Petra's Tuesday Traipse - Volume 3

Ok. I am a day late. It’s the holidays. Am I forgiven? Thanks, you are a lamb. A quick reminder of the ground rules here… Petra just mentions sites she had fun visiting, or bought something from, or thinks might be useful to you girls. Nothing in it for me. Now of course if some generous marketing VP should want to take pity on Petra and just shower me with goodies, well I promise to share nicely with my friends…..

Now …. shoes on? Hair just so? Lips glossed? Lets go! This will be a short trip. I’ll get you home before dark I promise…

This weeks theme is awfully important to the cross dresser. For me, the bra comes right after the hosiery when I think of things that put me in the pink fog. So here I present … classic Bra Brand sites. Not Boy Band sites (although I am sure that might appeal to some of you). So, what’s a classic Bra Brand? Well to me it’s a Bra that our moms or big sisters might have worn. Now, say Bra Brand five times fast, and get re-introduced (in alphabetical order) to Maidenform, Playtex and Wonderbra.

Maidenform – this venerable brand emerged from a West 57th Street dress shop in the 1920’s. I must say, she is maintaining nicely and looking good for a woman of a certain age. With age I suppose comes a little uncertainty about things that ought to be natural. The Maidenform site is not absolutely clear whether she wants to promote the brand, or whether she should be selling product directly to consumers online. So she winds up doing both just a little less well thenI am sure she wants to. As an example, the individual product listings do not allow for zoom, provide alternative views, or enable product reviews. Curious gals like me love a chance to see what the other girls think before we buy after all.

And it would be fine to be without all of those nice things if the site achieved other important things like reminding us just what is special about Maidenform, and the Maidenform Woman. Marketing types call this branding and branding does not really happen. “This feels right” does not have the oomph of the classic “ I dreamed I .. …. in my Maidenform bra”. Then, Maidenform.com does only a so-so job of helping the shopper figure out where to go shopping. You know, in a store. Where we can paw the merchandise and chat with a nice girl.

It’s a shame because I have loved the couple of Maidenform pieces I have bought over the years. I think the Flexees are the very best shapers on the market. And from a price perspective, Maidenform goes easy on a frugal girl on a budget. I just wish the site was a little sexier and showed just a bit more flirt, a bit more lift and some more of the sophistication that the Maidenform Woman has always been known for.

Playtex. Wow. What a site. Now, I don’t wear Playtex. I’m not saying I won’t (I do like a nice 3 row 3 column back closure), I just have not strapped myself into this brand before. So many bras, so little time.

But Playtex knows what she wants to say online, and says it with authority and with a lot of laughs on the way. I am confident I will be a customer soon. And the site has a lot to do with that.

This site is intended to support the brand just the way the 18 Hour Bra is meant to support the girls. Fully. Lots of fun, loads of video, and the bra is not the hero. The boobs are the heros! Hooray Boobs! Women talk about their “girls” in a fun way here. All the TV spots are featured. Out-takes too! I mean it’s a total hoot (and again, absolutely no pun intended).

There’s loads of interaction too. You can crop a picture of yourself onto a dancing, shirtless, happy Playtex-wearing real girl. Enter contests, find out where a fitting clinic is happening. Nothing but fun. Now, Playtex as a brand says comfort. And that’s what the experience is on site. This is not typical lingerie soft-porn. Its Playtex, so don’t expect a visual delight. Just an experience with real fidelity to the brand. And once you are reminded of what the brand is all about, and are ready to shop, the site will steer you to the nearest store or to 15-20 sites that sell the line on-line. This is a superb site, and hats off to Playtex for reinventing themselves for an online generation.

Lastly, Wonderbra. Now admittedly this is a younger brand. No really big makeover required here. And Wonderbra, like Playtex is out to support the brand and drive shoppers either to approved online merchants or to a nearby store. Well, hello boys, you just don’t do it as nicely as the Playtex girls.

Nice photography. The models look younger and fresher and closer to the targeted consumer. The models in fact look very much like I would like to look. Alas. The models however, coupled with the slightly funky navigation make it tough to figure out exactly what the product looks like.

Have some fun on the site with Ivana, the stern faced Fit Mistress. She is your fitting room nightmare. A complete cold shower. There is some nice interactivity too – you can put yourself in a nice online scandal that involves a Wonderbra. Altogether, the Wonderbra site is stylish and a maybe just a little impractical. So, I guess we can say that the site reflects the brand nicely.

In any event, it would do you well to visit all of these sites, and to get on the email list. Coupons and other goodies will come your way. Now, go shopping ladies! I suspect its up to the Cross Dressing community to pull the economy out of the gutter.

