Crossdressers-Haven.com

I had a great discussion last night with Paula, Kim and Denise whilst in the chatroom, about Fashion. We were chatting about the "rules" that we adopt in regard to what we wear and how we wear it - an example of mine being, "always match your shoes with your handbag".

It occurred to me that fashion is a paradoxical beast in that on the one hand it implies adherence (this season clashing colours and orange are the "in" thing) whilst at the same same time implying a fresh approach and change. For example, Coco Chanel's Little Black dress (LBD) broke every rule in the book in that the accepted wisdom at the time was "only wear black at funerals". The LBD has proved to be a staple garment for women around the world because it is so flattering.

Our adherence to these rules intrigues me - given that we are breaking the rules each time we dress!

So here's the question ... what are your fashion rules and where did you get them from?

Hugs Ginny xxx

I used to do the matching thing. Lingerie had to match (I kinda still like that rule), shoes and purses and avoid the pattern clashes. Now I have just a couple rules. First, tee shirts and ties make statements (and so do coffee cups). The other rule... don't scare the public.

Today I went out with a somewhat matched outfit of a navy tee and a fine plaid scooter skirt that had the navy in the finer lines of the plaid. I had platform sandals almost the color of my feet and a totally non matching lavender purse. jewelry was somewhat mismatched but looked fine. I'm really glad the purse and shoe matching rule went to the wayside so now I can carry and wear whatever makes me happy.

Hi,


Rule no 1 , if it looks good suites you is comfortable then wear it, & who should be telling any one what they should or can ...or not... wear are you being paid to wear what ever it may be, if not then its of no concern to any one else.

My fashion is a bit different from others because of what i wear Edwardian 1900 to 1914, & Renaissance 1400 to 1700. so that being the case what we wear is seen in a different light,


Going back in to my history Prussian = german we women were govened by our King & Queen that we were not to upstage our Queen so our garb reflected a lower class , till we had enough of this so rent our skirts or dress's in deviance then we would sew in panels of coloured cloth that folded back in so would not be seen by the King or Queen as they went by. because we were standing still , when walking the colours flashed .

I mix my colours dont mind how many yet they all blend in & look nice,
as a wench - kitchen staff or Chateline - Lady of the Castle,

...noeleena...

My first rule it to never over dress if going out as you draw to much attentation.

I like to dress like a women who works in and office and prefer to go out around 5 or 6 when womem are out and about or my favorite is when Church is letting out and most women are dolled up .

Something my mother drilled into my head as a teen was always dress casual but very nice, simple and clean.

Last week my wife went grocery shopping with Carol Ann but she made me dress down like an everyday housewife , flats, capri's and a pull over top.

I probably break the "overdressing" rule the most. I'd rather be a bit overdressed than look like a slob, and women can pull off the casual look without looking bad easier than I can.

I agree with Davita, lingerie must match or at least coordinate. Also, if wearing a sleeveless top then the color of my bra must go with the color of the top, in case some strap shows. Nothing worse than a glaring red bra strap showing with a powder blue top. And the colors of the whole outfit need to at least agree, not necessarily match. Like you can't wear black and orange together unless it's Halloween

I also like my earrings to match my top. Nylons must transition nicely between skirt or dress color and shoe color, grey is useful for that. I don't usually worry about my purse matching my shoes unless it's a special event.
But most of all, the general flavor of each piece needs to suit the occasion. Like you can wear a t-shirt with a jean skirt and tennis shoes, but not a black A-line skirt and boots. That would just be weird.

I find that although I don't try to overdress - most of the time I'm going out at night where LBD is going rate! So my wardrobe tends to reflect an evening wear slant. This evening I put my makeup on and remembered another rule that I seem to have held onto..... "Either make your eyes pop, or your lips - never both!"

It's funny having taken some of these rules on because they are not really rooted in my history! They are just random guidance that I have picked up from CD friends or from you tube advice. Carol Ann can remember her Mothers advice and so it is rooted in her upbringing. I find this process really quite intriguing.

Recently I have come out to a work colleague. This all went well and I learned that she has trained as a model, owned a salon on Oxford Street in London, worked as an image consultant (for bands) as well as spent some time as a window dresser! The stuff she is teaching me is amazing! As I am learning I am at the same time aware of constructing rules for myself and I wonder if this is in same what women go through during their childhood.

The other thing that I have noted is that I am learning skills from her, and the rules relate to these skills. When it comes to her telling me about femininity I notice myself shutting down - I am feminine - I don't need to learn how to be feminine. I need to learn how to express it!

