Men In Skirts

[Yasmin]

^ True, and while "menswear" trends are a bit more common in women's wear than "metrosexual" trends are in men's wear, it's like the same rule applies:

Go ahead and add some other elements of the other gender's cultural territory (eg., males, put on some nailpolish, females, slap on a tie) but, if you don't want to be considered in drag, this part is essential, you MUST pair these territory-breaking pieces with something very traditionally "your" gender territory. Ladies, wear sexy makeup (maybe red lips) with your tie (standard men's wear look), and gentlemen, wear masculine/aggressive looking clothing with your nailpolish (emo, punk).

If we do not make it clear to the observer that we are intentionally taking from BOTH territories, it's not suprising if the observer concludes we are trying to switch camps. Typically, when a person is decked out in only what the other gender traditionally wears, they really are trying to identify as the other gender.

 

[dr1819]

If we do not make it clear to the observer that we are intentionally taking from BOTH territories, it's not suprising if the observer concludes we are trying to switch camps. Typically, when a person is decked out in only what the other gender traditionally wears, they really are trying to identify as the other gender.

Excellent point, Yasmin. As a male who enjoys wearing heels and on occasion, a skirt, I've always tried to ensure the rest of my wardrobe was masculine. When I go out in heels, it's never anything feminine, other than the fact that the heel is between 3 and 4 inches. The rest of the boot (usually) would appear quite normal if the heel were 1/2". I usually wear them with jeans which cover most of the heel, and my favorite charcoal gray shirt.

Whenever I wear my ankle-length, black denim skirt, it's never with heels (too many cross-gendered messages), and it's usually with the same charcoal gray shirt.

I've about twenty pair of heels. All of the ones I wear outside (most of them) would blend with the men's shoe departments if the heel were lowered to 1/2" or less.

No one's ever confused me with being a member of the opposite gender while dressed this way.

However, this is my personal preference, and I respect the preference of others to dress however they like, even if they do present themselves as a member of the opposite gender.

 

[satori]

I feel men should wear thongs, skirts, dresses, lipstick, wonderbrahs and hair extensions. Why should only women be allowed to wear such things, its racialistic i feel. Men are being discriminated by the fashionsociety!

 

[dr1819]

I've always been attracted to skirts,myself. Not of the frilly kind of course. But there's something about the volume and layering that's intrigued me. I haven't worn one yet but I wouldn't ashamed,so long as I wear something longer underneath Plus,I think in some ways,its almost like women wearing "strong" sharply cut suits(very masculine),you get in touch with that other side of who you are if you don't mind the cliche. But its true. Also,with volume,it has alot to do with feelings in the way it moves and the romanticsm those things tend to posess. Which we all have in us.

And what's with that comment "only to seek attention"? Not I!

Bingo!

As for it looking metrosexual, homosexual, or otherworldly, please allow me to remind you that a full third of the men on our planet routinely wear skirted garments: http://www.kiltmen.com/world.htm

By the way, they're far more comfortable than pants!

There are perhaps 50,000 males worldwide who have reverted to the pre-1700 edict that men wear pants, for a variety of reasons, including the fact that it just gives "the boys" a chance to breath, something which has been overwhelmingly substantiated by modern science. This fact is heavily substantiated by the sharp reduction in births among Western (aka, pant-wearing) civilizations.

Uh, and Duh - be a real man as God designed and go skirted!

 

[gemi_12]

I'd wear a kilt if I had one.

 

[jester]

i think kilts are fit!!B)

 

[ladivinadiva]

¿Is the time for men in Skirts?

In the past we saw men in skirts, but this year a lot of designers show skirts in men colection.

The New York Times in "The moment"
http://themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/mens-fashion-skirting-the-issue/
Show the "Skirt Moment"

Mark Jacobs

Comme des Garçons

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Number (N)ine

Rick Owens

 

[ladivinadiva]

"All the images in the previus post are from The New York Times.".
This is the original Link

themoment.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/mens-fashion-skirting-the-issue

 

[ladivinadiva]

The first Pic is from Reuters and Dan Ashby is the photograph from all the other pic

 

[BerlinRocks]

omg Marc J. looks absolutely ridiculous with this Stephen P. thights .....
Neon meets BlingBlingGothBraveHearts ......

