Magic Dress - Angela Pt. 01

My name is Arthur, and I am the boss of a medium-sized engineering firm which I founded. But as I write, I am Angela sitting at home in a nice dress. The one that my wife Iris and I always refer to as That Dress. (Please note that what I am about to tell you starts some time ago, when the Internet was more limited and certain things were less available and open than today.)

The company is pretty successful now, but the process of going from a successful small business to a medium size one is very dangerous, and is the point at which many fail as we nearly did. But you don't want to know the details, apart from the fact that I was really stressed out and finding it hard to cope.

Iris had gone out, and I was sitting miserably at home. We had a problem with our supply chain and in particular with the flow of money. (Small companies have to pay up quickly; large ones keep you hanging on. A couple of large contracts meant that we were owed money but could not pay current suppliers to complete the current very large contract.) Sorry, forget the details, other than this was a problem with no solution apart from the company going under.

I went to the bedroom for some reason. There was a pile of clean washing there with some frilly knickers on top. I suddenly remembered a TV programme we had seen last night which included an item about transvestites. One of these people said that when he came home and put on a dress, all the cares of the world seemed to go away, and Iris had laughed "Perhaps you should try it!" I laughed as well.

I should perhaps explain that as an engineer, clothes were purely functional. I really had no interest and little idea about what was suitable. I wore what my wife bought for me and whichever items she said were right for a particular event. I honestly had no idea what the difference was between two dark suits. I was aware that women's clothing is its own world of engineering, with the different technical names for dresses and their component parts, but knew nothing of it. Iris wore various things and always looked nice is all I could say.

She had been sorting through her wardrobe and had put some items out on hangers that she was thinking of throwing out, including some dresses. There was a nice green dress, and I thought the top item on the washing pile were some nice frilly knickers. Perhaps I should try it. Silly thought! But...

I put on the frilly knickers and somehow liked them. I took the dress and started to put it on. But my belly was too big, and I put it back on its hangar. There was no point in trying the others. I put on some tights and admired how smooth my legs felt. The only thing I could manage was her pretty dressing gown, but I felt better somehow. I went and sat at my desk and solved the supply chain problem.

Before she came home I had changed back to normal clothes and made the second-best decision of my life. (The first being asking Iris to marry me, of course.) I decided to tell her exactly what had happened and why. She was shocked, of course, but not for long. "Yes, we should definitely try it."

She got her tape measure and made a note of my measurements.

At work next day, I showed the plan to my finance director, Jim. "Bloody genius!" he said, "You've saved the company."

When I got home she had already been shopping. There were two dresses for the larger lady and one maternity smock! There were half a dozen frilly knickers and half a dozen pretty printed ones. She had several sets of tights and some holdup stockings. There was also a new bra, which she had padded. "These are your clothes," she said. "They'll go in your drawer and the dresses will hang with your suits."

So in a little while, I was sitting in the living room in a large-print dress which only a woman could have worn. A man would look ridiculous, and of course I probably did. I also had printed knickers and tights. And I felt happy. She looked at me critically.

"Hmm, not bad. The bra makes a big difference. You're not quite a woman shape, of course, but if you could lose that belly it would help. If we continue this, I could make some adjustments so that clothes fit you better. I think we should try a bit of makeup."

So she did. I knew I looked silly, but I liked it. We had dinner and sat around as if nothing had changed. When it was time for bed, she removed the makeup, we washed and both put on pyjamas. "Hmm," she said before we kissed, cuddled and said goodnight.

Next evening I was presented with a couple of frilly nightdresses and couple of printed cotton ones, each with their own panties, of course. I chose a frilly one and slept like a baby.

At work, the supply chain and cash flow had been fixed and we were well on schedule for the contract. Initial deliveries had all passed quality inspection, and we received a part payment earlier than expected. I went home and changed into a dress.

"Listen," said Iris, "I can't really call you Arthur when you're like that. Would it be all right if I called you Angela?" I liked the name immediately.

"That's a great idea. Thank you, Iris my love."

"You're welcome, Angela dearest."

Then I said, "You know those dresses you were throwing out? The green one that I started with? Do you think I could get into it if I slimmed?"

"Oh, that dress," she said. "It's nice, but for some reason I've never worn it. Let's see." She went and got it and her tape measure, and after a while said "Yes, I think so, but you'd have to lose quite a bit of weight, which would be a good idea anyway." I said I would.

"Well, Angela! Slimming down so you can wear a particular piece of clothing! You really are starting to be a woman!"

So I went on a diet. It wasn't quick, but I was used to project management over long time-scales. A pretty standard problem really: running down storage by making the input less than the output. This gave me a useful target date for some product development: creating Angela version 1.01 (with improvements to follow, of course). As an engineering students we had mocked the arts students with their different concepts of design. We made things that worked, even though they did not look good. They made things that looked good, even though they did not work. However it was clear that looking good was an important requirement for products in the category 'women', and I had better learn what was necessary, in particular makeup and walking.

