Crossdressing with friends is something that I always look forward to. Especially because most all of them are members of my crossdressing club CHIC. Although the ages of members vary the common interests of crossdressing and wives bridge the age gap. Our August regular club meeting had a small turnout due to vacations and the same applied to the Friday night gathering. There were only three of us crossdressing with friends on Friday night, but it was really special. Natasha & Meridith joined me at one of our regular restaurants. What made it special was that although I have known them for many years we were always in a large group. With so many people participating in the conversation it limits what you really learn about people.
Friday nights crossdressing with friends Natasha and Meridith gave me an opportunity to learn more about them on a personal level. Knowing the restaurant owner pays off because they gave us a great table in the bar area and did not rush us. Besides comparing notes on our crossdressing evolution and other personal experiences growing up were shared. It always fascinates me when you reach the level of trust with crossdresser friends that you feel comfortable sharing your personal life. Sometimes I am very surprised at people’s backgrounds and experiences because I only knew them from crossdressing. That does not give you any indication of who they are the other 29 days of the month.
Crossdressing with friends who present very well in public does not give any clue about their life away from crossdressing. I won’t divulge Natasha’s details but others I have known had very interesting stories. Over the years I have been crossdrerssing with friends who were airline pilots, military officers, surgeons, lawyers, television actors, radio show hosts, policemen, firefighters, scientists, Engineers, construction workers, and teachers just to name a few. What’s remarkable is how similar each of our stories are regardless of where you lived as a child.
This personal interaction with crossdressing friends is what makes belonging to a club so rewarding for myself and the other members. Many of the friendships in CHIC have lasted decades.
Crossdresser rendezvous are still very common with gurlz in various places getting together in both large and small groups. It seems over the years that its more the latter as people’s lives drift apart. Crossdresser clubs sadly are on the decline making it a bit more challenging to meet new friends. This month’s adventure had only 3 of us Friday night and from 3 different states all rendezvousing in Long Beach. Things are much safer now so you can go out in smaller groups without being harassed but you still need to be aware.
A crossdresser rendezvous with a small group works better if you have familiar surroundings. We picked our regular hangouts for both nights on this trip. The neighborhood is a mix of commercial and residential and one of the streets is one way and police cars pass by often.
Another nice thing about doing a crossdresser Rendezvous for out-of-town gurlz is that the local gurl or gurlz act as the host in most cases. They pick a safe comfortable place for the meeting so everyone can relax.
Our crossdresser club CHIC will be celebrating our 50TH anniversary in 2025 and many members have moved out of state over the years. They continue their membership but don’t attend more than a few meetings each year. Others travel for business or have the means to travel to meetings more regularly, so crossdresser rendezvous are more frequent.
There are larger crossdresser rendezvous typically held at conventions like DIVA LAS VEGAS held in October in Las Vegas. It’s a great place to establish contacts with others who crossdress but there are all kinds of other folks attending too. Many attendees have been coming for over 10 years and look forward to seeing old friends.
Unfortunately, there are only a few large crossdresser gatherings each year today. In the early to mid 90’s there were several to choose from each month. San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, Harrisburg, Las Vegas and New York just to mention a few. Now I think it’s just Boston, Harrisburg and Las Vegas remaining.
DIVA I believe is the largest of the conventions still going and is a less structured event held in October just before Halloween this year. To meet others, you need to sign up for as many events as possible because they are scattered around town. Some might be happening at the same time so choose carefully.
The event is reasonably priced and it’s a good way to venture out for beginners. Especially with their BIG SISTER program designed for beginner’s or just timid folks.
Young crossdressers can and should learn from those who came before them. I found a movie on Amazon about a series of letters written in the 1950’s and 1960’s between Female Impersonators.
They also called themselves Feminine Mimic’s long before the term Drag Queen existed. young crossdressers might get in trouble for using that term today.
Actually, some of the performers that were interviewed don’t care to be labeled as Drag Queens. They note the difference between their efforts to be as beautiful and feminine as possible. If not passable at least being as glamorous a look as they could put together.
