heelme
01-13-2007, 03:47 PM
It was an adventure, not just an outing. It was a day of firsts.
Sunday I read a PM from Megan Girl, a member I had been communicating with over the past month or so about local shopping. She related that there was a TG friendly boutique having a big sale and was I interested. I pondered on this for a while. I have never been out of the house crossdressed, save a few times wearing heels in drab under extra long jeans for short errands. Shopping was fun, but shopping while dressed? hmmm. I did want to meet Megan, it would be a venue that was condusive to crossdressing and I might find some things that would fit my oversized frame. I had also been trying to ease my wife into joining me, en femme, for an outing to someplace TG friendly. hmmmm. This might be a good thing. This could work. I thought about it for TWO DAYS before PMing to Megan that I would be very pleased to meet her there but wanted to run the idea by my wife first. My lovely wife is a real trooper. After coming clean to her about my CDing 17 years ago, we've been on a path of mutual growth. She took it very hard at first but with time came tolerance and with more time came forms of acceptance. Was it time to take another step? I was about to find out.
Tuesday late afternoon my wfie and I were talking about our day's events. Just the day before, I had done some shopping in drab and found some new shoes and a top. I can hardly concentrate on the discussion at hand because my mind was screaming ASK HER ALREADY! Up to now, she has been cold to the idea of going to a TG nightclub in our area or anywhere for that matter, with me dressed in any way. But, the place I wanted to go was 60 miles away, so I figured it had chance.
Me - "There is a crossdresser's boutique having a sale down in the Los Angeles area this week and I'd like to go check it out."
Her - "Okay, when are you going to go?"
Me - "I'm thinking this Friday ... do you want to go?"
Her - (after some thought) "Sure, I'm not working Friday."
Score: 1 for 1
Me - "I will be meeting another CD there."
Her - (longer, thoughtful pause) "Why? What's that about?"
Me - "Megan is someone I have been private messaging from the forum about local shopping. She is going to the big sale and wanted to know if I was interested. It's a shared interest thing."
Her - "Okay, that's sounds fine to me." (do I detect a hint of trepidation?)
Score: 2 for 2
Should I quit while I'm ahead? In the words of Kevin Costner in "Tin Cup" - "I didn't come this far to lay up"
Me - (after a deep breath) "I would also like to dress for the occasion"
Now I've done it. I'm not typing so I can use the backspace key. The words are out there, floating around unprotected, waiting for their fate. An eternity passes ...
Her - "Sure, why not."
I may have fainted, I don't know. My mind was racing. She was willing to go and willing to meet another CD. Did she say what I thought she said?
Me - "Are you sure you still want to go?"
Her - "Yes, I'm sure."
Score: 3 for 3 - a total sweep!
That was Tuesday, three days before the outing. I hoped it wouldn't happen, but was reasonably sure she would not want to go through with it and back out in the ensuing days. Or, that Megan would send a PM saying she wouldn't be able to make it afterall. Something just HAD to mess this up, I wanted it too badly.
Friday finally arrives and I'm impatiently trying to finish up a conference call that should have ended at 9 am. Half listening to the voices on the phone, all I can think about is getting ready to go shopping. This will be the first time I have tried makeup aside from a few lipsticks in the past. I'm nervous and excited and for some reason, can't seem to drink enough coffee! We don't need to be to the shop untl 2:30 pm, when they open, but I don't want to rush. I have my outfit in mind, it's the makeup that is the unknown variable. How many hours or days will that take? And, I don't want to show up later than I said I would to meet Megan.
The new wig and top I ordered over the internet last weekend aren't here, (damn) but my wife suggests she can tease my own hair up in a pixie style, which is essentially the wig I had ordered. Disasater in the making? Maybe, but I'm trudging through. I'm showered and shaved and just dry my fairly short hair seeing that it's going to get the treatment anyway. My wife is busy working out her own outfit and I see here in no less than three that morning. I love all of them, she makes clothes look good. She's a bit cranky and I'm reading it as she's having second thoughts. In reality shes having a headache and isn't finiding the outfit that she pleases her.