 

[cherryblossoms]

I like men-skirts on Marc Jacobs only!

 

[fashionista-ta]

We have an indoor/outdoor sculpture museum here, and I saw a guy there once wearing one of those tool kilts (I forget what they're called). I have to say, I think I was staring I think it certainly helps a guy defy categorization

 

[BerlinRocks]

....

Freedom! Liberation! Equality! Sensibleness!
Campaign to abolish gender clothing-apartheid!
The rule that said that men should not wear skirts has got to be one of the daftest around, (see Misconceptions), made even more absurd now that its equivalent rule that women should not wear trousers has been quite sensibly abolished.
Obviously, rules telling you what you can't wear are bizarre oppression. Make that gender-discriminatory and you're talking serious gender apartheid. But add to that a curious asymmetry, making some people arbitrary second-class citizens, and the logical conclusion is that this is some kind of a joke rather than reality.
An early example of someone breaking the rules was Emma Snodgrass, who in Boston on 29th December 1852 was arrested for wearing trousers. Now let's see if the world is advancing, and losing its silly rules.
Here are a few links to be going on with...

http://www.zyra.org.uk/sk4men.htm

...

that was funny too :

1. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Mommy, why is that man wearing a skirt?[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
   Why don't you ask him, dear?
   
   [/FONT]
2. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]So why do you wear a skirt?[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
   (a) Why should girls have all of the fun?
   (b) Why do women wear slacks?
   
   [/FONT]
3. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]What does your wife/girlfriend think of it?[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
   (a) She picked it out for me. Don't you think it goes with my eyes rather nicely?
   (b) What makes you think I date women?
   
   [/FONT]
4. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Are you a drag queen or a transvestite?[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
   See this mustache?
   
   [/FONT]
5. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]What's worn under the skirt? [/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Nothing's worn at all; everything is in perfect working order. [/FONT]
6. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Is this some kind of religious cult?[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
   Yes, we're afraid so. We were corrupted by the pernicious influences of Scotsmen in kilts, Egyptian men in caftans, and judges and priests in robes, setting such shameful examples for young, impressionable men.
   
   [/FONT]
7. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Should couples share skirts?[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
   Oh, dear. That leads only to fighting over a favorite garment prior to a long-anticipated dance, spoiling your evening, and making you a sour dance partner. His and Hers, or His and His, contra clothing will go a long way to preserving peace in the home and preventing dreadful faux pas on the dance floor.
   
   [/FONT]
8. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Hey, where can I get a skirt like that?[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
   Honey, there's no place like Salvation Army or Goodwill for the modern skirt-chasing gent. Watch for cotton or rayon Indian print imports with elastic waistbands, for utmost swirlability and breathability. Dark prints with tasteful, small patterns hide a multitude of sins, including, uh, post-potty leakage, if you know what I mean. Big, splashy florals are a definite no-no, unless you're into big, splashy makeup to go with them.
   
   [/FONT]
9. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]What kind of footwear goes with skirts?[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
   We recommend tennis shoes (white, not black, with white ankle socks), safety shoes, penny loafers, jazz oxfords, or Doc Martin's, which should never be any color except black. Of course, if your hall has rules about proper shoes, you must graciously follow them.
   
   [/FONT]
10. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]What skirt length is appropriate?[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
    Ankle length is always correct in any setting. One wants to give the impression of billowing fabric without tripping on one's hem and toppling one's neighbor during a vigorous allemande.
    
    [/FONT]
11. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]How do I accessorize my skirt?[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
    Dainty waistpacks or toolbelts are always appropriate, and will cleverly hold a gentleman's little necessities. Choose leather for daytime, canvas or velvet for evening. A white or off-white peasant shirt is a flattering choice with most natural fiber skirts.
    
    [/FONT]
12. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Should my top be draped over or tucked in?[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
    Do tuck it in, dear. Tuck everything in. T-shirts over skirts are a serious sartorial sin.
    
