Sensational Slips!

Hello there,  

    Today I thought I'd have a little chat about slips, and why they're awesome! So it's no secret that I tend to love vintage styles and clothing items (see my posts on pantyhose and vintage dresses for more), this love extends to slips as well. For those of you unfamiliar with slips, they come in either full slips or half slips and are typically worn under dresses or skirts. There are multiple purposes for wearing slips:

1. Helping dresses and skirts hang properly, and not cling to your body.
2. They provide a layer of comfort when wearing dresses that are rough or uncomfortable.
3. They can provide modesty when wearing a sheer dress or skirt by hiding underwear or the silhouette of your legs.

    So they certainly have a number of important uses, and yet now a days they've largely fallen out of fashion. This is despite the fact that, like pantyhose, in the 20th century they were an essential part of every woman's outfit. So what happened? Well starting in the 21st century women's fashion started abandoning modest looks in favor of more revealing and sexy styles. A slip would be utterly out of place under a short tight dress that shows a lot of skin. Now I'm certainly not here to bash modern women's fashion, I love wearing a sexy skin tight dress as much as the next girl, instead I'm here to advocate that whenever you have the chance to wear a slip under your outfit you totally should! There are still plenty of opportunities to wear a slip in your daily lives: under an A-line, Sheath or Maxi dress, under a blouse and skirt combo, or under business wear just to name a few. There are still plenty of options to fitting slips into your daily life. But why go out of your way to wear one you ask, well let me gush over how much I love them. First of all, it makes any outfit instantly way more comfortable, slips are usually made from very soft materials like nylon which, feels absolutely amazing draped over your body. Also as a guy who wears women's clothes I have to wear a lot of shapewear to help sculpt feminine features, wearing a full slip in between all of that and my outer outfit helps to smooth my body out and hide all of those layers. Lastly, they're just plain fun! It's exciting every now and then when they peek out from your outerwear, they're a bit of a sexy hint at the underwear that lies beneath! To those of us out there who are not genetic women, when we get the opportunity to dress we want to make the most of it, so why not add another undergarment to your wardrobe which is both very functional, and super comfortable to wear? Also much like the first time someone calls you "miss", it's pretty satisfying for someone to lean over and whisper "your slip is showing". Well I hope I convinced you of how great they are, go out and get yours now! Enjoy the slip pics below!

    -Carly

Pantyhose in the Passenger Seat

 Hello there,

    I've got a quick cute little story today about buying pantyhose. When I was still in college I was out shopping one night (in guy mode) as I wanted to buy a new pair of nude pantyhose. So I stopped into Walmart, picked up the few other things I needed and before heading out stopped in the women's underwear section to quickly grab myself a pair of L'eggs nude pantyhose. Getting a new pair of pantyhose is always so fun, when I got back to my car I took the pantyhose box out to get a final excited glance at it before I drove home. I left the box prominently displayed on the passenger seat so I could look over and take delight in thought of trying them on later. On the drive home I was feeling a little hungry so I decided to stop at a McDonald's drive through to grab something quick to eat. Well I made my order at the speaker and pulled forward to the window. The woman behind the register went ahead and told my my total so I paid and waited for my food. While I was waiting I couldn't help but feel like the woman at the register was staring at me, "that's strange" I thought, so I just kept looking down at my phone as I waited. Then I heard her call the name of one of her female coworkers to come over. When her coworker arrived to the window they started discreetly pointing into my car and laughing with each other. Of course at this point I discerned that they were laughing about the Pantyhose in my passenger seat, but what did I care, they don't know me. I thought how wonderful these Pantyhose are, not only are they going to give me joy when I get to wear them later, but they're giving the two McDonald's employees some joy at the sight of them in a man's car. Inevitably my food arrived, and as the woman handed it to me we both cracked a bit of an awkward smile. I drove away food in hand, with a fun story and some pantyhose to wear later, all in all I'd call it a successful night!

    -Carly

Who Doesn't Love a Good Vintage Dress?

