How do you select what "Style" you dress in?

[darla_g]

I had a really good GG friend of mine read a thread of mine here and she made a really interesting comment. Many if not most of the CDs here tend to select outfits of a more feminine nature.

Lets face it the average woman you run across in the grocery store is not wearing a dress, heels or a lot of makeup. But when we dress are those the styles we select?

This was her point: I think that CDs personify what one might consider ultra feminism - or what our society deems a female goddeess of sorts. I'm thinking Pam Anderson or Marilyn Monroe or Dolly Parton.

But the reality is that the average female might want to be considered attractive, I don't think that many put that much effort into their appearance.

I made the point that I think CDs tend to go this route for two reasons. First they like to dress in a manner reflective of their idealized image of women. and secondly a lot of us need all the help we can get. If a feminine appearance is what you are trying to achieve why select a style that either gender would be associated with?

What do you think of this? How do you select the "style" of what you wear?

[AmandaM]

I need to feel as female as possible. So, I dress to the nines. If I woke up in the morning as my "dream", a total hot babe, I think I'd just grab a jean skirt and tank top. Why make a fuss?

[boy2girl31]

My style is more about being attractive it is what I strive for (should say hope for). If I were to wake up one day and as amandachick said be "a total hot babe" I still think I would dress "ultra feminine". What can I say I think I just came to realize that I like attention.

[Andine]

I need all the help I can get to pass!

Anyway .... I do this because I enjoy looking nice, love the great silky gear,and I don't get that satisfaction in drab.

[DawnRodgers]

I think that most of us want to appear as feminine as possible. Some even "****ty" feminine. I worked a while in and near NYC and I will tell you that the GG's there dressed ahrp, looked good and wore heels on the job. That's the look O emulate. The "professional" woman. Always a drss or skirt. Jeans and shorts just don't do the trivk. #' heels (love the click slap, click slap as I walk. Nylons definitely, shoulder length hair and earrings, bracelet, watch and necklace. Fingers and toes with "perfect" nails. Want to turn heads.
Dawn

[Sarah...]

I select the style of what I want to wear depending on how I feel. Last night I was watching TV, relaxing after a hectic week and so I felt like throwing on some jeans and a red top - easy! If I'm working at home I dress sharp to help keep my business head on. Sometimes that's smart slacks, other times it's skirt and top or a dress.

If I was a going out kind of a gal I'd dress to the nines - I'd dress to thrill because there's nothing I'd like more than to be seen as gorgeous - it makes me feel great.

So that's it - it's all about how I feel!!

Hugs

Sarah...

[Deborah Jane]

I like to dress ultra feminine with a slighly tarty look.
I enjoy looking as girly as possible with all the associated paraphenalia that goes with it.
I nearly always wear skirts and dresses, the only feminine trousers [pants] i,ve got are a pair of "skinny jeans" and a pair of black leather trousers.

Anything less and i don,t feel as happy about my look.

[Jonianne]

If I were female, I believe I would dress as comfortable as I could 99% of the time. Thats why I choose my frumpy jumpers. Also I prefer to not draw attention if possible.

[Claire3]

I just like to wear what makes me feel feminine and look nice.My mood and time available as Claire reflects to what level i dress.

[Sally24]

I always try to look stylish and "put together". Think Jackie Onassis or Katerine Hepburn. I like things that are tailored, but not neccesarily tight. The more things have a flow and movement to them, the better I like it.

As far as being "extremely" feminine, it only makes sense. Most of us have at least a few masculine traits that we have to hide or disguise. If you just wear slacks and a frilly top, that may not be enough to mask those traits. The more feminine details the eye has to look at, the better the chances that the brain will classify that person as female.

[Amy Hepker]

I agree if you want to fit in you need to look like the GGs. There are some GGs that like to dress nice all the time, so you don't have to feel all out of place. I would not wear a ball gown to Wal-Mart. Try to dress more conservative and fit in. There are a lot of nice girl jeans out that or maybe some not so formal skirts you could wear to stores. Malls are a different story to me, there is money there and a lot of GGs do dress nice for the Mall.

[deja true]

...This was her point: I think that CDs personify what one might consider ultra feminism - or what our society deems a female goddeess of sorts. I'm thinking Pam Anderson or Marilyn Monroe or Dolly Parton...

I made the point that I think CDs tend to go this route for two reasons. First they like to dress in a manner reflective of their idealized image of women. and secondly a lot of us need all the help we can get....
What do you think of this? How do you select the "style" of what you wear?


