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There are a few sites that offer a limited selection of dresses supposedly made with our measurements in mind. While I am very intrigued by a proper custom-like fit, the choices are few and I see many styles on the department store sites I would much prefer. Of course I know we are all shaped different and have different style choices, but does anyone have any insight? Are these "made for" dresses really any better?
Roberta, personally, I would never by anything you describe as made for crossdressers. If it's not made for a female, I and many sisters here will not by that stuff. If you know your female sizes, buy female. You'll seldom go wrong.
When I choose stuff, I know my size and make sure its snug fitting . I choose a size smaller to make sure the perfectly of silouete I want.
I'd never buy any clothes that were made specifically for CDs. I haven't seen dresses made for CDs, but I have seen underwear. Not only does it not have the same appeal to me, it's usually way overpriced like they are cashing in on a niche market.
What us different about these dresses? Made for taller people? Cut with broader shoulders? They might be cut to fit better and be more comfortable, but are they designed to conceal the underlying male form and make them look female? If they were, I might take some interest.
SRoberta,
The specialist shops charge far too much for supposed "Clothes for Cders " . Men and women come in all shapes and sizes , women can have problems with finding clothes that fit , we just have to shop around .
I can only speak for myself. And, I'm a crossdresser who likes to appear as female as possible. NOT like a man in a dress!:sad:
What's the point of looking great from the chest up when everything below that says, "man"!?:brolleyes:
Female clothes fit female figures. I find creating a female shape is a lot more satisfying than seeing a MIAD in my mirror.:straightface:
What's more, if u have a few different sized forms and butt/hip pads? With a little practice you'd be surprised how easy it is to rock a wide variety of women's things!:battingeyelashes:
I don't know what is different about made for a cross dressing man than a dress for a woman. My conjecture is body shape. Broad shoulders? My male body shape precludes fitting into a dress with a back zipper. I stick with dresses that do not have a defined waistline; sheaths, empire waists, wraps. I choose fabric that have some stretch. Unless you have a definite hour glass figure, man or woman, you're going to have that problem. If you can find a reasonably priced seamstress and a good dress pattern then your problems may be solved.
Since so many of use breast forms, hip pads, corsets etc. to achieve a feminine shape I have never understood why someone would buy a dress designed for a man's body. However as much as possible I will buy dresses in a Tall style because the longer torso and sleeves fit my larger body better.
"Women's" clothes fit me fine. well, after the silicone and foam padding. No need for "crossdresser clothes".
Or maybe the items are made with the intention of feminizing the male figure? If I were making female garments for men, that's what I would do. Dresses with extra hip padding, sleeves that minimize the shoulders, etc
So far when I have seen sites catering to crossdressers the clothes are really not particularly suited to male figure-but the meaning of fit is just that you can get it over your head or zipped up, not that it is flattering, or reflecting the real range of design. It seemed to me the real reason for the site is just making it easier for someone to buy their first dresses, since a newbie hasn't yet gained an appreciation of the nuances of fit, and the goal is more generic- to have a real dress rather than an imaginary one. The choice seems 'safe' since 'designed for men', it is private since on line, you could get a reassuring sales email, etc. It took me a while to be able to understand what fit and felt better- It is a place to start- just don't pay more!!
Do not waste your money
Dresses made for GG's fit me fine.
Chances are this place is either just selling GG's clothing at double the price because now it's for men. Or worse yet like the hideous "Manties" website that was taking larger size nylon panties, sewing hideous bows on them, and selling them as "panties for men" at an outrageous price.
Also it brings up the point that if the clothing is made for men then, you aren't really crossdressing anymore.
Give me the good old thrift store any day.
I have made some of my most fantastic finds in the 2 (outstanding) consignment thrift stores near me. Besides, part of the clothing learning curve is making mistakes (often dreadful fashion faux pas). The mistakes are cheaper to eat at the thrift store.
Regular women's retail clothing is perfect. Finding corresponding size fits, (etc), is always a challenge for putting a man into a garment cut for a natal woman. But that's part of the clothing fun of CD/TG. [below: A photo of me in REALLY olde clothes]
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I have gone down that road when I first started out and they are not great clothes for the price and usually made of stretchy material to fit a male torso . I agree with what Phili said whole heartily. My suggestion is take your measurements go on online and shop regular women's clothes. Start with sale items there are some good prices and nice styles you may get some that do not fit but this a learning experience very quickly you will learn your size.
Wow what a lot of great input! These expert opinions have convinced me to focus on the styles I want.
Lingerie from xdress.com is very nice, and fits very well. But I agree, they are expensive compared to other options.
I wouldn’t buy a women’s dress made for a man. It’s either going to have convoluted construction in order to try to feminize a male body, or it’s going to fit you like men’s clothes which is just going to show off that man body.
