Shopping at Clothes Departments

So for me I usually go shopping at the mall so there are many diffenrt types of stores. When I first started crossdressing (normal wear now) I would go to unisex department stores, and try to sneak underwear and bras into my shopping basket. The store had a self check out so I didn't have to directly deal with a clerk.

Now that I'm more used to buying womans clothing I can go into almost any store without acting all akward. If they ask I use the friends birthday/girlfriend excuse. Some of my favorite stores are girls only, like pink Vic secrite. I got most of my panties from pink. It was a bit overwhelming going to the store at first, but once I got help from a clerk I didn't feel out of place. My therapist suggested wearing gender neutral clothing in public to ease my self into something more feminine.

Sizing can be annoiying, but once you have measured yourself it's not to bad. I'm a 13 in womans jeans, large B cup bra, and large for most panties. It's better to buy larger sizes as some cloths will shrink in the wash. I need to find a pair of heels, and a sports bra to wear under my tshirt in public.

 

I know someone who struggles with the same things. They identify with neither gender so they feel awkward going into gender-speccific clothing departments. They never once got comments from the cashier people. Nowadays they mostly shop at online stores where they have unisex or open-gender clothing or they shop in vintage shops where its all mixed together.

I don't know if it will make you feel better but I often buy clothes for my brother who is pretty much my age and my size and no cashier ever says anything so if you bought things that they thought "didn't seem right" they would probably just assume it wasn't for you.

 

I work as a cashier at a clothing department. Most of us really don't care what people are buying. We just want to make sure that we get all of the security devices off of the things that they are on.

 

I went shopping with my grandma one time, it was at Gabriel brother which has all clothing so I would go to with her to the women's section and she would buy me stuff before I moved.

 

Do you guys go to both sections of the store?

I just drift towards my interests, which is a punk/skater sort of thing these days. So, wherever the ripped jeans and band shirts are is where you'll find me.

Is there uncomfortableness that bothers you when you look around?
Do you guys act awkward in the store?

I act awkward in most social situations, so it just depends on the day you catch me. I don't get too uncomfortable, but I will if me or my partner get misgendered.

For some you guys who already fully transition, already dressed as your gender, or maybe some of you guys dress for incognito or casual no questions asked?

My style honestly hasn't changed since I was like 14 or 15. The only time I dressed ultra preppy, it was because of my school's uniform guidelines, and I really had nothing to work with. I'm the same dirty, grungey skater kid I was back then.

Are there some things you guys don't go to try out at the dressing room? (For me it would be dresses, lingerie, and maybe skirts.)

Well, boxers or underwear is a given. Other than that, not really. I'd try on more formal wear, but it's especially hard if it's the shirt/tie sets in the box with all the pins. Ain't nobody got time for that!

When people do ask, do you cover yourself with the "boyfriend/girlfriend" schick or just explain it properly.

Nobody ever asks me or him about our purchases, so we never had that situation happen.

I've been researching others take on wearing cis and unisex clothes in public so do you guys wear your clothes in public as well or just keep it in the collection for home use?

I wear whatever I got out. I never really put a gender on my clothes, since I'm just used to everything being neutral?

Are you guys still confused on sizes? (I sort of do, especially finding the small boob size. Sometimes when I don't try stuff out, I rely on size.)

Oh god, yes. Making the switch over with standard women's sizes to men's was complicated for me. It meant converting my old sizes, and get used to seeing two numbers on tags. It's weird for me because I fluctuate between at least two or three sizes in pants; with one pair in 30 being loose on me to 32 fitting me securely. It's so strange.

Clerk say anything? (My assumption is that the clerk isn't allowed to ask questions about the purchase)

Nope, even when I bought my first shirt/tie set or pairs of boxers.

Do you guys take a long time to look around?

It depends on my mood. If I'm in a space with tons of options, I can get lost in racks. Other times, I'm like a little kid who'd rather go to the arcade because shopping feels like a chore or is super boring.

 

Do you guys go to both sections of the store?
Only in this shop called Primark, because the women's section has the Harry Potter t-shirts and some of the band t-shirts I need. Otherwise you generally only find me in the men's section.

Is there uncomfortableness that bothers you when you look around?
Do you guys act awkward in the store?
Not really. I'm a socially awkward person in general, so if people noticed me for any reason I wouldn't like it. But they rarely do and I'm used to shopping in the men's sections now, so it's usually all good.

For some you guys who already fully transition, already dressed as your gender, or maybe some of you guys dress for incognito or casual no questions asked?
It depends on what I'm doing/wear I'm going. Usually it's casual, band/fandom t-shirts and jeans or button ups and jean shorts. Sometimes I mix and match. If we're going out and I'm told to dress smart, it's shirts and jeans.

Are there some things you guys don't go to try out at the dressing room? (For me it would be dresses, lingerie, and maybe skirts.)
I don't try on boxers. That's it really. I need to check sizes for everything else.

