ticed a trend toward a more-well, feminine style nowadays. I think a lot of it was due to my influence, for I sold several designs, not for a lot of money, but much satisfaction.

Then one night Clair made the suggestion that I try my hand at women's clothing. Well, I wasn't too keen on it, for that's very com- petitive and I didn't have that much ability. Nevertheless, Clair per- sisted and I soon came up with a few ideas. She liked them very much, which pleased me, but then she suggested I try wearing them myself! Well! That came as a shock, but she soon persuaded me that I should at least try-

I must admit, that after the first strangeness, I got very used to it all. At first, I was wearing some of Clair's things, but within a week or so, she had bought a large wardrobe for me, as well as the things I was making. Somehow, it seems stranger now, looking back at it than it did then. But Clair was so enthusiastic about it all that I wasn't really very nervous the first time I met anyone-afterward. And it was all so natural! I mean, I felt perfectly at ease, and within a month, I was wearing skirts all the time. There's a very strange feeling to it not only the feel of the fabric, but the way the clothes fit-they fit differ- ently than a man's clothing. Somehow they make you very conscious of your body and the way it moves. One responds to this. But you probably wouldn't understand.

There isn't a great deal more to that-oh, I could write volumes about it-about the feeling of liberation, the exhilaration, the satisfac- tion when you can create something with your entire being, etc. Within six months, I was sure I could go on like this forever!

I'd had my hair done several times and it was almost at shoulder length. Clair had suggested a few things I might try-some of them seemed a bit extreme, but in the end, I agreed. I had been wearing femi- nine clothing for about a year when Clair decided to have a public ex- hibit of her Victorian ideas and I was pleased with the challenge of designing appropriate costumes to go with her decor. It was more than satisfying to see the national publicity her ideas got-and mine for the costumes were designed with public acceptance in mind. Even more satisfying was the thrill of doing my own modeling-I was most flat- tered I assure you . . .

I found myself in some demand as a designer after that, and the last six months have been very hectic with getting my own business

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