Every once in a while a conversation comes up here about would you buy panties made for men. The overwhelming consensus is no and to only buy panties made for women. I would say this is the same.
CD clothes would probably fit me better, but kind of takes away from the fetish of wearing women's clothes. I've looked at them but decided I didn't want to buy.
As a guy who's 6-3 and 220 lbs, everything I have bought in women's clothing is made for a woman and have not had any issues with it.
I know some of the shops who sell women's clothing for men are priced well more that you could pick up things off a clearance rack at a department store for.
All I buy is made for a woman. Or why bother.:hugs:
Angie
Ladies clothes for me every time. Made for them.
Vikky
Ive always managed ok with normal dresses.
I always thought the made for men ones are purely a way of ripping the customer off....
Just my opinion and i maybe wrong.
I have been convinced thank you all. The best thing about it is that there are just so many styles available, and each one allows us to Imagine ourselves.
Totally agree with Tania 100%. X x xQuote:
Originally Posted by Tania
Do such things exist? What a hellish idea!!
My advice to those perhaps new to CD'ing and unsure of their size is to shop online with retailers who offer free returns, use the size guide to pick the size you thing is most likely to fit you and order 3, one a size below, the best guess size and another one size bigger.
If one of them fits and you like how it looks then keep that one and sent the the other 2 back. If you're way off then return the lot and adjust as required. Tip: try them on without forms to get the best fit in the shoulders then add forms. If it's too tight then you're better off with smaller forms. Over filling a dress or blouse will draw attention.
For me the trick is getting the shoulder size and fit right. Waist can be dealt with by using a corset and hips and bum with padding.
This is good advice. I took a chance last night and ordered a dress from Eloquii. I like this vendor very much, at least their site. The dress appears very high quality, but this particular color was marked down, so not much to lose. Ironically, the color was perfect for me.
As a retailer, please don’t do this. Good websites will have size charts and if you take your measurements accurately, it will fit 90% of the time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Helen_Highwater
I have not gone down that road at all, yes i have looked at websites offering clothes for crossdressers and what i saw was not right for me. As for size/weight being a consideration there is so much out there for the larger or petite woman.
I always buy from femail clothing websites and never have I gone wtong. Plus when i first star(ted to buy womens clothes i came across a shop and the two women there were so kind and helpful and set me on the right road for what would like right on me.
I've looked at some of those "made for crossdressers" dresses and quite frankly they don't look like anything a GG would ever want to wear. There are so many nice things made for women on the clearance racks and in thrift shops at discount prices. You can definitely find something that fits.
All my dresses have come from Amazon, or Ebay. All were less than $20 each. Earlier I started a thread in the pictures and video section. Just measure yourself, compare wit the proper sizing chart and place the order. I have not returned a dress yet. My only problem is I have lost some weight so some of my earlier purchases are a bit loose, but I still wear them. Beware a lot of Amazon and Ebay come from China, don't assume the size you always wear is correct. I have one dress that is a 3X and a couple that are size large. Mostly I wear a 16 or XL.
A few months ago I had a chance to have some women's clothes custom made for me. It was a women's shop that did alterations for women. I needed some alterations on women's pants and while we were talking about them I mentioned that I didn't know she made custom clothes. She asked if I wanted to have something made. It was obvious I wore women's clothes since I was underdressed and wearing a silk blouse. I told her not quite yet, but I had several outfits made in HongKong She said she could make what I wanted. You might want to check out an alterations shop.
I was getting a man's suit altered Several years ago and the husband introduced me to his wife who sewed for women. He was from the Middle East and I didn't feel comfortable around him.
if you can find a shop you like and start buying things from there,you will soon get to know the sa's in there and the rest is easy. If they do not do alterations they will be able to put you in touch with a sympathetic person who can do just that
As much as everyone has dumped on the idea, for those who are large the discrepancy between a big man and a big woman's body is significant and becomes more pronounced the bigger you get. Big men have much broader shoulders than a big woman of the same size and they have longer arms. Getting the shoulders to fit without everything else being too big is a challenge. For most sure it isn't a big deal, but for those who have the shoulder issue it is nice an option is available.
Personally, I like the idea of the option of feminine clothing that would fit my real natural body. It is more of a fashion thing for me than a gender thing.
I tried made- for-crossdresser clothing once. Never again. I got a skirt that looked ok in the picture but was so short my panties showed when I wore it. I also got a very nice-looking blouse. The only problem was that the fabric for one sleeve was sewn wrong side out. These two items cost about three times what you would pay for similar items in made-for-women clothing. I don’t like paying three times as much for garbage.
Just shop where women shop. Macy's, JC Penney and all the others.
