My Journey (Part 7) - Shopping as a Girl
(That amazing feeling when you buy a new, pretty outfit)
Guy's clothes are generally quite boring. It is no wonder guys are generally uninterested in shopping for clothes (I can't say the same for things like cars and tech gadgets which guys tend to obsess over).
Shopping for women's wear on the other hand is just OMG. It is just so much fun. There different styles, fun colours, cute accessories, the perfect item to match something you currently own. I never really understood why women loved shopping so much until I finally did so in person while dressed as a girl. I do a lot of online shopping and it's pretty great too, but it doesn't beat the experience of browsing the clothes in person, feeling the soft lovely fabrics with my fingers, holding up dresses in front of the mirror and trying outfits in the changing room. There's also a waiting time involved with online shopping as compared with shopping in person, where I get INSTANT GRATIFICATION.
To date, I have gone shopping in girl mode around 10 times. The first few times have been quite scary, but just like most escapades, they felt extremely liberating. It was good fun to walk around the shop and pretend to be a normal girl browsing for clothes. After a while, I realised that in clothing shops, other shoppers are too engrossed in their own browsing that they don't pay me much attention. The only ones who occasionally give the odd glance are bored companions who are stuck shopping with their female counterparts.
(Not in Singapore, but I think this is quite universal 😂)
I do have a few favourite shops I like to hit every time I go out shopping. They're large retail brands, so the shops are usually larger and I'm not squeezed into a tiny outlet with one sales personnel looking at me all the time, which makes me a lot more relaxed.
- H&M - the huge full length mirrors and lighting are fantastic for photos😍
- Zara - High street fashion. Nuff said
- Forever New - Dresses are good quality and so pretty...but they're more suitable for dinner events and rather expensive
- Cotton On - For the budget conscious babe. They've got decent yoga wear
- Love Bonito - Local brand. Their stuff look and feel so good for some reason I think lined dresses feel nicer
(Random dress from Forever New. So damn pretty I want it)
I've been told that there are many other great shops out there that I should visit as Isabelle, like Love Bonito, MDS Collections. Lingerie (Victoria's secret, La Senza) and makeup shops (Sephora) are also surprisingly welcoming to crossdressers who look interested in what the shop has to offer (Probably because we are potential customers, sales staff have seen all kinds of people and when they treat us like a normal girl we'll happily whip out the $$). Although I generally avoid social contact when I go out in public, other sisters who shop frequently in person have told me that their experience with sales staff have been overwhelmingly positive, which is another reason for me to feel less self-conscious about myself.
There has been an awkward experience for me when trying on clothes in the shops though. I was shopping quite near to the shops' closing time, so the sales staff were getting ready to finalise the accounts and close for the day. While trying on outfits (and snapping a few photos in the process), I lost track of time and was probably the only one left in the changing rooms. The sales lady came to check by my stall and asked: "Ma'am, we are finalising the accounts, are you paying by credit card or cash?". I was very flustered, and my silence made her ask the question again. Finally I replied in my guy voice, "I'm almost done, sorry.". The sales lady got a bit of a shock and promptly left the changing room. Feeling super embarrassed, I quickly changed back into my clothes and left the shop.
After that awkward experience, I learnt not to (i) shop near closing time, (ii) pick a gazillion outfits and end up too long in a stall and (iii) be too quiet otherwise the sales person might come and do a spot check to see if there was anyone in the stall. I don't think trying out clothes in a changing room reserved for females infringes any laws in Singapore , but it is better to be safe than having the cops called on me.
Unfortunately, I've been incredibly busy and it has been a number of months since I have had the opportunity to go shopping as Isabelle. Hopefully my schedule will clear up and I'll do so before the year ends. This gal needs some Christmas lovin', and a pretty red dress would do the trick
8 Comments
Hi Isabelle,
ReplyDeleteNice to see your updates again. You are really daring to shop in your CD mode but I feel that you are definitely passable as a female actually. For me, my most recent experience was shopping for eye lashes and eye lashes glue in Sephora in guy's mode (I was venturing into eye lashes actually). The sales girl was really friendly as she find it quite odd to see a man shopping around without a female companion. When she approached me for assistance, I just said that my wife's birthday is coming, I thought of getting some eye lashes for her in prep for her new work. What a fake story because most of the people are still Working From Home and wearing mask. Oh well. :P
But I have to admit that Sephora eye lashes glue is the best I used so far. Anyway, happy shopping and hope that you gotten some items on 11.11 sales. Cheers. :)
Do you find it more convenient to go out as Isabelle nowadays? Since we need to wear a mask everywhere.
ReplyDeleteYes, the mask helps in passing, since it hides manlier features like the jawline and larger nose. However, the mask is quite annoying to put on and remove with long hair. It also smudges the makeup without fail. Not being able to take photos without the mask is something that I do not like as well.
DeleteOne thing I'm curious. How do you managed to shop without speaking anything. For lingerie shops, usually they staff will approach you and ask if you need help.
ReplyDeleteThe larger chains like H&M, Zara, usually the sales assistant won't come up to you. So you're free to just browse without speaking. But yes, lingerie shops they will approach you the moment you step in.
ReplyDeleteWhere is your favorite shopping mall?
DeleteSo far I been out shopping for a couple of times. But I did not buy anything yet. I'm too scared of social contact at the checkout even
Vivo city is pretty good as it has everything. Somerset area is great too. I used to go to marina square as the mall is very open, but the shops there are a bit meh
DeletePaywave is your friend. Don't need to talk at all. That said, sales staff generally don't care, as long as you're a paying customer and not causing a scene
Vivocity is one of my favorite mall too and I go there alot. Hope to bump into you one of these days. 😊
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