JeffB

23 hours ago, Thighbootguy said:

Winters gone
And done its worst
Time to break out
The short skirts

(which look great with thigh boots )

Was that a haiku?

Once upon a time, I wasn't a fan of wedges, especially platform wedges, but then, a few years ago, I wore a pair as an experiment, liked how they looked, and I've been wearing them ever since as they're fun shoes.

So, was my alter-ego shocking enough for everyone? 

Pumped: Wearing guy attire with heels got seriously boring for me, thus my migration to women's wear. I probably would've stopped heeling altogether if I hadn't.

19 hours ago, Thighbootguy said:

Well done again.  You really have developed a great looking image.

Many thanks. I do as best I can. Meanwhile, because you asked:

Jaunt #365, 4/15/2017: Even though it was partly sunny, it was still pleasant enough for an outing, and perhaps because of the occasionally cloudy skies, I dressed appropriately in more muted colors, sporting an olive green shirt, a black crepe skirt, the Payless "O'Malley" slides in black and a black handbag. While I enjoy showing off my legs, there's something well...elegant in wearing longer, flowing skirts as it puts me more in touch with my feminine side than minis do. As for the O'Malley slides, it had been awhile since I last wore them, in fact, I don't think I wore them at all last year, so it was nice to reacquaint myself with the shoes and rediscover just how much fun it is to wear them, not to mention how stylish and comfortable they are to wear. Since my opinion on slides has changed drastically (I currently have eleven pairs), I now appreciate these shoes which I once despised for being impractical, now I see how stylish they are.

Because I haven't been to Parx Casino in awhile, I thought I'd head out there for a little fun. Arriving shortly before noon, I decided to have lunch first before hitting the gaming floor where I would spend some two hours, interspersed with visits to the bar to watch NBA playoff action on the large flatscreen TV's. As for winning money, meh, there wasn't much of that as I only managed to win little over sixty bucks, nothing to write home about to be sure, still, I go there to have fun, nothing more, nothing less. Once again, a casino is a great place to visit as you can wear just about anything you want and go ignored while patrons are engrossed in slot machines, craps or poker. Leaving Parx, I drove into downtown to chill out at Rittenhouse Square Park where I would spend another couple of hours strolling the area and relaxing on a bench while throngs of people came and went. All in all, a good day for a jaunt while I have a few extra dollars for grocery shopping. More to come....

On 4/11/2017 at 8:13 AM, Henri1942 said:

On the other hand it might give us an idea of what Jeff use to look like if he posted a picture of himself in his regular work attire.  LOL

HA! Don't give me ideas! 

TBG: Earrings? Nahhhhh! That's never crossed my mind. At least not at the present time.

Mr. X: Thanks for the kind words. I did.

Jaunt #364, 4/9/2017: After a somewhat chilly Saturday, spring was in full force a day later with sunshine, blue skies and temps that flirted with 70, picture perfect conditions for an outing which I indulged in, garbed in a black crinkle blouse, a white and black print crepe skirt, the Payless "Tawny" wedge slides and a black handbag. While I could've gone casual, I wanted to dress up, I don't mind admitting I really feel good when I'm wearing a nice outfit, and the slides are a treat to wear as it's become quite natural to wear such shoes which I once hated for being impractical. And, once again, I take pride in saying I look better in women's clothes than I do in men's, skirts and heels flatter me in ways I never would've imagined possible, and I put a tremendous amount of time and effort into making damn sure I look my very best, especially when I venture out in public where I'm seen and silently evaluated by the entire world.

I ventured into center city, parking some two blocks away from Rittenhouse Square Park. Because it was Sunday and the weather was delightful, the streets were jammed with people enjoying the day. Since it was close to noon, I strolled down to One Liberty Square where I had lunch, a corned beef special and a bottle of water from Bain's Deli, while the food court was packed, no one took stock of me while I ate, after I finished, I left the building and strolled up to the Park which, predictably was packed with people taking in the sunshine and warm breezes. It took a solid ten minutes to find an empty bench, but once I did, I broke out my nook e-reader and spent the next hour and a half in Victorian London with Sherlock Holmes while scores of people came and went without sparing me so much as a glance or a stare. Yeah, I know, seriously old hat. I tell you, regardless of how you're dressed, there's nothing more relaxing than being in a park on a sunny afternoon with a good book,
electronic or hard copy.

