Inlets and Outlets, Part I ~ Outlets

After breakfast, we stopped at an outlet mall on the main drag (so to speak).  We did a lot of window shopping and a little real shopping.  We started at one end of the mall and went into most of the clothing stores.

Our first serious stop was at the Hanes store.  Hanes owns Bali, Playtex, Maidenform, Lilyette, Barely There and more.  My favourite bras are from Bali.  My favourite panties are Vanity Fair (not a Hanes product).  There were some great sales.  I was disappointed that the camisoles I loved were not on sale ($17 each!) but a Bali style I'd never seen before was on sale, as were Bali panties.  They had several different styles: hipster, bikini, hi-rise, and others, and a wide variety of colours and patterns.  Panties and bras were discounted more if you bought three of each.  I only needed one bra, but Charity bought two that were on sale as well.  I also bought six panties in three different styles.

To state the obvious, it's much more comfortable shopping for bras and panties en femme.

my new bra.  Alas, not me.

The bra, by the way, has full coverage, only two hooks, and instead of wire a wide band below the breasts.  It is amazingly comfortable.

I also picked up a new Maidenform waist cinch (also on deep discount) to replace my go-to cinch which was starting to fray.

Needless to say, I didn't try any of these on at the store.

Another stop was an Eddie Bauer store where I did try on some clothes.  I didn't find any dressy clothes I liked there but I did decide I could use a pair of Bermuda-length shorts.  I didn't see shorter shorts I liked but I had two pairs of shorts: one, jeans shorts, the rivet that held the button in front fell off; the other, khaki, were tight.  I picked up two replacement shorts (which, as I said, I did try on but did not wear during the trip.)  I consider these passable when I am in non-Meg mode.

I also picked up a passable pair of black slacks which I have worn to work.  They're size S12 (I believe the S refers to "short" which I'm not but they allow for hemming; these are not the first women's pants I bought for work that were S and fit right.  They're also from their "slightly curvy" line.  They make a variety of shapes, for different hip-waist ratios.  They have a "boyfriend" line which I believe makes more sense with my hip-waist ratio but I didn't see any of those.

The 12 was a bit loose but I thought it was tolerable, even though the shorts were 10s.  Wearing the slacks to work I realised I should have gotten a 10 as well.  But I think they look fine, with only one problem: the back pockets are minuscule, fairly useless.

Again, if you're going to be trying on women's clothes, it's better to be a woman while doing so.

Oh....  Breakfast for me means drinking copious amounts of coffee.  That meant a stop at the ladies' room of which there was only one and it had about twelve miles of stalls.  It wasn't very busy but there were enough ladies there that I didn't dawdle to adjust my makeup before leaving.

---

Bras for the One Percent

I wanted to get a bra in the size suggested by the wonderful ladies in Alice Rae's in Tucson, as I wrote about here.  She said I might want to try a 36D instead of 38C.  I wanted to get a 36C and a 36D, to kind of hedge my bets.  The problem, as many of us know, is that bras are expensive.

Macy's had bras and panties on clearance.  I had a little time after work to shop.  The ad in the paper said bras were $6.99 ($9.99 after the sale) and panties were $2.99 ($3.99 after the sale).  Another newspaper ad implied that the sale would go on through the weekend, but the ad I was looking at said "last day" and it was today's newspaper and I wouldn't be able to shop until the next day.

Even $9.99 was a good price.

I looked around and found the clearance rack.  On the way there were a lot of "buy two, get two free" but I didn't need four bras, especially at $30+ each.  I saw some "buy one, get one free" but they weren't in a style I thought I could support (HA!).

So I looked at the clearance rack.

Did you know they make "E" bras?  There was one on the rack: 32E.  Yes, 32.

There were 36A, 32DDD, 44B, and "Medium" and "Small," whatever they were.

No two bras were alike.  I thought I was shopping for snowflakes.  And no bra was one the average woman would wear.  I admit, I did want to meet the woman who said "YES!  A 32DDD!  Just my size!" :)

Padded bras, bras with inserts, demi bras, full coverage bras, soft bras, sports bras, underwire bras, all in sizes I didn't know existed.  I think if you took 100 random women and said "here's the clearance rack.  Find your bra" one would come away with a prize.

The other 99% of us are, as usual, out of luck.

I ignored the panty rack, but I did see that Vanity Fair, in my favourite style, were on sale: buy three for $24, get three free.  $4 a pair is a great buy.