It's 10 am and we don't have to leave the house until 1 pm. I'm sitting in a well lit bathroom awaiting my home-made makeover. The preceding day, my wife went through her substantial cache of cosmetics and pulled out the stuff she would be using on me. We had discussed the "look" I was striving for and had tried some foundations and lipsticks, but it was now that she would try to put it all together. I don't have a good complexion, lots of wrinkles, bags and darkness around my eyes and thin lips. Talk about a project! Secretly I was hoping she would work magic. I didn't know what to expect, but come hell or high water, I was going to give this a shot. I purposely avoided my refection until she was done. There was lots of application, lots of rubbing off, changes but in the end, it was as good as it was going to get without the hand of a truly professional makeup artist armed with a full pallet of cosmetics. Well, the results were okay, it was different and exciting, but not the "magic" I had hoped. There was a brief moment of disappointment, but if anything, I'm a realistic person and disappointment quickly gave way to elation. Onward.
I haven't been able to find a reasonably priced pair of women's flaired jeans in the last week, and my wardrobe is woefully understaffed when it comes to the outer layer of clothing, but again, determination wins. It's now 11:30 am as I slide into a waist cincher to try and hide some of my table muscle, don my Lee boot cut long jeans, my new black tunic style top with silver embroidery and key hole neckline and my new eleven dollar black four inch heeled clogs from Payless. Not the dream outfit, but it's what I have and I think it will work. The mirror test shows the jeans and heels make the legs look longer and leaner, the black top does it job of slimming, a satin choker helps hide my Adam's Apple and then I go where it always been a problem - the head. Not so bad, really. With the outifit, the hair and makeup compliment, though I still see a man with makeup. That's okay. It's what it is. My wife finds a small purse with the tags still on it. She's got stuff all over the house and that's good because she's consented to moving lots of it into fair game territory. She slides her ornate bracelet/watch off her wrist and offers it up. That and a costume ring fit the with what I have on. Pierced ears aren't going to happen and she has little in the way of clipons that would go with the outfit. Ready to make my debut, I find I don't seem to be nearly as nervous as I had thought I would.
We leave at 1:30 pm, later than expected and can't figure out where we missed an entire hour getting ready. With the mobile voice prompt GPS ready to shout out directions to Countessa's Closet, I press the button that opens the garage door, slip the car into reverse, look over at my beautiful wife and say "Well, here goes." Until leaving the sanctity of the driveway, it had not occured to me that I might be seen by neighbors or accquantances while still in the realm of our immediate residential area. A sudden flood of anxiety washes over as we make our way turn by turn to the fantanstic and friendly Southern California freeway system (heavy sarcasm). Stop lights are not my friend right now as I'm sure someone I know will pull up slowly next to us, turn and then recognize me. I'm not sure what the ticket would cost, but I'm considering running all the red lights between here and the freeway.
I am well familiar with the freeway system here, so ignore the female voice prompts until we exit at Ventura Blvd off the 101. Now, I'm relying on the GPS to put me at Countessas. "Point five miles to destination" says the lady in the GPS. "Four hundred feet to destination on left" ... "Arriving at destination" WHERE!!! Damn, missed it. Countessas is in a small strip mall that has two stories and we didn't see the sign. The shop is small and a little disorganized, but full of stuff. I can't believe the selection. The prices aren't as bad as I have experienced at other CD boutiques either. After going in and meeting Countessa, I step out again for a much needed smoke. It was then a girl pulled up, parked and got out. I recognized Megan from here photos posted here, but unless I had seen those, I would not have guessed this person was not a genetic girl. She's got it going on and you can read about her shopping here ...
http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49392
We were there until 5:30 pm. Countessa had her hands full helping everyone that came in with enthusiasm and genuine friendliness. While there, we met a couple of CDs dressed and a few that were in drab. One was a minister. All were wonderful and my wife was really enjoying talking with them as I took way too much time trying things on. I ended up with three tops, some earrings and some control panties that actually work as advertised. My wife even found a charm bracelet she liked for her self. I found lots of nice things I wanted, but kept to my guns and almost within the budget and still didn't even get to further investigate her wigs or cosmetics. Time really flew. Megan had to leave and I regret not spending more time chatting with her. She looked great in anything she tried on, btw.
We made our purchases and considering the hour, Countessa told us of a few food establishments that were TG friendly. My wife and I had not planned to stop anywhere else, seeing as I was in femme mode, but we were both hungry and having had a great time shopping, she was up for stopping for a bite before heading home. We chose Tula's Cafe, on the same property as a Holiday Inn on Vineland just a few blocks from Contessa's. We were the only ones there at 6 pm and the waiter(s) seated us in a booth. I recommend this place not only because it's TG friendly, but because the food and service are remarkable, well above the norm. We had a generous protion of calimari and a wonderful bottle of wine, swordfish and salmon, great bread, for about $60.00. The service was excellent and I will go back.
