I often wear a tank or camisole under my shirt. I like to grab one that more-or-less matches the shirt of the day.
My preference is for a cami. If it's possible to see through the shirt, I go with a tank.
I have quite a number of each, including about a half-dozen white tanks to go with shirts with a white base (like many of my striped shirts). Some of the tanks are questionable but there are two reasons I wear them anyway:
1. no-one notices
2. if they do, I don't care.
Questionable includes racerback or v-necks or other feminine touches to what's really a stolen undershirt.
But thanks to "Woot Accessories," I have picked up two separate packs of Things To Wear Under My Shirt.
One is a pack of ten stretchy "one size" camis in a variety of colours. The other is a dozen tanks in a dozen colours.
I think I won't be shopping for camisoles or hunting for tanks I can grudgingly wear for a long time.
On a related note, socks, especially girl socks, have a limited life. I picked up a dozen pair of Esprit socks from Daily Steals to replace socks that are starting to succomb to the escape attempts of my toes. For the most part, they're more girl-ish than girl (pastel patterns vs, say, hearts) which is what I'm usually looking for.
This won't be a lifetime supply, but I'm probably good for a year.
Each of these collections was under $30.
I have a decent supply of panties, picked up at various places. Panties are harder because they need to fit really well. Unless I find one of my known good panties, I wouldn't buy in bulk.
My only remaining problem is convincing myself that I don't want to go shopping for panties, socks, and camisoles.
Showing posts with label socks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label socks. Show all posts
Friday, March 27, 2015
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Simple Pleasure ~ The World Has Caught Up With Me!
Readers know I'm a fan of colourful socks. I wear patterned socks or brightly coloured socks, generally to match my shirt. Many guys wear ties that add some colour to the otherwise drab male uniform; I don't do ties so I express my individuallity in my socks. Of course, the socks come from the women's side of the aisle so I have to look for a larger size or stretchy socks.
Woot has daily deals and a bunch of auxillary side deals. I generally forget about the other deals, but last week I saw this:
These are men's socks! Look down at the bottom of the page.
Now I have to decide if I want to stick with women's socks or encourage this trend by buying these men's socks.
And I need to stretch the envelop a bit more now.
Woot has daily deals and a bunch of auxillary side deals. I generally forget about the other deals, but last week I saw this:
These are men's socks! Look down at the bottom of the page.
Now I have to decide if I want to stick with women's socks or encourage this trend by buying these men's socks.
And I need to stretch the envelop a bit more now.
Friday, December 23, 2011
That Flurry of Polls ~ Hosiery, Part I
| When in drab, if I'm wearing stockings, pantyhose, or tights... (74 votes) | |
| I show the world | 15 (20%) |
| I show the world, but only if they're passable, like opaque tights | 23 (31%) |
| I wear socks over them | 30 (40%) |
| I wear women's socks over them | 6 (8%) |
Seventy-four votes here. The cool thing is, that means that 3/4 of my readers wear some sort of women's hosiery when presenting as a male. I would have guessed a much lower figure.
I am now in the "show if they're passable" slot, along with about a third of you. In fact, I'm wearing patterned black tights today. There seem to be two types of patterned tights: ones that are different threads to make up the pattern and ones that are an open weave, kind of like fishnet stockings. I wear the former. Showing skin is sort of a giveaway.
I'd love to give a big cheer to the "show the world" group and if you'd like to drop me a note I'd like to know more. Do you wear regular sheer stockings, coloured hose, fishnets, what? and not mind if people see? I'd like to get to that level and I'd like to know what you do. (I feel like I'm asking for a game cheat, here.)
As for the almost-half of you who wear socks or women's socks with their hose, I used to do that. Then I thought about it. Sometimes, you can see over the top of my socks, depending on how I'm sitting. I don't think I want people to see stockings over the top of my socks. I think I might look into getting some patterned knee-highs or very long socks so I can wear my garters and stocking and not get too many odd looks. I need to think this through.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
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.
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.
Friday, November 25, 2011
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."
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."
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
No-one Notices ~ Try It Yourself and See!
Well, maybe the pink ones get noticed.
These are the socks I normally wear, except when I must wear dress shoes. My dress shoes are Aerosoles and a bit snug so I wear black trouser socks. I work with law enforcement, intelligence, homeland security and these are still my socks of choice.
A good place to find larger socks: dollar stores. I think they don't sell well in regular outlets so they end up there. But I've shopped the major department stores plus Marshalls (usually without luck), Burlington Coat Factory, Syms, factory outlets, and other shops. Even if all I can find are the "normal" sizes, many socks are stretchy and they fit and feel fine. I think women's socks don't last as long as men's; I'm not sure why.
It's nice to look down and see a little reminder of my feminine life.
As always, click on a picture to enlarge it.
ps to Shelby the Gap lady: please drop me a note!
These are the socks I normally wear, except when I must wear dress shoes. My dress shoes are Aerosoles and a bit snug so I wear black trouser socks. I work with law enforcement, intelligence, homeland security and these are still my socks of choice.
A good place to find larger socks: dollar stores. I think they don't sell well in regular outlets so they end up there. But I've shopped the major department stores plus Marshalls (usually without luck), Burlington Coat Factory, Syms, factory outlets, and other shops. Even if all I can find are the "normal" sizes, many socks are stretchy and they fit and feel fine. I think women's socks don't last as long as men's; I'm not sure why.
It's nice to look down and see a little reminder of my feminine life.
As always, click on a picture to enlarge it.
ps to Shelby the Gap lady: please drop me a note!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
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.
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.
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