 Hello There:

    So when choosing a dress style there is certainly no shortage of options, but I wanted to highlight one of my favorites: vintage styled dresses, 1950s, rockabilly, retro, whatever you want to call them, they're wonderful! While vintage dresses aren't necessarily the sexiest dress a women can own, I believe they might just be one of the most fun! What I and many others enjoy most about crossdressing is the euphoria of feeling feminine, we're forced to live the majority of our lives presenting as masculine, so in those brief moments when we get to enjoy the more feminine things in life we should make the most of it. I'd more so describe vintage dresses as girly rather than sexy, but while presenting as a man you can be sexy, you can not however typically be girly (shout out to all the androgynous folks out there who find a way), this makes vintage dresses a great outlet for those wanting to feel like a girl.  In my opinion vintage dresses embody much of what make femininity so wonderful, pretty colors and patterns, dresses cut in a way that accentuate feminine features like breasts and hips, and the ability to accessorize with fun women's garments like petticoats and slips.

       Let's start with colors and patterns. Vintage dresses usually feature a bold color or pattern: pinks, reds, blues, purples, and yellows are all colors easily found in vintage dresses, as well as fun patterns like flowers, plaids, polka dots and so many more! All of which are such a massively steep departure from men's clothing which usually features drab colors like black or grey. Not only do the colors accentuate how feminine these dresses are, the cuts of the dresses very effectively show off feminine features. Vintage dresses typically show off breasts very well, either through exposed cleavage or a tight top designed to show off the curvature created by breasts. Additionally vintage dresses are typically designed to show off a narrow waist either via the cut of the dress, or extra features like a belt or bow. Finally vintage dresses highlight hips and butts really well, typically achieved through a wide bottom portion of the dress (thanks either to a petticoat or the cut of the dress).

    While there's certainly a lot to love about the dresses themselves, the final thing I wanted to discuss in terms of how well vintage dresses embody the joys of femininity, is how easy it is to accessorize when wearing a vintage dress. Vintage dresses present so many options as to what articles of clothing can be worn beneath and with them. First of all, they're one of the only styles of dress where it is completely acceptable to wear a petticoat. Petticoats are such an incredibly fun and girly garment, finding an acceptable excuse to wear one without it being a fashion faux pas is often tricky. That is unless you're wearing it under a vintage dress, where not only is it acceptable to wear one, it's expected! Vintage dresses open the door for wearing more than just petticoats however, based on their length and how they're cut they provide a great opportunity to wear things like full slips (blog post on slips coming soon!), garter belts and stockings, pantyhose and tights, vintage lingerie like girdles and longline bras, gloves, and pearls. So not only are vintage dresses themselves inherently very feminine, they provide a plethora of opportunity to experience a wide variety of other women's wear. 

    Vintage dresses create so many opportunities for the wearer to feel girly and feminine, they've become a staple item in my wardrobe and I highly encourage you to give them a try as well! For those of you wondering where to get vintage dresses for yourself, I highly recommend amazon. By simply searching for "vintage dress" you'll be provided with hundreds of different styles, colors and patterns, all for around $20-$40 which is considerably cheaper than getting a vintage dress through a designer's website. So what are you waiting for, go out and get one for yourself today!

    -Carly

Caught by a R.A.?

 Hello there,

    Thought I'd share a fun little story today about the time I was sort of caught by a R.A. at my college. So during my Sophomore year of college I lived in a dorm on campus that had a private bedroom. Naturally I took advantage of this situation by getting to wear women's clothes whenever I wanted. This period of time was right when I started buying clothes for myself so I was still figuring out sizing. Naturally I had a lot of extra clothes that didn't quite fit right, so the bottom drawer of my dresser tended to be overflowing with bras, panties, and a few dresses. Whenever I dressed I tended to just throw my clothes all over the room to help piece outfits together, and get clothes that don't fit right out of the way. Well one morning I had some time before class and thought I'd throw an outfit on for a little while before I had to leave. I went with a white v-neck t-shirt and jeans (simple I know, but one of my absolute favorite outfits). Well after lounging about for a few hours it was time for class, so I switched back to guy mode, and put all my girls clothes away. Well, almost all my girls clothes, I had left a bluish gray "Add 2 Cup sizes" Push Up Bra from Smart & Sexy draped over my bed. I thought it had looked cute just lying there on my bed and added a feminine touch to an otherwise boring and masculine room, so I chose not to put it away. 

