FRANZISKA OUT AND ABOUT

After a relaxed day out-and-about, I went home to freshen up and to change into an outfit suited for an evening at „Alte Oper“ Frankfurt. I am not a fan of waltzes and polkas, but if you have as few chances to spend an evening out en femme as I do, you cannot be picky about what you get to see and hear. That evening at “Alter Oper,” the “Original Kendlinger's K&K Philharmoniker und Ballett” performed their “Wiener Johann Strauß Konzert-Gala,” (Vienna Johann Strauß Concert-Gala), sort of a potpourri of songs composed by Johann Strauss and some of his like-minded contemporaries. Johann Strauß (II, the son, the younger) was an Austrian composer of the 19 th  century with the byname “Waltz King,” who composed some 500 pieces of music. He should not be confused with Richard Strauß, a German composer of operas of the late 19 th  century, e.g. of “Ariadne on Naxos.” Portrait of the evening Standing cute in my LBD in the lobby of “Alte Oper” Frankfurt Dinner at the same Italian re...

It was early February and pretty cold. That is why I took out my long leather skirt, my burgundy quilted jacket with matching ankle boots, and matching gloves. I love that my wardrobe provides some variability by now to just play and combine. It was late morning that I left home and despite the temperature and because of the sun, I decided to walk to the center of Frankfurt. It is a mere 25 minutes along the river “Main” and I headed straight to “Kleinmarkthalle,” that temple for food lovers in the heart of the city. If you read through my blog, you will find that “Kleinmarkthalle” is Franzi’s the most frequented location in Frankfurt – and for good reasons. Guess what, “Dry January” ended at one point, on January 31, to be precise. This time, I decided to try a different place in “Kleinmarkthalle,” a sort-of Spanish tapas place. What you see in the picture – beside me and my wine 😏  - is a small pan with shrimp, fried in oil. Delicious! After lunch, I visited my favorite wine pla...

This is the first issue of “The way Franzi does it” in a long time. Under this rare category, I address certain crossdressing topics where I think Franzi has a specific approach that may be of interest to others. You can find the previous six “The way Franzi does it” if you select the label “Franzi'sWay.” Precious topics were  Preparing for a short outing My wigs T-Shirt arms The four key elements to passing as a woman – according to Franzi How I create curves Eye lashes   "The way Franzi does it!” (#7) I love handbags. To grab my packed and prepared handbag is the last thing I do, before I step through the door into the world presenting as a woman. Handbags are cute, feminine, and practical. I often wish I had the guts to carry something similar when out in drab. I also love it, if I am able to pull the handbag into the design and style of the outfit. Ideally (but very expensive), one has a matching handbag for every single outfit. Here is a trick that might help to a certain...

Let us move into 2025, a year that – not even half-way through – has already seen 9 outings. This first opportunity presented itself as a half-day outing, hence, after work, just for the evening. The outfit of the evening consisted of burgundy faux leather pants, a silky white shirt, and a black blazer, combined with a comfy black coat. On the subway. Did you notice the (for the most part) matching pants, handbag, and gloves, and the black and burgundy scarf? I love it. A little bit of shopping And dinner at an Italian restaurant. Fortunately, oysters are a popular item in numerous cuisines across the globe. At one point, I am going to a run a series of Franzi oyster shots. What do you notice in this picture? Correct, January has been a dry month for us for several years, and 2025 was no exception. After this visit to a rather classy Italian restaurant, Franzi visited Frankfurt’s “Club Voltaire.” There are several clubs in Germany with that name, but this one is the oldest thereof. Epo...

That evening in 2017, Franzi went to see a ballet performance. And it was a really great performance. Preceding the show, two huge live projections onto the curtain showed the two main protagonists, one male and one female, for around 10 minutes, during their warmup routine. Fascinating. Franzi had picked her favorite LBD and red blazer; incidentally, the very same combination as during her recent visit to the opera in Düsseldorf ( Link ). That dress must be one the oldest items in her cabinet and I remember buying it together with my wife, one for her and one for Franzi, more than 10 years ago. Unfortunately, we have yet to go out together  both  wearing them. Looking at these pictures, I am also reminded of those 8 cm black heels. They were perfect with the outfit, but I remember having difficulties balancing in them  and  people, mostly women, following me with their eyes. Nowadays, I am more of a pro wearing heels  and  more modest in choosing the heigh...

What else can you learn from looking back at your archives? You have aged! Ageing isn’t bad in and by itself, though. I am at peace with my age, fem or male, drag or drab. If there is one thing that crossdressing can do for you, it can make you look significantly younger. Franzi very recently had a conversation with a man at a hotel bar late in the evening and somehow the conversation lead to the question of age. When I told him that I am in my late 50s, his jaw dropped and he didn’t want to believe me. I was looking particularly cute and well made-up that evening, though, despite the fact that I had been out-and-about since 10 am. Portrait of the day. This is the same wig I still often wear today. However, it was before I started to regularly have it professionally groomed and styled. Obviously! Incidentally, I just picked it up at my hairdresser yesterday and it looks fantastic. And I was still a little chubby. But some cute legs, don’t you agree?

What can you learn from looking back at your archives? The key conclusions for me: I have since improved on putting together an outfit. I have since improved on my make-up skills. I have since improved my skills to crossdress (aka emulating a woman’s appearance and behavior). How wonderful! All these three skills need practice. Putting together an outfit and learning how to apply make-up is what cis girls learn when they are in their early teens. And doing it daily, builds these skills quickly. A crossdresser like me, who leaves the house en femme just once a month, however, will take years (if ever) to reach the same level. On the other hand, quite a few cis girls never seem to learn the skills of putting together a proper outfit. Or as my wife puts it: the fashion industry continues to miserably fail on its purpose. Another conclusion is: my photographic skills improved as well. The wig I am wearing in these 2017 pictures is synthetic. I bought it 10 years back in Shanghai for around...