Petra’s Cross Dress Poll – Panties crept up from behind.

Earlier this week, yesterday to be exact, the Bra seemed like a hands down (hands up?) winning answer for the question " what is your favorite feminine garment?". Anticipating no change in the trend line overnight, I spent a good 800 words prosing on about the many splendours of the brassiere. Premature postulation as it turns out. Ah well, I now have some good bra copy for a rainy day in the future, and very little of insight or wit I can bring to the blog today. Best laid plans, etc….

So, we like our panties do we? When I ran this poll in December, panties were nowhere to be seen. Not a single vote This week, they came out of nowhere (O imagine a world where that happens) in a Friday night shower of adulation to win the pageant, 33% to 29% over the mighty bra.

Panties won at the expense of my particular delights, pantyhose, stockings and etc. In a mad and fickle fit, this week I abandoned pantyhose with my own vote, and sided with the Dress. Not sure what I was thinking, but perhaps I upset the Cross Dressing Gods (gorgeous they are) to the extent that they threw their own hanging chads into my polls in order to force me through this gruesome, rushed and inelegant rewrite. Wife and self have a date tonight and I am on a deadline dammit!

So there we are. I hope you enjoy your panties. I will ponder on them (well, not yours as such, panties in general that is) and have some better considered thoughts about their place in our hearts, minds and nether regions another day.

This weeks poll you ask?

Entirely random, comprehensively unscientific and of no likely academic merit. Do I have your attention yet? Good. Goes like this:

Have you ever wondered what percentage of the male population cross dresses? How big a number would you guess? Here is our definition – a male cross dresser is anyone who tried on a woman’s garment sometime in the last year. Go it? Go vote!

Happy dressing, and happy everything else.

Vintage Lingerie - My Time Machine

Yes, I am a thoroughly modern girl and delighted to wear lycra & spandex-rich tights and shapewear. It comforts me too that my bras have more underlying physics, math and material science in them then they have underwire. But there are times when the simpler and more romantic past holds compelling appeal.

I suppose that Lingerie is like music to me. I am a big fan of The Clash, but a part of me feels like I really missed out not digging on the New York jazz scene of the early – mid 50’s. So it goes with foundation garments. When I see the vintage stuff, I just turn into a doe in the headlights….

And so it was today when my friends over at “A Slip of Girl” posted a new contest for a big fluffy pile of gorgeous, custom tailored Cameo Intimates retro lingerie. I overcame my urge to keep the contest to myself because, well it’s the holidays, and I really do like all of you nice people who visit here. Just visit Slip, enter the contest, and go ahead, fine, win what is rightfully mine. I won’t be bitter. Unless you machine wash them you brute. Here’s my Cameo wishlist….

So, first things first. Comfort and allure is what is required from the panties… the sheer retros have the look and feel. They come with detachable garters, but that won’t be required for this ensemble.

Ready to decorate the front porch with the Sheer Retro Bra. Simple, and feminine. Gives away just enough of a hint of what’s beneath.

I sometimes need a little help with my walk. Heels help of course, but you simply cannot beat a nice long line open bottom girdle for a gentle reminder of what your hips are for.

Stockings of course (nude) with a nice reinforced heel and toe. Everything else in always correct white.

With this foundation layer on, my time machine is whirring me back, and then making time stand still. So, what about you my friends? Take a minute to vote in Petra’s poll here (see over to the right...?) , and then go see A Slip of Girl (if you are as refined as I think you are….) The contest is open till midnight Dec 22. Good luck!

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!