The suggestion was made here on the forum a while ago, and I don’t remember anyone disagreeing, that even though many of us do not consider ourselves to be fetishists, we actually are…

Many of us may not concentrate our leanings on one particular item like panties of pantyhose or makeup, but on the “total package”, as many have put it. We’re not panty fetishists or shoe fetishists, per se. We are “woman fetishists”. And that makes us want to present as the idealized women that we have always admired in toto. To that end we pick and choose the clothes and accoutrements and actions of the women that we are most attracted to, that we would consider our role models or icons.

Invariably, that means we try to dress and present as close to that image at it’s most attractive. It’s not likely that we would want to present as Pam Anderson when she’s gotten out of bed, cleaned up the kitchen after a dinner party and then changed the diapers on her baby. But we would want to present as Pam Anderson as she’s standing on a red carpet somewhere!

I’ve never seen a picture of anyone here present themselves as a frazzled soccer mom who’s doing the laundry, washing the car and working in the garden. The look we want is the well groomed suburban woman enjoying a night out with the girls.

We fixate on our role models at their very best, not as the real, everyday people that they are. So our presentations are idealized really and not the presentation of natural women who, truthfully, are not concerned to the point of obsession over how they look to others every second that they are awake. They don’t live like that, but, by and large, many of us do while in our female modes.

That’s not a complaint. It’s our own way of complimenting the women that we adore. But it’s got to be done with the realization that those women are a lot more than just the sum of the clothes that they wear or the makeup techniques that they use.

In doing that, in trying to present as our idealized role model, most of us do indeed “need all the help we can get”. Putting on a Badgely Mischka gown and 5 inch heels is not gonna make us an immediate and satisfactory emulation of Jessica Alba. We have to work really hard to even approach that kind of inherent physical beauty and grace. That’s not a bad thing. In fact, that’s the fun part, isn’t it?

But we also have to keep in mind that Jessica doesn’t look like that all the time. And while trying to achieve a sensational look, we should also be trying to achieve a heightened awareness of ourselves and how we can relate to the reality of her womanhood, not just her appearance.

[Tina Dixon]

When I dress up I guess you might say it's in the same manner of a real woman dressing up to go out and I like dresses that arn't to reviling becouse I have a big body with hair, but I also don't mind just puting my wig on bra panties and forms with a t-shirt and jean skirt on also that I plan on doing latter.

[connie johnson]

For me the reason I like the really girly stuff is because if i wanted to wear jeans and cotton shirts I could stay in guy mode. The GG's do not need to wear the sexy stuff all the time. Besides, when dressed in ladies jeans aren't you then a male, crossdressing as a woman, crossdressing as a man?

[Laura_Stephens]

I am never seen in public so what I wear is 100% for me. when I was younger, I used to do te very ****ty kind of dressing. Now, it is far more conservative. IF Iwere to be seen by others now, I would appear as "just one of the girls" -- except for the very ugly face.

[Angie G]

I tend to go simple I do have a few really nice things a few LBD's 30 something skirts loads of blouses some other nice dresses one nice oriental dress a bunch of nice shoes Mots of the time I just wear A skirt, blouse and heels nothing to fancy. and in makeup it mostly eye shadow mascara abd lipstick.:hugs:
Angie

[Raychel]

I too am never seen in public, or by any other person for that matter. So I just dress how I like. Always vey formal. Like going to a dinner thearter or a fancy ball. That is just my style. :daydreaming:

[renee k]

For me, I tend to wear career clothing when out. I do have pants and jeans to wear on weekends. Plus nice suits and dresses for special events. It just depends on the event or venue. I do like to dress attractively, and to blend in.

Huggs, Renee

[Sherry-Stephanie]

I've thought of that question as well...prtly as it relates to em and aprtly seeing how others dress on this site and wonder why they dress in their particular way....how do they decide to dress as they do?

I think I try and dress the way that I find GG's appealing....from the basics of panties and bra outward...if I see panties they have to apeal to me beyond being women panties...then I see the outer clothing...and it all depends on what I'm selecting to wear...if it's jeans then they have to be slim and tight and 4" (at least heels) go with that...ideally stilletos.Then I biuld from there and when it's done that's the appearence I get and it's what I want but it's based on what appeals to me from GG's....

If I'm pleased with the way I look then obvoiusly I'm happy with what I've created and I think that's part ofthe transformation over to beign a female....at least for me.

[tamarav]

I have definitely toned down my look, I used to be really decked out all the time but since working dressed everday, I have adapted to the norm. Generally I look just about like the other girls I work with.

