Glamour Girl

Over the last year or so I have been privileged to have had three different photo shoots ~ one of them was a "prize" I had the shoot for free, but had to pay for the photos ~ so not exactly a total bargain, but out of that I got some good pictures, including a couple of head shots that I use for both the bands I conduct, the Croydon Brass Band and the Allegra Concert Band .

I am so proud to have written that last sentence, I start as permanent Director of Music with Allegra tomorrow! I did a lot of work with them over the Summer, and was appointed last month, but due to other commitments tomorrow will be the first rehearsal I can attend since then. I am really looking forward to working with them for many years.

But to get back to my theme ~ The other two photo shoots were both paid for leading to specific exhibitions, both of them outdoors exhibitions! The first was for International Women's Day I was selected as one of the Women changing the face of Croydon, I had a very enjoyable time chatting and having my photos taken, then for the month of March we had our photos pasted up on hoardings opposite the Town Hall.

I was a little surprised just how many people noticed it, and then contacted me to comment ~ all positive ~ on my photo and the exhibition. A few of my friends were featured as well, it's things like this that make Croydon a rather wonderful place to live.

Later in the year the people who run the Croydon Town center found they had a couple of empty shop fronts and wanted to cheer up the area. They also wanted to promote a positive image of Croydon ~ all too often it is portrayed as a depressed, oppressed violent place, not the vibrant, multi cultural, community it really is. The idea was to feature photos of Croydon Heroes. Once again I was asked if I would be one!

So along side artists, entrepreneurs, teachers, and local celebrities, there's a poster size photo of yours truly!

This is easily the most vain post I have ever put up, but it is only partly an excuse to show off my photos, it is also my chance to observe that I always used to be a bit uncomfortable having my photo taken. In consequence I looked a bit wooden and characterless ~ that has all changed, each of these three session I really enjoyed, I was relaxed and comfortable, and I think it shows. The big change is of course that I am now being authentically me, I think  my comfort with having my photo taken is a reflection of my comfort being me!

Mini Skirts and High Heel Boots ~ revisited

I love these boots and have been wearing them a lot

I see that it is now exactly three years ago that I made one of my more popular posts, on my observations of Mini Skirts and High Heel Boots,   Even now it often comes near the top of viewed posts each month, mind you I think that says more about peoples Google searches than my astute fashion observations.

I can't help reflecting that back then I was mostly observing fashions rather than wearing them.   At that time it was pretty difficult for me to go out much, or indeed at all, I was limited to snatched opportunities when I would not be seen by anyone who might know me, and when family were not around.   Now that I have very few limitations beyond what is practical I find that I am now wearing what I used to enjoy looking at.

I love these boots and have been wearing them a lot

This winter I have found that I am enjoying wearing boots, and have been wearing them a lot, very often with opaque tights and mini skirts.  Often skirts that  I might be reluctant to wear with bare legs or sheer tights, somehow I would feel a little naked, yet with thick tights I feel much more covered.  

I have also got a couple of pairs of skinny jeans and some jeggings which all also look great with boots.   I now have three pairs of high boots, one pair of over the knee flat heeled black "Pirate" boots, one pair of mid heel grey slouch boots and one very nice pair of stiletto boots (which don't get worn out as much as the other two pairs).   I like the look of the combination of the boots with one of my shorter skirts (denim or tweed) and thick tights and with a nice sweater it can also be surprisingly snug and warm.

I like these boots,
but don't wear them so much

Of course there is always the inappropriate black leather mini skirt, not suitable for Tesco's but with a silk top and some sparklies will do for a little bit of glamour.   At least the fish aren't complaining!

I find that now I have a great number of pairs of boots, of all types, as well as these three pairs of higher boots I have one other pair of black leather knee boots that are absolutely lovely, but just a little to small, somehow I can't bring myself to part with them but neither can i get round to doing anything about stretching them.   I also have five pairs of ankle boots, one pair of walking boots, one pair of High Tops two pairs of work boots, and for some reason three pairs of wellington boots.

Because they were not made for walking

A good day II

After getting my hair cut I popped home to sort out a few things before going up to town.   I drove to the station and caught the train, not so long ago this would have, indeed did terrify me, now I take it in my stride and just enjoy the ride.   I arrived with plenty of time so first off I visited a bank and paid in some cheques before having lunch.   I enjoyed a nice pasta dish with a glass of wine and followed it up with a coffee, I was very tempted by some rather lovely sounding desserts, but resisted.   As the RA were expecting this to be a busy exhibition it was timed entry, and my time was 2:00 p.m. so I finished my lunch and made my way back down Piccadilly to Burlington House.

I will admit that I was little disappointed in the exhibition itself, for my taste they relied a little too heavily on etchings and did not make their argument about the development of British Landscape Painting very clearly.   On the other hand there were some very fine paintings on display, and everything was from the RA's own collection.   I have been in the habit of going to exhibitions for a few years now, and have built up a special affection for the RA and this is the first exhibition I have been to where I have felt at all disappointed, so overall I don't think I can complain.

After the exhibition I wandered up Regents Street window shopping, but saw nothing that grabbed my attention so I made my way home and got back with plenty of time before my rehearsal.

