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he's the maid

Chapter 5: What can my maid wear?

So far, we've only spoken of what your husband might wear in the most general of terms, referring to maid's outfits and uniforms without going into much detail about what's involved. If you've never encountered a man dressed for domestic duty, it's understandable if you have difficulty picturing things precisely, perhaps falling back on fuzzy images of women wearing white aprons and black dresses. It may be that talk of maid's uniforms makes you think of the practical polyester that a housekeeper at a hotel might wear, or else you're put in mind of skimpy satin straight from a bawdy farce. Either way, it can be hard to consider what might best encourage your husband to do the chores when you're still coming to terms with the idea of dressing him up for them in the first place. That's before you even think about where to obtain a man-sized maid's uniform - hardly the kind of thing to be found in regular clothes shops!

Conversely, it only takes a brief search online to be overwhelmed by options, many of which appear utterly impractical at first glance, if not outright indecent! If your husband is a submissive crossdresser, you may struggle to understand his attraction to the kind of unlikely outfits you'll find in such abundance, fanciful lace having little appeal when you're looking for something more functional. Regardless of whether he's begging to wear a maid's uniform or is rather more reluctant, you may wonder whether cleaning really requires him to crossdress, questioning what difference what he wears is likely to make. Is this really a subject that warrants an entire chapter of a book devoted to it? Surely any old apron will do, there being no need for anything more!

Unlike a housewife's pinafore, the purpose of a male maid's uniform goes far beyond merely offering practical protection against spills and stains. If that were all that was required, your husband could get away with wearing a boiler suit to do the housework, just as he might when getting greasy in the garage. Instead, the primary reason for having him wear a more formal maid's uniform is the powerful symbolism associated with such attire, with both its femininity and its unfamiliarity encouraging a more submissive disposition. The old adage of clothes making the man has a lot of truth to it, with the combination of elements we're about to consider leaving the wearer in no doubt about his role.

By having your husband wear a deliberately exaggerated outfit, including garments that he wouldn't ordinarily wear, you strengthen this effect, seeing him fall into the right frame of mind from the moment he changes. The strange sensations associated with such clothing soon come to mean cleaning for him, there being no question of him not doing as he is told once he's dressed as a stereotypical servant. As such, the benefits of even the most cumbersome of clothing can outweigh its impracticality, with petticoats, padded bras and high heels making up for any hindrance by their powerful psychological effects. Whether the smooth touch of shiny satin or the tight embrace of firm foundation wear, everything we'll be looking at is intended to achieve the same end - making your man into a maid in both appearance and attitude.

Let's be under no illusion, of course - even with the best will in the world, most men are not going to pass as women, it taking much more than a few clothes for them ever to be mistaken as such. A male maid can wear the most feminine of maid's outfits and still be undeniably a man, but the purpose of him doing so isn't to change his sex. Rather, it's to change his state of mind, transforming him not from a man into a woman, but rather from a man into a maid - a maid who also happens to be male, and yet all the more submissive for being both. Don't dismiss the idea of dressing your husband up, therefore, even if he's built like the proverbial brick outhouse, but keep an open mind as we see just how easy that can be.

Aprons and pinafores

No matter how much their appearance might differ, there's one garment that maids of all kinds share, be they humble housekeepers or frilly sissies - the apron. Although sometimes stylised to such an extent as to lose its original purpose of protection, this singular article of attire marks the wearer as a maid regardless of whether it's a full-length pinafore that stretches from his shoulders to his feet or just a scrap of satin that barely covers his crotch. Without an apron, a man might wear a matching maid's dress and yet merely appear to be a crossdresser, whereas all a professional cleaner need do is don one on top of casual clothing and she's set for work. What distinguishes a princess from her maid in the fairytale world where all women wear sumptuous satin ball gowns? Only the apron, and the corresponding subservience that comes with it.

Whether sexy or sensible, more formal maid's outfits often come with matching aprons, of which we'll leave more detailed discussion until the next section. Nevertheless, it's perfectly possible to have your husband do the housework with nothing more than an apron tied over his regular clothes - indeed, as we saw earlier, this is an ideal way to introduce him to wearing one. Separate aprons of almost every conceivable style are readily available, not least those sold alongside other kitchenware - an essential garment for those who like to cook while keeping their clothes clean, but equally well-suited to housework. You'll find them in department stores and cookware shops, as well as online.