This place was also the only time I really got nervous, really nervous that day. Just after the calmari and wine was brought to our table, the floods gates opened and people began pouring in!! Not just the normal evening diners, this was a huge group that were meeting in the grand ball room of the hotel and were now here, coming in for dinner. What just moments before was an empty quaint restaurant, was not over capacity. Tables and chairs added here and there and barely enough room to walk AND people still standing in line waiting to be seated. HOLY CRAP! Thankfully everyone seems to be busy finding a seat and helping themselves to a small buffet along one wall that was set up for them. We enjoy our meal while I'm occasionally glancing around just to see if anyone is staring. Nope. I'm still en femme and feeling vulnerable and we're at a booth as far from the exit as you can get. And, I have to pee. At the end of the meal, my wife asks me if I'm okay. I admit I'm nervous but okay. She pays the bill while I take the rest of the wine and a doggy bag and head for the door. Please god, don't let me trip. I make it as far as the foyer and see the bathrooms. I don't think I can make the trip home and then stand their, trying to decide which door to take. I choose the one marked MEN. No one was in there, to my relief, and I take care of business, exit passed some folks still coming into the restaurant and I'm outside, having a smoke and feeling as high as a kite. What a day. A day of firsts.
Thanks to all of you who have read this far. This was a big day for me and for my wife. She even thanked me for a wonderful day, saying she learned allot and had a great time.
A little about Countessa's Closet, for those that are interested. She, Countessa, is a strong minded GG with lots of opinion but not so strong she forgets it's about YOU. She has a good following and is involved in the TG community. She and several CDs go out weekly for dinner and drinks, parties, etc. Her clothing line is geared toward the build of a CD including her shoes, which are wider at the wide point of the foot. I'm sure there is more, but I noticed that you can get a full makeover, custom wigs, breast forms, electrolysis and she works with Kaiser Permanente (Health Care) for those looking into hormone treatments. It's a friendly place. One thing was a drawback to both my wife and I though, the total lack of price tags. Yes, I did pay a bit more for a top there, but I found a good fit as well as the ease of trying on anything I wanted without worry as one might at a department store. I've seen much higher price levels on the web and in other CD stores, which have since gone out of business.
http://www.countessascloset.com/
I am by no means an agent of this establishment and have nothing to gain by promotion. Just passing on information.
Sunday I read a PM from Megan Girl, a member I had been communicating with over the past month or so about local shopping. She related that there was a TG friendly boutique having a big sale and was I interested. I pondered on this for a while. I have never been out of the house crossdressed, save a few times wearing heels in drab under extra long jeans for short errands. Shopping was fun, but shopping while dressed? hmmm. I did want to meet Megan, it would be a venue that was condusive to crossdressing and I might find some things that would fit my oversized frame. I had also been trying to ease my wife into joining me, en femme, for an outing to someplace TG friendly. hmmmm. This might be a good thing. This could work. I thought about it for TWO DAYS before PMing to Megan that I would be very pleased to meet her there but wanted to run the idea by my wife first. My lovely wife is a real trooper. After coming clean to her about my CDing 17 years ago, we've been on a path of mutual growth. She took it very hard at first but with time came tolerance and with more time came forms of acceptance. Was it time to take another step? I was about to find out.
Tuesday late afternoon my wfie and I were talking about our day's events. Just the day before, I had done some shopping in drab and found some new shoes and a top. I can hardly concentrate on the discussion at hand because my mind was screaming ASK HER ALREADY! Up to now, she has been cold to the idea of going to a TG nightclub in our area or anywhere for that matter, with me dressed in any way. But, the place I wanted to go was 60 miles away, so I figured it had chance.
Me - "There is a crossdresser's boutique having a sale down in the Los Angeles area this week and I'd like to go check it out."
Her - "Okay, when are you going to go?"
Me - "I'm thinking this Friday ... do you want to go?"
Her - (after some thought) "Sure, I'm not working Friday."
Score: 1 for 1
Me - "I will be meeting another CD there."
Her - (longer, thoughtful pause) "Why? What's that about?"
Me - "Megan is someone I have been private messaging from the forum about local shopping. She is going to the big sale and wanted to know if I was interested. It's a shared interest thing."
Her - "Okay, that's sounds fine to me." (do I detect a hint of trepidation?)
Score: 2 for 2
Should I quit while I'm ahead? In the words of Kevin Costner in "Tin Cup" - "I didn't come this far to lay up"
Me - (after a deep breath) "I would also like to dress for the occasion"
Now I've done it. I'm not typing so I can use the backspace key. The words are out there, floating around unprotected, waiting for their fate. An eternity passes ...
