Panties

This is very important. I’ve not had many worse feelings than getting home and finding out that the panty I just bought is too tight to wear comfortably; maybe the elastic pulls too much or the waistband doesn’t come up high enough. It can be difficult to judge the right size of panties, especially since trying them on in a shop is a big no-no. I’d advise you to check online first; nearly every online shop has a sizing guide. You’ll need to know your own waist and hip measurements (these are different on women’s clothes). Be mindful of the fact that different brands may serve different markets and size items slightly differently; one brand’s size M might be another’s L. There is also one more thing to consider; you will probably want a pair of panties with enough coverage in the front to conceal your manly bits. Some skimpy G-strings or thongs might not do the trick.

Bras

This goes for bras as well. Obviously, since we don’t have natural breasts, we can pay somewhat less attention to the cup size (A, B, C, or D, etc.), but the band size and length of the shoulder loops is very important. Getting the correct band size is pretty easy once you know how to measure yourself. You’ll need to use a tape measure and wrap it around your chest a few inches below your nipples; note the number and round down to the nearest even number. The most common sizes will be between 36 and 40.

Getting a bra that is too tight will be constricting; it will leave an unflattering bulge under the band and when you take it off, and it might leave a red imprint on your skin. Most bras come with adjustable shoulder straps; just adjust them to your liking and comfort when you try it on. You will have to consider what type of filling you’re using when you do this. If you’re using a silicone breast form and the shoulder straps are too tight, the breast form won’t be able to sit right in the cup; too loose and the form could bounce around.

Tights & thigh high stockings

Measure, measure, measure! Just like with panties, the sizes of tights relate to your hip and waist size. There is generally more flexibility with sizes with tights, but there is also an extra measurement to consider, the length of your legs. I’ve got very long legs and once I bought a pair of thigh high stockings without checking the length and they didn’t extend too far past my knees, consequently the finished look wasn’t very natural. This can be a big problem if you’re going to combine thigh high stockings with a garter belt; you don’t want them to attach to the belt and have the straps pulled so tight they might snap. It might work long enough to take a photo, but walk around a bit and I guarantee you that something is going to tear.