Las Vegas, Star Trek and CD fun for the naive

[lauren.h100]

My SO and I are headed to Las Vegas next week for the Star Trek convention (it's the 25th anniversary of the Next Generation - how could we not go?) then we're staying a few extra days to enjoy LV and have a CD makeover for me. My SO quite reasonably wants in on the fun and requests whoever does my makeup to make her look fabulous. It'll be my first time out and about en-femme and we're both pretty clueless in any case so it would be great if we could have somebody come with us so we can all be fabulous together.

My first inclination was to go with Isabel's Transformation service since she advertises exactly what we want and she gets good reviews on the geekbabe site, plus we'd both met and liked her at Glamour Boutique when we were last in LV a couple of years ago. Isabel's website offers two ways to get hold of her but the webform points to a broken link and nobody answers her phone so I assume she's no longer in the transformation biz.

I know Amy at Glamour Boutique has a superb reputation but after she performs her magic you're on your own - fine for seasoned girls but not so hot for the naive such as my SO and myself. They have a girls' night out on the 18th which would have worked but we leave on the 16th so sadly that's out as well.

So, does any body know what's happened to Isabel's Transformations, if she is still available and if so how can one contact her? Are there any other CD transformation services which offer guided company to Vegas' harmless hotspots, assuming that's not a contradiction in terms? Any social gatherings on the 14th or 15th we could join?

Thanks.

Lauren H

[sfwarbonnet]

Are you going to participate in the costume contest? What women of Star Trek would you & your wife dress as? (You probably wouldn't make a passable 7 of 9. Would she be OK with you both using the ladies restrooms?)

[Rachel Renee]

This sounds like it's going to be a super fun trip! I have always wanted to go to a Star Trek convention.

[lauren.h100]

Sadly I look more like Stella Mudd than 7 of 9 but I do what I can. Yes, I’d love to spend the whole convention in a female Star Trek costume, or even better in a different costume each of the four days but there are two of us going and my SO will be more comfortable if we keep separate the CD and ST parts of our trip. The Star Trek convention runs from the 9th through the 12th and we’re staying another three days afterwards just because we’re in Vegas.

We’ve agreed to spend one day (preferably the 13th or 14th) as a girls’ day beginning with makeovers for the both of us, to test the waters for me out in public for the first time en-femme, to show my SO that her head will not explode (hopefully) and just to have some fun. We may end up just wandering around by ourselves but we’d really prefer to have somebody who knows Vegas guide us and help lessen my SO’s potential nervousness. That’s why we wanted to contact Isabel of “Isabel’s Transformations” but it looks like that option is no longer available.

Still, whatever we end up doing it should be a good week.

[heatherdress]

Don't know about Isabel but visits to Amy are excellent.

[Norma_CD]

Be sure to check out Drink and Drag while you're there. It's downtown at the end of Freemont Street.

[lauren.h100]

Thanks for the pointer to Drink and Drag. I hadn't heard of them before but they're now on our to-go-to list.

[sfwarbonnet]

Just saw several pics from the Star Trek con. There seems to be a wide variety of constumes, not all ST, so a CD would "blend in" nicely. However, the costume that I didn't see was the TNG Skant (a.k.a dress) that was worn by both males and females in Escape to Farpoint. Also, although I didn't spot anyone that was obviously a CD, it seems like a good opportunity to dress en femme in public. Were there ever any CD roles in any of the Star Trek flavors, or any episode where a female role ws played by a male?

[LaSirenaBella]

I'd never been to the Creation con in Vegas (mostly because my wife and I stopped going to Creation-sponsored events). However, we do attend a small fan-run show that happens every summer in Maryland. A couple of years in a row, we did see someone dressed in a latter-season Next Gen Command uniform. Our T-dar went off right away. And she looked very attractive.

No CD roles I can recall. All we get are "Turnabout Intruder," "The Outcast" and maybe Jadzia/Ezri Dax as a pseudo-trans character.

[Eryn]

...I’d love to spend the whole convention in a female Star Trek costume...

Just saw several pics from the Star Trek con. There seems to be a wide variety of constumes, not all ST, so a CD would "blend in" nicely. However, the costume that I didn't see was the TNG Skant (a.k.a dress) that was worn by both males and females...

Yes, the skant is an interesting costume, but it technically isn't CDing, for the same reason that women wearing jeans isn't CDing!

I think that the skant, like the Wesley Crusher character, inspires a strong negative vibe among ST fans. I was at a theater showing of a couple of remastered TNG episodes, and when a male crewman walks by in a skant the audience laughed at him. The Star Trek universe may be devoid of prejudice, but some Star Trek fans are still steeped in it.