For walking I did what I would do with any new product and tried to understand how it worked, in this case the mechanics. The differences in structure and weight distribution mean that the most efficient method of walking is different. I was going to have to learn a less efficient process for a man. Interestingly, high heel shoes are a product to make walking less efficient and less stable (an unusual concept for an engineer) the ones which are the biggest handicap (highest heels) being the most prized. However, dancing was also a less efficient means of walking and could be learned, so the task was basically like learning a new dance or sporting action so that it could be managed automatically. Right, that seemed to be feasible.

When I was halfway there, she bought me another couple of dresses for my new size, but this time we discussed them from pictures and I found I had opinions and the beginnings of taste.

It really worked. I came home, changed into Angela and cares went away. I put on my own lipstick and some powder. I had let my hair grow a little longer, but not too much, and used conditioner. I was better at work and one of the women complimented me on my weight loss. I was able to get into some trousers I hadn't worn for a while.

It was about this time we started to make love again. We had been having rather perfunctory sex once a week out of habit, but the frequency and quality improved substantially. "Wow, Arthur!" she said one night. "Nice to have you back. I wonder what's happened to you. I think it's that woman Angela you've been seeing!" I agreed.

It was interesting that I was not sexually excited by the female clothes, as many men are, almost the contrary. I was just relaxed and happy. Angela really had no interest in sex with men or women. I had to get out of those clothes and makeup before Arthur could get randy, but he seemed to be refreshed by the holiday.

Finally the tape measure and scales announced that I had made it, but we still waited till the end of the week to be sure to avoid disappointment. Arthur and Iris had together spent a long time in shops choosing a new set of underwear: bra, panties and slip. It was almost as if we wanted That Dress's approval. (Yes, it was now 'That Dress'.) We had bought two wigs as we could not decide between them. We had agreed on a pair of sandals.

It was Saturday morning. I shaved my legs and some other parts, had a shower and used feminine deodorant. Put on tights and underwear. My toenails and fingernails were given polish, and Iris put on makeup, as she was still the expert. Then the moment of truth.

It slipped on just right, and Iris immediately knew which wig. When it was fixed, we stood in front of the mirror, gazing in wonder. "Angela. You look lovely. You were so right about That Dress. And I do love you."

"I love you too, Iris. And I rather like Angela!"

For the next hour or so, I essentially swanned about and preened. I was a lovely woman in a lovely dress, admire me! I sat down in a ladylike manner. I walked something like a woman. Iris told me that over the months I had obviously begun to copy her when dressed as Angela. (I didn't tell her of the hours I spent trying to understand the mechanics and the many days practising till it became automatic.) However, That Dress somehow accentuated what I had learned. I was smoother and more natural.

The Iris gave me a present. "Here you are, Angela. Your first handbag. I hope you like it. I've put some makeup and things in it. You'll have to add your own clutter." Of course, a woman had to have a handbag! She sprayed me with some perfume and I put it in the handbag. I later found it contained a couple of tampons as well as a spare pair of knickers.

Iris took some photographs. I am sure that anyone else would see that I was a man in women's clothes, but through our rose-tinted spectacles we could not.

Iris was of course very smartly dressed. She got her handbag and took me to the door. "It's a lovely day. Let's go to the park." I was terrified, but she insisted. And I think somehow Angela in That Dress was quite brave.

The park is only a few hundred yards away, and there were not many people about yet. She reminded me to take smaller steps. I began to feel a bit of a thrill as we sauntered along. What if someone saw me? Yet I was showing off in the face of danger.

It's only a little park. A children's playground, some flowerbeds and benches for old people to sit. It didn't take us long to walk around it and stroll back home. However, on one of the benches was a couple I knew lived down the road. They said "Hello, Iris." And she said "This is my friend Angela." She also waved to one of the mothers in the playground. "Hi, Mary. Meet my friend Angela!" Mary waved back and said "Nice to meet you." I smiled and nodded.

Casually we walked home. "There you are, Angela. You've been out into the world. I think that calls for a glass of wine. White, of course, we don't want to risk our clothes."

So we sat at the kitchen table and enjoyed a glass of wine while I tried to gather my scattered wits.

"What on earth were you doing to me? What are they going to think?" I asked weakly.

"Jump straight into the water and sink or swim!" she laughed. "It would have taken weeks for you to pluck up courage. And don't tell me you weren't as excited as you were frightened." That was true. "I don't think the old couple's eyesight is that good, and Mary was a good distance away. I think we should make sure more of the neighbours know you exist, so they are not surprised if they see you through the window or door. It's just my friend Angela visiting."

I protested that she didn't know who was going to be out, and it could have been someone who wanted to stop and chat.

"We'll cope with that, one day," she replied. "Anyway, people see what they expect to see. I think it is going to be good having my friend Angela, and I am certainly going to want to go out with her sometimes, instead of just sitting around the house."