I finally packed up and left around three p.m., leaving the park in the same state of blissful anonymity that I was in when I arrived, and I found that to have been utterly refreshing. More to come..

6 hours ago, alphax said:

People losing real local jobs is never good, but just about every pair I bought from Payless turned into goo before its time.  Cheap polyurethane.

Some stores did carry large womens sizes, particularly those in areas with a large black population.  It was particularly noticeable between stores in San Francisco and Oakland.

Edit:  The black population thing is purely my own guess as to why Payless had larger sizes in one location as opposed to the other.

I can verify what you said. I live in the inner city, and Payless stores in predominantly black neighborhoods do indeed have sizes up to 13 while stores in mainly white suburbs barely crack 11, maybe 12.

12 hours ago, Thighbootguy said:

The walls are about to crack as the skies open and doom descends onto the Earth.  TBG just bought a pair of wedge sandals.

They have a 4" heels and a 1 1/2" platform.  They are a size 12 by Cato.

I found them at my favorite thrift store.  I really went to the thrift store just to have someplace to try out my new wig.  The gals at the counter said they really liked it and better then the black one.  When I bought the wig I also bought some black fishnet hose (thanks @CAT for the idea).  When I got home I paired the sandals with the hose and a short denim skirt.

This is going to take some getting used to.

Bravo, TBG! Bravo! Those sandals look terrific! For whatever it's worth, there was an adjustment period for me when it came to wearing sandals of any kind, never mind platform wedges, but I came to love them and can't wait for warmer weather to wear mine. By the by, this is just my opinion, but I think you could've done without the fishnets which I thought took away from the shoes, try your sandals with bare legs (like I do) and see if you like the look.

miroseplant: Thanks for the advice. I'll certainly take it under consideration.

Jaunt #363, 4/8/2017: Spring continues to come and go in spurts, warm one day, chilly the next, and after a dreadful rainstorm on Thursday, it had been a tad nippy on Friday and Saturday as I headed out to the King of Prussia Mall in my denim jacket over a purple t-shirt, a darn denim button down skirt, black tights, the Blondo loafers and a black satchel bag. Wearing the Blondo shoes which I've had since the summer of 2008 was a spur of the moment decision, even after all these years they still fit well and looked nice with the skirt I wore, oh, and their two inch block heels sounded good and loud. It should also be noted that this outing to KOP was my third straight to the largest mall on the east coast in women's clothes, perhaps I've gotten comfortable doing jaunts there, and with each subsequent outing, it sure has become easier, that means a lot.

Having arrived shortly before eleven a.m., I entered the mall which wasn't quite so packed as I strolled through, as usual, no one paid me any attention, I know, surprising ain't it. Following my first stop at the comic book shop, I wandered down to the food court which was packed with diners, usually the line at Chick-fil-A is ridiculously long, but on this day, it wasn't as I bought a chicken salad sandwich and a small cup of lemonade, then retreated to a table to enjoy my lunch while people were all around me, no big deal. From there, I walked to a candy store where I treated myself to some mini gummi bears, now while I was in that store, I had a saleswoman compliment me on my shoes, so, someone DID notice my attire after all. Heh! Part of the fun of being at KOP is just wandering the length and breadth of the mall, and for someone like myself who enjoys walking (thus my mandate for wearing comfortable, low heeled shoes), that in itself is great fun, but I did do some shopping as I swung by the Apple Store to buy a new cover for my iPad Air.

I wound up spending nearly four hours at the mall which got thicker and thicker in terms of shoppers with each passing hour, and, as usual, it was a most enjoyable outing. Perhaps I'll wear skirts to KOP all the time, I mean, it's no big deal really since no one pays me any attention, so, why not? More to come....