Once again, Deja True has hit it on the head, we are women fetishists.

Picture attached shows me really dressed up though..

[TGMarla]

I find women pretty whether they're wearing a dress or not. But I didn't start crossdressing in order to look like a woman, I started because I found that I liked wearing pantyhose, high heels, and dresses. This graduated to a full gamut of women's clothing. The bras, boobs, wigs, and makeup came later. It was only then that I started the full female emulation, which is where I'm at now.

As for my style of clothing, I wear what I find appealing. I choose dresses because that's what I wanted to do when I began this, and it's still what I want to do now. I can wear pants any time I want to, but dresses are off limits to me as a guy. And there are certain styles of dresses that I find more appealing than others. So I go for them over other styles that may be more appealing to others.

[susan2010]

Darla:
I'm a fairly conservative dresser; mostly midlength skirts, heels not too high, boobs a B cup,. I'm not sure why I picked that look, except that I think it's classy, and I couldn't pull off a super sexy look. But the clothes also tend toward the more feminine: pleated skirts, slips, etc. I just love the way a pleated skirt feels when I walk or sit.
Susan

[LisaLedoux]

Most days I dress as I would if I were a GG. Jeans, sneakers, bra, blouse, a little lipstick, often not, and earrings but nothing big or dangly. That is for my "around the house" wear. When I can I dress a bit more feminine in the evenings, low pumps, slacks or a skirt. If I want to, I can dress to the nines and do that in the evenings sometimes, if I feel like it.
Bottom line: I try to dress as most of the women I know do on a daily basis which, most of the time, is on the very casual side.

[Carol A]

I try to dress casual nice, yes a skirt and heels but I don't go over board. I was told as a teenager by my mother a women isn't properly dress unless she has heels and hose on. Now remember this was the 50,s when I grew up.:battingeyelashes:

[TxKimberly]

I choose outfits that I feel are attractive and make me feel confident.

Also, your friend made the comment "I don't think that many (GG's) put that much effort into their appearance." There's a little more to this than you might think at first glance.

Recall that women have the option of heading out the door with out spending hours on makeup. Many women are blessed and look wonderful with out a stitch of makeup. Even with the women that weren't so blessed, they still have the option of not spending hours working on their makeup because all anyone is going to think is that she was in a hurry, she was busy, she had other priorities, etc.

Now if you or I try to head out the door with out a good deal of effort put to our makeup, the world is going to know we are men. Essentially, most crossdressers do not have the option of going casual - we have to spend the time and effort if we are going to go outside.
It would be an ultimate fantasy of mine to just be able to throw on a casual outfit, some lipstick, and head out the door and still be accepted as a woman. Wouldn't that be awesome??!! But the reality is, that if I am going to go outside, I can block off a two hour section of my time for getting ready, because I don't want everyone I interact with to know I am male.

[zann]

I agree with Kimberly. If we put no effort into our look we will be seen as men in women's clothes. If we sped time on make up and dress we can often pass as female. It has been said that women are often in drag when dressed up to look there best

[CharleneT]

Kimberly hit it on the head, again ;)

Also, I agree with the comments about "women fetish". Another angle to look at is that many of us are trying to reach an ideal that is planted in our brains of what a woman is or looks like. That ideal is of course different for each of us, but it is likely a complex of women we've respected or admired or been greatly affected by ... as such it includes many aspects of those women, combined together. No surprise that it comes out pretty formal. "It" is the best parts, from our perspective, of those women.

Also, heck, dressing up is more fun :)

Charlene

[Alex!]

I find women who wear very little makeup, wear modest clothing and who are naturally attractive ideal.

I have to go the extra mile because I'm a dude. I can't do the "fresh look" at all, though I could wear more "ordinary clothes". The kind of stuff most women wear on any given day is boring, though :)

[Shayna2008]

A few years ago, I wore shorter skirts and showed more skin; not a good thing if you don't really know what your doing :o . I always tried the ultra-sexy look just because I was 18-19 at the time and I thought that was what I "had" to do. I have a bit more wisdom now, and skirts are longer, tops are nicer and I leave more to the imagination. I've been told I look nicer now then I once did. I strive to wear average GG outfits. I have no desire to look flashy or bring attention to myself. I avoid large excessive jewelry or loud clothes and stick to simpler, yet feminine things. I think this works better and my theory is, is that I'd look more natural if I wore average things and not have such a "forced feminine" look. Now I'm working on the confidence part, which I've heard from MANY is much more important, especially if one intends to go out en femme.