I was very tempted.  If I found a bra (or two) I would have stocked up.  But, alas, I am not one of the one percent.

---

100% Truthful

This is an actual restroom conversation at work.

We had just come back from a meeting at the customer.  B, a customer-related contractor was being a major pain; this is normal but only peripheral to the topic.

Unexpectedly, J said "do you know what I hate?"  I said "B."  He said "besides that.  I hate it when I get dressed in the dark and put on my boxers backwards and don't realise it until I go to the bathroom at work."

I thought of a hundred things to say.  "I have to be careful with my panties because the back is always roomier than the front and it would be really uncomfortable."  Or "I just go over the top anyway."  Or "boxers?  I've never worn boxers.  Briefs, hipsters, bikini..."

But instead I said "I can honestly say that's never happened to me."

---

Underdressing: Bad for the Environment!

I've been pushing the limit on underdressing for the past few weeks.  I think the poll results have inspired me.

As I've mentioned before, I always wear panties.  I've been wearing a camisole every day now, in a variety of styles.  Instead of the plain tank type I've been wearing more feminine styles, or "slimming" ones.

I've also tossed my women's socks, which is one of my visible-yet-underdressing items.  But instead, I've been wearing tights.  I had to purchase a couple of more pairs so I can have a week's worth.

Tights cause a little problem.

When I'm wearing tights and the camisole it's kind of imperative that I use a stall.  I really need to organise everything after I'm done with the bathroom.  I have to pull up my cami, so I can adjust the tights, which usually have a control top feature so they have to be just right or they're quite uncomfortable.  And I hate when the waistband rolls up!

And here's the problem: I get in the stall, get rid of my last cup of coffee, and the automatic toilet we have at work flushes.  And no matter how I stand, it decides it needs to acknowledge my feminine underwear by flushing again.  And then it flushes again when I'm ready to leave the stall!  I feel like I'm going to lose my conservation creds if I keep wasting water like that, but I don't want to give up my cd activities.

I can only think of one solution.

I need to figure out how to disable the auto feature.

---

That Flurry of Polls ~ Panties

When in drab, I wear panties... (93 votes)
never	10 (10%)
when the mood strikes	21 (22%)
as often as I can	28 (30%)
always	34 (36%)

Almost 100 of you voted on the first poll. Ten of you are purists ~ no panties when presenting as male. I know I have a couple of non-dressers on the site, and I don't know if they voted but if I say 10% separate male and female completely, it's probably pretty close to reality.

And I feel safe in saying that if one doesn't wear panties when presenting as a male, one is wearing all male clothing. I don't think there is a significant number of dressers who wear other female clothing while in drab, and not panties. I didn't ask, and I could be wrong.

About a third always wear panties (as do I), and another near-third wear "as often as I can", which I take to mean "not when I have a doctor's appointment, or I'm going to the gym, or I'm getting a massage, or not while I'm deployed in Afghanistan." So I'll read that as almost 2/3 of us would wear panties all the time, if it was possible.

There is a good reason for the "as often" and "always" split: if I'm going to the gym or doctor or for a massage I'm wearing panties. I do have some fairly plain white cotton briefs, but no men's underwear. If you want a story, "they're imported. In most countries, underwear doesn't have a fly." Lace, of, course, is trickier to explain. :)  You can always go with the typical tv-porn "I ran out and this was the only thing my wife had that would fit me."  Keep in mind that your audience is almost certainly to consist of people who've never read Fictionmania.

My story?  If someone asks "are those women's panties?" I will answer "no, they're mine," which is absolutely true.  If pressed, I'll say they come from the women's department, and I prefer them to men's underwear.

Mostly, people don't see my underwear.

---

Don't Dream It, Be It

I've been talking a lot about underdressing.  The polls have also been about stretching the envelope a bit, and for the past few weeks I've been trying to do just that.

Because I'll wear men's clothes until they're threadbare, I normally wear a plain white cotton tank-style camisole under my shirt.  Since the tank is plainly visible, it took a step "outside the box" to wear that instead of a more traditional male t-shirt.  But now they're the most "masculine" item I wear underneath a shirt.

When I wear heavier shirts, like polos or denim, I wear a regular camisole underneath.  I try to match the colour to the shirt colour, but that's just for me.  No-one should see the cami.  There's always a chance: I generally don't tuck casual shirts into my pants but the cami is tucked in.  If the shirt shifts, the cami doesn't.  I've decided that's less of a problem than, say, wearing a too-short skirt and giving a show.