Those shops that make "specialty" clothing for us make them for them to make a profit from us. Everything is more expensive and usually not something you'd wear out in public anyway.
You were all so right with your wonderful advice. Just received my first dress from Eloquii. It fits perfect. The fabric is divine and it looks great. So happy. Thank you all.
I second the garments from xdress.com fit well, and are well made. I purchased one of their cute maids uniforms back in the late 2000s, found it to fit, and bought one of every color offered; and they're still in great condition even though I've worn them a great many times. Birchplaceshop.com also sells custom sized made dresses, of excellent quality. You can also find many vendors on ebay (most from China, with long delivery dates and that will have to pass through customs) will custom make whatever you want in any style you want, but you have to be VERY exact in your measurements.Quote:
Originally Posted by praderas
Forget about the made for crossdressers crap.
Go to eShskti and customize to your hearts' content.
You can even enter your exact measurements to get a custom fit.
http://www.eshakti.com
I actually have a couple eShakti dresses I bought used so they are not custom fit, but they are high quality and have pockets!
Forget the specialty marketing nonsense. You can either buy stretchy fabrics or buy sizes that fit you well up in some areas but maybe not others, and get them tailored. I wear 6/8 in jeans but have to buy 12 dresses and get them tailored. Once you have a good tailor, you will never wear an off the rack outfit again.
There is an infinite variety of woman in every imaginable shape. If they can find clothes that fit and look good in the Women's Department so can you.
To a lot of people, including some retailers of dresses for men, "crossdresser" means "drag queen". To me, that means exaggerated shapes and colors and makeup intended for the stage. Not my style at all. If you want a real world feminine presentation, buy from stores where real women shop, preferably in person. There's plenty of great clothes there, and they're made for a variety of different body shapes, so there's always something that will work for you. And female SAs are very accepting of crossdressing, so they're more than willing to help .
I had discovered that a long time ago things like heels were so overpriced and made cheap to everything even in the wigs dept was always expensive my first wig was 375 back in 1980 and I got it at a kiosk in a mall. now you can get human hair wigs for even cheaper than that. so these days my hair is mine but I still have a ton of good quality ones to make changes
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thank you. I will check that out.
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yup, I looked at the stuff on birthplace a while back and it looks like a good place to get into some cosplay stuff now that am involved in modelling the sky is the limit on clothes for me because I'm doing photo shoots many times the clothes designer is there to make adjustments.
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there are many local shops that can tailor the item for you. and they know that they will make money regardless no matter who walks in.
I personally prefer to buy real women's clothing over stuff like clothes made for crossdressers and even lingerie sold in sex shops.
Those things are almost always over priced and made of cheap materials.
Sure, there is a difference between male and female measurements. But the cheaper price and better quality of women's clothing makes up for any loose or tight areas.
And like another poster said, I don't want to look like a dude in a dress when I'm all dressed up.
I mean, there are plenty of short shorts for men, but I would never buy one of those.
Funny story, women's jeans, pants and shorts actually fit me better than men's.
I mean, it's up to you. Do your research and start with a cheaper item, so you won't have much to lose afterwards if it doesn't fit you or something.
I just bought a few dresses from the En Femme Style store. I think they are nice dresses. They had looks, styles I never seen before.
I buy "almost" everything from thrift stores. I bring in a fabric tape measure to help when looking at clothes. I wear a 16 - 14 dress depending on the brand or type of dress. We used to be able to use a dressing room (not with COVID!), now they have a much more liberal return policy! Good lick and have fun.
Roberta, I prefer women's dress for women. I have never bought anything from en femme for example, other than a gaff.
I gave up on the "made for crossdressers" stuff a long time ago. The world has changed with regard to mail order, with so much one can now get online from normal prominent retailers. Unless a male is very big, chances are that clothes made to fit plus sized women will fit "us" well. I find many of my dresses and skirts on Amazon, and normally buy size 2X or XXL, which fits me fine. Should I find that 2X it too tight, so I'll get the next one from that seller at 3X. No big deal as the difference is not that drastic -- and since I'm by no means "out", nobody's going to see me anyhow. Some clothes and heels as others have mentioned do come from overseas, and they'll take longer but it's nice to finally receive them. Buying from Amazon many clothes and shoes are made in our sizes, especially if you put in the search bar "Plus size dress" or something like that. For shoes you can put "Size XX heels" or something like that, with XX your size.
As I've gotten older and so therefore has my alter ego "Karen", the tastes change. Where I previously bought from a company like Birchplace, perhaps I've moved more away from the fetish or cosplay aspect and more towards conservative looking dressing. But the pink fog keeps me buying many dresses and matching heels to the point where I might think I'm done, and then I still buy more.