SHAPE

I wear what used to be called knickers, nowadays full briefs or panties. High leg briefs don't support or feel right to me due to the narrowness of the crotch. The brands I favour are Shadowline (no longer made unfortunately) and Vanity Fair, made in the land of the free. I buy them from there, so much cheaper including postage ($6.00 or so). These makes fit my manly form better than any other I have tried and the nylon is of superior quality and is not sweaty in the summer. They are much more comfortable than underpants and are much prettier! My Lady companion calls them in her Lancashire accent,"big coomfy Knickers!" But comfort is essential, leaving you to worry about other things. There are panties made for men, such as Manties etc, These may suit you if you like bows, ribbons and things so shop around. I don't recommend support or lycra knicks, I'm trying to make my bum look bigger not smaller. I love the look of French Knickers but they do ride up, if you'll excuse the expression, into the crack of your bum!


That leads me on to shaping to look feminine. You need HIPS! Most women are larger here than up top. You would'nt dream of dressing without some sort of padding in your bra so don't think you can appear womanly without padding here too. I made my own plucked from foam plastic to be concave on the inside and shaped on the outside with a breadknife! Sounds rough but is not noticable once held in place with cut off tights over my foundation wear. You can of course buy ready made bum enhancers but I've found many to be too hard and not long enough to pad out my thighs.

For foundation wear, I seldom wear anything but Rago Shapette open bottom corselettes (again bought from America). All in ones as they are called there. Black or white or even dyed to your whim, they smooth the lumps and bumps beautifully and keep your breast prostheses in place better than a bra and of course hold your stockings perfectly. Buy by bra size, forget about the bottom bit it'll fit fine. You may need to extend the straps to fit the longer male torso. It's only on the hottest days that I am forced to abandon support and elegance in exchange for comfort and coolth to wear a bra, knicks and fake tan in lieu of stockings. Another advantage of living in a cold climate!

Stuffing my bra with rolled up socks is something I did for many years (Clean ones of course), when I thought I couldn't afford proper gel forms or chicken breast fillets as they are also know! I remember vividly trying them for the first time. It was wonderful! The weight, the feel, the way they warm to your body temperature after a few minutes so you don't notice them, all conspired to make me buy them on the spot. £190 the brace! But it really is worth it. So natural, almost real. Do try various sizes, but remember only Dolly Parton can get away with looking like Dolly Parton!

Tucking (pushing you balls up into your body, sounds painful but isn't) is something I don't often do as I don't wear tight fitting skirts, preferring clothes which skim, much more flattering and comfortable.

Having a small waist is what we all want. You can pull yourself in with a waist cincher but they are remarkable uncomfortable if you want to drive or sit. I use a tight wide belt which is tolerable even during a long day and gives me a really defined shape.

These are some of the points I have learnt over a long period of attempting to look and feel feminine. I hope you think I've succeeded. That's not me below it's of course Carole Vorderman, wish it was!

© Carolyn

GLOVES

                                                                    GLOVES

My particular fetish is for gloves. Not just any gloves, just the best possible in quality kid leather. I have to look to my formative years again here. My mother was the head fitter in a fashion store and there were fashion shows from time to time and I on occasion was present during the comings and goings backstage as it were. This was the New Look, the Golden Age of the fitted suit, pencil skirts, fully fashioned stockings, high heels, three quarter sleeves with long gloves of course in buttery soft kid.The suits even had hip pads in the peplum jackets to exaggerate the hourglass profile!. But it was the gloves that really transfixed me. Even as I type this little epistle I am wearing a long pair in tan kid. Not easy on a laptop! But I always wear gloves to type and as much as I can at other times. As the models strutted on the catwalk, I soaked in the elegant combination of high heels, stockings and kid gloves presented on those Saturday afternoons many years ago. In those days a lady wouldn't be see dead without a hat and gloves. I try and emmulate this as much as I can, mind you hats are ucommon these days.

Since then I have bought many pairs and by trial and much error, have a collection to match my many outfits. Black of course is favourite, always in bracelet length (so called so one can wear a bracelet over or a watch). I wear a bracelet and a watch so I have my gloves on all the time. Some of my gloves are plain, some with button detail, all with the three points on the back which appears to slim the hand. I wear size 8 1/2 and have my gloves made to measure now, with longer fingers which I need for my long nails. I have many other colours and styles, brown, tan (a colour which is surprising versatile) blue, and recently red.

