FRANZISKA OUT AND ABOUT

Getting ready to go out en femme can take me three hours or more, say, if nothing is prepared, if I have no idea yet what to wear, if I want to do everything right and to the best of my abilities. And I might thoroughly enjoy and celebrate the time of this transformation process, running around in my lingerie, trying on different outfits, listening to girly music, and possibly drinking a glass of “Perlwein.” This time it was different. I had made use of the evening before to select an outfit. And as I was working out of our home that day, I made use of my breaks to prepare everything that could be prepared before: wig brushed, shoes polished, handbag packed, make-up and jewelry taken out, etc. I did mention before – some time ago, I think – that I work with a checklist, which I had developed some years ago already. This checklist delineates the tasks that can be prepared beforehand and those that need to be carried out right before going out. This list has several advantages:  It p...

This is part two of the account of “Franzi, the culinary crossdresser” on her mid-March 2025 day out-and-about. To go with the theme and setting of the cultural event of the evening, I opted for my glittery golden long dress with black pumps. Portrait of the evening True to her calling, Franzi's first stop of the evening was at a restaurant. It happened to be the same Italian restaurant on Opernplatz as in my recent posting "Johann Strauß and Black Truffle,“ and I started out with a refreshing „Aperol Spritz“. And Black Truffle it was again for dinner, because it was so extremely tasty the last time. When I asked the waiter for a wine recommendation to go with it, he said „Madam, the last time you had this dish, I recommended a Soave Classico to you. Did you enjoy that?“ I LOVE IT when people remember me and are obviously happy to see me again. „Re-recognition“ at its best! I would go there again, simply for that. The cultural event at “Alte Oper” Frankfurt that night was “Th...

This day out-and-about happened to be an evening out-and-about only. These occasions are even rarer than full days out-and-about. An evening out-and-about (at a weeknight that is) requires me to be home from work early enough to get prepared, say, at 5 p.m. and to be out the door by 6:30 p.m. This weeknight in mid-February was one of these rare occasions. I had picked my light turquoise color dress with dolman sleeves. Besides the great feel of it, it makes my shoulders look quite small. And it was a good opportunity for my long beige winter coat to make a showing, which I really love. It is warm and heavy and goes (no pun intended) well with my flat brown boots. As you can tell, I took the bus from close to home to save some time. I went to Frankfurt-Süd, the Sachenhausen central station, the second biggest and busiest station in Frankfurt and walked down Schweizer Straße toward the river Main. My first stop was a small bar for a drink, followed by dinner at an Italian restaurant. I h...

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...

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 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...

Regular readers to my blog will know that I have covered several years of Franzi days out-and-about by now; to be precise: 2018 to 2024. I have also recently shared a picture from my very first day out-and-about in 2013. Hence, there are five more years of historic Franzi pictures and stories to be shared – as we go along. The year 2017 has seen 20 outings of Franzi, some of them as short as three to four hours during a weeknight. Let’s take a look at the first three of them, before we move to into 2025. Portrait of the evening A little odd, that red scarf, don’t you think? A somewhat adolescent look, I nowadays think. I still own that necklace, but nowadays find few occasions to wear it. Why is that? It looks like I am carrying a briefcase. What was I thinking? Or was I coming home from the office? Stay tuned for my next posting to find the answer to these three questions.

After that lovely afternoon out on the town, followed a lovely evening out. Franzi went to “Alte Oper” again, of which all of my regular readers have heard numerous times. It is more of a concert and musical venue, whereas operas are being performed that the Frankfurt Opera house. That evening in mid-October, Joja Wendt, a German pianist and composer performed his current solo program. Throughout his career, he has played with several great international musicians. He is also known for his Boogie-Woogie. It was a really fun performance, as he is not only a great piano player but also a great story teller. Franziska wore black pants and a red blouse. The wide pants consist of several layers, are quite heavy, and are lined in satin. Wearing some fine nylons underneath is pure bliss. You know what I mean, don’t you? You simply can’t stop playing with them, tugging on them, because is feels electrifying. The red crinkle blouse is from the same Scandinavian brand and looks and feels fantast...