Know a site you love? Want to share? Let me know! Happy dressing and happy surfing - Petra

Getting that Girlish Figure

In an earlier posting I wrote at great length about the trials and tribulations of creating and enjoying the feel and the illusion of a beautiful pair of womanly breasts. To me, that transformation and illusion is truly the holy grail of crossdressing. Petra may never fully realize perfection on the front porch, but the dream lives on and the hope never dies.

What is a little easier though is getting the shape around the hips and butt that evolution did not provide the M2F enthusiast naturally. I have had some great success lately, and want to share my product notes and usage tips. I am not suggesting that I got my shape quite up to Beyonces' breathtaking standards, but ladies, try we must.

By the way, I want your tips too. Please! You can never know too much about building that perfect derriere. Leave a comment here, or drop a line to Petra. Thanks!

Now, before you begin, a few little tricks…

• Stage before you dress. Pack your purse. Have your wig combed out. Pick your accessories. Have your keys by the door. And think about whether the dogs will need to go out. You can dress later and leave relaxed if you have really planned ahead.


• Keep your fluid intake low for a few hours before dressing. If you plan on going out, you will want to stay out. And taking a dainty pee out there, well that is for the very few, the very proud and the very brave. Once you are inside your foundation garments, you are in for the duration.


• File and buff your (natural) nails. You will be handling delicate garments that you want to last forever. Save yourself a run or two.


• Do your makeup before dressing – makeup is time consuming. Dressing is easy
• Shop for neutral shades. Yes, black is hot, but go for close-to-nude shades for the undergear.


• And then, before dressing, seriously, have a pee (sorry about the obsessing here gurls).

Now, I like to keep a little glass of wine handy. A little mood music goes on around this time too. I like Carol King or Eve Cassidy or KT Tunstall or Patty Griffin. Sweet and sometimes hurting voices with heartfelt stories of life from the woman’s perspective. Whatever brings you to the right place is cool (if music is important to you, drop me a line .. who gets you there?)

And lastly, keep pair of standard issue rubber gloves handy. Nothing makes the shapewear fit as cleanly. I am serious. Take a minute to read an informative tutorial while visiting Shapings. Really nice pictures there too.

Now, seeing as we are building here, I am going to employ construction metaphor. Hope thats not too butch for us all. Take a deep breath, you will be pulling on layers here.

The foundation: All important. You need something with real strength. Not only are you adding shape with your foundation, you are suppressing some shape. The waist-high, thigh-slimming 4 pad panty girdle is the key garment. If you have only one thing left in your closet, let it be this. Mine was purchased at Fredericks of Hollywood. Lots of great shapewear. The Fredericks product is superb for a couple of reasons. First, the front panel is nuclear strength. This will flatten you out and really force you to think about your belly. Second, good leg length and silicon trim at the thigh band. Stays in place.

You may also want to look to JC Penny online. Surprisingly, they have the full line of Crown Shapewear on line. Nice prices, great service.

The framing: If a little derriere shape is good, a lot is better, right? Damn right. Get ready to pull up The Squeem Magical Padded Panty. Wow. This complements and fills out the 4 pad girdle. There are no removable pads here. Solid state construction. Like a glove. Online at Sense Lingerie and other fine retailers. If you are here in Atlanta, go visit Anna or Becky at Lingerie Mart. Product is in stock – plus you can try them on there to be sure of the fit.

Petra dies for this layer because it removes the slight lumpiness that the foundation leaves under clingy clothes, and it smooths out and holds in your front just that little bit more.

The Finish Carpentry: At this point you are structurally sound, but its time to work on the aesthetics. Blending the new stuff with the old you is key. Particularly if you will be wearing clingy, body conscious outer layers. Now, for quite some time I have been a Spanx fan. And my love is still there. But my Spanx have tended to roll down and gather at the waist. Not a great look. Additionally, Spanx fabric generates just a little too much warmth for long term comfort.

Petra’s solution --- The Flexees Weightless Power Thigh Slimmer. Weightless, yes, but with the power of 10 women. All the give and flex is around the hips and butt. There is no up and down give at all. Super comfortable, smooth as silk, and exactly what the girl on the go needs nearly on top of it all. Online at Bare Necessities or grab a pair off-line at (you guessed it …) good old JC Penny.

A nice coat of paint: Even with slacks on, I expect you will want to slide gently into your favorite hose or stockings on top of it all. You deserve it. I may not, but I do anyhow. Sometime soon, Petra will weigh in on Pantyhose. Be sure to send me notes on what works for you, because the search for perfection never ends. In the meantime ….

Happy dressing!