When people do ask, do you cover yourself with the "boyfriend/girlfriend" schick or just explain it properly.
I have never once been asked. I don't pass yet, so I imagine they they assume the clothes are for someone else or they assume they're for me and don't care.

I've been researching others take on wearing cis and unisex clothes in public so do you guys wear your clothes in public as well or just keep it in the collection for home use?
I dress as a male always, both at home and out in public. My family and friends are used to it and strangers don't really care. The only people who tend to ask questions are friends of my family, if they haven't seen me in a long time. But it's only a couple of seconds of "you look like a boy" "I know" "okay" before moving on.

Are you guys still confused on sizes? (I sort of do, especially finding the small boob size. Sometimes when I don't try stuff out, I rely on size.)
God, yes. I can't pin down an actual size for me because I keep losing weight. So I'm always so confused.

Clerk say anything? (My assumption is that the clerk isn't allowed to ask questions about the purchase)
Never.

Do you guys take a long time to look around?
When I'm by myself or with a friend/someone who accepts where I shop without making me feel weird or bad about it, I take my time. I actually love to shop for clothes, I just can't do it often because of my lack of money. My next shopping trip might come around the middle of September, depending on how much weight I've lost. I can't wait.

If you guys are up for it, maybe you could share your first time picking out gendered clothing or going to a gender specific store (Vic's Secret, etc.). I know i'm not alone on this, so...
I can't remember the first time I picked out gendered clothing or went to a gender specific store, because whether it's been by myself or with people, it's been happening for most of my life. My family may have (and still do for now) consider me a girl, but they learnt at a young age to stop buying me dresses. That became football kits and jeans from my dad at around seven. Which is probably why I'm so used to just walking into the men's section, despite how I look. My mum may take me into the women's section for holiday clothes, like bikinis, or taken me to sections that look unisex for t-shirts, but the men's is all I really know. Th first time I shopped for myself with my own money (and by that I mean money I was given for my birthday), I didn't even think twice about where to go. It earned a couple of questions from some family members, but I didn't care.

 

i know my sizes so i never have to worry about it, i know that i take a size 6 in pants, 38c bra and medium in bottoms. tops are a large, and dresses are 14. so yea no problems there. as for shopping if i'am buying lingerie i just go in and buy it, never even think about being worried or feeling out of place, even shopping for tops or jeans in the girls department no-one will ask other then if i need help finding the right size. most people in the stores that help, i find that if you tell them their for you, they dont have a problem letting you try stuff on.

 

Just wanting to know the situation for everyone else, what are your kinds of experiences going to clothing departments looking/or going to buy some clothes,
Do you guys go to both sections of the store?
Yeah, but a few days was my first time actually. I went to both sections of the store, but I was happy with both.

Is there uncomfortableness that bothers you when you look around?
Do you guys act awkward in the store?
Some-what, because people are looking at you like you're crazy or something. Like, i went to Rue 21 the day before yesterday and it was quite awkward. Though, I didn't show it because I was happy looking at guy clothes.

For some you guys who already fully transition, already dressed as your gender, or maybe some of you guys dress for incognito or casual no questions asked?
Indecisive......

Are there some things you guys don't go to try out at the dressing room? (For me it would be dresses, lingerie, and maybe skirts.)
Um...guy jeans. I mean, I'm completely scared about the size and everything. I'm scared that the jeans might fall off or something xD I don't even try on guy clothes before I buy them because I'm quite lazy.

When people do ask, do you cover yourself with the "boyfriend/girlfriend" schick or just explain it properly.
No one asks me, they just go on their way. People do give me looks though, and it gets really awkward. I try not to pay attention to them though, because I want to wear what I want to wear.

I've been researching others take on wearing cis and unisex clothes in public so do you guys wear your clothes in public as well or just keep it in the collection for home use?
Depends actually. I mean, sometimes I'm scared to. I end up wearing them though, and I feel quite happy in the end. Some things I might have to keep at home, because they might not fit me properly.

Are you guys still confused on sizes? (I sort of do, especially finding the small boob size. Sometimes when I don't try stuff out, I rely on size.)
Um, a lot. If I'm trying to find shirts or something, it's really hard to find clothes that will fit me. I'm very petite for my age, so wearing the opposite sex's clothes wouldn't be a positive sometimes. But most days I don't care how baggy they are on me, I really like wearing the shirts.

Clerk say anything? (My assumption is that the clerk isn't allowed to ask questions about the purchase)
No but they do give me these weird looks, but I'm perfectly okay with it. As long as they don't stop me from what I like, I'm okay with the awkwardness.

Do you guys take a long time to look around?
Yeah, quite a lot of time. There are so many cool things in the opposite sex's section!! The shoes, the shirts, the pants, everything! So if I find something I like, I might find something else in like 5 minutes after. Plus, i have to look at all the prices and sizes.. D: The thing I hate about that is when you can't fit the right shoe's size! I hate my extremely small feet.​