Her - "Sure, why not."
I may have fainted, I don't know. My mind was racing. She was willing to go and willing to meet another CD. Did she say what I thought she said?
Me - "Are you sure you still want to go?"
Her - "Yes, I'm sure."
Score: 3 for 3 - a total sweep!
That was Tuesday, three days before the outing. I hoped it wouldn't happen, but was reasonably sure she would not want to go through with it and back out in the ensuing days. Or, that Megan would send a PM saying she wouldn't be able to make it afterall. Something just HAD to mess this up, I wanted it too badly.
Friday finally arrives and I'm impatiently trying to finish up a conference call that should have ended at 9 am. Half listening to the voices on the phone, all I can think about is getting ready to go shopping. This will be the first time I have tried makeup aside from a few lipsticks in the past. I'm nervous and excited and for some reason, can't seem to drink enough coffee! We don't need to be to the shop untl 2:30 pm, when they open, but I don't want to rush. I have my outfit in mind, it's the makeup that is the unknown variable. How many hours or days will that take? And, I don't want to show up later than I said I would to meet Megan.
The new wig and top I ordered over the internet last weekend aren't here, (damn) but my wife suggests she can tease my own hair up in a pixie style, which is essentially the wig I had ordered. Disasater in the making? Maybe, but I'm trudging through. I'm showered and shaved and just dry my fairly short hair seeing that it's going to get the treatment anyway. My wife is busy working out her own outfit and I see here in no less than three that morning. I love all of them, she makes clothes look good. She's a bit cranky and I'm reading it as she's having second thoughts. In reality shes having a headache and isn't finiding the outfit that she pleases her.
It's 10 am and we don't have to leave the house until 1 pm. I'm sitting in a well lit bathroom awaiting my home-made makeover. The preceding day, my wife went through her substantial cache of cosmetics and pulled out the stuff she would be using on me. We had discussed the "look" I was striving for and had tried some foundations and lipsticks, but it was now that she would try to put it all together. I don't have a good complexion, lots of wrinkles, bags and darkness around my eyes and thin lips. Talk about a project! Secretly I was hoping she would work magic. I didn't know what to expect, but come hell or high water, I was going to give this a shot. I purposely avoided my refection until she was done. There was lots of application, lots of rubbing off, changes but in the end, it was as good as it was going to get without the hand of a truly professional makeup artist armed with a full pallet of cosmetics. Well, the results were okay, it was different and exciting, but not the "magic" I had hoped. There was a brief moment of disappointment, but if anything, I'm a realistic person and disappointment quickly gave way to elation. Onward.
I haven't been able to find a reasonably priced pair of women's flaired jeans in the last week, and my wardrobe is woefully understaffed when it comes to the outer layer of clothing, but again, determination wins. It's now 11:30 am as I slide into a waist cincher to try and hide some of my table muscle, don my Lee boot cut long jeans, my new black tunic style top with silver embroidery and key hole neckline and my new eleven dollar black four inch heeled clogs from Payless. Not the dream outfit, but it's what I have and I think it will work. The mirror test shows the jeans and heels make the legs look longer and leaner, the black top does it job of slimming, a satin choker helps hide my Adam's Apple and then I go where it always been a problem - the head. Not so bad, really. With the outifit, the hair and makeup compliment, though I still see a man with makeup. That's okay. It's what it is. My wife finds a small purse with the tags still on it. She's got stuff all over the house and that's good because she's consented to moving lots of it into fair game territory. She slides her ornate bracelet/watch off her wrist and offers it up. That and a costume ring fit the with what I have on. Pierced ears aren't going to happen and she has little in the way of clipons that would go with the outfit. Ready to make my debut, I find I don't seem to be nearly as nervous as I had thought I would.
We leave at 1:30 pm, later than expected and can't figure out where we missed an entire hour getting ready. With the mobile voice prompt GPS ready to shout out directions to Countessa's Closet, I press the button that opens the garage door, slip the car into reverse, look over at my beautiful wife and say "Well, here goes." Until leaving the sanctity of the driveway, it had not occured to me that I might be seen by neighbors or accquantances while still in the realm of our immediate residential area. A sudden flood of anxiety washes over as we make our way turn by turn to the fantanstic and friendly Southern California freeway system (heavy sarcasm). Stop lights are not my friend right now as I'm sure someone I know will pull up slowly next to us, turn and then recognize me. I'm not sure what the ticket would cost, but I'm considering running all the red lights between here and the freeway.