These days, I rarely wear anything over four inches, and five inchers are borderline impractical for me as I'm pushing sixty. Because I spend a goodly amount of time on my feet walking and standing during my little outings, comfort is important, to that end, I've gravitated towards lower heights and I'm perfectly fine with that, in fact, I've come to prefer low heels.

Payless isn't alone in having had their legs cut out from under them by the likes of Amazon. Sears, JCPenney and Macy's has also suffered with all three chains in the process of trimming dead wood by closing stores while Sears could go under altogether. Regarding Payless, I won't deny that I've bought the bulk of my shoes online where the selection in women's 13 wide is far larger than in brick and mortar stores with their limited space, in fact, I rarely visit any actual stores anymore, it's just not worth the time because I rarely if ever find anything I like. While it's a sad day when workers lose their jobs, the hard truth is that online shopping is the way to go these days, what's frustrating to me is that I'd love to buy from Amazon or Zappos, but they offer next to nothing in my size, leaving Payless as my main resource for shoes. If Payless were to go to being an online retailer only like The Sharper Image had after closing all their physical stores years ago, I'd be happy with that rather than have the chain disappear.

19 hours ago, Thighbootguy said:

Sounds like a good plan, but with the weather doing what it has been doing of late are you going to be ready for the April blizzards?

Well, the fall and winter stuff is only another closet away in case I need something warmer. Hopefully that won't be the case.

Just thought I'd let everyone know I swapped out my winter tops and heavy skirts yesterday for my spring and summer stuff. Can't wait to rock my tank tops and lighter, airy skirts! 

Cool outfit there, Mr. X! Those sandals certainly look dynamic!

TBG: Nice dress there. red suits you. I think you should wear that color more.

redandwhite: Those boots do indeed look fantastic. I'm sure they'll look great on you.

TBG: Thanks for the advice. Where did you get that dress? It looks good on you! By the by, nothing wrong with flats. I've fully embraced them.

jeremy1986: Thanks for the kind words. I hope I'll be able to live up to your expectations.

SkirtDude: Not to worry, since I stand 6-2, there's no fear of walking on my hem. Heck, it barely reaches my ankles!

Puffer: While it's sad that Payless stores are closing, I do most of my shopping online where the selection is greater. And therein lies the problem.

56 minutes ago, Thighbootguy said:

JeffB;  Looking good.  You do manage to make booties work for you.  You have peeked my curiosity about what you bought at Sears.  I did note in the financial reports last week that Sears is in trouble.  You may have a mall with only one anchor store (and how many people but anchors ).  

Thanks for the kind words. I used to be ambivalent about booties, but I've really come around to liking them. As for the mystery items I bought at Sears yesterday, well, I'll go ahead and spill the beans: they were two maxidresses that were on sale for $19.99. I was curious about how I'd look in them, so I decided to take the plunge. I want to wear more dresses, and these look like they can work. Meanwhile, its clear Sears is in big trouble, there used to be three in the region, now there's only one, and I'm not sure how long that will be around.

Jaunt #362, 4/1/2017: Despite spring having arrived a week and a half ago, it felt more winterlike this day, what with temps barely cracking 50 after a messy rainstorm blew through the day before. So, I dressed for the weather, sporting my black leather jacket over a magenta crewneck sweater, a dark gray denim pencil skirt, black tights, the Payless "Martinez" booties and a black handbag. My first stop of the day was to the main branch of the Post Office to buy a money order to renew my license stickers, there was a good crowd as I entered the building, especially in the area where people went to have passport pictures taken, got some stares from a couple of little kids with their parents while I waited in line, nothing more during the fifteen or so minutes I was there.

