Skirts, Dresses and Trousers
Look at the site of any self-respecting tranny and you will see photos of them wearing very short skirts (usually accompanied by rediculously high heels and stockings). But take a closer look¹ and ask yourself if these pieces of material (often denim) that some women would regard more as belts than skirts, really suit the t*girl wearing them. Often the answer is actually, Yes. Believe it or not trannies (ahem, men) have better legs than women. Our legs gather less fat (or cellulite as women like to call it to divert attention from what it actually is) and, unless we are joggers or runners, our muscle tone tends to make our legs look surprisingly shapely. Being taller, we often have longer legs too. All this means that many transvestites can get away with wearing surprisingly short skirts and still look good.Having said all this, the question you should really ask is whether a short skirt (or a dress that barely covers your knickers) is appropriate for the place and circumstances where you intend to wear it. A night out to a club (whether tranny or fetish) is ideal short-skirt territory, as is a summer music festival, whereas a meal out at a respectable restaurant is almost certainly not. Also, a carefully chosen (longer) skirt or dress can enhance your figure and make you look more feminine and, ironically, less like a tranny! Knee-length skirts (and we mean skirts that come down to the knee - many 'knee length' female skirts are too short to do this on most trannies due to the aforementioned long leg issue) teamed with knee-high boots which just leave a small gap between the bottom of the skirt and the top of the boots can make an excellent, and sexy, combination. Full length skirts can also be good too, but often give a more mature look, or depending on the style a more 'hippy' or 'goth' look.
Dress Code
For a tranny, dresses can be difficult to wear. T*Girls' figures are quite different from 'regular' women: we have broader shoulders and narrower hips (which also tend to be of different sizes), we are also longer, and the style and design of most dresses are not made for our special needs. There are specialist shops and dressmakers that will tailor a dress to your personal needs, however sometimes this can be expensive. Something with thin shoulder straps (oft called a spaghetti top because of its thin straps) is often a good start as opposed to something with short sleeves, as broader shoulders will still fit. Likewise, something more flowy will be better than something tight fitting. This is the reason that many trannies tend to stick to wearing a skirt with a top rather than wearing a dress. Many larger department stores have a 'personal shopper' service and we have heard some very good reports about the way in which they assist and respect transvestites and cross-dressers turning up to try on dresses, even if they turn up without the luxury of appearing in full make-up!Another piece of fun is decoding the various names for different types of skirt (and dress) styles. Below is a brief attempt to demystify some of the more obscure terms:
- Pencil Skirt: Knee-length skirt, close fitting from hip to hem, slit at the side, front or back.
- A-Line: An A-line skirt has a slight flare, roughly in the shape of a capital letter A. An A-line dress flares out from the top, skimming the hips and widening toward the bottom, with little or no shaping or seaming at the waist.
- Mini Skirt: A skirt with a hemline well above (generally 20 cm or 8 inches) the knee.
- Mini Dress: A dress with a hemline well above (generally 20 cm or 8 inches) the knee!
- Jumper Dress: A sleeveless dress intended to be worn over top or blouse.
- Shift Dress: A straight dress with no waist shaping or seam.
- Shirt Dress: A dress which has a top like a tailored shirt and which is attached to a straight or full skirt.
- Ball Dress/Gown: A long, often ornate, dress typically worn at high-society events such as balls and dances.
- Bias Cut: A bias-cut dress accentuates body lines and curves and drapes softly. For example, a full-skirted dress cut on the bias will hang more gracefully or a narrow dress will cling to the figure.
Trousers? Not on your nelly!
Some transvestites and cross-dressers would never be seen dead in a pair of trousers. In fact there are those who believe (wrongly) that only transsexuals wear trousers. Their logic is difficult to follow but seems to go along the line that as trousers are less 'girly' they indicate less of a desire to look like a woman, and a greater desire to actually be one and thus unequivocally prove that you have gone beyond the tranny stage and are now firmly transsexual.But trousers can be very feminine - when do you most notice someone's arse (or 'ass' as the americans would say)? Is it when they are wearing a skirt or a dress, or is it when they are wearing well fitting (often tight) pair of jeans, trousers or leggings? Nuff said! Teamed with a nice pair of boots or sandals, trousers can be just as sexy as a skirt and using the 'less is more' concept, the less flesh on show, the greater the effect. What's more, female trousers are something that most t*girls could wear at the weekend or at work when not dressed, as the difference between female and male trousers (especially jeans) can be very subtle, especially to the untrained (i.e. non-tranny) eye. Many transvestites and cross-dressers happily wear womens' jeans to work to allow them to feel a bit girly without being the least bit worried about getting spotted. Remember though, that on button-up jeans, the buttons will do up the opposite way on womens and mens jeans which can be a bit confusing, and embarassing, the first time you get it wrong whilst stood in the 'gents' room!
Trousers are also great items of clothing if you intend to be doing a lot of sitting. Skirts have a tendency to 'ride up' and reveal lots of what's underneath them (which unless you are properly tucked can be very revealing indeed), whereas, of course, trousers cannot do this. Overall, trousers or leggings are a great choice for any tranny who wants to blend in with their surroundings rather than to stand out... For standing out a 'belt-length' skirt is clearly the hands-down (or hands-up) winner!
¹ Asking someone to take a closer look when browsing as a visitor to to most transvestite or cross-dresser sites is not something that normally requires any encouragement!