Practical PVC-backed cotton may not be the first choice as far as femininity is concerned, but don't be in a rush to rule it out. In among the respectable offerings that a male chef might wear without comment, there are aprons more suited to making a man a maid. Subtleties of style can make all the difference when it comes to having potential for this purpose, with a ruffle working wonders when combined with a pretty floral print or pastel pink. Then there are novelty aprons featuring more risqué designs, giving the wearer the body of a lingerie clad lovely or even a saucy French maid thanks to the picture printed on the plastic. Such a garment might be bought as a gag gift, albeit with an ulterior motive, with any ensuing awkwardness easily turned to your advantage.

A pinafore carries profound connotations for men of a certain generation, but regardless of your husband's age, he's sure to be affected by a full-length apron - especially one with flouncy shoulder straps and bib. A man who has memories of girls wearing such garments will find the mere idea of being “put in a pinny” to be provocative, but you can brush off any concerns by pointing out just how practical a pinafore actually is. You don't want him to get his clothes dirty, after all, but if your choice of apron happens to make him look like an old-fashioned maid all by itself, that's simply the price he must pay for its protection. A confusion of straps behind his back will help keep him in his pinny as he does the chores, with plain white cotton being more than enough to impart a sense of womanliness upon its wearer, let alone a flowery chintz.

As many a waitress demonstrates, a half apron can perform a practical function, perhaps having pockets to hold things while protecting its wearer from brushing against wet surfaces. That's not to say that such garments can't be cute, of course, but their design is very much skewed towards purpose rather than visual appeal. Ask a sissy to describe a half apron, however, and you'll invariably get the reverse - a silly little semi-circle of frilly fabric whose satin and lace is more susceptible to stains than the clothes it's supposed to shield - not that it stands much chance of doing that, being too small to make any real difference. These are the aprons that French maids so often wear, and you might be tempted to reject them as being equally useless around the house, save for their overwhelming symbolism. Even if it covers no more than his crotch, a man wearing such an apron is immediately identified as a maid, his other clothing becoming irrelevant as soon as its straps are tied behind his back. Opt for a somewhat more generous style, however, and you can still pretend it's for the purposes of protection, even if he's wearing it for rather different reasons!

Regardless of whether it slips over the neck or not, an apron is far from a fiddly garment, being relatively easy to put on even a man reluctant to leave the sofa! The converse is not necessarily true, however, with a tight knot all you need to stop your husband getting out of it in a hurry. You can make a ritual of tying and untying it each time, making a show of attending to even a straightforward bow - a surprisingly intimate gesture that leaves your husband vulnerable as you fuss behind him, a position that's perfect for sharing your thoughts on his service. To assert your superiority further, you can have your husband attempt to fasten his apron on his own before you redo it better. You can choose whether he's allowed to “cheat” by spinning it around his body, or insist that he must do so behind his back, despite it being next to impossible for a man to tie a flawless bow when he's forced to fumble blindly.

Maid's dresses and uniforms

An apron is a good start to a maid's uniform, but it's certainly not the end. While a pretty pinafore will remind your husband of his role, to really make him look a maid, you'll want to add more beneath. Swapping his trousers and shirt for a dress, especially one designed to complement his apron, will make it very clear that he's meant to be cleaning. Indeed, the two garments work together so well that they're often sold as a matching set, regardless of whether they're intended for bedroom naughtiness or more serious business.

Of course, you don't have to buy them that way. If your husband already has an apron that he's become accustomed to, you can choose to augment it with a dress sourced separately - something which has the advantage of being an incremental addition to his working attire rather than a complete replacement. A little black dress, ideally cut from forgivingly stretchy fabric, is perfect in this regard, its contrasting colour automatically drawing the eye to whatever he wears on top. Not only does this fashion classic have undoubtedly feminine connotations, it's such a staple of women's wardrobes as to be found almost everywhere - even in discount shops if you're on a budget! You don't need to spend a lot of time or money buying something special, it merely needing to be a larger size. Consider sleeveless or strappy styles, which can be worn over your husband's regular clothing until he's comfortable with the idea of changing into one.

