5 Top Style Tips for Transgender Women
*Contains affiliate links
When you come out as transgender, switching clothing styles and cuts can be a daunting but also exciting experience. Here’s 5 top style tips for transgender women to help at this vital part of your journey.
Body Type
Figuring out your body type is an important first move. Women’s bodies come in many different shapes and sizes, and finding your closest fit will help you on the path to finding clothes to suit you.
From pear to apple, hour-glass to rectangle, bodies can vary in so many ways and how you style them can either accentuate or hide different elements of your shape. Here’s a couple of do’s and don’ts to get you started.
Pear Shape
Do – A-line or flare skirts. They will skim past the hips and not cling at the larger parts of your body.
Don’t – Tight or crop tops. This will make your upper body look even smaller which will accentuate your larger hips.
Triangle Shape
Do – Try a wider leg trouser, or peplum skirts. These will make the lower part of your body look bigger and draw away from your shoulders.
Don’t – Spaghetti straps. These will leave your shoulders completely on show, try and wider strap or short sleeve.
Hourglass Shape
Do – Straight cut trousers and tucked in or belted tops. These will show off your waist and accentuate your curves.
Don’t – High necklines and short skirts. This will make your body look out of proportion.
Apple Shape
Do – Peplum tops, skinny jeans and anything to draw attention to the neck and shoulders.
Don’t – Ruffles and fold around the mid section. Anything that draws attention to your stomach area.
Rectangle Shape
Do – Empire line and wrap dresses. A belt is also essential to pull in the waist a give a curvier shape.
Don’t – Avoid dresses with no shape, you need to accentuate a waist even if it’s just an illusion.
On the whole, transgender women have triangle shaped bodies with broader shoulders and narrow hips. Take this into consideration when choosing your style.
Think About Colours
Thinking about colours when trying to style for transgender women is another important factor. There are a few basics that you can use to manipulate the illusion your style gives to your body.
Light Colours
Light colours are nice, especially in the summer, but they are also very unforgiving. Understandably you don’t want to feel too hot or drowned in layers all the time, but think about the parts of your body you use them with. If you are trying to hide broader shoulders, avoid light tops. If you are set on a light top, grab a cardigan or blouse to throw over your shoulders if you ever feel a little less confident.
Dark Colours
Darker colours can help to hide areas you want disguised. Black, especially in tops is a great way of disguising broader set bodies. Tie it together with a bold or light belt to pull the focus down the body instead of at the shoulder.
Bold Colours
Bold coloured items will draw attention. However you you wear them, they will attract the eye. This can be good if you want to draw attention to your waist, bold and colourful belts, high waisted ruffle or pleated skirts are a great way to take the focus away from your shoulders. You can also try patterned dresses like New Look’s floral piece from Emily Atack which is cute and bold all at once!
Shoes, oh Shoes!
Shoes are a great way to feminise an outfit and a perfect style tip for transgender women. It can be difficult to find shoes in larger sizes, check out A Guide to Buying Shoes for Transgender Women for some great ideas and places to try.
Little heels paired with jeans or maxi dresses, are a really feminine look and with some cute painted toenails, can really help your overall style. Floral and colourful patterned boots and flats are also a great way to add a flash of colour which again will draw the attention down and away from the shoulders. Check out Evans range of wide fit shoes to see if there’s something there you could try. They stock up to a UK10 and are really good quality.
Transwomen generally have longer legs, so pulling the focus here with a mid length skirt or dress and some heeled shoes will give you an elegant and feminine look with ease.
Plunge Necklines
A plunge neckline, especially a V shape, will draw the eye downwards. If tied with a short sleeve it will pull attention away from the shoulders and down the chest and mid section.
You could try bolder colours and different shoulder and sleeve styles to see what suits you best. There are also varying sizes and style of V plunge, from small cuts to wrap dresses and more, so plenty for you to try out and have fun with. New Look have some great pieces out right now which are both practical and affordable as well as being funky and on trend. This Green Peplum Top for example would be a perfect piece as it has the plunge neckline and a peplum trim to accentuate at the hip.
Accessories!
What better way to style up an outfit than with accessories?! From bags to broaches, bangles to earrings, there’s plenty of ways to make your look unique to you.
Long necklaces can help in the same way a V neckline would in that it creates lines which draw the eye down the body. Rings and bangles can also add some femininity to your wrists and hands if these are areas of concern for you. Try out some fabulous earrings like those from KelZo Jewellery, they stock a wide range of handmade jewellery from bold and brave to pride flag pieces and more. They are also open to custom orders if there is something in particular you are looking for and their prices won’t break the bank!
Experiment with your makeup too as this is another great way to draw focus away from areas you need to. Check out 13 Essential Makeup Items For Transgender Women for some great tips on products you can use when you are beginning your journey.
However you choose to style yourself, remember to try and have fun. Hopefully these style tips for transgender women will help you out.
You can shop online if you want to do it privately and always have the opportunity to return it.
Head to the high street using your newfound awareness of what could suit your body shape to find the latest fashion trends and style them around yourself.
Why not hit your local charity shops and get a bunch of preloved items to style your way at a fraction of the cost of high street fashion. Here’s 15 Simple Ways to Rework Preloved and Vintage Clothing which could be a great insight and will also help if you are looking for a more eco friendly and sustainable way to shop and style.
Thank you for reading this post. Why not check out some of my other posts like 5 Things to Help Ahead of Your Transgender GRS Surgery you can also access more info on my Resources Page. If you found it useful, you can buy a coffee or perhaps treat yourself to some KelZo Jewellery to say thanks! Don’t forget to follow on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, and you can also donate to Zoey’s fundraiser.