They were imitating or mimicking females whereas today Drag Queens are more flamboyant with entertainment being the goal of both. All of them had a sense of humor when it came to selecting their names. Young crossdressers might be able to appreciate the difference in styles.
It is not the label differences that I think young crossdressers will benefit from but what any guy in a dress went through on those days. The movie is based on a box of letters discovered in 2014 in a garage between friends from New York to one in Hollywood. They are dead serious when they say please burn the letter after reading because the content could be very damaging. Big problems were possible for people thought to be Gay in that era and a guy in a dress would qualify as Gay no matter what he said. There is even a statement by one person interviewed where he was told not to turn around with his back to the bar. If the New York police came into the bar and saw, you are facing the room they would arrest you for solicitation of prostitution. Something we do freely today like going out in public dressed as a woman for dinner, drinks, or shopping today. In those days you risked your future even if you were on your way to a party in a private home. That was pre–Stonewall Riot days so you can see why they got fed up.
Besides fighting for the freedoms, we all enjoy today those gals had to be clever because there was no internet or crossdresser boutiques back then. They had to innovate big time to achieve feminine look. Ever hear of birdseed in a baggy for breast forms? It works but back in those day there was no such thing as a baggy, they weren’t invented yet! An old stocking would have to do. Hip pads used wadding from the sewing section of the department store.
They did an amazing job.
Old and young crossdressers will enjoy the movie.
Click on the picture above for a link to Amazon Prime.
Crossdressers interact with civilians from time to time and some more than others. If you go out in public crossdressed like I do meeting civilians is a certainty. You may not have a conversation experiencing only eye contact, but you need to think about how to handle it. Long ago I took the look them in the eye and smile approach which has always served me well. Last Friday night was no exception, but the outcome surprised me just the same. Seven of us crossdressers interact with civilians who were in town for the monthly Saturday night CHIC meeting so we headed over to a favorite restaurant for dinner. Like our other venues it is a mainstream upscale restaurant where we are definitely in the minority. That said, we are well known by the owner and staff which sends a signal to the other patrons that we are accepted. COOL!
BFF Ashley, my guest Sherri and I arrived via UBER greeting Mario the owner out front when we arrived. After we hugged, I introduced him to Sherri who had never been there before. Then we joined the others who were at the bar but opted to go to the table early due to lack of bar seating available.
I followed the hostess to our table taking a seat at the end looking out the window to the courtyard. There was a 50ish couple seated at the window in my field of vision so eye contact with the woman was inevitable. It was time for crossdressers interact with civilians. I smiled at her several times, but she was expressionless. It was more like she was observing rather than communicating with her eyes, so I got involved with my group conversation. Her male companion looked over once then looked away with no expression obviously unimpressed. In situations where I don’t have a feel for what the civilian is thinking I end the contact.
Conversing with my gurlz I lost track of time when I was surprised by a gentle touch on my shoulder. The expressionless woman was telling me how she loved my hairstyle and how great a choice it was for me. She told me how the color was perfect, and the cut was flattering for me. I thanked her for her compliments, and she said good night. Even though it started a bit mysterious my crossdressers interact with civilians worked out wonderfully.
The picture above was taken Friday night back at our hotel where Sherri and I went to the patio bar for a nightcap. It was taken by two ladies we met on the patio as we were leaving. That makes two crossdresser interact with civilians in the same night. This encounter was different because although I saw them sit behind us with two other younger women, we had no contact. I was not even aware that the younger ones had left. When we stood up, they spoke to us, and I was so surprised I don’t even remember what they said. They were curious about us and had questions which we did our best to answer. We pretty much covered everything heterosexual married crossdresser, DRAG QUEENS, Gay, Transgender’s Transsexual’s my club CHIC. They are left very well-informed civilians.
Saturday night it was more crossdressers interactions with civilians but nothing like Friday. I received compliments on my new wig debuting on that night but not on a par with the night before.