Even something so frumpy as to make your grandmother frown will work its magic on a man, so don't be too quick to reject garments because they're not very fashionable. After all, your husband will be wearing a dress for very different reasons, with his masculine physique meaning that no design is likely to be particularly flattering. Merely by virtue of being a dress, the most dowdy of affairs will still make him feel much less manly, its psychological significance strengthened by the unfamiliar sensation of fabric flapping around his legs. A simple, shapeless garment is quite enough to form a feminine backdrop to any apron or pinafore, the two coming together to confirm their wearer as a maid.

Buying a regular dress means you can stick to the shops you already know, with any good department store sure to have something suitable. When considering size, it's important to remember that men have proportionally broader shoulders, wider waists and narrower hips than similarly sized women, and to allow for anything you might want him to wear underneath. An unlikely size can easily be laughed off as being for a larger friend or relative if you don't fancy sharing the truth with a sales assistant, not that many are likely to care.

That being said, it's actually just as easy to purchase a proper maid's uniform, one which can have no doubt about its purpose thanks to being sold as such. If you know where to look, both provocative and practical outfits can be picked up in person, but the abundance of online offerings means you can kit your man out for cleaning without ever leaving the comfort of your house. You merely need to have some idea of what you might want him to wear, so with that in mind, let's take a look at the options when it comes to maid's uniforms for men:

Petticoats and slips

There's something undeniably feminine about a puffy petticoat, such voluminous garments bringing to mind the full-skirted fashions of bygone ages - not least the submissive housewife of the 1950s. Outside of the realm of lingerie, it's hard to imagine something less manly, with the petticoat being strictly limited to the female wardrobe thanks to needing to be worn with a skirt - so much so that the word has historically been used as a derisive shorthand for women in general! It's hardly surprising that more extravagant sissy maid's uniforms include matching petticoats to conspicuously flare out their bottom half, burying their wearer's manhood beneath multiple layers of feminine fabric.

Your husband doesn't need to be a submissive crossdresser to appreciate the effects of a full petticoat, however, with its physical presence imposing even without its psychological associations. In addition to making up for a man's less pronounced hips, the masses of soft, silky material will caress his thighs whenever he moves, their constant rustling reminding him of what he's wearing even when their shape isn't catching his eye. A skirt that's splayed out to an unlikely angle may not seem that big a deal until he's had to contend with it in a confined space, but cleaning the inside of a wardrobe while wearing one can be quite a challenge! Even standing too close to the sink is enough to squash a male maid's petticoats up against his body, with its bulk deterring him from sitting down - exactly what you want for a man who's meant to be working!

A sexy maid's uniform also benefits from the addition of a petticoat, with a shorter style being just as effective - if not more so, as a result of its comparatively stiffer material. Despite offering your husband precious little extra modesty as it shakes beneath his skirt, its frills will still stop him from seeing beneath, yet provide plenty of scope for playful fussing. A white petticoat highlights contrasting panties wonderfully, but other colours are also available - pink and black being options to consider. Search for “mini petticoat” on online marketplaces, looking for one with plenty of layers. You don't have to be too exact about lengths, with any exposed lace only adding to the effect as it rides high on a man's thighs.

While more practical maid's outfits are less amenable to being flared out, their less sumptuous fabric still calls for an underskirt or slip. Quite apart from helping your husband's dress to hang smoothly, the addition of an another unfamiliar garment deepens the ritual of getting dressed, helping to immerse your maid still further in the feminine. A silky half slip will slide against his legs while he works, its soft caress adding a subtle yet singular sensation to his service, whereas a full slip will add womanly straps to his shoulders as well - an ideal way of getting him used to more, there being a plausible reason for him to wear a slip with his dress if he finds the latter a little scratchy. Like pinafores, slips may be somewhat alien to younger generations, holding more in the way of associations for older men, but all will find themselves affected by these classically feminine garments, no matter which style you might choose.

