Corsetry and Victorian-esque styles stuck out to me right away as something that I was interested in as part of my drag experience. These elements appealed both visually – I have long had a love for pretty corsets – and on a practical level, since they could help give shape to my body which is pretty lacking in curves overall.
One of the things I mentally associate with these styles is brocade patterns; the other is anything which involves lacing as part of the structure of the garment. I’m easily wooed by clothing that seems like it would require someone else pulling on strings to get you strapped into it - or me strapped into it. (Look, you’re already reading about me dressing in drag, the fact that I enjoy a little bit of kink in my clothing shouldn’t be a shock!)
This time, the corporation whose advertising algorithms trapped me for a month was Hot Topic. They showed me a dress that instantly tickled my love of lace up, and met the other criteria that are built in when trying to wear a dress as a flat-chested guy: No v-neck, some structure, long enough that I could wear thigh-highs and cover up my hairy legs entirely, etc. It was a piece that really fit a style that I enjoy seeing – and one that I thought could work on me.
This one was one I sat on for a long time, because unlike the previous clothing I had ordered – largely cheap costume pieces or cheap Chinese fashion knock-offs. As this came from a real manufacturer, and actually had some quality to it, it would cost something like 3 times more than any other purchase I had made. It was a transition point for me: Was I willing to pay “real money” for something that was just a playful hobby?
In the end, I think it took about a month of thinking about it before I decided that the answer was “Yes”: this hobby of mine was not just a short-term diversion, and it was okay if I wanted to put some money and time into it. (The fact that this decision happened after I’d already spent significant money on a new camera to take better pictures of myself in dresses is a bit silly, but no one ever claimed that I am entirely rational.)
When the dress arrived, I knew I’d made the right decision. Sure, I still had a long way to go before I’d reach the level of femme look I was going for, but this dress is lovely. It fits me relatively well, though the lacy bits on the straps are not exactly what I’d go for. More importantly for me, it’s a pretty normal piece of clothing – not rainbows, not heavily doused in sequins – that makes me feel pretty.
I had a long way to go to complete a look, but I had taken my first step towards being a gothy femme teen as a 34-year old male: Buy a dress from Hot Topic.
In the past 6 months, where I’ve shared images of myself in this dress with a number of people, I’ve always gotten positive comments on it. Whenever I get asked where it’s from, and give the reply, the answer is an immediate “Oh, yeah, that’s totally a Hot Topic look, isn’t it.” The consistency with which most women I interact with immediately recognize the Hot Topic style is a constant source of bemusement to me.