Meg has been writing recently about the euphoria of dressing and wondering if she will ever lose that.   I have found that the fear has gone, and with that maybe some of the excitement.   Now I find that I am enjoying a comfortable experience, yes there is a certain euphoria, but not over riding, there is still a joy, but what highlights this even more to me is the down when I get changed back into drab, it always makes me sad, I just want the girl time to continue.

Meanwhile in other news

• I have a support group meeting tomorow night that I want to attend, I have had a couple of e-mails from other members and it sounds like there are quite a few decisions that will have to be made.
• I still can't manage to get photos uploaded onto Blogger.
• I have been asked to play in a concert ~ as Paula ~ first rehearsal on Sunday evening.
• I am wearing trousers, leggings and low or flat heels partly so I don't have to shave for a while, and partly to test whether the attraction is the dress or the femininity ~ i.e. do I still enjoy my femininity when I am expressing it with jeans and a sweater or is it that high heels and a short skirt turm me on?.
• I have made a fresh appointment with Relate for us, I hope that things will continue to improve, but worry that I am over commited to too many things outside the family.

A tight spot

I mentioned that I was "up in town" on Sunday, I always enjoy my ventures into London as much as anything as I get a chance to see some well dressed ladies.   By the nature of my work and the places where I go I don't get to see many women who will take care to be well groomed and have at least a nod towards fashion (apart from my daughters teenage friends that is).    I am very pleased to see that the fashion for opaque tights and miniskirts or skinny jeans with boots is still very much on trend, I also rather like the similar look of dark tights / leggings boots and a colourful flowing tunic top.   I suspect that I am personally far to old and bulky to carry off this look, but I can still enjoy looking.

There is no getting away from the fact that black tights are very much "in" whether it is a sheer "dress" look with heels, a casual look with opaques and boots or something in between, I have to say they can be very sexy.   Driving to work this morning I saw a lovely looking girl with riding boots, black animal patterned black tights and a black mini teamed with an on trend short military style overcoat and I was just overcome with how good she looked.

In a way I sit on both sides of the fence and this is one fashion I love to see and love to wear, so I'm a winner all round.

On the other hand this could just be an excuse to put up some nice photos I found browsing the old internet.

Not the leather mini skirt

Well today the band played at a craft fair, lots of people there, but to be honest not many of them were particularly interested in listening to the band.   In some ways that may be just as well as it was not one of our finner moments, there were at least two cornet players I was expecting to turn up who didn't so we were a bit short on the top, however we managed a decent job and entertained those who did stop and listen.   In many ways what the organisers want from us is a bit of tradition, and some familiar tunes, we could certainly manage that.   I have heard it said that "Conducting a Brass Band is the most fun you can have with your trousers on", I have considered what it would be like without trousers, but with a dress, however I'm not sure they are ready for that, and I don't think the conductor should attract all the attention away from the band!

This is now the third year I have been conducting the band and I am still finding it the most musically challenging thing I have done.   While playing for various bands and orchestras have stretched me technically this is the role that stretches my musicianship most.   It may well be one commitment too many and I often find the organisation arduous, but musically it can be great.

Not appropriate

Anyway what I was going to write about was our upcoming support group meeting.   We meet (at least in theory)  the second Saturday of every month, for one reason or another we cannot meet at the Pub we usually go to, so it has been arranged that we will meet in a different pub, close by.   I am a little nervous about going there too glammed up as I don't know what it will be like on a Saturday night.   Usually I like to go to these meetings rather overdressed on the basis that I can, but this time I think I shall tone it down a bit so (as in the title) not the leather mini skirt.   This still leaves me with a decision to make regarding what to wear, maybe jeans and a nice top, or a tunic and legging but in either of these cases I don't know what shoes to wear.   If I go for a dress then I am getting close to that overdressing and drawing attention to myself, area.   On the other hand I could wear some nice slacks, a top and a casual jacket.  



One possibility

Do other girls go through these agonies before going out?   It doesn't help that I can't get out all the alternatives and just go through them, rather I have to plan what I want, get those items out of the case and then take them to where ever I get changed.

Another Possibility

Still I do have a few days to make up my mind.



Or then again.......

Back to Friday

As I said I have been away all weekend, so the last few posts were prepared in advance and put up automatically while I was in or on my way to Cardiff.   Of course in the mean time things have been happening that have not made it into blogland.   So just like my hero the Doctor I am going to go back to Friday........(wibbly wobbly lines across the screen as we go into flashback)

My afternoon appointment 'phoned to cancel, I was very sorry to hear that this really sweet lady was ill, but it did give me a chance to get out and make a couple of visits I have been planing.   Basically this meant a trip into Streatham.   As the two visits I wanted to make in Streatham were one to my wig supplier and the other to the new trans friendly Boutique that has opened, I thought I would go dressed.   With a nod to the colder weather we are currently enjoying I decided on leggings, a nice mauve hooped tunic and some ankle boots.

My visit to Mary at Fosters soon sorted out my little technical issue with my hair, she then escorted me to her friends new boutique almost next door - what a joy.

