WHAT TO WEAR?

25.

There is a tendency among some transvestites to re- gard being dressed in a fabulous evening gown and all the trimmings as the height of feminization. It is true that such an ensemble can be flattering and provocative, and professional female impersonators rely upon it very largely for the effect they seek to create. Allied to stage make-up and stage lighting, the impression can be quite stunning.

But how many women dress formally more than a fe times a year? The impersonator of the average female or the "true" female, would surely plan to wear a shirtwaist dress, a suit, or a pretty skirt and blouse. No sequins, gaudy bows, rustling taffeta or voluminous, hard-to-manage crinolines. It is just as easy to be chic and smart as to be exotic. In other words, to be a true woman and not a largely artificial creation.

I have worn an evening gown with a full-length satin slip beneath and a fur stole over my shoulders, elbow length gloves, fragile high-heel evening slippers etc., and I have derived exquisite pleasure from the regal and graceful.effect I created. It is so easy to glide along in a feminine manner, and such a pleasure to raise one's skirts on getting out of a car, sitting down or walking up steps. But one cannot live in such an outfit--it is for special occasions only. The frocks and skirts and suits of the suburban matron, the housewife and the office girl are the clothes most worn by women. I, seeking to dress as a woman, prefer such outfits. I do believe that professionals would arouse more response from their aud- iences if they were to consider the fact that a real woman is rarely attired in exotic gowns.

At the risk of censure, I would even venture further to suggest that a "true" transvestite is a man who dresses