I am well familiar with the freeway system here, so ignore the female voice prompts until we exit at Ventura Blvd off the 101. Now, I'm relying on the GPS to put me at Countessas. "Point five miles to destination" says the lady in the GPS. "Four hundred feet to destination on left" ... "Arriving at destination" WHERE!!! Damn, missed it. Countessas is in a small strip mall that has two stories and we didn't see the sign. The shop is small and a little disorganized, but full of stuff. I can't believe the selection. The prices aren't as bad as I have experienced at other CD boutiques either. After going in and meeting Countessa, I step out again for a much needed smoke. It was then a girl pulled up, parked and got out. I recognized Megan from here photos posted here, but unless I had seen those, I would not have guessed this person was not a genetic girl. She's got it going on and you can read about her shopping here ...
http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49392
We were there until 5:30 pm. Countessa had her hands full helping everyone that came in with enthusiasm and genuine friendliness. While there, we met a couple of CDs dressed and a few that were in drab. One was a minister. All were wonderful and my wife was really enjoying talking with them as I took way too much time trying things on. I ended up with three tops, some earrings and some control panties that actually work as advertised. My wife even found a charm bracelet she liked for her self. I found lots of nice things I wanted, but kept to my guns and almost within the budget and still didn't even get to further investigate her wigs or cosmetics. Time really flew. Megan had to leave and I regret not spending more time chatting with her. She looked great in anything she tried on, btw.
We made our purchases and considering the hour, Countessa told us of a few food establishments that were TG friendly. My wife and I had not planned to stop anywhere else, seeing as I was in femme mode, but we were both hungry and having had a great time shopping, she was up for stopping for a bite before heading home. We chose Tula's Cafe, on the same property as a Holiday Inn on Vineland just a few blocks from Contessa's. We were the only ones there at 6 pm and the waiter(s) seated us in a booth. I recommend this place not only because it's TG friendly, but because the food and service are remarkable, well above the norm. We had a generous protion of calimari and a wonderful bottle of wine, swordfish and salmon, great bread, for about $60.00. The service was excellent and I will go back.
This place was also the only time I really got nervous, really nervous that day. Just after the calmari and wine was brought to our table, the floods gates opened and people began pouring in!! Not just the normal evening diners, this was a huge group that were meeting in the grand ball room of the hotel and were now here, coming in for dinner. What just moments before was an empty quaint restaurant, was not over capacity. Tables and chairs added here and there and barely enough room to walk AND people still standing in line waiting to be seated. HOLY CRAP! Thankfully everyone seems to be busy finding a seat and helping themselves to a small buffet along one wall that was set up for them. We enjoy our meal while I'm occasionally glancing around just to see if anyone is staring. Nope. I'm still en femme and feeling vulnerable and we're at a booth as far from the exit as you can get. And, I have to pee. At the end of the meal, my wife asks me if I'm okay. I admit I'm nervous but okay. She pays the bill while I take the rest of the wine and a doggy bag and head for the door. Please god, don't let me trip. I make it as far as the foyer and see the bathrooms. I don't think I can make the trip home and then stand their, trying to decide which door to take. I choose the one marked MEN. No one was in there, to my relief, and I take care of business, exit passed some folks still coming into the restaurant and I'm outside, having a smoke and feeling as high as a kite. What a day. A day of firsts.
Thanks to all of you who have read this far. This was a big day for me and for my wife. She even thanked me for a wonderful day, saying she learned allot and had a great time.
A little about Countessa's Closet, for those that are interested. She, Countessa, is a strong minded GG with lots of opinion but not so strong she forgets it's about YOU. She has a good following and is involved in the TG community. She and several CDs go out weekly for dinner and drinks, parties, etc. Her clothing line is geared toward the build of a CD including her shoes, which are wider at the wide point of the foot. I'm sure there is more, but I noticed that you can get a full makeover, custom wigs, breast forms, electrolysis and she works with Kaiser Permanente (Health Care) for those looking into hormone treatments. It's a friendly place. One thing was a drawback to both my wife and I though, the total lack of price tags. Yes, I did pay a bit more for a top there, but I found a good fit as well as the ease of trying on anything I wanted without worry as one might at a department store. I've seen much higher price levels on the web and in other CD stores, which have since gone out of business.
http://www.countessascloset.com/
I am by no means an agent of this establishment and have nothing to gain by promotion. Just passing on information.