Hosiery and lingerie

An apron and dress will make a man look like a maid without anything more, the associations of such garments also encouraging a suitably submissive state of mind while he's wearing them. Nevertheless, your husband's outer appearance is only half the story, with what's under his uniform capable of playing an equally powerful part in emphasising his role. Even if they remain unseen, there's something distinctly incongruous about boxer shorts being worn beneath a feminine outfit, whereas a pair of men's socks is hardly in keeping with a skirt. A female servant would surely wear more womanly intimate attire, whether that's racy lingerie or just a plain bra and panties, stockings and pantyhose also having an important place in her uniform. So too can the man expected to perform similar domestic duties - indeed, adding such underpinnings will make your husband feel even more like a maid, the extra layer not only imposing itself upon his body, but also his mind as he attends to the housework.

It's not just submissive crossdressers who are attracted to the sight of sheer stockings and suspenders, with such hosiery carrying such a profound sexual charge that it's practically de rigueur in pornography. The frilly French maid who features in many a man's fantasies is sure to flaunt her long, shapely legs in smoky black nylon, her stocking tops stretched into seductive arches by the erotic elastic that frames her most feminine of places. Such associations can be turned to your advantage should you have your husband wear similar hosiery, the sensation of stockings stretching over his skin capable of making a man weak at the knees even without him looking at his legs. He'll be conscious of the constant tug of his garters regardless of whether his skirt is so short as to leave their clasps dangerously close to display, or else is long enough to keep his hosiery completely hidden as he busies himself about the house.

Ultra-sheer stockings may be sensuous, but they're not well-suited to more strenuous tasks, being all too easily snagged - especially when worn by a man unaccustomed to taking care of them. One option is to opt for a heavier denier for your husband's hosiery, with even opaque nylons surprisingly sexy when supported by suspenders. Although you may need to look online to find this style in a suitably large size, they'll last far longer without laddering, as well as helping to hide any unladylike leg hair your maid may have. Fishnet stockings are another, similarly durable alternative, holding a powerful appeal for many men regardless of whether they long to wear such provocative hosiery themselves. They're ideally suited to a skimpy uniform, with their conspicuous criss-crosses confronting not only the eyes, but also the knees of any man who finds himself having to grovel around on the floor in them.

If you struggle to find suspender stockings in your husband's size, then the more popular hold-up style will suffice, albeit giving him the addition chore of having to pull his hosiery up whenever it starts to slip - something that can be quite a challenge beneath an austere ankle-length skirt. More modest maid's dresses permit the wearing of pantyhose instead, which not only adds its own complications to the ritual of dressing thanks to having two combined legs, but will also hug your husband's groin as he does the housework - a sensation that can disproportionately affect some men. You might not see more than you would of his socks, but he'll be all too aware of the electrifying embrace, the slightest of touches enough to remind him of his unfamiliar second skin.

Nothing clings closer to a man's crotch than his underwear, with a pair of panties sure to influence your husband's behaviour even when buried beneath pantyhose, petticoats and pinafore - let alone if the rest of his uniform puts them provocatively on display. There's something supremely submissive about having to wear women's knickers, even if the style in question isn't actually that dissimilar from his ordinary underwear. A pair of plain cotton briefs needs no more than a little bow or a lacy trim to do the business, such panties possibly black or white to match other parts of his uniform, or else in a pretty pastel hue. That might be enough for a humble housemaid, but the drabbest of uniforms can just as easily hide far more exciting underwear, the kind of thing that a woman might reserve for date nights making a delightful basis for an otherwise staid outfit. Neither you nor your husband need see the raunchy thong he wears beneath his dress for it to worm its way wickedly between his buttocks, its uncomfortable snugness, if not outright lack of support, making him all too aware of its presence no matter how prim and proper he might outwardly appear.

While your husband may not have much need for a matching bra, don't let that deter you from making one part of his maid's uniform. A man doesn't have to have breasts to benefit from wearing a bra - even without any padding, the disconcerting tightness around his torso will be impossible for him to ignore, joined by the strangeness of straps stretching over his shoulders and uncomfortable underwires digging into his chest to leave him in no doubt about what he's wearing. If you could only choose a single garment to encourage male submission, it should be a bra - a uniquely womanly affair that's quite unlike anything to be found in his regular wardrobe, right down to the little details like the fiddly hooks with which it fastens or the sliders that adjust its straps. Simply getting into and out of a bra can be a battle, leaving a man feeling trapped in the feminine frills that adorn all but the plainest of them - the ribbons and bows, the embroidery and lace, all conspiring to emasculate their wearer.