    So I left for class and locked my door behind me, looking forward to seeing my bra lying there when I got back. Well I was in for quite a shock when I got back from class: my bedroom was not only unlocked, but the door was slightly propped open. When I opened the door all the way I found no one in there but the bra I had left behind. So I quickly closed the door and frantically tried to figure out what happened. It wouldn't take me long however as I heard one of my roommates walking through the common area of our dorm, I quickly threw the bra under my sheets and walked out to ask him what had happened. He had said that the building's Resident Assistant had done surprise inspections on all of our bedrooms. I didn't know whether to feel relieved or concerned, while I'm sure my R.A. wouldn't say anything about my feminine garment, who knows if any of my roommates might've walked by while the R.A. was inspecting and happened to see my bra. Thankfully no one ever made a comment about it and my R.A. seems to have kept my secret. I always thought it was such a crazy coincidence that the one time I left girl's clothes out, was the time someone came into my room. Oh well, at least it was a fun story. Oh, and FYI the picture is the exact bra I had owned and left out, cute right?!

    -Carly

Perfect Pantyhose!

 Hello there, 

    Today I thought I’d talk about Pantyhose and Tights! Although they’ve sort of faded out of fashion I'm a big fan of pantyhose and tights. Modern women tend to prefer bare/ shaved legs when wearing an outfit that shows your legs off, which is a departure from days past when pantyhose were an essential part of every woman's daily outfit. While I certainly can’t deny that bare legs are an attractive look, I believe that legs clad in pantyhose can be just as effective at conveying the beauty of a woman's legs. Additionally to those of us who are not genetic women, pantyhose can be an incredibly effective tool at hiding our masculinity.

    

    Let’s start there, hiding masculinity. When it comes to men who want to present as women, one of the major challenges they face is hiding leg hair. Now for some the solution is simple: just shave your legs. For others however, this is not possible as it may out them as secretly gender fluid or transgender, which unfortunately for many is not an option. This is the case for me as I work a job which has a uniform that requires the wearing of shorts, it would be immediately noticeable if I were to shave my legs fully. However, much like women in the past I believe an outfit is never complete without a pair of pantyhose. This helps hide the problem of my unshaved legs as well as any nicks or cuts I might get from working a physical job. Fortunately pantyhose and tights come in multiple colors and opacities which is not only helpful for customizing an outfit but also catering to personal needs of masculine concealment. Thick leg hair, go for a pair of black pantyhose. Large bruise on your knee, wear some opaque tights. The options are endless! Finally, they also help to smooth your crotch, which helps conceal our man bits.

        

    Now that we’ve talked about the logistical benefits of wearing pantyhose, let's talk about the joys of pantyhose. Admittedly when I first started dressing, I was not a very big fan of pantyhose or tights, I didn't really see the benefit of wearing them and I thought they were uncomfortable. However among the crossdresser communities online it was in almost unanimous agreement that pantyhose not only felt great to wear, but were also essential to every crossdresser’s wardrobe. In particular there used to be a crossdressing blog: lisagirl.net, (which was a massive influence on me in my formative years as a young crossdresser), in this blog Lisa was a huge advocate of the wearing of pantyhose. She wore them every chance she got, including when she presented as a man. So surely if pantyhose had become such a large part of Lisa’s life, there must be something I could learn to enjoy about them. So I slowly started buying and trying on pantyhose, and it took a lot of trial and error to my size and what I liked. Inevitably, yes I learned to love pantyhose. I feel there’s so much to love about them:

           1. The feeling of the fabric on your legs/ the feeling of dresses brushing up against them 

2. The way they hide my leg hair, and create a smooth leg

3. The way they hide my toes, no need for perfect pedicured painted toenails

4. The variety of colors/ shininess that covers your legs, which makes me feel feminine

    That list could certainly go on and on. One last thing I enjoy about pantyhose and tights is something that I feel is often overlooked. For many the reason we crossdress is the euphoria of feeling feminine, and we often try to find new ways to enhance that feeling. Pantyhose are a uniquely feminine item of clothing, there is almost no analogous counterpart for men other than some fairly obscure products. Therefore the act of wearing pantyhose is one that is uniquely feminine, and is something almost no man will experience. So if you are looking to further develop your feminine journey give pantyhose a try I think you’ll enjoy them.

    Well I hope I’ve convinced you how wonderful pantyhose and tights can be. For those of you that have tried them and are struggling to enjoy them, try sizing up. By far the worst aspect of pantyhose is how annoying they are to put on. Buying a size slightly larger than you think you need will help you get them on and off a bit easier and help prevent things like runs and tears. Also buying a slightly larger size than you think you need should not have any negative effects when wearing them, just make sure when you’re putting them on that you do your best to create a smooth leg and not leave bunches of fabric. Happy pantyhose wearing!