    [/FONT]
13. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Since I don't have female hips to keep it in place, my skirt keeps falling down mid-dance! What should I do?[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
    We've often thought that a suspender revival was long overdue, and here's our chance to start one. Any fine menswear shop should have a dressy pair of "braces."
    
    [/FONT]
14. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica]What sorts of skirts are off-limits to men?[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica]
    We are so glad you asked. Having surveyed the emerging skirt scene at many a big dance event, we have one easy rule to offer: no knits! They don't ventilate well and they simply look heavy and gauche on the male figure. [/FONT]

http://www.qccd.org/skirts.html

the pictures on this site is really funny ...

and there was an exhibition at the MET in 2003
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={823731F9-6846-4D66-AFF5-AB57B724C97A}

 

[BerlinRocks]

some images - sorry if already posted .... the thread is from 2003 (wow !)

i sincerely don't know what to think about this ...
and had no idea it was actually such a debate ...

but to be honest some arguments (the ones for, as much as the ones against) sound weak and lazy (historic arguments especially ... what happened in the past doesn't mean it has to happen again although we went through an evolution and changes ... should we take the women their right to vote back ? )

cultural arguments ... that could be the ones making my mind change ... but ... i don't know ...

but seriously i think men in skirts on STREETS is a real taboo .... and I like MainFashion is once again trying to make things move ... though it could sound that in menswear there's nothing else at the moment to do ...

sources : myweb.tiscali.co.uk/talendor; kiltmen.com; metro stylemen; myhusbandbetty.com; eatfrenchbread.com

 

[saann]

I know that it's just culture and the way I've been "programmed" by society but I don't think I will ever find it "normal" to see a man in a skirt

our whole view around gender, and what is wearable for who and what is not is just constructed, there is nothing natural about it.. but it's the only view we have and it's hard to see it from another point of view

and historical arguments can come in handy here, if you look at what men wore 400 years ago, it's definately something we wouldn't consider male style today.. so if that can change then who knows what we will find as male style in 200 years?

though I have to say that when female style became more male (with trousers etc) it was because women were fighting for something. they wanted to become equal with men, to erase the lines. But men have always been superior, they really don't have much to fight for

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I'm sorry, I think there's a typo in your post ... did you mean to type "Men have always thought they were superior ..."



I love the picture of the boys in kilts, they look so comfortable in them.

When my grandfather was a little boy, he and all male toddlers wore dresses ... then short pants when they were older ... then long pants. Also not that long ago, pink was for baby boys, and blue for baby girls. I think these things are more flexible than we think.

And of course there are still a few benighted folks around who think women shouldn't be wearing pants

Certainly when you see a man in a skirt (not at a Scottish festival) it tells you a lot about him, because it does take cajones to controvert that particular norm. And it is certainly eye-catching

 

[BerlinRocks]

^^last point is really good ....

 

[saann]

^ I'm sorry, I think there's a typo in your post ... did you mean to type "Men have always thought they were superior ..."

I should have written that a bit better.. I meant powerwise.. they've had the right to vote, work with whatever they wanted.. most societies (with a few exceptions) have been patriarcs

they've never had much to strive for

 

[gius]

i've seen guys in skirts here.. mostly black, along with black jacket, black shirt, black everything look. i always try not to stare when i see them so i have my eyes on the ground

sethii's scan from Tunes


not quite a skirt^ Rather a cape or even dress...
with the A-line shape

 

[gius]

When my grandfather was a little boy, he and all male toddlers wore dresses ... then short pants when they were older ... then long pants. Also not that long ago, pink was for baby boys, and blue for baby girls. I think these things are more flexible than we think.

I notice this too when i see very old photos !
The boys start from dresses, work into short pants+boots and then to full-length pants. I wonder what that is about? Or Victorian custom
Where did you read about the colours?

Here is baby Albert Einstein in a skirt
(mdolla.com)


p.s. I also don't like a knit skirt. It has a different drape.. Woven is better, stiff and crisp, showing off the legs ~