The Tall Lady
It all started a few days ago when I saw, in a forum, someone looking for a locally-based (Bristol) shoe retailer that stocked larger sizes. I recalled seeing such a service and after trawling the net for a while tracked down “The Tall Lady“.
And as luck would have it the owner, Peta, had just written a blog article about how passionate she was about finding clothes and shoes to fit the taller woman. So I thought why not ask if she’d be happy dealing with transvestites and transexuals. Within a few days of leaving a comment in her blog she replied and then emailed me to say she’d be delighted to help anyone.
The beauty of her service is that if you’re at all shy about doing a shoe fitting in a typical retail environment she can help out by doing fittings from her home, a truly discreet service.
You can find her blog post here.
on November 5th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
That was a really useful article Rachel.
I recently took the courage to go to Evans shop which caters for the bigger woman. I was very apprehensive as I knew I had to try on shoes before I bought any. After trying to calm myself down I approached an assistant and told her I wanted a pair of shoes, that they were for myself ( I gave a weak smile) then hastily added it was for a fancy dress do ( Well, what else is Pink Punters?). She giggled, asked me if it was a birthday party ” No, just a party” and she was as nice as pie about it. I tried them on in the shop and no one took any notice even though I was en drab and had a beard.
Unfortunately I had to take the shoes back ( copper shoes don’t go with black stockings I found) a week later. The same shop assistant wasn’t there so I ended up telling another assistant that the shoes were for me and I wanted to change them. The woman assistant was really nice, helped me choose several pairs, asked me if I wanted to try the shoes on in the fitting room and told me to shout if I needed any help. She also told me that she had other trannies who shop there regularly.
My point? If you are up front ( no punintended) and say, matter of factly, that the shoes are for you, you will probably be dealt with a smile and may also get some advice, to boot.
Gabriela Julie Budd xx
on November 9th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Briiliant Julie! I’ve never had the courage to do what you did, but it just goes to show these shop assistants are quite savvy when it comes to transgender issues.
I do wonder whether they get some guidance regarding these issues as part of their training, at least where the bigger stores are concerned.
Thanks for sharing that.
on March 18th, 2009 at 10:39 am
I just like to say i have had femine fetish for tights for the last 30 years and now i have become a catherine tate double i have so many clothes underwear shoes amazing And i mean a real double of catherine tate
on September 14th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Hi everyone. I was just reading through some of the comments on here and was delighted to see the high praise that you gave to the Evans stores. I work for Evans and believe it to be a wonderful environment to shop in. Whilst we don’t get any specific training on transgender customers, we are regularly visited by all sorts of people and we always try our best to cater to their needs. Many of our customers are male to female tv’s and we treat them exactly as we would any other customer; professionally, politely and ultimately we try our best to make them feel welcomed and omfortable.
My advice to anyone who is unsure about shopping in Evans is to take the plunge and go for it. You will have a great time and best of all, you will leave with something that fits perfectly and hasn’t cost the earth.
Be happy. Abz xx
on October 4th, 2009 at 10:31 am
@Abbi Thanks for letting me know about Evans. The chain sits there in my conscious existence, although I’ve never shopped there. I guess it’s because I’ve assumed the sizes start at higher than a 12, which is currently what I am.
Perhaps you could let us know what sizes your clothes start from? And shoe sizes, as well, if you stock them?
on January 4th, 2010 at 3:14 am
I just told my girlfriend i was a crossdresser but i believe me to be more of a tv but i dont want to lose her anyway she lets me dress up and do role reversal so im happy i think ill take a visit to evans with her to get some sexy high heels and probebly some dolly shoes and some new dresses yay xxx and steph is the name i call myself she wont call me it :( says im taking it to far
on January 19th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
Dear TV Dreams,
I am trying to find black patent court shoes with a 4-6″ heel. I take a UK 9-and-a-half size. Do you sell shoes like this and if so what size would you recommend to buy. Do you have a shop and if so could you forward me the address or telephone number. Gina Johnson
on February 3rd, 2010 at 12:16 pm
Its so true, i just got back from a shopping trip at Evans trying to find an outfit for a trip to Transhealth in london tomorrow – they are really friendly and the only people who think it is a big deal is you. They really are not phased by it at all.
on March 12th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
We sell a range of larger size high heels and shoes.
EU sizes 35-45 available in most designs.
I run the business alone and welcome male and female buyers.