Pre-Groundhog Day Dressing 2

Another pants outfit--this time the jeans combined with the two-fer sweater set I bought earlier in January.



Accessories here are silver jewelry, black belt, black socks, and blue patent pumps.



More pics on Flickr; next dressing? Anybody's guess--I'm hoping for Wednesday, but the weather may not cooperate.

Pre-Groundhog Day Dressing 1

Decided to pull out my girly slacks for a change. (Sorry to all those who come here to look at my legs! )

We'll start with the black cuffed pants, worn with a black t-shirt with crystal trim and short red jacket. (The jacket always seems to make the boobs pop, doesn't it?)



Additional accessories: red hat, red and white jewelry, black socks, black pumps with metal heel.



Additional pics, as always, on Flickr. I hope to post another outfit later today or sometime tomorrow.

And speaking of Groundhog Day--will somebody please make sure Punxatawney Phil doesn't see his shadow this year? (Though, with all those TV lights on him, I guess that's a vain hope--even it it's raining in central PA on Wednesday!)

Dani's Best Look--Finals

As promised, at last, here's the first outfit in the final round of Dani's Best Look.





The outfit is a two-piece dress in a red-white-black print, orignally purchased at Target all the way back in 2008; the top has lovely kimono-like sleeves, the flowing skirt falls just below the knees. Accessories are pearl jewelry, white hose, and red patent t-strap pumps.

Now--the voting: I ask you to rate this outfit from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest rating. See the poll to the right.

You can get a sneak peek at the other two outfits on Flickr. Voting on number two will be next week, and number three the week after that.

Late January Dressing, 2

The end of the sweater outfits...a gray blouse layered with a blue sweater, over the navy skirt with the scarf belt.



Accessories are blue hair bow, gold jewelry, dark hose and gray pumps.



And one more portrait:




More pics on Flickr; next session might be tomorrow--depends on the weather.

Late January Dressing, 1

Here's the last of the sweater outfits, starting with the blue cowl-necked sweater dress. I've loved this one ever since I bought it last year; it flatters my figure and my legs, and is really comfy in cold weather.



Accessories are light blue hair band, silver jewelry, black belt, black hose, and blue patent spike-heel pumps.



And a portrait:



More pics on Flickr; another outfit later today.

Post-Christmas Dressing, 12

Sorry this is so long getting up...explanations coming at the end of the post.

Anyway--here's the white cowl-neck sweater with the denim skirt.



Accessories are the black broad-brimmed hat, black-and-white jewelry, black belt, dark hose, and black pumps with metal heel.



And yet another portrait:



More pics on Flickr, as usual.

Periodic snow is playing havoc with family schedules, and I haven't had an opportunity to dress since Monday. I may not get a chance until next Monday at the earliest. That means the photo shoots for the poll finalists are also delayed, but they will be the next set I do.

Post-Christmas Dressing 11

Continuing with sweaters and sweater dresses, here's the tan tunic-like sweater dress from Kmart, bought this fall.



Accessories are the polka dot bow, gold jewelry, wide black belt, black pantyhose, and brown boots.



And, once again, a portrait:



More pics on Flickr; another outfit will be posted later

Dani's Best Look--Semi-Finals, week 3 result

Third and last finalist:


40. Little black dress, pearls, black hose, croc print pumps

Now, a word on how the finals will work. Later this week, I am going to do new photo sessions of each of the three finalist outfits, trying my damnedest to do exactly the same set of poses for each. Nest week, I will begin posting those new pictures, on outfit per week, and asking you to vote on them in a new way. I will ask you to rate each outfit on a scale of 1 to 5, with five being best. The outfit that gets the highest average rating will be the winner.

Post-Christmas Dressing, 10

Today's second outfit is my hounds-tooth suit paired with a red turtleneck (which is actually from my male wardrobe).



The obvious accessory here is my new cloche hat, bought at Macy's the same time as the top in the last set of pics. I like it...your thoughts? Other accessories are gold jewelry, red belt, light hose and red patent spike-heeled pumps.



One more portrait:



Additional pics on Flickr; next dressing and photo session probably on Monday, when I will also explain the next stage of the "Dani's Best Look" poll.

Post-Christmas Dressing, 9

Continuing our warm sweater dressing, here's another brand-new item. This pink two-fer was bought at Macy's earlier this week, on an incredible sale! (would you believe I paid less than $5 for it?) Unfortunately, this was the only one left in my size! The skirt is the same black miniskirt I wore last week.



Accessories are pink hair bow, silver jewelry, white belt, fishnet hose and black pumps with the metal heel.



And I also continued the series of portraits:



More pics on Flickr; I'll post another set later today.

