Out and About -- In the World at Large

[denimini]

The heat of summer is over and we are now in the low 30'sC and the grey nomads are travelling through again. I was working on the street frontage of a heritage building, on some low scaffold, when two couples walked over to ask about the building. It felt quite strange holding forth whilst standing at shoulder height in a 14' mini, eventually climbing down to show them inside the building. Not the slightest hint of curiousity about my attire. One woman asked to take a photo of the building and as I continued working (at ground level now), she asked if I minded being in the photo, which I replied that it was OK.
I have much more work to do there and it is now a busy time of year for tourists so I anticipate there will be many more encounters.

[Happy-N-Skirts]

My wife and I were both wearing skirts and suddenly she couldn't resist reaching her hand under my skirt and giving me a squeeze. She said she couldn't help the impulse. Hey, one more reason to like skirts. I like that kind of attention. Some times I get a gentle pat.

I am out in public more while wearing a skirt. When standing still in line I can feel the air conditioned air going up under my skirt. Can't get that way from shorts or pants. It's has been warm where we live. In the low 90's. Perfect skirt weather.

[oldsalt1]

I guess that signifies that your wife is ok with you wearing skirts. enjoy it man enjoy it
got a question were they matching outfits

that would be a great picture

[Keyworth]

Last Thursday I managed my first significant outing in a skirt in public!

I had a day off work and decided a few days earlier I wanted to book myself in for a massage with a masseuse I located online about 20 mins from where I live. For some reason I asked when booking whether she would mind if I potentially arrived in a skirt as "sometimes I wear them" (testing the waters so to speak!), and without hesitation she said wear "whatever you like, it's not a problem with me!". She added, to reassure me I think, that parking was easy and nearby and it would be quite anyway.

On the day to be honest I still wasn't sure whether to go through with wearing a skirt effectively for the first time in public, and especially in daylight and when I knew 100% I'd be "seen" by someone else. But I take encouragement from the posts on this site and told myself "if not today, then when?". I knew I'd be somewhere where no one knew me and it was likely to be quite, plus the person I was seeing already knew I might be dressed that way and was fine with it, so what's the issue?!!

So I put on a pair of black tights (thick enough so my hairy legs don't show through!), a grey very slightly patterned skirt which finished 2-3 inches above my knees and plain black flat ballet style pumps. On top I just pulled on a white polo shirt and altogether I think I looked pretty good which made me feel confident. I added my black puffer jacket on top as it wasn't the warmest of days and was about to leave the house when I realised I had my first "issue". How was I going to get to my car door without the neighbours seeing me in a skirt?!

Now I didn't mind a complete stranger seeing me but my neighbours are a bit too close to home so to speak, so while the car is parked only about 4-5 meters from my front door there would be a high chance of being seen due to plenty of retired neighbours, a chap who works from home and housewives all with the potential of seeing me. My wife would freak if she thought the neighbours knew I like to wear skirts so what to do? Fortunately a had a pair of black track suit bottoms in the utility room which had just been washed so I decided to pull them on over my skirt and they'd be easy to remove in the car once I was off our road. So that's what I did and they worked a treat!

Anyway when I arrived I managed to park on the road about 75 metres or so from the address I had. My heart was thumping at this point as while it was quite there were still people around. There was an older lady walking a dog coming in my direction on my side of the street, a chap washing windows and a woman pushing a pram on the other side of the street, and a couple of cars driving along the street, but I took a deep breath and got out my car as naturally and calmly as I could. I locked my car up and walked towards the dog walker trying to look confident but so, so nervous inside!! Here I was out in public for the first time and straight away I had to pass someone!!

As we approached one another I was thinking should I look at her or try to ignore her completely?! Then as we were about to pass I looked up at her and she looked me straight in the face, smiled warmly and said...... "good morning". That was it. No major outburst of "how dare you....!" Or anything like that. Just a perfectly normal and polite "good morning". The world didn't stop spinning and the birds still sang. I didn't look to see if she looked back at me after we'd passed and I didn't notice if the chap or the other lady saw me but neither shouted out at me so I walked on to where I was going, my heart still thumping but ever so slightly more relaxed having passed what I felt was the first major hurdle. That said, I now knew I had to face my masseuse!

Fortunately I was greeted very warmly by her and after the pleasantries were over with she casually said "I'm glad you decided you felt comfortable enough to wear a skirt, it looks good on you. More men should wear them!" I was a bit gobsmacked by that and only managed to mutter "thank you", but that boosted my confidence immensely as I'm sure you can imagine!!

Anyway I had a great massage and she did ask me about how I got into wearing skirts, etc, (I admitted it was my first time out in public which she genuinely seemed thrilled about!), so I just became more and more relaxed. By the time I left I was on cloud 9 and as I walked back to my car I felt every bit as confident and comfortable as if I was wearing my favourite jeans. I know a car or two passed me as I walked but I didn't even look around to see if there where other folks on the street who might see me but of course the walk back was completely uneventful.

Getting back home though and the tracksuit bottoms had to be popped back on. It wasn't that I didn't have the confidence, it was more for the respect of my wife's wishes, but I simply couldn't smiling to myself that I'd done it and gone out in public at long last.

Ok it wasn't a full day out wandering around a major city or anything, but for me I think this was a breakthrough and I'm looking forward to doing it again as soon as a have the right set of circumstances such as the wife not around, I have to travel a little distance from home, etc, etc. I'm just not ready to walk around Tesco's doing the weekly shop........ yet!!

[Jim]

Thanks for sharing your story, Keyworth. It looks like you've been here a while and this is your first post. Same shyness as in your account? You can participate freely here.