The wig I am wearing above Saturday night is actually darker in the back than Friday’s. Its deceptive because both of them are very light in the front so they look very similar.
Saturday night was special though on several levels beginning with our group being larger than normal with 20 attendees. We took up the whole west end of the restaurant with a long table. I have intentionally blurred the faces of those who have not given permission to post pictures of them. Seven of the attendees were wives accompanying their crossdresser husbands.
When I sat at the bar before dinner it was next to the same woman, I did a year ago. She naturally remembered me DUH! I stand out but I remember her because she was Asian with an accent and a low voice. Both crossdressers civilian interact with her were challenging because of my hearing and her accent but we did well.
So, in two consecutive nights I had three wonderful crossdressers interact with civilians. It was very rewarding, and I went to bed with a smile on my face that night.
Crossdresser nails are a must have to achieve that fabulous female presentation. They add that extra unmistakable feminine touch which completes your elegant look. For many years I used a process where I glued my nails on with DAP Contact cement featured on my CROSSDRESSER FAKE FINGERNAILS PAGE. It worked well for the most part but there were some drawbacks. Recently I read an article on crossdresser nails written by one of my CHIC Sorority sisters Erica. She shared a process she uses to attach her nails using press on gel tabs that stay on for days. I was intrigued because years ago I used Sally Hansen press on tabs that lasted minutes, so I dumped them.
This old dog might be able to learn a new trick and be well served to give her process a shot. I ordered some and took them with me to Las Vegas last week. I wanted to try them out but brought my contact cement with me just in case.
I put them on Monday night and was really impressed with the holding power of the gel tabs. Not one problem with lifting or loosening throughout the evening. I decided to leave them on all night because we were going shopping the next day and see how many got through the night. In the morning they were all there just as tight as the night before.
So far so good but putting on my shape wear, butt pads, and breast forms would be a real test. No problems at all although putting on make required some adjustments to my routine. I was actually ready ahead of schedule getting ready then went to lunch and shopping. Back at the hotel I changed clothes to go out that evening and my crosssdresser nails were intact. I even was complimented by a gentleman at the bar over my lovely nails.
Vegas crossdressed is always an adventure and this week’s trip was no exception, think crowded! When I first decided to make the trip, Easter did not enter my mind, but I wish it had. Everyplace was crowded even during the high wind warnings on Monday. Going outside in Vegas crossdressed had an additional challenge this week, WIND. After spending some time Monday night doing my hair getting my newest wig just right. The wind restyled it for me which I call hair by hurricane. Our plan was to take UBER from the Cromwell Hotel Valet which is sheltered from the wind to the lower level of the Forum Shops also sheltered. UBER moved their drop off point and refused to go down below so we had to walk out in the open. Fortunately, I was able to get my hair almost back to the way I had it before we made our grand appearance at The Palm Restaurant. We had a great dinner with a booth on the side about the middle of the restaurant facing everyone.
Being in Vegas crossdressed is pretty well accepted and even though we are overdressed people seem to be fine with it. Tuesday, we went to the mall for some shopping but found very little of interest. We rendezvoused at the Bound Bar in the back of the Cromwell Hotel for a drink before dinner. We met a nice young couple from Birmingham England who came to Vegas to get married earlier in the week. The wife gave us tons of compliments on our looks and had no clue when my BFF Ashley showed up that was a CD.
They bought our drinks and we chatted for a while before heading off the Del Frisco’s for dinner. I love Del Frisco’s but was disappointed with our table which was in sort of a overflow dinning room. The atmosphere is better in the main dinning room across from the bar which has a better vibe. The food was still great and our servers exceptional even remembering us from a previous visit.
Wednesday night our Vegas crossdressed adventure broke in a new restaurant off the strip called Piero’s Italian Cuisine. Its where some of the movie Casino with Sharon Stone and Robert Din Ero was filmed. The Cosmo’s are lethal and the food fantastic with very generous portions in addition to a very good server JR. He took very good care of us throughout the evening.
