The purpose of this blog isn?t to try and tell people what they should and shouldn?t wear as a trans woman, but rather to offer some advice on what to wear if you want to pass, and how to find your own personal style that really makes the most of your assets.
As with makeup or in fact any aspects of feminising, if you want to pass ie. not attract unwelcome or unwarranted attention, then you need to find a balance between what you want to wear and what suits you. Those two ideas are not mutually exclusive and when they do coincide it is usually a sign that you have found your personal style. Another consideration would be again as with makeup, if the outfit is appropriate for the circumstances in which you intend to wear it, a corset and pvc thigh boots might not go down too well for afternoon tea at the Hilton, but if it?s a Rocky Horror themed matinee then you should blend right in.
Some things to think about when choosing clothes, we are all different shapes and sizes, try to be honest with yourself and realistic about your assets and the things you might want to draw attention away from. If you are going to wear shorter skirts, be honest do you have the legs for it? A knee length skirt can still be very flattering especially if teamed with some stylish boots. This seems to be a common mistake made by trans women, they fail to consider that clothing can be used to enhance or conceal just like makeup, finding that balance is the key and it really does need you to have an objective view of your body. (Asking someone you trust to be honest with you can help)
Another aspect to consider with outfits is, are they appropriate for your age? Now when I say age I do not mean your literal age, but rather how old do you realistically look, what is the average age that people say when you ask them to guess? Honesty is again very useful here, you might not like what you hear, but it?s going to be of benefit in the long term if you want to build a wardrobe that really works for you. Some tips for choosing clothes that will suit, look for retailers who use models that look around your age, if they have similar build as you too then even better!
Finally, don?t forget colour, this is quite important and something you can get horribly wrong, some colours just don?t look good with certain skin tones, so it goes without saying that you?re going to need to discover what your skin tone is first! The three main categories are warm, cool and neutral, there are many online guides to help you select a palette that suits your tone, or you could just wear black but let?s not forget a splash of colour can add so much to an outfit. Don?t forget to keep an eye on seasonal palettes too!
There is so much to explore when finding your style, so don?t be afraid to experiment and try new things. Hopefully these tips will be useful in navigating the somewhat bewildering array of clothing options available to the modern (trans) woman.
Written by Sarah Kemsing