sandra-leigh
08-01-2006, 01:52 AM
Some incidents too small to warrant long stories or topics of their own :)
- A few days ago I was shopping, in drab, at one of the vendor stalls of a Fringe (theatre) festival. I found a design I liked, but not the size. The person minding the booth offered to have his boss bring the right sizes a few hours later.
When I returned, I was dressed (but quickly recognized; oh well.) While I was in trying on the vest, I overheard the [female] owner ask the other person, "Is the lady in the changeroom just trying on a top?". So either she was being unusually polite, or else I "passed" for at least the 20 seconds or so that she'd seen me. [I did end up buying the top; no pictures yet.]
- The Fringe performance I was going to see was "Lady in Waiting", about a doctor who is a crossdresser and drag performer who is having difficulty keeping the different identities seperate. Inspired by the author's real life, and fairly well performed.
The author/performer happens to have come from this city, and as a gesture of thanks to his roots, offered a special price for TG and crossdressers. When I approached the booth to pay, I pulled out my money, and simply said "One". The person collecting cash looked over at me and within a few seconds asked, "One of the six-dollar tickets?" (that being the price for TG/CD). I just said yes. Now, it is true that I wasn't completely dressed up (e.g., didn't have time to do my eyes), but it would seem that I'm a pretty easy "read" :( On the other hand, none of my fellow audience members said a single thing about it. [The person in the next seat over did seem to give me unusually many side-glances of the "not sure what to make of me" variety... interestingly, he had an earring. Somehow didn't give the air of being a CD though.)
- I happened to notice a new boutique with unusual womens' clothes on that same evening, and popped in there this evening in drab (the sale was still on :) ) When the lady said hello, I responded, and indicated that I'd just seen the place a few days ago and thought I'd come in and see what was there. After a few minutes of looking around, the lady told me briefly about the skirts I was examining, and specifically said that they designed and made most of the clothes there and often had fabric left over, "so if you see something you like but we don't have it in your size, then we might be able to make it." To that point, I hadn't indicated that I was shopping for myself; but of course after that, I had no trouble mentioning specific features I was looking for, or reasons why a piece just wasn't right for me. Semi-amusingly, the only clothing I ended up buying there was a hat for my wife (which was obviously too small for me.)
- I'm having some clothes custom made for me, literally at a Dressmaker. The owner, an older Korean lady, has been a good sport about it all, whether I'm in drab or Dressed. When I was in last week and reminded her that I wanted long sleeves on the jump suit, she took some arm measurements, and at the top of the page, from memory, she jotted the name "Tess". True, I haven't given her any other name (and she hasn't bothered to read my debit card), but it's still pleasant to be remembered.
[Sorry, no pictures yet of the items that have been completed yet: a very stretchy black top of indeterminate gender (that can be worn as male, but is nicely shape-fitting when I put in my forms; an Indonesia blue wrap that I had made into a skirt; a bamboo-and-flowers pattern in a firm stretch fabric that I had made into a rear-buttoning blouse; almost completed is a yellow-to-peach stretch fabric that I'm having made into a catsuit.]
- About 3 weeks ago, I went fully Dressed, to a club that I have visited a number of times in drab. A few times that I've been there, I've worn unobtrusive forms, or female (but not blatently feminine) clothing, but it was only the second time I'd been there fully Dressed.
Anyhow, I sat down in the dully-lit club, a new waitress came over, and I ordered something different than I normally do, as my usual drink is a give-away (no, not minor paranoia: very few people order it!) A moment later, the regular waitress came over and asked me whether [my usual drink] was okay, as she'd already ordered one for me when she saw me come in.
I was, in other words, recognized and remembered by a waitress who had never seen me Dressed before (and it was literally a dress that night), and had never seen my wig et al. -- and she had recognized me across at least 10 feet in a low-light situation, without having heard me speak.
Oddly, this doesn't necessarily mean that I don't "pass" casual inspection: it could just mean that somehow I'm easily recognized by those who have seen me a number of times.)