After dinner the two lovely hostesses were kind enough to take a bunch of pictures of me as we left.
Crossdressing isolation is common in most of our stories, but the pandemic has exacerbated the problem. For us more seasoned crossdressers isolation it was especially hard having known it growing up. Then finally letting the genie out of the bottle later in life. Now with the pandemic we were being thrust back into the bottle again. Crossdressing isolation for younger people was possibly worse because they did not know what to expect. They were being shoved into the bottle for the first time.
Besides the not crossdressing there was the lack of socializing in general because of the shutdowns. losing human interaction impact is still being calculated especially with the younger less mature kids. Social gatherings were difficult if not impossible even with family members.
Crossdressing isolation was less of a problem for my sorority sisters in CHIC who are a crafty bunch. We only missed two club meetings the entire pandemic because restaurants in Long beach reopened with the same restrictions everyone else had. They would not do groups larger than 6 people and had outside seating only. So, three of us made reservations for 6 people each at the same time with no problems until we showed up. The manager figured out that something must be up when 12 crossdressers and 6 wives show up at the same time. Not to mention that they instantly became friends chatting their heads off. Tonya asked if we could be seated together but he refused saying that would be an illegal group. Even though there were about 20 other diners on the patio seated at tables of four we did not push it.
CHIC had to cancel our Christmas Party like everyone else that year, but member Tonya was determined to pass out the gifts she bought for everyone. She was wearing a long coat most of the evening until she started playing Santa Baby on a recorder. She then dropped the coat to reveal her Santa Clause dress and put on her hat.
Santa Baby
That broke the ice with the civilian customers seated on the patio with us. From then on it was 3 crossdresser groups combined with 20 civilians for a total party. Crossdressing isolation was a bit more manageable after that night and we were fortunate to have so many restaurants in Long Beach with outside dining.
Unfortunately, crossdressing isolation never improves for those who never go out. They settle for dressing alone in the basement. Some are lucky enough to dress in a hotel room when traveling on business but it’s still a lonely existence. Some are married and have never told their wives out of fear she will leave while others have a DADT (Don’t ask don’t tell) arrangement. Still others have an agreement with the wife to lie to her about the CD’s outings. I read a post on Kandi’s Land blog yesterday were lying and DADT were being discussed. It reminded me how lucky I am. My wife has known since we met and has been on many trips with me to conventions and weekend trips with other couples.
Thinking about the subject prompted me to add some content to my CROSSDRESSER HUSBAND page. I thought it might be helpful for wives to know that crossdressers have many interests other than girly stuff. Crossdressing isolation is only a part of them and there is much more going on that is more mainstream. The wife who reads that page is going to have to believe me. I knew all of the people whose occupations and sports that I reference on the page. I have found it truly fascinating over the years that so many of these guys have done and do such cool stuff. The fun thing is nobody who knows them would ever guess they wore dresses. After seeing them in civilian clothes and then dressed as a woman I know I know more crossdressers than I am aware of. I would never have suspected any of these guys crossdressed. I’m betting the same goes for all of us especially the wives. They may have known one at work or school and had no clue.
I hope possibly if a wife reads my page, she will gain something from it that helps in some way. Hopefully his crossdressing isolation will be remedied by her newfound information.
Crossdresser friends are rare but a treasured part of my crossdressing over the years. I have made some special friends that have helped me with my presentation along with my confidence. That has been very rewarding experience and I have benefited greatly from it. I feel an obligation to give something back by passing along some things I have learned or discovered to improve my look. The picture below was taken outside one of my favorite restaurants in the Naples section of Long Beach. I have had the jacket for a year or so but did not wear it out until after I had it tailored. It really makes a big difference when it fits better which, I obsess about. Inexpensive clothes can look much better when tailored to compliment your female shape.
This last weekend was very enjoyable as I got to see a long-time crossdresser friends Susie. I have not seen for a couple of years because she moved from the area out of state so it’s a trek now to dress in Long Beach.
