PART 50
Next it was time for the extraordinarily fancified blouse that had mesmerized him ever since Mrs. Smyth had hung it up in front of him.
He watched with rapt attention as Mrs. Smyth took the pleated white silk blouse off its padded hanger. Seeing the thin fabric up close now, Josh wondered nervously if his training bra and corset would be visible underneath it. As if reading his mind, she told him, “No need to remove your bra, honey. All this pretty detailing up front will keep it from showing through.” Reluctantly, Josh slowly reached to take the ornate monstrosity and put it on, but Mrs. Smyth chuckled and said, “Oh no dear, just stick your arms out in from of you… this one buttons in the back!” She continued, “there are no buttons in front to distract from all this gorgeous ruffling, but don’t worry, I’ll have you sorted out in a jiffy!” Josh held his arms out nervously as she instructed, and then he felt the cool silk gliding up his arms as she pulled it up on him and wrapped it around his chest. As she buttoned him up from behind, he could feel the billowy silk being gathered more and more closely around his torso. It gave him little tingles as it slid against his sensitive skin. His heart was beating more rapidly at all these new sensations. After fastening what seemed like an inordinate number of buttons, she finished the last one to bring the collar close around his neck.
He was a bit startled when she next gripped the waist of his pants. At first, he thought she was just tucking his blouse in, but he quickly realized what the buttons inside his waistband were for.
Speaking again, Mrs. Smyth explained again, “true to the style, the blouse buttons neatly to your knee pants so you’re guaranteed to keep a lovely, polished look… no sloppy untucked blouse for you today!”
When she had his blouse fully attached to his pants, Josh could see in the mirror that his pants gathered very snugly at the waist with the help of the elastic and the corset underneath. The bottom of his blouse, now securely buttoned to the pants, was also now gathered petitely at the waist. It then billowed out a bit more as it rose up his chest. Multiple darling layers of lace puffs and ruffles dangled breezily down the pleated front of the shirt and nearly reached his belly button. More elastic clung around his wrists at the ends of the pleated sleeves, and additional lace frills just like those at the hems of his pants danced merrily around each wrist. Another prominent feature of his new blouse was a large floppy white silk bow fastened close at the front of his throat. The ostentatious bow rested adorably above all the other frills and ruffles beneath it. But it also seemed to Josh that the sleeves were much too long, as there were stiffly starched lace cuffs with elaborate patterns extending down well past his fingertips.
“Mrs. Smyth,” he said with some confusion, “I think this shirt… er, blouse… is too big.” He held out his hands which were now completely hidden by the large, drooping cuffs.
“Oh no, my dear,” she corrected him, “that’s a perfect fit… you’ll see shortly!”
Continuing to work, Mrs. Smyth took a shiny satin sash matching the color of the pink velvet and ran it through belt loops on either side of his pants. She cinched it tightly around his waist with a very secure knot and then tied a flouncy sash bow on top. The bow was offset close to his right hip with the free ends hanging sweetly down the front of his leg. “I think that pink satin sash makes such a lovely contrast with the velvet. The sheens of the different materials work well together and create such a charming aesthetic,” she pointed out. “And the sash adds a bit of sassy flair to your ensemble!” she added with an impish grin.
“Oh Josh,” Gwendolyn nearly squealed, “you look so devil-may-care and cheeky with that sash… such a dashing little rascal!” Of course, she was thrilled with how childish and effeminate the whole outfit was. She couldn’t help but talk to him in much the way one might teasingly encourage a toddler getting dressed up as a “scary” pirate for Halloween.
Josh’s cheeks reddened to be spoken to this way. He had no enthusiasm for any “sassy flair” and “devil-may-care” in no way described the way he felt. Instead, he was being progressively trapped in ever more effeminate finery. And unlike the previous days when he could just pretend to be a normal little girl, everyone today would know he was a boy. But all he could say was “Oh thank you Mommy.”
“Before we do the coat, let’s get your shoes on shall we dear?” Mrs. Smyth jumped back in. “I want to save the best part for last!” Once again, she seated her sissified charge on the little stool.
Josh groaned inwardly as he picked up her last remark about saving the “best part for last.” With each new added embellishment to this nightmare of an outfit, the sensations of being helplessly trapped only grew. It was plainly apparent at this point that there was no way he would escape his Fauntleroy suit until Mrs. Smyth and his mother decided it was time. Depressingly, he also realized what an ordeal it would be even to use the bathroom… and now he fully understood why he was wearing a girls pullup diaper underneath all his other layers of sissified clothing. The way his sash was tied so firmly around his waist and covering the waist buttons meant that removing his blouse would be quite a challenge… and there was more to come! For some strange reason, this realization made his little man twitch again in a futile attempt for attention.
Mrs. Smyth pulled up a shoe fitting stool in front of him and sat down. In short order, she pulled a pair of very sheer nylon anklets onto his already stockinged feet. He sighed softly to see that they were trimmed with several rows of dainty white lace ruffles. “This is such a cute extra touch my dear… all these details matter to pull the whole look together!” she said cheerfully. Once the stretchy anklet socks were in place with all their extra frills, she began strapping him into his shoes.
“You are fortunate to have such small feet for a boy,” she spoke again. “Back in the day, most boys in Fauntleroy suits would wear leather shoes, but Mrs. Meriweather was able to find these for little Cindy to wear with her outfit, and they seem to fit you nicely.”
Josh gawked as she buckled the pink velvet Mary Janes onto his petite stockinged feet. They were a pale dusty pink color which almost perfectly matched his knee pants. Darling little straps with delicate gold buckles secured them on his feet, and they had the cutest tiny velvet bows on the rounded toes. They were ballet flats with no heel, and they paired cutely with his frilly white anklets. Clearly, there was nothing “boyish” about these shoes at all.
“Oh, my goodness Joshy” his mother chimed in, “your Mary Janes are just to die for!”
Josh sighed heavily.