The longer opera lengths have beautiful button closures at the wrist. Other detailings include contrast stitching and gilt buttons. I don't own any short gloves as they do nothing to flatter the larger hand and arm.

Gloves must be unlined to fit closely and flatter. After a while the slight warmth experienced at first is not noticed and they become part of you. Unlined gloves are not for the Arctic. Gloves are for elegance, not to keep your hands warm!

Gloves go with everything; for driving, dining out in opera length (one keeps ones gloves on when eating), shopping in town wearing a bright pair on a gloomy day, etc. In Victorian times, ladies even sewed in them!

You must be thinking what an obsessive! No more than any fashionable lady in 1950s.  I think women of today live a different life or so they believe and seldom "dress up" but women in the 1950s probably led busier lives but did it with style! Style has gone out of style!

Nothing can compare with the vision of a lady dressed in a fitted suit, wearing FF stockings, high heels and gloved to perfection in soft kid. God's greatest creation. This is my heaven and I try achieve it for others and myself.

© Carolyn

 Welcome back me!

I have decide to post again and I hope regularly. Here are 3 foties taken this year. The first one returning from Ascot in the fabulous new King's Cross Station. Next in  a Manchester Tapas place and last The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh.

I do hope yoy like the variety of styles, I much prefer tailored clothes, struggling with summery outfits. Winter allows much more opperchancity to wear more, more lovely fabrics, more leather, more fur!

I welcome you comments and hope to hear from you soon,

luv Caro.

ALL DRESSED UP AND NOWHERE TO GO?


That's the usual "Trannie" Lament. These days I only dress when I'm out 'n about, or should I say when I'm out 'n about, I'm dressed! So the "Closet Crossdresser" thing for me is long gone, thank goodness. These days I only dress when I'm out 'n about, or should I say when I'm out 'n about, I'm dressed! So the "Closet Crossdresser" thing for me is long gone, thank goodness. Looking back I went through the classic transvestite journey; dressing in a few feminine things when no one was looking; the ridiculous dressed up trip to the post box on a snowy evening; the first trip away to a Trannie" Do", in Scarborough; 50 or so men dressed in frocks, sitting with their legs apart! How did I ever persevere? I still don't know but here I am, a confident, accomplished, convincing, glamourous, shemale. Conceited? Moi? Not in the least! Realistic is the word I'd use, I have been dressing to go out for many years and have developed considerably in the way I behave and the style I adopt. Mind you that doesn't mean being dowdy (look at my gallery). Feeling relaxed when out is what I hope to achieve and I manage that most of the time. I even fell asleep on a bus recently! It's a balance between practice which breeds confidence and dressing and behaving in an acceptable way. The better you look the more confident you'll become and vice versa. For instance, I now use ladies's toilets, something I wouldn't have dreamt of in the past, having had to scurry back to my hotel or pee out of my car door in a layby! Now I have the confidence, brought about by getting out so often. I seldom attend Trannie events now, just a video tape re-runs really, preferring to do the things "ordinary" women do eg. shopping, dining out, attending the theatre and events, trying to be normal but dressed. As I don't live full time enfemme, this is not as often as I would like but we all compromise in life and I'm no different. Mind you, one needs to get out often and as regularly as possible so the confidence doesn't dwindle away. Confidence allows one to achieve almost anything.
I now have the support of a couple of wonderful ladyfriends, one in particular with whom I get out 'n about. This, I think is the solution to the hetro Trannie social problem. One needs accepting ladies who are not afraid to accompany a man in a frock to most events. I am arrogant enough to think my friends are proud to be seen with me when we're out on the town, I know they are, they've told me so!
If I am allowed to offer advice it would be this; just do it! (apologies to Nike). I can assure you, you'll never look back. Unless it's to see in the mirror if you've hitched your dress up in your knickers!

My new suit, literally years in the making. I think it's worth it do you?

I'm currently trying to become "girdle dependent" so I can't bear ever to be without the firm support that proper foundation gives.Underneath I'm wearing a high waisted open girdle and a longline bra, what all middle aged ladies wore in the golden age. One corsetiere said "once a lady reaches forty, she should never see her midriff again"!


I wish some young women would heed that!

Summertime in Edinburgh , seems a long time ago.

Out 'n about in Harvey Nicks. Never bought anything there except for a Mac makeover, good but the Mac girls are even better!