But for the past three weeks now, I've been wearing whatever cami I feel like under whatever shirt I'm going to wear.  I haven't worn a plain white cotton tank during that time.  I've worn a plain white silky tank, or a white or beige "control" camisole under a shirt that's a bit thin, but that's as close as I've gotten.  Other than that, I've been trying to wear a different cami each day (and I have way too many of them).  Most have thin straps or thin straps with adjusters.  Many have patterns or lace or other details.  Some have "built-in bra support" which is a bit uncomfortable without a bra.  Some feel great, some tug a bit, But I enjoy the feeling and I'll keep on doing this.

Normally, I wear women's socks.  If anyone cared to look, they'd see flowers or patterns or some pinks or purples or bright blues ~ some unexpected colour.  I have solid pink socks I wear with pink shirts, and solid green socks to wear with a green shirt.  I try to have some sock colour match some other colour I'm wearing.

But not for the past almost-two-weeks now.  In the past I've worn black pantyhose or stockings under (plain) black socks.  I haven't done that for a couple of years.  I think I stopped because it's just too much work to go to the bathroom, or maybe I was concerned that people would notice the sock end and the hose continue on, or maybe I stopped when I switched to women's socks.  I'm not really sure.

What I decided to do was skip the socks and just wear dark tights.  So far, it's been black or brown or grey, matching what shirt or pants I'm wearing, but I wore white instead of white socks one day and I have a pink pair that I may wear next time I put on a pink shirt.

It feels weird to be wearing plain coloured "socks" after wearing flowers and such but it's nice to be wearing hose, and it feels nice on my legs.  And I have a couple of pair of textured tights and I'm looking for more.  Today I have vertical stripe tights ~ grey and black.

I've also been wearing lip gloss.  It's a clear gloss and not very glossy, but it's definitely there and when I use it up I will get another that's a bit glossier.

It's far from what I want, but it's a step away from dream it towards be it.

---

You Wear WHAT?

I would like to dig a little bit deeper into my underwear poll.  I wanted you ladies to be able to select only one answer in some groups, so there is a little group of polls instead of one.

Most of you wore panties.  I wanted to know a bit more.  Just a little detail.  "Always" means "always, every day, all the time.  I wouldn't know what to do with undies with a fly."

A bit over half wear some sort of hose.  I wear women's socks over my hose, unless they're at least close to passable.  Does it make sense to wear flowery socks over hose?  Probably not.  And I have to be careful that the socks don't fall down, or my pants go up too much.  Yes, it's better to skip the socks.  Maybe this winter.

Continuing on the hose theme, I was wondering what you wear.  I love the idea of thigh-highs, but they fall down.  I think if they're under pants, every step you take grabs and tugs them down a tiny bit more until your hose are around your ankles and you look like an idiot.

Almost a third wear a bra and I'm intrigued.  Tell me more.

I wear a waist cinch as a support garment but I tried a shaping camisole and loved it.  And someday, I hope to spring for a corset.  It's a lot of money and I'm trying to decide if I want one with a bra or not.  With a bra is probably best for full figure control, but it means I'll wear the same bra every day.  And if I don't like the bra, well, it's all a waste of money then.

In the last poll you can choose one or more.  I'd check everything but pierced earrings.

As always, you can expound on your choices in comments or e-mail.  Mark comments PRIVATE and I won't post them.

---

Underdressing?

(three days to go)

OK, new poll.  I thought I hid it yesterday but seven of you found it anyway!

I underdress.  I don't mean that I wear shorts to jeans occasions, or I wear jeans to dinner parties (although I sort of do that too, when I'm in drab).  I mean I crossdress, underneath.

As my male socks tear, they are replaced by women's socks.  I no longer own any male underwear.  I sometimes, especially in colder weather, wear pantyhose or tights under my slacks.  Although I usually wear socks over pantyhose, I usually wear black tights without socks.

I own no male undershirts.  I do own a number of camisoles and under a heavier shirt I'll wear a lacy one with thin straps.  Under a lighter shirt, I wear a more "tank top" type of camisole.

I have worn a waist cinch under my shirt/pants.  I don't do that often though.  On rare occasions, I've worn a bra under my clothes.

I know that some of us never underdress. I know that some of us overdress ~ we wear "passable" female clothes.  I have a few shirts that button on "the wrong side," most of my jeans are women's jeans, and my shoes are from Aerosoles; my casual shoes are women's New Balance.  Some of us wear a bit of makeup all or some of the time.