    -Carly

How I Started Dressing

 So like any Crossdresser I have a vivid memory of my first dressing experiences, and since I just started this blog I figured it'd be a good place to start. I remember first became interested at the idea of wearing women's clothing by watching television. Several TV shows featured young male characters dressing as women (usually portrayed in a comedic manner), this was my first exposure to the idea that men and boys are not necessarily being forced into wearing male clothing. Watching men on TV wear dresses and makeup got me wondering what it felt like to wear women's clothing. Additionally I'd never been a particularly big fan of men's wear, (or technically boys wear, since I was probably like 8). I always found male clothing very uncomfortable and unflattering, and inevitably when I was old enough to start picking my own clothes I mostly wore simple t-shirts and gym shorts as they were the most comfortable clothes I could find. 

So at this point I had developed a fascination with men wearing women's clothes and a distaste for clothing designed for males, however I'd only ever seen a man wearing women's clothes on TV, never actually in person, that is until 4th grade. I was sitting outside my classroom in the morning waiting for my teacher to arrive when I hear laughter down the hall. Upon looking up I saw a 5th grade boy wearing a short flowy black halter dress, It was the most mind blowing and exciting thing I'd ever seen: a boy wearing a dress in real life! While all the other students were laughing with him, (in what was obviously intended to be a funny prank), I was in awe of him. I had so many questions, how did it feel to wear, what were you wearing underneath, why did you choose that dress over others? Unfortunately after only a few moments a teacher arrived and escorted him off to the front offices undoubtedly for making such a ruckus, and wearing a dress to school. Although my exposure to a boy in a dress was brief it opened my eyes to the possibility that anyone could do it, any boy could dress like a girl.

Now for the inciting incident: at this point I was completely enthralled by the idea of wearing women's clothing and was looking for any excuse to do it. I found that excuse in the cartoon show Codename: Kids Next Door. In the series teenagers act as one of the villains of the show and they wear bras that have armor come out of them. Mind you the boy teenagers wore these armor bras as well! I had my excuse, I needed to know what wearing a bra felt like. So one day when I had the house to myself I went to my mother's closet (I was an only child, no sisters to borrow from unfortunately) and found her drawer full of bras. I pulled out the pinkest one she had and tried in on. It felt absolutely amazing, the soft fabric hugging my chest giving me feminine curves. Now I was still pretty nervous about what I was doing so after a few minutes of enjoying the bra I quickly took it off and left my mother's closet.

Well now that I experienced a taste how amazing women's clothes could feel I needed to try more. So on another day when I had the house to myself I went back into my mother's closet. Of course I immediately slipped on a bra, and then I slipped into my first pair of panties, pink microfiber Hanes bikini panties. Again the feeling of euphoria flooded over me, wearing women's panties felt soooo goooood! But I wasn't going to stop there, I wanted more! I kept combing through her drawers and found her collection of slips, so I tried them on, and loved the way the soft nylon fabric covered my body. After trying on her collection of slips I had come to my big moment, trying on a dress. My Mom had them all lined up in a row in her closet, just waiting for me! I chose a blue one with white spots and tried in on, the way the fabric brushed over my legs, and curved over my bra creating the illusion of breasts. I was absolutely hooked, there was no going back, I belonged in women's clothes.

So after that I took every opportunity to wear my mom's clothes that I could. This went on for years, slowly trying on new and different clothes in her closet. Additionally I discovered the crossdresser communities on Youtube and Flickr which inspired my to keep dressing. Inevitably the time came when I would move out for college, and this finally gave me the opportunity to fully dress in my own clothes, and in a wig and makeup. Of course it took some time to perfect things like makeup and clothing sizing, but I'll probably have separate blog posts about that. That pretty much catches you up to today, if you read that whole blog post hope you enjoyed it! Look forward to more feminine fun posts soon!

    -Carly

A little bit about me

Hello there, 

My name is Carly Belle; I'm a 25 year old crossdresser from Florida who loves talking about femininity so much I just had to create a blog about it! I consider myself genderfluid and have no interest in fully transitioning into a women, instead I crossdress to indulge my feminine desires and interests. I've been crossdressing for almost 15 years so I certainly have a lot of experiences and opinions to talk about, stay tuned for more!!

        -Carly