest detail. It almost all fell apart when the heel of my shoe unexpectedly broke off just as I was stepping out of the car. I had to wear my guy shoes in the end.