[oldsalt1]

Don't kid yourself this was a very big move for the first time out. I went out in skirts many times before I had the nerve to actually make direct contact with someone. So you started there is no rush Do what feels comfortable when it feels comfortable

[Caultron]

Congratulations, Keyworth! From here it only gets easier. And indeed, as you've said, the earth doesn't stop spinning nor the birds singing. Just have fun with it

[Sinned]

Keyworth, let me ask you a few questions. When you are in your living room do you spend all your time looking out of the window? Do you notice every coming and going of your neighbours? Do you see them go out to their vehicles and do you notice what they are wearing as they do so? I suspect that the answers to these questions is no so unless you have a particularly nosy busybody that IS looking out all the time then the chances of a neighbour spotting you is actually very small. And from a distance with maybe poor eyesight could they be sure that they saw you in a skirt as opposed to shorts? By the time they opted for a second look you would be in your car. Just think about these points for a moment and you'll realise that you are possibly being silly. Having said all this MOH hates me wearing skirts outside and I think that she is scared of what the neighbours will think whereas I just couldn't give a t*ss as, despite living here for 35 years, I only know a few of the neighbours names in this short cul-de-sac of ours.

Bear up and congratulations on getting this far - you have just joined a very, very select band of brothers and sisters. Skirt on.

[STEVIE]

Hi Keyworth,
I've been exactly where you are now. That was about four years ago, the neighbours were a concern.
As I decided to skirt "full time", I made a discovery. My neighbours have been most accepting and supportive, more so than some of my family.
My "hood" comprises a fair mix of ages, nationalities and plain circumstance.
Some people will judge, but mainly they won't really give a hoot about your attire.
Just go for it as you become ready!
Steve.

[6ft3Aussie]

Was out the other evening, just wend down to the basement to drop off the recycling waste, wearing my black utility kilt. On the way up in the lift, the lift stopped at the ground floor and my next door neighbours stepped in, with and older gentleman, must have been his dad. We had a brief chat in the lift, no reaction from my neighbours, but the older gentlemen kept looking me up and down.

Saw my neighbour a week or so later, She commented that she wished her partner would wear a utility kilt after seeing me...I told her where I got mine, so I wonder if she would get one for him...
Maybe I've enlightened them and expanded their horizons!

[Daryl]

Was out the other evening, just wend down to the basement to drop off the recycling waste, wearing my black utility kilt. On the way up in the lift, the lift stopped at the ground floor and my next door neighbours stepped in, with and older gentleman, must have been his dad. We had a brief chat in the lift, no reaction from my neighbours, but the older gentlemen kept looking me up and down.

Saw my neighbour a week or so later, She commented that she wished her partner would wear a utility kilt after seeing me...I told her where I got mine, so I wonder if she would get one for him...
Maybe I've enlightened them and expanded their horizons!

Utility kilts have the most recognition so far and hit the masculine cliches enough that people consider them when they wouldn't consider anything else. I've been asked many times where I got mine, until I stopped wearing them. In a tartan kilt I got asked what I had on under it so I'd have to say the utility kilts were the least annoying.

[Keyworth]

Hi all, many thanks for all the kind, positive comments about my little adventure, I'm still grinning to myself about it!

Sinned - I to live at the end of a cul-de-sac which at times can feel like a bit of a goldfish bowl, but since my trip out I have actually plucked up the courage to nip out to the car wear a plain black skirt which I think could loosely pass as shorts from a distance. So small steps and all that but I am very mindful of my wife's wishes and to be honest it took me a good 5 mins of scanning the neighbours houses and windows and one false start to get out the door!! That said, I think you're right, I doubt anyone spends a lot of time staring out the window just to see what the neighbours are up to and even if they did see me, yes they'd probably be surprised at first but I very much doubt any of them would be offended, they're all nice folks after all.

Jim - Thanks for you comment too. Yes I've been lurking in the background reading posts for quite a while now (and gaining confidence from them!), but I just felt I really wanted to tell "someone" about what I'd achieved so it was a great opportunity to write my first post. I may not post often in the future but I'd like to think it will be a case of "quality over quantity" when I do. Hopefully!!!

Thanks again everyone, I appreciate the support.

[renesm1]

Well done!

It gets easier really. Maybe I need to come around to your cul-de-sac and walk around in a skirt if that helps the cause!

[mugman]

I received a couple of knee length skirts a few days ago (ebay again) in my preferred 'non fancy' look. Two pockets on the front corners and on the back which I find handy. Both denim, one in brown and the other khaki. Although I've only been using kilts this last couple of years I thought I'd try one of the skirts on a trip out this morning. We have in the UK a home furnishing chain store called Dunelm, and I went there about lunch time to pick up a plastic storage box for my keyboard leads and stuff. I chose the khaki skirt, with black crew neck sweater and ankle socks.
Two girls in their early 20's were on checkouts. No looks of surprise or double takes from either. I'm assuming that this is because I always pick skirts which to me suggest by their simple workaday styling that a man can, and is seen to be, very easily wearing one without any unnecessary embarrassment. This demonstration of unisex effectiveness then hopefully comes across quickly and everyone moves on.
My enthusiasm for skirts dipped around 2015 but I might just get back into it again, as long as they're of a mainly utilitarian look and material. The next difficult step would be going for something two or three inches above the knee - I would need some Dutch courage to cope with that in public, and as I drive everywhere Dutch courage is not an option.

[Daryl]

Well done! (to Keyworth)
It gets easier really. Maybe I need to come around to your cul-de-sac and walk around in a skirt if that helps the cause!

HEY everybody. Flashmob at Keyworth's cul-de-sac tomorrow at noon!

(um, where are we going, exactly?)