Off the CDing for a bit, I found that the "remastered" TNG episodes truly do look better since they redid the effects and used the fact that the series was shot on film to enable it to be presented in HD format. The unfortunate failing was that the makeup, costumes and sets were designed to look good on conventional low-definition television, so on HD the flaws are quite glaring. This is particularly evident in Data's makeup, which sometimes looks like Tammy Faye on a bad skin day.

[docrobbysherry]

My understanding of Amy's Glamour Boutique, (which I believe has a new name since she moved), is that each Friday PM, CDs gather there then go out on the town together. Amy used to host this regularly. Not sure of she still does? Help Holly?

Here's a pic of Sherry in the new store at this year's DLV.

45475.jpg

[PretzelGirl]

Amy's Glamour Boutique is now Just You. She does still arrange group nights out. If anyone is interested, you can probably search for Just You on Facebook and she will announce when she is arranging anything.

[Angela Campbell]

CD or no cd, high def or low def...I don't care....if it is Star Trek I like it!

[sfwarbonnet]

Yes, the skant is an interesting costume, but it technically isn't CDing, for the same reason that women wearing jeans isn't CDing!
I think that the skant, like the Wesley Crusher character, inspires a strong negative vibe among ST fans. I was at a theater showing of a couple of remastered TNG episodes, and when a male crewman walks by in a skant the audience laughed at him. The Star Trek universe may be devoid of prejudice, but some Star Trek fans are still steeped in it.

No CD roles I can recall. All we get are "Turnabout Intruder," "The Outcast" and maybe Jadzia/Ezri Dax as a pseudo-trans character.

OK, if wearing a TNG skant is not CDing and is mearly a man in a dress, what characters in any flavor of Star Trek would be appropriate for a Senior M2F CD?

[Beverley Sims]

If I can look like Lt Ohura? out of star trek and they think I am a girl I don't care whether it is CDing or not.
I may have passed. Yay!

[Angela Campbell]

Beverly Crusher....mmmmmmm I wish!

[lauren.h100]

We’re back from Vegas and while we had a great time at the Star Trek convention my SO came down with a very nasty cold towards the end of the week which put the kybosh on our girls’ night out plans. I’d already booked a makeover appointment plus two hours on the town with Amy for myself and my SO and that had to be cancelled which was hugely disappointing but we’re sure to return at some point and will try again. On the plus side we at least got to visit Amy at Just You and had a great time. I brought some of my favorite clothes (which I’d intended to wear) and with Amy’s help and almost boundless enthusiasm managed to add a little variety to my wardrobe and she gave me some great ideas on how to be a little more adventurous with my choice in tops. I also got some proper breast forms (at last) so it was not a wasted trip by any means. Amy and my SO bonded dangerously well which means I’ll have my work cut out for me when next we’re in town.

Regarding the Star Trek convention, I saw at least two different males wearing skants and they didn’t get any untoward comments that I noticed. Neither was presenting as a female in any way – they were just men wearing a TNG costume which to 20th/21st century eyes looks like a dress. I’m not sure I agree with Eryn’s comment that skants and Wesley Crusher inspire similar negative feelings in Trek fans. There were the two men I saw wearing skants but absolutely nobody dressed as Wesley! Also, as it was TNG’s 25th anniversary they had almost everybody from TNG’s cast on stage for a session which was an absolute blast. The only two missing were Patrick Stewart and Wil Wheaton. They announced that Patrick Stewart couldn’t make it because of his prior commitment to the Olympics closing ceremony but absolutely nobody mentioned Wil Wheaton!

I looked very intently for anybody in a CD costume to bolster my confidence to attend in a girl-costume myself at a future convention but either there weren’t any or they were really good – hopefully the latter. Oh, and a note to sfwarbonnet: every costume was Star Trek related, even the ones where the connection wasn’t immediately obvious. I saw somebody who I mistakenly assumed was dressed as Ming the Merciless from Flash Gordon (now there’s a movie with fabulous CD costume potential) but it was actually Doctor Chaotica from the Voyager episode “Captain Proton”. I would never have known but he was a finalist in the costume competition where they announced his identity. I felt so ashamed – I consider myself a Star Trek fan but mistook Doctor Chaotica for Ming the Merciless. Will I ever live it down?

[LaSirenaBella]

For an senior CD? I'm thinking Lwaxana Troi, the "Auntie Mame" of the Alpha Quadrant. Or how about Amanda Grayson? Or Perrin (Sarek's second wife)?

Oh, Lauren: mistaking Dr. Chaotica for Ming the Merciless? You will have to turn in your Geek Grrl Card now.

[Eryn]

Here's a search to help you out:

http://www.google.com/search?q=femal...Hc7ciQKVzoGYBg

How about an Andorian?

http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__.../Talas2153.jpg