Back in the car, I drove over the bridge into South Jersey and to the Moorestown Mall area for lunch at Wendy's where I had a Baconator and a bottle of water, nothing is better than a burger with bacon on it. YUM! From there, it was off to the multiplex at the mall to see Ghost in the Shell which I thought was a good movie. After the film, I went into the mall which had a good crowd, even though Macy's, one of the mall's three anchor stores had closed, I went to Sears where I wandered about in the Misses clothing department before deciding on a couple of items which I've never worn before but am eager to show off on a future outing to see if I can pull it off, something I'm sure will be plenty interesting. My last stop of the day was to Best Buy for a little wandering and a little ogling of gadgets and gizmos before heading to the register with a Blu-Ray copy of Doctor Strange.

Meanwhile, I won't bore anyone with the usual commentary on how no one paid me any attention despite how I was dressed, because no one did. Yes, I know, TBG, be careful what you ask for. Heh! More to come....

On 3/26/2017 at 8:05 AM, Thighbootguy said:

Looking good (as usual).  I really like the crepe skirt. There is an ancient Chinese saying about being careful of what you wish for that I think applies to getting all dressed up and nobody notices, but that is balanced against satisfying a desire for self expression regardless of the result. 

I suspect you are deriving considerable pleasure from your outings and also relieving a pressure to make your statement.  Since this is having no impact on others, other than giving them food for thought, I say go for it, it's good for you and indirectly good for others too.

I will admit to a small measure of dismay when I go out and about in skirts and heels and no one pays me any attention, but since I arrived at the conclusion a long time ago that people are too wrapped up in their own lives and affairs to notice, or care, I've accepted being ignored. Of course, because I go out of my way to blend in with my surroundings and not stick out like a sore thumb, that goes a long way towards my being ignored. At the end of the day, that's okay. Am I making a statement that men can wear women's clothes in public and NOT be seen as some sort of freak? Yeah, I guess I am, and I'm having great fun as well.

Jaunt #361, 3/25/2017: While spring officially arrived five days earlier, there had been a couple of chilly, winterlike days, but that wasn't the case yesterday as temps reached into the low 70's despite partial sunshine, so I headed out on a trip, garbed in a denim jacket over a purple tank top, a black crepe skirt, a black handbag and a new pair of shoes, they being the Payless "Stacia" sandals with 1 1/2 inch wedge heels. I did say in the "Sold On Sandals & Slides" thread that I would concentrate on wearing sandals and slides once spring arrived, so I began the process of keeping that promise as I've come to enjoy wearing such shoes, and these sandals (which I also have in white) were comfortable and easy to wear during the break-in process.

The weather felt nice as I headed to the bank to draw some cash, then went to the main branch of the Post Office to buy a money order to take care of my real estate taxes. From there, it was off to downtown and my friendly neighborhood comic book shop where the guys and I there chatted about the upcoming baseball season and March Madness (the NCAA men's basketball tournament). Next came a stroll down to Barnes & Noble at the Rittenhouse Square area where I enjoyed a light lunch with the newspaper, from there, I walked down to the Apple Store on pedestrian packed street where I bought a new cover for my iPad as the old one had worn out, nary a stare or double take anywhere while I went about my business. My last stop of the day was to Rittenhouse Square Park, predictably crowded to the gills with people enjoying the warm weather, finding a bench, I sat down to enjoy some reading from my trusty nook™ e-reader while scores of people came and went, in fact, the only person who gave me a long look was a homeless man, other than him, nothing, pretty much the usual.

Now that spring is here (though in fits and starts), I can see myself spending lots of time in the park reading, enjoying the warm weather and being seen by one and all in the weeks and months to come, and that's what my outings are all about. More to come....

Let's hear it for TBG, the man in black!

Speaking of anime characters who wear nice heels, I give you Sailor Mars from Sailor Moon with her gorgeous red pumps:

2 hours ago, Thighbootguy said:

I think this is a little more to @JeffB's liking.

I did come across a sandal image of one I wore back in 2011 (which may explain my reticence)

The first picture got a chuckle out of me. Heh! As for the second picture, I'm sure you could find something a good deal more stylish than that.