Clothing and binding?

[Animefan]

I have some questions. How can I style women's clothes to look masculine? How to bind without a binder?

[HannahP]

Hi Animefan!

We have a great guide on this topic, called Trans Summer School: Gender Expression Gear. If you scroll down, you'll see a sections on binders and bras which includes alternatives to binders, and all the way at the bottom of the article is a section on ways you can explore ways of expressing your gender without needing to buy new clothing.

The article doesn't go into specific ideas for how to style clothing to look more masculine, though. A lot of that it going to depend on your own tastes and preferences. Something you might want to do, if you feel comfortable, is to try on some clothes and experiment with proportions. For example, try both high rise and low rise pants, try tucking a shirt in or leaving it untucked or buttoning a shirt or leaving it unbuttoned.

How about you take a look at this article and then we can talk about what suggestions sound feasible and/or interesting to you? If there are particular things you're interested in trying out, we can talk about what your first steps could be.

[Animefan]

Hi Thanks I'll check out that article.

[Andy]

Hope you find some inspiration in it!
And let us know if we can help you with some more brainstorming or specific ideas.

[Animefan]

Hi I read the article. I have some questions. Can you recommend sports bras and where to buy them? I actually own one sports bra but it doesn't hide my chest at all. I have a large chest. Do you have clothing tips? How to layer clothes? Do you have tips about clothes colors?

[Heather]

Hey there, Animefan.

In terms of suggestions for sports bras, this is going to be really individual, but if it's helpful to hear advice from another person with a large chest, when I want something that really straps them in, what I look for in terms of keywords/descriptions is "compression." You also obviously want to avoid any with padding or that are otherwise made to try NOT to make the chest look smaller. That article you read also includes some suggestions and links to places with some brands and places to get them.

What we can't say much about are things like how to layer clothes or colors, because that's personal preference. There's no one way to present as masculine: that can include any and all colors, and any number of ways of dressing. There's no one "masculine" period, in anything, just the myriad of ways that different people who identify with masculinity and want to present that way choose to. My own masc-presenting friends are such a diverse group, I couldn't possibly say one way they dressed, you know? There's just not one way to dress like a man, just like there isn't one way to dress like a woman or a nonbinary person. Style is very personal and typically about more than just gender.

What's probably more helpful is for you to look to the ways you see some masc-presenting folks dressing that also feels/looks like the way you want to, and follow their lead. From there, you can learn over time by experimenting what feels and works best for you. Are there any masc-presenting folks in your own life, neighborhood, or who you see on social media, or in movies or music whose style speaks to you?

[Animefan]

Hi again. Thanks for the advice. I'm going to read the article again. And yeah I understand. Thanks!

[Heather]

By the way, I also found this for you in my travels, and I think it might be offering some of what you're looking for: https://transguysupply.com/blogs/news/f ... nary-folks