NEW YORK, NY — Even the most convincing of cross-dressers and t-girl needs clothing that fits. Actually, they need more than just clothing: They need shoes, lingerie, makeup, wigs, and even breast and genital prosthetics to become the women of their fantasies.For almost 40 years, New York’s Michael Salem has been discreetly serving this market with elegant, erotic and quality products; originally from his store on East 49th Street and now online at www.michaelsalem.com. “I started out working in my father’s hosiery store in Manhattan, serving the upper crust of New York society,” he recalls. “Occasionally a client would come in with ‘special needs’, who my father would serve in private. It was many years before I learned he was helping cross-dressers find the items they needed, with discretion and sensitivity.”
Helped by his cousin Harvey Milk – the slain gay politician portrayed by Sean Penn in an upcoming feature film – Michael Salem learned about the world of cross-dressers and their needs. “Surprisingly, Harvey told me that most cross-dressers are straight,” Salem explains. “They lead heterosexual lives, with the more open of them sharing their fetish with their wives.”
Because of his expertise in clothing cross-dressers and t-girls, Michael Salem is much in demand … including by former New York mayor Rudy Guiliani. “To close out his term of office, the mayor decided to kick up his heels on stage with the Radio City Rockettes,” Salem says. “To do this, he needed a pair of high heels in size 10 1/2 male wide. So I supplied them!”
Today, Michael Salem continues to provide a full range of products to the cross-dressing and t-girl community. “They come from all races, ages, and socio-economic groups,” he says. “All they want is to look convincingly gorgeous, whether in public or the privacy of home. Well, I am here to help.”