Susie pictured below opted for a more casual look with denim pants and a casual biker style jacket.
Also joining us was crossdresser friends Sherri who was visiting for the weekend and came to the CHIC meeting as my guest. She has very limited experience going out in public, so we planned a fun weekend for her. Friday night she joined Susie and me with two other CHIC member crossdresser friends for a private room dinner at a favorite spot. After her initial exposure Friday night, it was off to Spaghettini Saturday night. It’s a very popular mainstream restaurant in Orange County. It was a very crowded and Sherri did great strolling confidently into the bar while we waited for our room to be ready. There were sixteen of us crossdresser friends, so we had to have a private room called the Board Room.
Crossdresser presentation varies depending on the event you are going to or the restaurant you are dining at. The pictures of me both above and below are very dressy compared many of my other crossdressing friends dining that night. Both the crossdressers in our group as well as many genetic women patrons were also dressed nicely. That sai
d the majority were dressed more like Susie pictured above.
I always over dress because blending in is not my goal and I dress to please myself not others. If I like the way I look it makes me feel good and is worth the effort. The jacket I am wearing was a great find and fit like it was tailored right off the rack. Lucky Me!
Pictured behind me on the right is the private dining room that we had at Spaghettini Saturday night.
Crossdresser group outings are always fun not only because you are with your sorority sisters but because sometimes your group is well received by the other restaurant patrons. Saturday night the ladies of CHIC went to a place I have been before but left after dinner not going into the bar afterward. This meeting the bar was almost empty after dinner, so we decided to have some drinks. This night’s restaurant I am very familiar with having been both there and their other location. In the past I would not have recommended going there because their clientele I thought would not be open to us gurlz. That has all changed and they actually look forward to us coming with our group of 18 to 20 ladies. Truth be told I think we are sort of free entertainment, but everyone treats us very well. We always enjoy our outings there. Sports are huge at this place and there are memorabilia from both college and professional sports as you see in the picture below. Makes me feel like such a jock standing there.
Crossdresser group outings are great but the duos are many times more enjoyable than the big group. I think it’s because you are more approachable when there are only two of you. The bigger group is sometimes intimidating for the public. Friday night before the club meeting there were just two of us. My BFF Ashley and I and she took this picture in the hotel lobby before dinner. We went to the same restaurant that we had the CHIC Club Christmas Party in December. We had a great relaxing dinner not rushed in any way by our server. He understood that we don’t see each other that often.
As always, I’m looking forward to our next sorority meeting in a few weeks.
Crossdresser traveling fun especially when you have back to back outings with friends. I keep looking for ways to make the task easier and a little better organized. In a previous post I showed my three different colored bags for eyes, foundation and misc. It worked pretty well but I was always going back and forth between them which wasted time. I started looking for a way to improve my crossdresser traveling fun experience and hopefully reduce the time to get ready by eliminating some moves. After perusing Amazon (where else) I found a bag that looked promising and bought it.
In order to replace my three bags an extra large bag was needed so it holds everything in one place. It eliminated the extra time and steps back and forth retrieving needed items. The left picture is the first level when you open the case with eye shadow in the mesh zippered pockets on top. 3 large pockets just below that then a mesh pocket for large flat items like false eyelashes.
When the zippers below the large flat pocket are opened, they expose the lower portion of the case pictured to the right. I did not use the partition system than came with the case but some plastic boxes instead. That allows me to open them and place on the counter when needed then put back in the case. I am able to do all of my makeup and hair without moving more than one step in either direction which adds to my crossdresser traveling fun.
I am still tweaking how and where everything goes but have reduced my get ready time again by about 45 minutes to an hour.
The small plastic boxes are from Office Depot or Staples and come in many different sizes, but I picked these because they fit well in the case. They fit better when the lids are placed in different directions, so they offset and seat better in the case. It makes mu crossdresser traveling fun by having things close by which shortens my getting ready time.