Whereas an unlined bra will leave no more than a few subtle hints of its presence beneath a maid's dress, one with moulded cups will add more prominent curves to your husband's chest. Such a semblance of breasts can be enhanced by adding padding, with the degree to which you boost his bosom being entirely up to you. Rolled-up socks are a quick and easy way to give him a more womanly shape, but lack realistic weight. For a more authentic wobble, why not try balloons filled with water, which can be made as modest or as cumbersome as you choose. Alternatively, it's possible to purchase silicone simulations in a variety of sizes and styles, ranging from cheap slips that will add a single cup size to expensive tops that incorporate a convincing cleavage. In between, there are breast forms that can give a man prominent nipples in addition to what can be implausibly prodigious protrusions, all serving to complete the hourglass half-formed by his petticoats. By transforming his silhouette into one that's more feminine, an enhanced bust helps emphasise the difference between being a man and being a maid, not to mention teaching your husband a thing or two about what larger chested ladies have to deal with all day, every day.

You can buy hosiery and lingerie for your husband from the same places you might your own, or else source it online. Stockings and pantyhose require only a rough idea of his height, whereas panties should be sized to fit his hips. With regards to bras, there's no need to worry about getting him the right cup size - indeed, unless you resort to specialist suppliers, you're unlikely to find much for a man's much flatter, wider chest. Fortunately, simply ensuring the band is reasonably snug will suffice, with any extra capacity serving your purpose regardless of whether or not you have him stuff it. If you don't much care about the size of your maid's bust, you can pick up bras at a bargain price from the “sale rail” - just scan for those with a suitably wide band. That such offerings tend to have much bigger cups than those most women would wear is an ironic serendipity for the frugal mistress, warning their wearer of how much more burdensome they could become should her maid's behaviour warrant them being filled - a subject that we'll talk more about in a later chapter.

Foundation wear and corsetry

For many women, underwear means a bra and panties, with more substantial garments such as basques generally only coming out for weddings and other special occasions. Things weren't always this way, however - look back just a few decades and you'll find women wearing much more imposing intimate attire as a matter of course. From the longline brassières and panty girdles that were regarded as everyday essentials in the forties and fifties to the tightly-laced corsets worn by women of all classes in Victorian times, there's a wealth of vintage lingerie that lies forgotten in the past - often for good reason, considering how uncomfortable and cumbersome it could be! Nevertheless, even without considering the modern day equivalents such as shaping briefs and waist trimmers, old-fashioned foundation wear still retains its devotees - not least among crossdressers, many of whom turn to it to look and feel more feminine.

After all, despite the discomfort, women wore corsets and girdles for a purpose, accepting any awkwardness as a necessary cost of controlling their figures. If the housewives and maid servants of the past could endure such garments while attending to domestic matters, so too can a man tasked with doing the same today - indeed, the associations with less liberated times make traditional foundation wear especially effective, encouraging a mental submission from the male wearer even as its stiff fabric and unforgiving bones impose upon him physically. It's hard for a man to assert himself too much when he's trapped in the clutches of a breathtakingly tight corset, or else finds himself having to fight the formidable combination of a high waist panty girdle and longline brassière beneath his apron and dress. The very features that are designed to make a woman's body look more feminine will seek to do the same with even the most masculine of frames, but the latter's resistance to being shaped will leave him constantly aware of the battle between the two.

If your husband will be wearing an old-fashioned maid's uniform, you can have him forgo modern underwear in favour of similarly traditional foundations, but sturdier shapewear can equally well accompany a sexier outfit. If you've ever looked for saucy lingerie yourself, you're likely to have come across bustiers and basques - essentially bras that extend beneath the breasts, the latter being a longer style that incorporates suspenders to support stockings. Often extremely feminine affairs featuring frilly lace and silky satin, basques have undeniable bedroom connotations, but they're a good choice for the male maid on practical as well as psychological grounds. Getting into and out of one takes more time, but once a man has surrendered to the seemingly endless hooks and eyes, he won't need to worry about his stockings slipping down or cups riding up as a result of his less pronounced curves, something which can be a problem with separate garments. Instead, everything will stay put no matter how much he moves, his shapewear subjecting to him to a constant squeeze as he slaves away.

