Texture, Patterns, and Frills

Spring is coming! It’s time to break out your miniskirts, strap on some hot heels, and strut all over downtown like your last name is on a star in Hollywood. If you have put off your resolution to lose weight and femme it up, now is the time to make good. You have roughly two weeks to get into fashion!

This is an exciting time of year for girls (and the fashion forward crossdresser) that enjoy a bit of exhibition. I worked very hard this year to maintain a slender frame and very nice skin in anticipation of my first spring and summer as a lady, only to be foiled by the fashion industry’s belief that we will buy whatever is trendy. To say that I am disappointed with this year’s spring fashions is an odd misstatement. More accurately, I find the current selection of muted colors and country club-esque attire boring. I went in to Target, a pretty typical American women’s staple wardrobe retailer, and wandered the clothing racks in a disinterested malaise. I walked in needing some skirts and camis; I wandered out with only my dissatisfaction.

When I feel like my body is worth rocking I want to draw a gratuitous amount of attention. I want sheer material, layered frills and ruffles, I want ruching, I want spaghetti straps and short hemlines, I want tiny, bright flowers against a crème colored background; I want girl stuff! Unfortunately, this year, it seems that sort of girl stuff is not in fashion. I noticed lots of color blocking, and I think that’s fine for colder months when you need a monument of color to offset the gloomy dregs of winter weather and the need for layers. I noticed dull greens and pinks and blues that seemed apologetic for their being placed on an article of clothing. The skirts were just alright, but the cute ones seem to be aimed at juniors 24 and younger, girls that would still be interested in a night out they work hard at not remembering.

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All of the disappointment this year will surely affect the closeted xdresser as well. For those searching for more bang from your buck (that is, more femininity for your dollar), you will also have to retreat to such vintage boutiques. They are small and consequently intimate places that will enable an employee to keep an eye on you at all times. I can’t imagine this being a good deal for you. You may have to use the old, “I’m shopping for my wife” cover, but I would advise against it. Many of the things that I am searching for would require me to try them on before buying them, as I can think of three vintage shops in town and all have a no return policy. Many are not uniform in size either; an 8 in a department store may be a 12 in a vintage shop.

On my hit list are peasant skirts, ruffled sun dresses, strappy heels, cute flats, and off the shoulder tops that give a playful peek at my colorful straps. I want them in white, crème, green, and blue. I want them to make other girls comment on how pretty they are and wonder where to get them.  I want them to playfully contrast against my sporty hairstyle and physique, making people go, “That is so pretty, and I could pull that off too!” I wish being a girl didn’t require so much tactical planning, I also wish clothing wasn’t so expensive and complicated, but that’s the price we pay for beauty.

 

Image Credit: Pearls, lace, and Ruffles