Thursday, August 31, 2017

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Poll Results: Dani's Best Look--Week 21

Here's the latest winner, in a squeaker vote:









And here are the choices for the next round:

The blue suitdress is by Jenny, a thrift shop find in August 2011; the shoes are Lela Rose Unforgettable Moments "Nathalie" pumps from Payless in April 2010. Other accessories are a white bow, white gloves, and silver jewelry.

The white blouse is from Target's Merona line in June 2016; the leopard-print skirt is by Miss Majesty, bought at Fashion Bug in November 2012; the shoes are Dexter "Lynx" mary-janes from Payless in February 2010. Other accessories are a yellow bow, black-and-white jewelry, and black hose.

The green sweater dress is by Connected Apparel, bought at Burlington Coat Factory in January 2009; the boots are Jaclyn Smith "Tiana" black suede boots, from Kmart in October 2013. Other accessories are a red bow, scarf, red jewelry, red belt, and natural hose.
















You can vote in the poll to the right.

Monday, August 28, 2017

Slide Show: Summer 2017

Here's the seasonal look at that past three months:



You have until tomorrow morning to vote in the survey to the right (details here)!

Friday, August 25, 2017

Say 'Yes' to tbe Dress (and More)

Another little essay from Hannah McKnight:

Is there anyone on the planet that has a bigger, more emotional relationship with clothes than a crossdresser?

As far back as I can remember, I remember the pangs of seeing a beautiful dress and just yearning to wear it. As I got older the feeling just grew. There was always a longing in my heart when I heard of girls in high school shopping for a prom dress, and later, listening to my friends talk about wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses.

I think every one of us remembers the first time we wore a dress, the first time we walked in high heels, the first time we wore…anything and everything.

As I grew up and started to buy my own clothes, I remember the thrill of actually owning my own pair of panties, my first pair of heels. Of course when I first moved out my wardrobe started to expand…and like many of us, the wardrobe ended up in the trash a short time later. When we purged we all felt that this was it, we were never going to dress up again. We could beat this, we could live without this.

Of course, we were all fooling ourselves. It wasn’t long until we regretted the purge or until we were back at the mall, shopping all over again. I purged more times than I would like to remember. I have thrown away so many dresses and heels that I regret.

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Monday, August 21, 2017

August Dressing: Black-and-White Glamour 11

The last in the series:



The white blouse with silver trim is by New Look, bought at Forman Mills in September 2014; the black swing skirt is by JBS Ltd., bought at Fashion Bug in March 2011; the shoes are Moda Spana pewter spike heel pumps, a thrift shop find in November 2012. Other accessories are a white bow, and silver jewelry.



And a portrait:


Next month we return to full-color; please respond to the survey at the right (details here)!

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Saturday, August 19, 2017

Friday, August 18, 2017

Ask Hannah

Hannah McKnight has one of the best transgender sites around...and she frequently answers questions from other cross-dressers. Here's a recent one:

For background, I am a straight, closeted crossdresser. I identify as a “sissy” meaning I tend to prefer frilly, innocent outfits (think baby dolls and Alice in wonderland) … dressing is arousing for me … and I am not interested in really being female in public.

Here is where I could use some advice. I have three outfits but I always feel intimidated to put them on (they are a bit over the top in terms of frills and lace so not really public appropriate). And when I do, I put them on and don’t really know what to do with myself. I’ll curtsy a few times in the mirror and then put everything away. I think about dressing a lot but I don’t understand why I only allow myself a few minutes to feel pretty and then pack “Ashleigh” away. Do you have any advice as to why I might feel this way or ways to explore my dressing in more fulfilling ways?

Thanks!

Ashleigh


And you can read Hannah's response here!

Please respond to the survey at the right (details here)!

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

August Dressing: Black-and-White Glamour 10

Stripes, stripes, I say....



The zebra-print dress is from Target's Merino line in January 2010; the shoes are Dollhouse "Margaretta" black pumps with metal heels from Shoe Dept. in January 2010. Other accessories are a white bow, black-and-white jewelry, and a black belt.



Just one portrait:


There will be one more of these early next week; please respond to the survey at the right (details here)!