This new shop is still having a few teething problems but has a great range of clothes, some nice jewelry and the odd glamorous bit of furniture - mirrors, bedside tables, coffins that sort of thing.

This is also the first retail outlet for Tanya Dawn Hughes the famous, or infamous trans blogger.   I was really pleased that there was nothing of a tacky sexual nature there, certainly some of the stuff was a bit theatrical, but no "naughty knickers", appliances or anything of that sort, so I am quite happy to say pop along have a look and maybe pic up something a bit glamorous.

Double Denim

I did say that I wanted to emulate the look of Kate Moss the other day, http://paula-paulasplace.blogspot.com/2011/10/tis-season-to-be.html Well I didn't quite have the courage for leggings without something longer to go iver the top of them so opted for skinny jeans, and have used a denim jacket rather than a leather, but as you can see I am rather pleased with the look.    I had a couple of hours clear today so was able to experiment with this look. I am very fond of the black polo neck, and the boots - although I have to say that the boots are not that practical.  

As I was walking around Sidcup High Street and Orpinton High Street this afternoon I did get a bit of attention, but I suspect that that was as much to do with the boots as anything else. Those heels are dramatic and bearing mind my height, well I suppose I have to expect a bit of attention. Over all I think that I came up with a good dramatic look, but apart from the boots and the black top I'm not sure that I have actually followed the look, more that I have come up with my own version, of well, double denim.

Who wears short shorts

I was reading Femulate the other day where Stana was commenting that some of her skirts are perhaps a little too short for street wear.   This reminded me of a conversation I had at my support group meeting the other day, where we were speculating as to whether the taste for very short skirts is restricted to cross dressers, or whether this taste is shared by trans women.   Certainly I see very few GGs my sort of age wearing anything particularly short, and when I do I will admit it does get my attention.   Well this article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/21/celebrities-without-pants_n_1024544.html suggests that at least some celebrities are going for the very short look.

Now I'm not entirely convinced that for ladies like me, who are past a certain age, too much leg is a good look, but I just enjoy those very short skirts, dresses and of course the good old stand by, the "Daisy Dukes"    I have given my daughter a rule of thumb that she should not wear anything where the hemline is higher than fingertip length, i.e. it should be lower on her thigh than where her finger tips reach.   I think this is a good rule, and one day I shall try to stick to it.

Somehow what is worn below the short skirt/shorts/ whatever seems to make a difference, I have a GG friend who likes dresses but hates her legs, so she wears the dress over a pair of jeans, this is a very individual look, and she has made it her own. I think that a dress so short that it's a tunic is fine over leggings, but not over sheer tights, shorts or culottes will not show your underwear so maybe a little more latitude is allowed then.   I also think that the shoe choice makes a difference, I can't get used to the current fashion for ballet pumps, but there is a definite trend for very short skirts, opaque tights and ballet pumps, for street wear, the same outfit with heels would not be appropriate, but I'm not sure why.   It seems very difficult to stay the right side of the line between classy but sexy and slutty.

I think I am coming to the conclusion that it is complicated, and I will just have to show judgement for each individual outfit.

Tis the season to be..

Kate Moss.   I hear a lot against leggings, I have even added my voice to the clammer, but here Kate Moss shows how they should be worn.   Teamed with Christian Laboutin knee boots and BLJ this is a classic casual but dead sexy look, and ideal now that it is getting a bit cooler.

I know I am no Kate Moss, but I feel an emulation coming on, I have a nice denim jacket rather than the leather, and anice pair of boots.......Oh yes, now I just need somewhere to go.

Terrible Fashion

No I don't mean that I find fashion terrible, more that there is a growing fashion in my neck of the woods that I find, well awful, maybe even a wee bit disgusting.   What are the offending items - well primarily leggings.

Not just leggings in general, I think leggings can be quite nice, especially if worn under a flouncy frock or with a nice tunic top, indeed I do have some myself, as you can see on the left, and I rather like the look; a nice way of being casual without resorting to jeans and remaining very feminine.   What I am objecting to is a sight I have seen too often over the last couple of weeks. 

The first time I thought that I had just spotted a girl with a serious wardrobe malfunction, but after the fifth or sixth time I think it might be a trend.   Leggings worn with a top that only reaches to the waist so that the shape of the bottom is clearly visible is a bit tacky, combined with flat or no heel shoes I do not like, but the really nasty bit is when the leggings are so thin that the girls pants are clearly visible through the material.   It just looks as though the girl is wearing tights and has forgotten to put on her skirt.

My daughter assures me that the fault lies with Primark, in their efforts to keep prices lower than ever they are now marketing leggings that are actually thinner and more see through than a lot of tights.   There are situations where I might quite enjoy seeing a girl in her underwear, but not walking down Sidcup High Street at ten in the morning!

Three questions come to mind

1. Do these people have mirrors?
2. What are their parents doing letting them go out dressed like that? (they have all bee teenage girls so far)
3. How cheap and nasty does something have to be before no one will buy it?

So if any of you have these nasty cheap leggings please please get rid of them now, or at very least make sure that your knickers don't show, it's just not nice.