Men In Skirts
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Benn98
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God, where did you get this? LOL.
It's actually a chic look! Looks like a sarong wrapped around wide-legged trousers? I could try that. Only on holiday though, when I'm braver and in a foreign country.
Not sure about Victoria Adams......
It's actually a chic look! Looks like a sarong wrapped around wide-legged trousers? I could try that. Only on holiday though, when I'm braver and in a foreign country.
Not sure about Victoria Adams......
eugenius
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I think it's Gaultier, so, yeah, a sarong wrapped around wide-legged trousers sounds right.
I'm loving the 90s-hair on him, and I think he looks better WITHOUT the excess tattooes.
And judging by the look on her face, she isn't sure about Victoria Adams, either.
I'm loving the 90s-hair on him, and I think he looks better WITHOUT the excess tattooes.
And judging by the look on her face, she isn't sure about Victoria Adams, either.
I love David's look, though I'd never wear a V-neck tee in my life. But whatever is happening below the waist looks great.
)
Sometimes, I try to envision what kind of skirt (or even dress) I would wear. Since I am mostly casual, I would mostly stick to more casual pieces. I'd be okay with a long jean skirt. If I wanted to go the dress route, a long denim shirt dress.
I think any male should go with any sort of skirt (or even dress) they want to wear. I do think skirts/dresses are very much wearable for males. Their appeal is very much there.
I think any male should go with any sort of skirt (or even dress) they want to wear. I do think skirts/dresses are very much wearable for males. Their appeal is very much there.
Drusilla_
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Rhik Samadder in The Guardian on a more ordinary blike-in-skirt experience: Harry Styles can get away with wearing a skirt. But can I?
Harry Styles can get away with wearing a skirt. But can I?
Liberating … Rhik Samadder sports a black linen skirt on the streets of Peckham. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian
Yes, a man can rock a skirt on the catwalk or the red carpet – but what if your natural habitat is the greasy spoon or street market? Time to slip into that slitted maxi …
Rhik Samadder
@whatsamadder
Mon 11 Jul 2022 12.00 BSTLast modified on Mon 11 Jul 2022 18.48 BST
I love clothes, including those defined as feminine. I rarely wear such things outside, because who’s got the guts? This could be the time. Gendered fashion is, reportedly, dead. After wearing lounge pants for two years, men want to liberate their legs. To test the cultural temperature, I’ve borrowed a long black skirt from my friend Rowena, and am wearing it around south London, to see if anyone cares. They do. Men in skirts may be having a moment, but my experience is excruciating. Passersby stare at me with narrowed eyes, like I’m a piece of long division.
It looks so easy on magazine covers. Harry Styles, Pete Davidson and NBA star Russell Westbrook have burned the menswear rulebook, while celebrities such as Kid Cudi, Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Isaac are also feted as straight male skirt kings. Thom Browne, Raf Simons, Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garçons all pushed the look in recent collections. But catwalks and red carpets are one thing, Peckham Rye in a slitted maxi is quite another. I may as well be wearing a colander for a crown.
The skirt itself is great. Free, airy and elegant. “Is it a man’s skirt?” asks a woman sitting outside a shop. “Unisex,” I reply, telling a white lie. “It looks good,” she decides. It’s hard to know what people think, just from their expression. There’s another complication, too. In most of the world, much of which is hot, men wearing airy garments over their legs is normal. Religious garments often have a dress-like form. It’s possible people are trying to work out if I’m wearing a jalabiya or jubba, even a sarong. I could be a funky cleric. I’m basically wearing a skirt with a get-out clause. It’s time to go bold.
Working it … Rhik Samadder. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian
I return the linen number to Rowena, and we go shopping. In a charity shop, I’m drawn to a Lipsy animal-print number. “That’s a Wag prosecco dress,” demurs Rowena, who doesn’t believe in mincing words. “And not your pattern.” I pick up a paisley midi, in white and coral. Sweet, sort of 90s and fun. I buy it, but not everyone is sold. “Maybe we do this,” my friend says at home, whipping out some pins, and taking it up 25cm. She ties my T-shirt into a midriff-baring crop top. “Now that’s a look.”
I could wear this in the vicinity of an art school and blend right in. But where would the fun be in that? I take a trip to east London, to an old-school fruit and veg market. The traders stare, but no one tells me to put my plums away. Likewise, in a crowded greasy spoon. Some of the older clientele do look a little offended, which doesn’t feel good. I don’t want to upset anyone. But I’m only wearing a skirt. Men in shorts run topless wherever they like and no one bats an eyelid.