Hugs Ginny xxx

I have to agree that overdressing is perhaps one rule way too many gurls break. I think too many of them associate heels and hose with femininity. In 30 years of being out I have learned that I can be as feminine in jeans and a t-shirt as I can be in a dress and heels! Remember femininity is a state of mind!

Ginny Jones wrote:"always match your shoes with your handbag"

This is an interesting one. When daydreaming about outfits, I tend to do this subconsciously, but it isn't always necessary to match my bag with my shoes. The rule works more often than not, but it ultimately depends on the coordination of the outfit and the colour scheme that it employs: sometimes it works best for the bag to match the secondary colour of the outfit, and sometimes even a neutral colour works best.

It's much harder to find examples where the rule does work than where it doesn't! There are many instances where it works, like this one:
http://wwzdw.com/wp-content/uploads/201 ... 74x580.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A couple of examples where breaking the rule has worked well:
http://wwzdw.com/wp-content/uploads/201 ... 92x580.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://wwzdw.com/wp-content/uploads/201 ... 95x580.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

...one where it should have been followed:
http://wornontv.net/wp-content/uploads/ ... 53x580.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

...and some where the rule doesn't work:
http://wwzdw.com/wp-content/uploads/201 ... 96x580.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://wwtaylorw.com/wp-content/uploads ... 91x580.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; <-- wrong coloured shoes, I reckon.
http://wwtaylorw.com/wp-content/uploads ... 95x580.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://wornontv.net/wp-content/uploads/ ... 35x580.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; <-- right bag, wrong shoes


My rules, to recap some previous posts, would be:

• never overdress -- simple and sweet, cute and cuddly!
• underwear inconspicuously coordinates with outerwear, even it no one sees it
• (loose rule:) only one item can be patterned, and the rest are solid colour so that the whole outfit is 'grounded' (eg. black and white striped top, black pencil skirt, black heels [maybe with a little white trimming, if not too loud], black bag.)
• I tend to go for a well-coordinated two- or three-colour ensemble; if there's a fourth colour, it is utilised by my accessories.
• if all else fails, black is my fallback primary colour.
• nylons, if worn, should coordinate between my skirt and shoes (good one, Ralitsa!)

Ralitsa wrote:Like you can wear a t-shirt with a jean skirt and tennis shoes, but not a black A-line skirt and boots. That would just be weird.

Really?! I agree with dressing to suit the occasion, but a knee-length black A-line skirt with knee-high (flat or heeled) boots is a sexy look! It can be a great compromise between empowerment and girliness. I have seen the combination being worn plenty of times, though unfortunately never by me.
Exhibit A: http://images2.chictopia.com/photos/bew ... tights.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Exhibit B: http://images2.chictopia.com/photos/aar ... s-_400.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Exhibit C: http://cdn2.chicisimo.com/thumbs/files/ ... single.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(It doesn't apply, but I found this during my search and thought it was cute.)

I would also totally wear orange and black, so long as it's not too blaring.
http://quierounblogdemoda.blogspot.com. ... black.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.irenelim.com/fashion/images5 ... -front.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; <-- love it!

Excellent advice, all!

My first thought was "dress appropriate to your age," but that seems so basic to anyone really concerned with fashion. I have little fashion sense for myself, and depend mightily on the kindness of my wife, who is a graphic designer and also has great fashion sense. Me, I like strong, sexually aware fashion, but don't have the guts to wear it myself (Unless it's just for myself.)

Ah, I should have been more clear. The black A-line skirt and boots does go very well together and I wear that a lot. It's the t-shirt that would be the problem. The skirt and boots give a semi-formal look but the t-shirt screams casual. So like everything should be at the same level of formality. Like suntan pantyhose are right for daytime with a casual skirt or sundress, even shorts if you have pasty legs like mine. But for evening with a dress it should be a dark shade like charcoal or black, depending on your dress.
I see that guys now think it's fine to wear jeans, T-shirt and then a sports coat and to pretend that works.
The other thing I can't stand on guys is black shoes and a brown belt, or vice versa. All leather needs to match, it just does. And the hardware needs to match, you can't have silver studs on your boots and a gold buckle on your belt.
But I'm really big on coordinating colors, like I want my nail polish to match my earrings and stuff like that. And if I'm wearing a hat I want it to match my shoes. Those aren't exactly rules so much as what I like to do.