But that's another poll for another day.  Please take my "underdressing" poll.  I'm curious.  And feel free to e-mail me or drop a comment if you checked "something else."

---

The Office, Part II

First a follow-up:  Those were all great suggestions in yesterday's comments, but I'm not sure they work with zombie mice.  I'll just continue to sleep in my motorcycle helmet.

J (male) and K (female) share an office.  K is the office fashionista.  She especially loves her shoes and sometimes I'll drop by just to tell her how terrific her shoes are.  But her outfits are also spectacular, and I enjoy seeing her around the office.

J is the office know-it-all, so if there are any questions about the project, or government contracting requirements, I go to him.

I went to ask J a documentation question, but asked K if she had a shoe room (she was wearing patterned wedges and I don't think I've ever seen her wear ANY wedges before.  She's definitely a stiletto fan).  J, out of nowhere, said he's been getting coupons for free panties from Victoria's Secret.  They were all addressed to him.  I said "maybe you should take them up on it.  They're very comfortable."  He said "it's too bad they don't have men's underwear" and I said "you can wear anything you want."  He said "boxers would be good" and I said "they have 'boyleg' ~ they're practically boxers, right K?"

J looked at me and said "you know way too much about this."  I said "it's a hobby" and he laughed and the topic changed.

I was ready to go further.  I was considering something about how I prefer Vanity Fair because they're a bit roomier but we never got there.

No stories. 

No No No No No!

(I still have to finish my Richmond trip, and I'm heading into my next opportunity, Colorado next week, but I'm still feeling lousy and I wrote this a couple of days ago...)

After I returned from Richmond, I had a free hour so I decided to organise my drawers.  I have mostly finished rating my panties and I have a drawer dedicated to them.  I don't need quite so many, so I started locating my "A's" and put about a dozen of them in that drawer.  The rest went into a bag.  I also have a sock drawer that has more socks than I need; you saw the pictures.  I grabbed a couple of pair of plain black socks and about a dozen more with flowers and other patterns on them.  The rest went into the bag as well.

Then there's the drawer of "whites."  White (or mostly white) socks, camisoles that pass for undershirts, and panties that look like regular male undies.  This was another full drawer.  I pulled out five pair of patterned white socks and two or three pair of plain white socks.  I kept a half-dozen plain white cotton panties.  I also pulled out a few of the camisoles.  Everything else went into the bag.

The bag went into the closet as backup for when something gets worn or torn.

While sorting through the whites I found something that I thought was already banished from the house: male underwear.

No no no no no!

They went into another bag with a couple of pairs of panties that had earned the "F" rating and that bag went into the trash.

I feel better now ~ a little more pure.

---

Quickie

Things have been a big hectic these past twenty-four hours ~ a series of minor crises, so a short post.

A man goes to a psychiatrist.  He says, "my wife sent me, because I really like sausages."  The doctor says "that's not unusual.  I like sausages too."  The man breaks into a broad smile and says "you must come to my house.  I have thousands."

In addition to the comments, I received a few e-mail responses to my post on panties the other day.

There were two types of responses:
Women wrote "I can't believe you have that many!  I have Just Enough to get me to the next washday.
Gurls wrote "Yup.  I'm a collector too."

As usual, I'm torn.  I'd like to be more like the women I admire, but it's nice to know I'm an average transvestite.

---

No More Panties!

Really.

No More.

I think I have enough, thank you.

I know ~ I'm not through talkin' camisoles and I'm movin' down to panties.

When I was a guy (and you know what I mean) I had enough underwear to keep me from doing laundry more than once a week.  Now all of those male briefs are gone and they've been replaced by the same number of panties.  Times ten, or so.

Panties are tricky.  There are so many styles and they change so often that you can't just pick one you like and stick with it.  Plus, what's the fun in that?  Thongs, tap pants, bikini, string bikini, hipsters, hi-cut, briefs, lo-rise and a dozen variations on each.  Plain, colours, patterns, lace, lacy panels....  Silk, satin, nylon, stretch, cotton....  Like camis, the choices are endless.

And the sizing is wrong for guys ~ they're measured in hip sizes with the expectation that the waist is much smaller.  I have 5s that fit.  And I have 8s that fit.  Most are 6 or 7.

Some just have a little snip of fabric between the legs ~ not good for male, um, accessories.

So it's expected that occasionally I'd pick up one that doesn't fit right.  And my underwear drawer is a bit crowded and it's just panties and socks.