- A few days ago I was shopping, in drab, at one of the vendor stalls of a Fringe (theatre) festival. I found a design I liked, but not the size. The person minding the booth offered to have his boss bring the right sizes a few hours later.
When I returned, I was dressed (but quickly recognized; oh well.) While I was in trying on the vest, I overheard the [female] owner ask the other person, "Is the lady in the changeroom just trying on a top?". So either she was being unusually polite, or else I "passed" for at least the 20 seconds or so that she'd seen me. [I did end up buying the top; no pictures yet.]
- The Fringe performance I was going to see was "Lady in Waiting", about a doctor who is a crossdresser and drag performer who is having difficulty keeping the different identities seperate. Inspired by the author's real life, and fairly well performed.
The author/performer happens to have come from this city, and as a gesture of thanks to his roots, offered a special price for TG and crossdressers. When I approached the booth to pay, I pulled out my money, and simply said "One". The person collecting cash looked over at me and within a few seconds asked, "One of the six-dollar tickets?" (that being the price for TG/CD). I just said yes. Now, it is true that I wasn't completely dressed up (e.g., didn't have time to do my eyes), but it would seem that I'm a pretty easy "read" :( On the other hand, none of my fellow audience members said a single thing about it. [The person in the next seat over did seem to give me unusually many side-glances of the "not sure what to make of me" variety... interestingly, he had an earring. Somehow didn't give the air of being a CD though.)
- I happened to notice a new boutique with unusual womens' clothes on that same evening, and popped in there this evening in drab (the sale was still on :) ) When the lady said hello, I responded, and indicated that I'd just seen the place a few days ago and thought I'd come in and see what was there. After a few minutes of looking around, the lady told me briefly about the skirts I was examining, and specifically said that they designed and made most of the clothes there and often had fabric left over, "so if you see something you like but we don't have it in your size, then we might be able to make it." To that point, I hadn't indicated that I was shopping for myself; but of course after that, I had no trouble mentioning specific features I was looking for, or reasons why a piece just wasn't right for me. Semi-amusingly, the only clothing I ended up buying there was a hat for my wife (which was obviously too small for me.)
- I'm having some clothes custom made for me, literally at a Dressmaker. The owner, an older Korean lady, has been a good sport about it all, whether I'm in drab or Dressed. When I was in last week and reminded her that I wanted long sleeves on the jump suit, she took some arm measurements, and at the top of the page, from memory, she jotted the name "Tess". True, I haven't given her any other name (and she hasn't bothered to read my debit card), but it's still pleasant to be remembered.
[Sorry, no pictures yet of the items that have been completed yet: a very stretchy black top of indeterminate gender (that can be worn as male, but is nicely shape-fitting when I put in my forms; an Indonesia blue wrap that I had made into a skirt; a bamboo-and-flowers pattern in a firm stretch fabric that I had made into a rear-buttoning blouse; almost completed is a yellow-to-peach stretch fabric that I'm having made into a catsuit.]
- About 3 weeks ago, I went fully Dressed, to a club that I have visited a number of times in drab. A few times that I've been there, I've worn unobtrusive forms, or female (but not blatently feminine) clothing, but it was only the second time I'd been there fully Dressed.
Anyhow, I sat down in the dully-lit club, a new waitress came over, and I ordered something different than I normally do, as my usual drink is a give-away (no, not minor paranoia: very few people order it!) A moment later, the regular waitress came over and asked me whether [my usual drink] was okay, as she'd already ordered one for me when she saw me come in.
I was, in other words, recognized and remembered by a waitress who had never seen me Dressed before (and it was literally a dress that night), and had never seen my wig et al. -- and she had recognized me across at least 10 feet in a low-light situation, without having heard me speak.
Oddly, this doesn't necessarily mean that I don't "pass" casual inspection: it could just mean that somehow I'm easily recognized by those who have seen me a number of times.)