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Poll Results: Dani's Best Look--Week 20

This week's winner:






















And the choices for the next round:

The combination of gold paisley top and black hankerchief skirt is by J.B.S., bought at Burlington Coat Factory in January 2009; the shoes are Fioni "Loveit" black patent pumps from Payless in May 2011. Other accessories are a black headband and gold jewelry.

The black-and-white animal print dress is from Fashion Bug in May 2010; the shoes are Fioni "Loveit" black patent pumps from Payless in May 2011. Other accessories are a black hat, black belt, black gloves, and crystal jewelry.

The white man-tailored blouse is from Kmart's Basic Editions line in November 2014; the floral skirt is from Wal-Mart's George line in June 2012; the shoes are Karen Ornament white peeptoe pumps from Payless in March 2015. Other accessories are a floral headband and red jewelry.










You can vote in the poll to the right.

Monday, August 14, 2017

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Friday, August 11, 2017

More on the Hypnosis Fetish

Continuing our look at this article:

A Wikipedia article on recreational hypnosis (which it claims is just another name for ‘erotic hypnosis’) notes that hypnosis for sexually recreational activities are utilized mostly in sexual sadism and sexual masochism practices. More specifically (but without any supporting evidence), the article claims that:

“The placement of trigger words in the subject's mind as post-hypnotic suggestion to produce actions and experiences on-demand is a common practice…Hypnosis can be used within a dominance and submission relationship to reinforce power exchange and as a form of play. This ranges from hypnotically-induced orgasms to long-term conditioning. The act of hypnosis itself is erotic and relationship-affirming for many power exchange couples as the subject surrenders control and opens themselves to mental vulnerability…People who identify with the submissive side of erotic hypnosis often fantasize about being freed from responsibilities or inhibitions and transformed into someone who can freely enjoy sexual pleasures. Such sexually submissive personae include the slave, female stereotypes like the bimbo, slut, stripper and fictional characters from popular media”.

Peter Masters (author of Look Into My Eyes, and self-proclaimed expert on hypnofetishism) notes on his website that:

“The preparation for a hypnosis-based sex escapade is usually arousing initially through the fetish aspect, and then once the hypnotist has guided his or her partner into a trance, both can gain the benefits from the enhanced and stronger sexual experience of the hypnotised subject…The use of a shiny pendant, a pocket watch on a chain, or a ticking wooden metronome as the object of focus for doing the hypnosis can add significantly to the excitement and anticipation”.

Masters also makes some interesting observations in relation to the “strict, dictionary definition of fetish” and erotic hypnosis. As I noted in a previous blog on sexual fetishism, fetishes are typically body parts (e.g., feet, hair, noses, etc.), inanimate objects (e.g., shoes, masks, etc.), or conditions (e.g., obesity, pregnancy, etc.) that in and of themselves have a non-sexual focus. Masters noted that “hypnosis appears to be completely non-sexual” but then cites work by Dr. Craig Hill and Dr. Leslie Preston published in a 1996 issue of the 'Journal of Sexual Research' showing that:

“Over 20% of young adults look at sex as being an opportunity to experience the power of their partner, and over 20% look at sex as an opportunity to exert power over their partner. Clearly hypnosis is one way they can experience this power because hypnosis is explicitly one person taking control of another and using that control”.

Please respond to the survey at the right (details here)!

Thursday, August 10, 2017

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

August Dressing: Black-and-White Glamour 9

One more outfit for this round:



The white man-tailored blouse is from Target's Merona line in December 2015; the black short skirt is from Kmart's Attention line in January 2011; the boots are Jaclyn Smith "Tiana" black suede boots from Kmart in October 2013. Other accessories are a white bow, black-and-white jewelry and a black belt. Bare legs once again.



Two more portraits:



Next dressing in less than a week; please respond to the survey at the right (details here)!

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

August Dressing: Black-and-White Glamour 8

A skirt and blouse combination in monochrome:



The white blouse with gold buttons is by Notations Woman, found in a thrift shop in January 2012; the black-and-white pencil skirt is by Soho Apparel, bought at Burlington Coat Factory in October 2014; the shoes are Lela Rose Unforgettable Moments "Nathalie" white pumps from Payless in April 2010. Other accessories are a white bow and black-and-white jewelry; still bare-legged.



The portraits:



One more outfit to post; please respond to the survey at the right (details here)!