Now I'm taking inventory.  I'm tired of grabbing a pair of undies and realising that I will NOT be having a pleasant day if I'm wearing these.  Oh sure, it'll be a constant reminder that I'm being a tad unconventional, but I'd rather have a silky feel to remind me.

I emptied out a space in a different drawer.  Newly washed panties now go there.  Every night, after my shower, I put on a pair from the regular drawer and I make a note about them: brand, size, colour, style if they have one.  And I rate the ones I just removed: A (wonderful), B (I like them), C (OK, if that's all there is), or F (please toss).

In the morning I decide if this pair is unwearable and I might change them, rate them F, and jot notes about the new ones.  I decided to always at least "sleep on it" before deciding.

So far, there are very few Fs, but that's because I'm picking the ones I know I like, or I'm pretty sure fit well.

I'm ignoring white panties.  I have several pair of plain white cotton.  I know they're all good.

So far, I have a list of over 30 panties.  I did a quick count last night.  I have over 50 pair to go.  There will be more Fs, but I expect to finish with a core of 40 or 50 pair.

I know Valentine's Day is coming, and y'all wanted to get me something, but please, No More Panties.  But I still want this.  Medium or fair tone (I'm not sure which is best), size 2. :)

---

Foe Pa

A faux pas from my trip to New York. I packed everything I needed for a conference call, for down time, for the wedding.

I forgot pajamas.

I only own panties. Some are white, in a brief style that look like regular tightie-whities except the fabric is a bit thinner and, of course, they lack a fly.

I often wear those with jeans, or if I have a medical appointment.

The rest are not. They are nylon or cotton or some percentage of spandex in a variety of colours and patterns. Generally, I wear these. If I'm forced into presentation drab (suit/tie) I always wear these. It's just a nice I'd-rather-be reminder.

In the room in New York were my wife, my oldest son, and me. Remembering that he would be in the room and thinking I may be in just underwear at some point, I only brought white cotton with a plain waistband.

No pajamas means this would have been hard to explain. Of course, when I'm traveling on my own, nightgowns are standard. I bring one long and one short. And my pajamas are all women's, in "unisex" styles. Have you noticed that "unisex" almost always means "men's clothes women don't mind wearing?" The only time men have ever reached over to the women's side, that I can think of, is long hair. And that has always had serious limits.

I'm back in Virginia now, working on my last rally report. I've been showing pictures to different people over the last two weeks, and I think I've shown them to everyone I planned to. My final report(s) will be a summary of reactions.

I had no objection to mentioning the rally and my costume to the (wife's) relatives in NY, but it just never came up. It never feels right to force it.

---

Deb Shop Eludes Me Again!

I did go to the outlet shops about twelve miles from here, although my GPS (aka "the woman who is trying to kill me") sent me off in the wrong direction and it was more like fifteen miles.
Oddly enough, the shops are not in a closed mall. There is a kind of roof over much of it, but it's definitely outdoors. When it's 103 degrees, you notice little details like that.

There are basically eight buildings, each is very long and not too wide. There are three rows of two, and one on each side perpendicular to the others. Since there are no shops on the "outside" of the buildings, that's basically two long rows of shops with more shops on each end. It's hard to describe and I'm not doing a great job.

It's like this:

The boxes are buildings. The red lines are where the storefronts are.

I went into a LOT of stores. Remember I was in drab today.

I stuck to stores that might have something I wanted to buy and skipped stores like Hot Topic which have nice clothes but not really for me. I usually listen to the music in the store for a moment and decide to stay or go based on what I hear.

The mall was not crowded. Many stores just had a couple of shoppers, or one shopper, or maybe just me in there. I was always the only male shopper.

One of my first stops was Liz Claiborne. I found some nice tops and passable black pants. If I remember, I'll do an entry on what makes women's clothes suitable for drab wear. The pants had everything right ~ length, not too hippy, decent pockets, belt loops... it was all good.

So I asked if I could try them on. The woman at the desk said "sure".

Keep in mind, I'm in drab. Liz only sells women's clothing.

This goes back to the comfort zone thing. I don't know why I felt OK doing that today. In the past, I've taken women's clothing into the men's dressing room. Here I was, telling this stranger that I'm looking for women's pants to wear.

She was fine with that. They fit quite well. I asked her to put them aside for me, and I'd come back when I was ready to leave the shopping area. Frankly, they were a bit pricey so I wasn't sure I'd get them.