Although the two are often confused, corsets are significantly sterner, more structured garments than bustiers or basques, constructed from stiffer fabric that doesn't stretch, but shapes the wearer's body with the help of integral bones. In the case of lightweight “fashion” corsets that lace up with ribbon, these are generally plastic and incapable of achieving serious shaping, but heavier “waist training” corsets use metal and cords to offer the possibility of real reduction. Unless you make your husband wear the latter day and night, you don't need to worry about permanently changing his proportions, but even a short stint in the former will affect his poise. The impossibility of bending in a rigid corset, combined with how it denies its wearer anything more than the shallowest of breaths, will leave him feeling both feeble and off-balance, even without such effects being compounded by high heels and heavy false breasts.

Corsets are available in a variety of lengths, from short waist cinchers or waspies that leave plenty of room for a separate bra to the longer overbust style that can have cups of its own. It's possible to spend a lot of money on having a corset tailor-made, but cheaper off-the-shelf options will suffice for the occasional maid, recognising that they're unlikely to fit a man perfectly. Indeed, a little discomfort is actually advantageous, serving to remind your husband of his submission as he labours inside its tight grip. A corset may be hidden under his uniform to make it seem like he naturally has a more womanly waist, something which can be particularly pleasing when accompanied with other contrivances beneath apparently simple servant's attire. Alternatively, it can be worn on top, forming an eye-catching centrepiece over a contrasting dress.

A longline brassière fulfils the same purpose as a regular one, albeit covering more of the torso - like a basque or bustier, but tending to be less sexy in style. Similarly, as the name suggests, a panty girdle may be considered to be a pair of particularly high-waisted panties, whereas an open bottom girdle is not unlike a very deep garter belt, sometimes having six or more suspenders. Available in a range of severities, including those with bones for sterner shaping, either will combine with a longline bra to encompass most of a man's body, making it more difficult for him to access anything he shouldn't. Such traditional shapewear takes its wearer back to the time when the women who wore such garments were expected to stay at home and take care of the cleaning - a mindset which may be repugnant to the modern reader, but still very potent for putting a male maid in his place. A submissive crossdresser drawn to the role of the submissive fifties housewife may find such antiquated attire arousing, but even a reluctant husband can't help but be affected by how it holds him.

Although you may find fashion corsets and basques in lingerie shops, you'll want to look online for the other foundation garments we've been discussing. Thanks to the popularity of traditional corsets among certain subcultures, you'll find offerings to suit a range of budgets, with longline brassières also being reasonably common, but old-fashioned girdles can be more difficult to source. Sizing also requires more care with the latter, it being best to choose a compromise between your husband's waist and hips, but it's well worth taking the trouble to get your maid a sturdy girdle - when it comes to controlling a man's crotch, modern styles simply can't compete with vintage shapewear.

Accessories and accoutrements

There are certain chores that require rubber gloves to be worn to protect the hands from harsh chemicals - indeed, in the interests of hygiene, your husband should have several pairs, so as not to have to use the same ones for cleaning the cooker and the toilet. Even when they're not really necessary, it's as well to insist on him wearing them for anything wet - not only to avoid unsightly wrinkles from over-immersion in water, but also because of the message that sends. By donning rubber gloves, your husband accepts that he's expected to get his hands dirty, their incontestable connotations of cleaning affecting him as he tackles the chores. For maximum effect, choose pink rather than yellow or blue - such a lurid colour is unlikely to complement even the most cloying of sissy maid's uniforms, but it will nevertheless have a profound impact psychologically.

When engaged in lighter duties such as dusting or vacuuming, satin gloves make an ideal accompaniment to a frilly maid's outfit. Those intended for an evening at the opera are just as well-suited to doing the housework, extending the wearer's submission to satin all the way up past his elbows. As well as helping to hide hairy arms and rough, manly hands, such gloves suggest that whatever he's attending to mustn't be sullied with dirty fingers, making them ideal for polishing mirrors and putting away the laundry. You might even have your husband reserve a pair solely for serving you tea! Although you might not think that white would make a particularly practical choice, the challenge of keeping them spotless will encourage your maid to pay more attention to what he's doing, quite apart from matching his apron. Similar gloves can be found made of lace, as might be worn by a bride, with fingerless styles adding even more daintiness to a sissy maid's outfit. Both varieties are available in shorter, wrist length versions, losing little of their femininity as a result.

