Crossdressing help

[Little Bird]

Well, kinda.

I'm male but want my appearance to become more androgynous to better match how I feel about myself. Passing as a woman is not my goal, but I also don't want to be seen as a man in drag or as failing to pass as female.

I have almost no knowledge at all about fashion, hair, makeup, or such things, and I think looking into crossdressing is the best way to learn more to change my appearance to something I like more.

1,80m is quite tall, but fortunately I have a body that should easily be able to pass as a thin woman with a flat chest. My greatest problem is "I don't like girly fashion". Makeup, frills, and jewelry are not for me, and those would be the easiest things to murk the gender-categories. But from seeing what some transsexuals have done to blend in in daily life, those who used the least amount of these overly female things seem to pass by far the best. More makeup and flamboyant dresses only seem to draw attention to details that stand out, while plain outfits make you more homely which makes the whole "illusion" work far better. So I think there's some real hope for me.
I think as a woman in my situation, this would all be no deal and they could grab some mens shirts and get a short haircut, and nobody would think twice about a woman in mens clothes. But for a men in womens clothes, it's an entirely different story.

So, can anyone of you ladies, gentlemen, and other good people help me to start finding information on how to get a male appear more feminine?

 

[Stella_Omega]

Heh, I come to this same dilemma from the other direction. But there have been several fashion eras where men dressed like dandies-- the swinging sixties, the glam rockers in the seventies, the neo-romantics of the early eighties...

I think one of the easiest things... very subtle but very definite-- is women's "manstyle" button down shirts. The difference is that the buttons are on the left side and the holes are on the right, while men's shirt buttons are on the right and the holes are on the left. The mnemonic is "men are left-overs"

Most of my shirts button left over right, and it makes a difference to me. I have some women's shirts-- not as comfortable in them, even though they are cut exactly the same way otherwise

I like to ask myself "WWOWW?" "What Would Oscar Wilde Wear?" and dress accordingly.

Oscar advised me, for instance, to pick out a paisley umbrella: kinda like this one
http://www.davrain.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/small_image/206x206/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/u/c/uc-ps503-2.jpg

 

[blade_rocknut]

You'll find cd advice on the net that runs the gamut; but you're right......not trying to be over the top is by far the way to go. Dress your age with moderately pretty clothes and conservative makeup. I do it for fun, it's not my lifestyle. Sometimes I've tried the sexier stuff, but the pics I've recieved so much positive feedback ( from Lit women) on are those in women's jeans or skirts & dresses that would be acceptable ( for women) in the workplace or a family restaurant. I will admit though; I'm a sucker for high heels....but hey; I'm married to a lovely lady who's 5'9 or a tad more and wears 4 - 5" heels most every day. I'm not much taller, and besides....the steeper shoe ( and round or open toes! No pointies!) disguise the larger feet somewhat.