I went directly across from Liz and there was Ann Taylor. I looked around, I spoke to the sales assistants. I did that in every store, I think. I said I was just looking, in general.

Further down, there was a Soma Intimates next door to a Maidenform store. I went into both. In one, when she asked if she could help I said "I don't know. I can never find anything that fits right in this store." In the other, I said "yes, I see something I like but I'd need a bra fitting first." In both cases, I got a laugh.

I stopped at a Gold Toe store (socks) and admitted that I was looking for socks. I think that the ones I have for the flight home (white with blue flowers) have a hole, so I wanted an extra pair. I got two. I was looking for white and these are a light beige. Each has a flower/plant theme. If I have to take off my shoes at the airport, I want to have nice socks underneath (my to-El-Paso socks had large gold snowflakes on them).

I also saw a Hanes/Bali/Playtex store, so I stopped in to look at panties. They weren't a great bargain, but I picked up two ($7 each, normally $24 for 3). I should have waited. Although the directory listed it as "VF Outlet", it was a Vanity Fair outlet. I really like Vanity Fair panties. They fit well and are very comfortable. I looked. They had panties for $3.50 or so. I was tempted to return the others but walking was becoming more painful so I soldiered on.

I looked around in a Rack Room Shoes store. They had some really nice shoes ~ heels are getting higher ~ but not in my size. The one or two I saw in 11, I didn't like much.

I also went into a store called "Brown Shoe Closet" which sold handbags and, not surprisingly, shoes. The sales assistant, in response to my "I'm just going to look around" said "there are additional sizes available in the back". Clearly, I'm not the first guy who came in looking for shoes. And they came up with a way to say "I know you want shoes for yourself" without saying "I know you wear women's shoes."

I don't know who runs this store, but they should clone her. I did see a couple of pair I loved, but my luggage and budget are bursting, so I didn't ask if she had them in my size. I felt if I asked and she did, I'd be obligated to buy. Much later, it occurred to me I could simply say "no, they just don't fit right but Thank You!"

So now I have to figure out how to fit all this into my bursting suitcase. Meg takes up a lot of room.

And no Meg on Monday. I just wanted to take a shower and go to bed (OK, wearing a nightie). And I realise I HAVE to shower before changing here. It's impossible to be outside and not be a mess!

Anyway, I spent way too much time at the outlet stores and never did get to Las Cruses where the Deb store is.

But I did go back and buy those pants.

Mentioning the Unmentionables

Gurls my age know the term "unmentionable". :)

I like Vanity Fair panties. They seem to be the most comfortable (ie, roomiest). I only wish they had a bigger variety of colours and patterns. I'll make sure I have a clean pair for travel day.

After trying different forms with different bras, I settled on a pink soft cup bra (Bestform, I think it is). I usually wear a Beauty by Bali (soft cup) bra because it gives me a nice curve, but I wanted to tone that down a bit for the trip. You can see what I mean by curve in the picture here. Then as I was getting ready for the clothing swap I came across a Sears bra ~ my very first bra. I tried it on, I liked it, I wore it at the swap, I hand-washed it, and it's going on the airplane with my new forms.

I have four sets of forms. My first are my favourites, but they're starting to show their age. I think packing them in bags in my luggage is not the best idea, even with burying them within my clothes. I need something with a harder side to protect them. So I replaced them with the same type (GL-2000 from GlamourBoutique). They came with tape to keep them in place, but I doubt I'll use it. I've said I doubt I'll do a lot of things as Meg and changed my mind. I certainly won't tape them on this trip. I'm trying to avoid doing anything for the first time on this trip!

The other forms are OK. Both are a harder silicone than the GL-2000. One is from Magic Curves and they slide when I'm sweaty ~ the Magic Moving Boobies is not a very realistic look, I think. The other ones don't have any pedigree and I can't find the order info right now, but the nipples are very prominent with the Sears bra. I don't think the Perpetually Excited look is what I'm going for either.

I'll bring a couple of pairs of hose to the hotel and probably put one in my purse as well. I'm not as gentle with hose as I should be and backup won't hurt. I think I'll go with pantyhose, unless I can find a good not-extremely-sheer pair of stockings tomorrow.

My cinch will come with me, but I'll see how I look with the top out and no cinch. If my tummy is behaving, that's one less thing I need to wear.

And I'll bring a slip, just because I like them. I don't know if I'll wear it yet. The skirt doesn't need it, but it's not lined and a slip just feels nice, you know?

I'm certainly glad we got over that "unmentionable" taboo.