A maid's headpiece may not serve much practical purpose, but it still makes a pleasing addition to both fancy and formal uniforms. Often little more than a ruffle of lace that perches precariously on the scalp, such stylised headwear reinforces the wearer's role, albeit at the cost of some inconvenience to the man who must ensure it doesn't slip from his head when he bends. Some maid's headpieces rely on ribbons to stay where they should, whereas others are more akin to an Alice band, but all will leave your husband aware of their presence, reminding him that he's a maid from head to toe. Many maid's costumes intended for dressing up come with matching headpieces as an accessory - otherwise, they can be purchased separately from online marketplaces in a wide range of styles.

Some sexy maid's ensembles also feature similarly styled chokers, as do many outfits intended to be worn by sissies - a band of lace-trimmed satin that fastens around the neck, often adorned with a bow and sometimes capable of being locked in place. Although a maid's choker will hide your husband's Adam's apple beneath further frills, its real significance is in its resemblance to a collar, something that's a powerful turn on for many submissive men. Collars signify ownership in a way that a professional cleaner would never countenance, being more appropriate for slaves than servants.

While a maid's choker may be nothing in comparison to the steel offerings preferred by lovers of serious restraints, it still carries a heady mix of suggestions - perhaps putting your husband in mind of being a pet or a plaything. Sitting slightly higher than a shirt or tie, its lacy ruffles will certainly add another unfamiliar sensation to his attire, with a locked choker leaving a man feeling surprisingly helpless - all the more so if it features bells, the tinkling announcing his presence even as it constantly reminds him of his submission. Chokers of all kinds can be found on online marketplaces, some sellers explicitly catering for the sissy maid market, but you could also consider adapting something more mainstream, with Gothic black lace accoutrements working well as a substitute.

Footwear

If your husband won't be leaving the house, then he can perfectly well work barefoot, or else in just stockings, something which will heighten his sense of vulnerability, especially around wet floors! A maid who will be heading outside really requires appropriate footwear, however, with even the smartest of men's shoes, let alone grubby sneakers, hardly in keeping with an otherwise feminine uniform. The stereotypes would suggest that a male maid should wear some kind of women's heels, not that there are any “shoulds” that have to be obeyed when when it comes to dressing your husband for the housework. Nevertheless, even a modest heel will work in your favour, let alone impractical sky-high spikes, with the unfamiliar height throwing off balance both a man's body and mind.

Thanks to men's feet tending to be bigger than those of women, finding heels to fit your husband may pose a problem - high street shoe shops often stop several sizes too small, quite apart from the implausibility of taking him to try pairs on. Squeezing into something uncomfortably cramped isn't an option for a maid who will be expected to stay on his feet until the chores are complete, even if that's physically possible - new shoes are unforgiving at the best of times, with their absence of stretch absolutely requiring their size to be right.

Specialist online suppliers come to the rescue here. The popularity of women's shoes among crossdressers means that you'll find them available in even the largest of sizes online, albeit skewed towards sexually charged styles. In fact, the kind of sensible flats that you might choose to do the cleaning in yourself are somewhat scarce - a shame, because such a practical style is actually better suited to a plain uniform than higher heels. Few hotel maids would willingly wear stilettos when they had a long shift ahead of them, instead preferring to spare their feet such hell. Similarly, even a submissive crossdresser will come to be thankful for a pair of ballet flats, which don't need to have anything in the way of adornment to be undeniably feminine.

