By sha-rewd arrangement of scarves I can imagine myself into any, but any, fabulous and hope- lessly expensive gown I've stum- bled on in any old fashion maga- zine.

Actually it's fun, sometimes to see what you can do in the way of self-persuasion without shopping, using just what is at hand. In some dull hotel or ano- ther on an exceptionally dull evening I heard the call and cheerfully stripped the drapes and curtains from the windows.

First I contrived a sort of bridal veil for my head. . .same as the similarly contrived petti ef- fect. Then, stole-wise, I draped a mass of the marquisette curtains around my neck, brought both sides down, leaving them full over the bosom, then belted the mass in at the waist with the tassled cords. The costume was effective but somewhat immo- dest, to make a gross under- statement, particularly behind where there wasn't nuttin'. But I added more and more marqui- sette until I had a formal skirt, bursting out like round waves from under the cord. The effect was somewhat ghostly...oh let's say ethereal...all in white...but, or and, it was an effect!

It affected the (doubtless) conventioneering gentlemen across the airshaft when I lifted the shade to check on results. I wore no slip, of course, so the lights had to be low. I floated a bit for them to some slow South American music, then pulled the shade down abruptly when first phone-calls, then finally knocks on the door. . . both accompa- nied by slightly drunken avowals of fascination. . .made the scene less than tolerable. Not that I wasn't flattered but like gee whiz and after all.

Thinking I was perhaps too diaphanous I contrived a rather interesting, heavy-swinging for- mal from the velvet drapes. . .in. the same manner. ..while the calls on me dwindled. I let up the shade to try that on them, imag- ining it would be less provocative (remember Scarlett O'Hara tear- ing down her drapes to make a gown to wow Rhett Butler?). Well the velvet was not less pro- vocative. The gentlemen across

the way, in five windows, started their seige again. The Jack Paar show and the resolutely drawn- down shade were quite a relief. But, just shows what you

THOUGHTS ABOUT SHOES

It may be supposed that every crossdresser has a special feeling for shoes. Most of the footwear that I wear was origi- nally intended for a woman. Only one of the several pairs of shoes I wear is man-directed. I haven't had a pair of around-the- house shoes for years that haven't been pure femme.

The reason is that they are lighter, more flexible and more comfortable than those worn by men. But I'm not too hung up on high heels. Those I wear in public are 3/4 of an inch and the dressy ones are never over two inches. Dressing to me is a natural thing and I do not want any of it to be uncomfortable.

Of course, I have a favorite pair, don't you? It is a plain, black slip-over with 1 3/4 walk- ing heels. The only decoration is a bit of pin-tucking on the vamp. I wear such shoes for most of the day. The problem is that I get so used to them that I could forget what kind of shoes they are and get caught wearing them.

For some time I was puz- zled as to why I had a feeling of irritation after wearing them. It finally came to me that the discomfort came not from the wearing of the shoes but from having to take them off. After I realized what the problem was caused by, I reshuffled my emotions so that now when I do have to change to another pair, it is with the realization that my favorites are only taking a recess and tomorrow is ano- ther day. ENID (NV-10-S)

can do, starting with not a thing at all. (Hated to put back up all that window finery that night!)

Lil

WE'RE GETTIN' CLOSE

Male Students Now Wearing

Earrings At Least In One Ear! Bet They Haven't Tried The Long Dangling Ones!

Officials at a high school in Dallas have decided that male students may wear earrings after all.

"It's not just your freaks or your socials," said the prin- cipal, who helped gather 700 signatures that persuaded school officials to allow the boys to adorn their ear lobes.

"It's pretty much every- body. The freaks may have the long, hanging ones with pot leaves, the socials will have the little diamond ones and the rop- ers have little boots." The prin- cipal says that it's just a popular fad that isn't worth fighting over. More than 200 males are now wearing the earrings.

One student said, "The preppy look is in. Girls wear them to look nice and we do, too." In a public opinion poll, it was claimed that 700 of the school's 2400 students approve of the earrings or did not object strongly. It appears that although it started as a way that gays identified each other, it soon changed to mean that if an ear- ring was worn in the right ear, the person was gay, and if worn in the left ear, then they were just hetero. Wonder what it would mean if they wore them in both ears?!?