[Mitch23]

I dress to fit the social situation I'm in. Frinstance on Friday i was out with the real girls from work and we were going to a nightclub to dance. I wore 3/4 jeans and a smart top cos thats what they were gonna wear and it was comfortable. Tomorrow to the beauty parlour and warm weather therefore capris i think you call em. Next say going out with different girls to the theatre therefore posh frock.

<Mitch

[Jilmac]

You're right, the majority of women at the grocery store are casual if not plain jane dressers. This is not taking away from their femininity, I just believe they like to be comfortable when there is no place important to go. I thing style varies as we see women in different surroundings. Many women can have an elegant look in casual attire.

When I choose my style of clothing I like the look of a well dressed female while I'm out and about, that could be a dress, skirt, or slacks depending on my mood. When I dress and stay at home I enjoy jeans, capris, or shorts. I always try to blend in when I dress, in age appropriate yet classy attire.

Luva and :hugs: Jill

[Toni_Lynn]

Hmm .. well, I'd have to say that I like to opt for the plain regular girl look. That's really all I've ever wanted. Just to look like every other girl out there.

I do wish that I could do that clean no-makeup look, but alas, nature does say otherwise.

I'm partial to the looks of the late 60s, long flowing skirts (wearing my pink/ white/ flowery one now) and peasant blouses.

Fantasy-wise though, I'd love to see what I'd look like as a total tomboy. But then some may say that THAT flies totally in the face of CDing. I say no, because if the goal of crossdressing is to look like a girl, and a tomboy IS a girl, the I see it as a valid choice.

I guess the sum of it is .. I want to be and wear what any other girl out there wears in normal everyday life . and that is my style

Huggles

Toni-Lynn

[Karren H]

You know me... I go into the stores and try everything on and see in the mirror what style looks best on me and then I buy it.. :)

[docrobbysherry]

First; there is a dichotomy in CD dressing.

Those that go out dressed, and those in the closet.

If u go out dressed, few will would dare to look like a sailor's dream.

However, if u r a closet dresser, like me, u dress primarily for yourself. It is MY belief that closet CDs dress in whatever style they think they look the best in. For me, that includes bikinis, gowns, cocktail, prom, and any other kind of outfit I ever thot a GG looked HOT in.

It is my belief that most closet CDs would do they same, if they could!

[shannonsilk]

When I started I wenr with jeans or pants and a sokid colored top so as to blend in more. Recently, as I've gotten more confident, I've been wearing knee length skirts and sleeveless blouses with more color. I wore a camisole (tank top) the other day with a floral print skirt and 2" sandals.

[darla_g]

Thank you everyone for your responses.

[LA CINDY LOVE]

This is not the first time we heard this from a GG on how a woman will dress, but since we are not GG we have to put our best foot forward to look as good as we can.

Cindy select her style buy her body type and were she is going what is she going to do or is it night time or is it day time and yes the weather has a lot to do with what style Cindy is going to select also.

Kimberly summed it up the best and that is what we girls go by, I just love the way she said it well put Kimberly.

LA CINDY LOVE

[TommiTN]

I think dressing more fem than many GGs is a way of compensating for the fact that we are not GGs. I also think this can go way overboard to the point that we call attention to ourselves, risking being read (for those who care about that) simply because people may look at us more closely.

Another thought I've had lately is that in American culture GGs, over time, have become less feminine. Perhaps this is from being pushed by the feminist movement to take on roles in society that in the past were considered "male". So, perhaps we, as CDers, are unconsiously attempting to balance this out by being more fem than many GGs. While not a jet setter by any means (I don't have the means), I have travelled overseas numerous times and I find foreign women to be much more feminine than their American sisters.

[SusanLaine]

As I dress longer and learn more I find my styles getting more conservative but probably never to the point that I'll be as casual as most of the GGs you see in the grocery store.

Mostly I see GGs dressed so casual that at a different time they would be considered the crossdressers! :-)

[sterling12]

Yes, most of us like to be Girly-Girl. Most of us have strong identifications with era's when that was the norm. Yes, we will also be ultra-feminine because we think it's good "camouflage." But actually, it often has the opposite effect.

At the risk of not being P.C.. I notice among GG's a "herd syndrome." I think you Gals are often more comfortable following the latest fashions. I think a lot of women feel "safe," if they wear the accepted uniform. They are more likely to be accepted by their "peer group," if their clothing matches the style of other women. Cd's don't truly have a "peer group" to emulate. Perhaps for some, it might be the looks effected by some of The Drag Queens and that might explain some of The "****ty Looks;" But for the majority, it's more likely to be what they identify as "sexy" from a generation where they first started to emulate women.