The towering heels of some of the shoes targeted at crossdressers can be taller than those you might wear under any circumstances, least of all for doing the chores! A husband who is overly fond of high spikes will soon lose his love for them if he has to spend several hours straining his calves on top of a treacherous six inches, but stilettos aren't just uncomfortable in the way that, say, a boot that has yet to be broken in may be. Not only does such footwear constantly challenge a man who has yet to become proficient working in it, it also leaves him feeling impotent, forcing him to have to fight for every step as his skirts swish around his thighs - something you can take advantage of should you have him accompany you around the house! Even when he masters such unmanly shoes, he'll struggle to stride, his gait reduced to a dainty mince. That's without taking any erotic connotations into account, but your husband will find it hard to forget the inherent sexuality of shoes which emphasise his emasculation.

A pair of plain black pumps will complement most maid's uniforms, with shiny patent leather being an ideal match for the lustrous satin of a fancy outfit and duller leather suiting a more down to earth servant. Slingbacks are another style worth considering, especially those which require fiddly buckles to be fastened around the ankle. As well as stopping your husband from slipping them off without making a deliberate effort, the open back of this style offers more leeway as far as size is concerned, a feature shared by sandals which show off the wearer's stockinged toes. Although all are available in a range of heights, kitten heels offer a happy medium, with an inch or two being enough to make a point without unduly hobbing your maid. If you're feeling mischievous, you can refer to them as your husband's “training heels”, regardless of any plans you might have to increase their height, either as a temporary punishment, or more permanently!

Putting it all together

Phew! Who would have thought a maid's uniform could be so complicated? We've considered each of its components at some length, but you don't have to worry too much about the details when you're just starting out - so long as whatever you choose makes your husband feel different, it's likely to work. There's certainly no reason why he has to wear everything we've discussed, so consider this chapter as a list of ideas from which you're free to pick and choose. Don't be shy about experimenting, changing what you have him wear on a whim - that's entirely your prerogative as the lady of the house, it being the duty of your maid to dress to please! That might mean nothing more than a kitchen apron and rubber gloves, or else layer upon layer of feminine frills, both capable of making a man feel like a maid in their own, very different ways.

Having said that, let's consider how to put together three complete outfits in order to illustrate some of the possibilities:

Although these three examples are very different from one another, they all achieve the same aim - making the man who wears them feel like a maid, it thus seeming natural for him to fulfil the expectations of such a role. Putting a suitable outfit together requires only a modest amount of effort upfront, but taking the trouble to make your husband look the part will pay off every time he wears it. He'll soon come to associate such special clothes with cleaning, instinctively falling into a submissive mindset from the moment he surrenders to them, a mindset that will remain with him until he finally changes again.

While a single maid's outfit is sufficient, there's no harm in your husband having several - indeed, it can be fun to mix things up from time to time, whether depending on circumstances or simply your mood. You might, for instance, have him wear a more practical maid's uniform for the bulk of the chores, but then have him change into something fancier for pampering you, so as to enjoy the best of both worlds. Alternatively, you might vary some of the details, perhaps prescribing different lingerie each time or else leaving it down to him to choose. Providing a range of colours and styles allows your maid to surprise you, but regardless of which panties he might pick, he'll still be wearing women's underwear beneath his dress. If the latter is one he's had to select from a wardrobe full of frilly affairs, he'll have the further challenge of coming up with a different, yet still co-ordinating combination each time, making him more sympathetic to how long it might take you to look your best.

No matter how long he dithers over such decisions, actually getting dressed for duty need take your husband no more than a couple of minutes once he's become reasonably familiar with how to fasten a bra and put on stockings. The same is true for getting out of such garments at the end of his service, with the extra time required even to lace and unlace a corset negligible in comparison to the benefits wearing one will bring as he does the chores. Practice will soon give him the necessary proficiency, with any flexibility he might lack to, say, zip up a dress behind his back, easily addressed with regular stretching. He'll have all the motivation he needs to do that if he otherwise has to beg for help!

Like everything else you ask him to do, your husband should be expected to try his best with his appearance, it being just as worthy a subject for inspection and constructive criticism as anything else he might turn his hand to. Even if he's more than capable of dressing himself without assistance, you may wish to take charge on occasion, perhaps even treating him like a life-sized doll as you discuss the work that awaits him. Whether sexy or sensible, a maid's uniform offers ample scope for being picky if you're so inclined, be that fussing with frills as a pretext for fondling him, or repositioning straps to stress his submission. That's just one of the many ways you can emphasise your husband's role as your maid, as we'll see in the next chapter.