So I just got done donating a lot of my clothes to good will. I wanted to get rid of all the very feminine clothing I had so right now my closet and drawers are almost empty. All I have left really are my skinny jeans, some graphic tees, and a few plaid shirts and thermals. So obviously I want to buy some new clothes but since my family doesn't approve of me wearing men's clothing I have to shop online. So does anyone know how to convert the sizes from FtM? I don't want to buy clothes that are so big on me, I want to be able to buy some men's clothes that at least somewhat fit my form. Also any suggestions for affordable binders; my boobs are big well at least for me they are.
I don't know if this helps, but I have completely average female proportions... I wore an XS in men's and it mostly fit... and I wear a small or medium/4 or 6 in women's. Men's sizes kind of depend on the fit you want. I would sometimes wear tops that run baggy (like size small) but they would look oversized. You have to worry about the hips since they tend to choke around the hips and then the whole top becomes like a balloon and can look awkward. And for long sleeve, sleeve length could be an issue... so that's another reason to try to buy true to size if you can. Because the sleeves can run very long. I gave up on this issue honestly and just wore sleeves that were too long for me... Some men's brands make european fit, or vintage fit which runs smaller in the waist if you are getting issues with too much extra room in the waist and like billowing/folds of fabric. Athletic fit runs small in the waist but also small in the hips so... There is also the boy's section and there's nothing wrong with shopping there. I found boy's size 16 tops to fit pretty well and the length is not quite as long so there's slightly less trouble with the hips. For bottoms... honestly, if you have wide hips it might just be more comfortable to get neutral-styled women's jeans, unless you don't mind going really baggy. I never found a good solution when I was living as a boy and ended up crushing my hips and thighs just to not be wearing something ridiculously baggy thru the knees and calves. Switching to women's jeans was a huge relief and I wore women's jeans while still living male and in the closet and nobody noticed or cared... a lot of cis guys do it. Standard inseams go down to about 29 or 28 if you are lucky. Men's pant sizes show the band measurement and the inseam so it's pretty transparent but try them on if you can because men's clothes may be vanity sized as well. Ummm, hope any of that helps, just some of my experience from living as a small boy once upon a time. And when in doubt, trust the size chart.
Alright, let me see if I can help. I'm FtM, very curvy. There's a temptation to go baggy and hide everything, but if your goal's to look good while doing it, it's better to go with clothes that are well fitting and layer them. Layering will hide the curves, contribute to a more masculine body shape. In women's sizes, I'm a medium to a large. In men's, a small. Simply put, all to do with the shoulders and frame. General rule of thumb, you'll likely be a size smaller in men's than in women's because of how the clothes fit. If you're small enough, may be able to get away with wearing boys clothing. As far as family goes, you may be able to get away with gender neutral garb. Flannel's always a good bet but in certain areas if you're trying to pass for male, it's more of a lesbian cultural thing.