Peace and Love, Joanie

[SusanLaine]

Thats a very good point...we in this forum go out of our way to be supportive and helpful but have you noticed that GGs are often very critical of each others looks, flaws and outfits...very catty in fact.

[CaptLex]

Another thought I've had lately is that in American culture GGs, over time, have become less feminine. Perhaps this is from being pushed by the feminist movement to take on roles in society that in the past were considered "male".
Or perhaps, due to the women's movement, they now feel free to take on different roles and are no longer confined to what women were once limited to. :raisedeyebrow:

[Kate Simmons]

Women need very little effort to be considered feminine as it is natural. With us, it's all about illusion and the image we are trying to present. It's not just about the appearance, however, it's also about how we deliver the illusion. First impressions mean a lot in any case.;):)

[DeeDeeB]

I too dress to appear and feel feminine. For me that is the whole point of CDing. At home it's skirts or dresses, wig, makeup and heels Out in the world it's skinny jeans, maybe a sports bra under a guy shirt, mascara and flats but no wig. I have skirts that range in length from almost obscene to mid calf, and I choose depending on my mood, the weather, the day of the week, the phase of the moon and the alignment of Saturn and Mars, not necessarily in that order.


Dee :fairy1:

[Beth-Lock]

Jonianne, that is something I haven't thought of frumpy jumpers.Maybe that is an idea, though to get them really frumpy you have to make them yourself. I remember a woman in school who wore homemade cotton jumpers, and I much admored her in them. I think she made them herself. They must not be all that hard to make, at least not compared to a proper dress. Interesting thought.

[darla_g]

Hmmm I wonder what woman-fetish really means?

I became apparent that the question of what is feminine or what is masculine really become prominent I think i will break that into a new thread.

Darla

[victoriamwilliams1]

I choose what makes me feel good, the style I wear is normal for many professional women. I think the club look at the store shopping during the week day will not work.

[Pattie O]

I like to have good foundation in the lingerie dept;ie shaping panti girdles and corsettes with stay ups then a lace singlet or petticoat slip(if wearing a dress).Nice plain shoes with some heel (I do like the vamp look but feel more comfortable with a more everyday look.So skirt and blouse with nice subtle make up and my biggest dilemma is usually the hair style;there are so many.Id like to try the bob look as I think this would create the feminine look I desire

luv Pattie O(clotheless for present!)

[Brenda's Friend]

Could the style reflect how feminine we feel that we really are? I don't feel that I am a woman, I really feel that deep down inside, I am a guy. But, I have this increadable urge to dress. So when I dress, i have to go the whole nine yards. I would assume that someone at the other end of the spectrum, they really feel that they are a woman, would feel more confortable dressing down like the typical woman, because they are really woman who were born the wrong gender.

For those who dress 24/7, do you wear a dress every day? Do you wear minimal makeup?

BF

[dominique]

For me I've got to now put make up on every time I dress regardless if I go out or not reason for this is it hopefully tones down my maleness. When I go out I tend to dress in trousers as I can blend in and nearly every GG is dressed the same way.

[Magickman]

"How do you select what "Style" you dress in?"

That is a great question.

Because my legs are my best physical feature, I select styles that highlight them.

That usually means short shorts or short skirts, and 4-5" heels.

Women often stop me in public to compliment my legs, and that is a wonderful ego booster.

I am not trying to look like a woman, rather a sexy guy in a skirt, who attracts women's attentions.

[Karen_Ski]

It is funny in that the longer I am out the more relaxed in my style I have become. Yes I still prefer skirts and heels but they are not always practical, particularly heels. I find that if I am spending the day doing the mundane tasks such as grocery shopping and the like jenas or a pair of khaki slacks work well although I do sometimes spice it up with a long skirt but always flats. For running around during the week it depends on what time it is, if it is mid afternoon I maight go for the business look such as a skirted suit. Sundays it is always a skirt or a dress as that is church, my mother always said it is not to much to do for God is to get dressed up. I think the biggest mistake most girls make is to overdress for the occasion. It is funny I had a birthday party to go to last Saturday night for a tgurl friend of mine. As I was leaving I realized I didn't have a birthday card so I dashed into the local drugstore to pick one up. I had on a nice white lace skirt and a pink cami top with white strappy high heeled sandals. I felt so overdressed in the store but then again I was on my way to the party. My rule of thumb now is to dress to fit in.