The Training of Gwen: Journal Entry #6

Gwen has finally sent the journal entry for her second training day last week, and a more general one of her history and thoughts on recent events:

Saturday
December 4

Madame requires that Gwen present herself as a maid and perform certain duties for the day. The uniform will be that of an Victorian serving maid with a somewhat short skirt. It is a satin uniform with a high lace topped collar, worn with a black petticoat, an apron trimmed with white lace and a oval, lace trimmed head piece with two white ribbons in the back. The foundation is a black, restrictive Victorian corset with black stockings and black ruffled panties. The shoes are the five inch black patent heels with the wide ankle strap. The recording of the day’s activities will be still photos and video.

My first assignment was to practice the curtsy. Put your right foot behind the left foot and bend the knees, which is different from a bow from the waist. Lower the head in deference to a superior. This seems simple enough but doing it in heels was quite difficult. The curtsy also turned into more of a bow. The practice lasted about twenty minutes with only small progress in getting the technique correct.

The second assignment was to perform basic maid serving duties. I practiced with a silver tray carrying a tea service and then a wine bottle and glass. The practice involved carrying the tray with both hands and then one hand. As I practiced walking it was difficult to keep the tray steady. I slowly got better as the practice lasted about half an hour. During this assignment, Madame instructed me to never straighten or adjust my uniform. Once in service, the uniform must be proper and not adjusted in any way. Any failure in the way the uniform is worn would result in discipline.
Overall, this presentation proved much more difficult than I thought it would be. More practice is necessary to become a better serving maid.


Saturday
January 8

Last month, Madame made an interesting suggestion. Would I think about the ways in which Gwen was changing and that perhaps I was losing control of her. All of this begins many years ago when I found myself standing in front of the full length mirror of the bathroom door. In the mirror I am wearing a girl’s gymsuit. For some time, I had watched the girls in their gym classes and somehow wondered what I would look like in their place. I didn’t know it then but Gwen would now be in my future.

Gwen resulted from my interest in those magazines I found depicting bondage and discipline. Those magazines (like Atomage) were British and featured women as the subject of the bondage. Shortly afterward, I also discovered the work of John Willie and his heroine, Gwendoline. What I realized, was that as I looked at the photos I put myself in the place of the heroine and not Sir Darcy. Slowly, I began to construct a Gwen for myself. This led initially to some foundation wear and dresses. It also led to thoughts (and actions) about makeup, jewelry and wigs. I was strongly attracted (as with the gym suit) to retro foundations and maid uniforms. Over time, several Gwens emerged. The first was Maid Gwen. Victorian, Edwardian and Modern uniforms as well as hobble maid. The second was Pink Gwen. Lots of frilly dresses, pink foundations, bonnets (some influenced by the artwork of Barbara Jean in black and pink), foundations and uniforms. The third was White Gwen in terms of foundations. An attempt to go back to Gym suit Gwen resulted in several bubble rompers. Gwen also made sure that she could appear in a variety of black, red, and blue outfits. The foundations were mostly 50s retro in terms of high waisted panty girdles, open bottom girdles, bullet bras and various one piece bra and girdle (panty and open). All of this was accompanied by various accessories to complete the look.

Gwen was proceeding nicely until she discovered a place on the net called Stepton. She discovered a poster, “Could This Be You” and a reference to “Sissy Studies” and the Stepton Academy. Curious, Gwen sent an inquiring email. Some days later, she received a note from the Head Mistress of the Academy. She recommended that Gwen read the Stepton Retro Society, Life In Stepton (Part One) and the Stepton Volunteers. After that if still interested, Gwen was to detail her interest. Gwen wrote back about the possibility of becoming a long distance student in the Academy. Madame responded that Gwen would be accepted for training on a provisional basis. The first requirement was to post her wardrobe and accessories for Madame to consider. Madame instructed that from now on whatever Gwen did or wore would be left to Madame’s complete discretion. Gwen would accept assignments and would follow directions to the letter.

Some months later, Gwen has begun to realize that she has now lost control of what she wears, what makeup and accessories she uses and what activities she undertakes. Is she willing to give up this much control? In preparation for a maid assignment, Gwen suggested that black oxfords would be the appropriate shoes. Madame reminded Gwen that what she wanted to wear was not relevant and to follow the assigned wardrobe.

So far, the process seems worthwhile and exciting as she learns and develops a new dimension of who she is. Gwen is now entering a future where she is slowly becoming sissy gwen.

I have requested that Gwen prepare a journal entry on her feelings when she goes for a long period without being able to dress as Gwen.

Post-Christmas Dressing, 8

Second outfit today is not exactly a sweater, but it's multi-layered and warm--the black-watch plaid jumper over a white man-tailored blouse.



Accessories are white hair bow, silver jewelry, white belt, white hose and black patent pumps.



And still one more portrait:



More pics on Flickr; I hope to squeeze in some dressing on Friday.