Schoolboys are the worst, bless their suffering hearts, but most are simply curious
On public transport, no one says anything. Then again, you could wear a pillowcase like a chef’s toque and talk to a blancmange on a bus and no one would notice. In the street, there are more interactions. An elderly Chinese woman totters over to tell me I look good. I ask if the skirt is too short. “No. Nice,” she says. What a baller. (For what it’s worth, another elderly woman shouts “What the f*ck is that?” in my direction.)
Young people are generally on board. “Slay,” smiles a teenage girl, shyly. There’s a fair bit of “Work it!” to balance out the disgust. Schoolboys are the worst, bless their suffering hearts, but most are simply curious.
I think gender roles are prisons, and we should all wear what we want. And I doubt I’m alone. I went to drama school, and would say roughly 100% of the boys were there so they could wear dresses. As a side note, I am conflating two different garments here. Is there more of a cultural template for “man in a dress” as opposed to a skirt? The aesthetic unity of dresses has always appealed to me, more than skirts. In any case, we yearn for the forbidden.
There could be another reason for the confused faces. It’s unseasonably cold, and raining. I’m not feeling pleasant airiness; the wind is whipping between my legs. Perhaps I just look chilly.
Other steep learning curves include knowing how to sit on public transport (place bag on knees, not between), thigh modesty, and where, in hell’s teeth, to put my things. It’s nothing if not a great lesson in empathy. Everyone should experience the exposure, scrutiny and restricted movement that skirt-wearers endure.
While weather is the most hostile force I encounter, I wouldn’t say men in skirts are normalised. “What the f*ck is that?” is dehumanising language, not great for the old self-esteem. At first, I shrink. Then, I stand taller. Stare at me and I’ll stare right back. But defiance is tiring, and it saddens me that a man can’t wear a lovely piece of clothing without arming himself in this combative stance. I don’t have the energy for that every day. I can’t say what I’ll be wearing tomorrow, but I do know this: it’ll have goddamn pockets on it.
Thread is 20 years old, has the trend of men in skirts increased? It feels like celebrities rocking them has increased in the past two years, yet I've only seen a handful of guys wearing them in my entire life in person. Being able to mask up during the pandemic gave me a lot of comfort and false confidence, and I wear them occasionally nowadays without any mask on.
My biggest struggle is having absolutely no reference to go by, as I'm not big into punk looks or kilts/utility kilts (though have a few). I have no clue how "ridiculous" I look, but I wear what I like and I suppose that's all that matters? Lots of the high-end fashion shown here is either too expensive, or too "out there".
My biggest struggle is having absolutely no reference to go by, as I'm not big into punk looks or kilts/utility kilts (though have a few). I have no clue how "ridiculous" I look, but I wear what I like and I suppose that's all that matters? Lots of the high-end fashion shown here is either too expensive, or too "out there".
eugenius
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I feel like anytime a male celebrity tries to do this look, they just let their stylist pull the first dress from the womenswear section and then say, "I'll take it." This always looks like playing dress-up moreso than being fashion-forward and/or style-savvy.
At least with Thom Browne, his man-skirts can resemble kilts, which is definitely not costume-like at all.
fashion4ward
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An interesting topic, no doubt about it. I am indifferent on the matter.
QueenSaby
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I totally wish I could see more guys rocking skirts every day, whether they're wearing them instead of pants or mixing them up with their outfits. It's seriously attractive when it's done right, you know?
Like, it adds this unique and stylish vibe that I can't help but find super appealing.
Like, it adds this unique and stylish vibe that I can't help but find super appealing.
The problem with guys who wear them - we get absolutely no style advice from anyone, and there is nowhere to turn to for advice. All the places that are men in skirts friendly are too accepting - afraid to critique and say something bad about their appearance. While a guy can wear a skirt without being trans, I think there is a fear of saying something transphobic, so instead people are way too accepting. I also think most guys tend to be followers when it comes to fashion, so a partner or SO's encouragement would be very helpful.
There's also no design vernacular to go by, so I'm always like, "Is the waist too high? Does this shirt work with this skirt? Should the shoes match something?". Some of these are basic questions that, as a man, I haven't been raised to answer. Keep in mind I'm not trying to look like a woman, but all the examples of how to style a skirt (with the exception of some celebrity looks) come from the other aisle. I post to a couple of places to get feedback, but mostly it's cheerleading which I don't really need/want.
Am I whining? Maybe
. For me it doesn't matter as much anymore - I've settled into a style I think works for me - but to get more on board there need to be many more affordable ready to wear pieces with examples people can follow.
