skirtcafe.org

Jim, the Highland Game is Sept. 20 and I am planning on attending if you would like to meet.

I have been busy and will probably stay so for a while, but I have found myself in an airport for an extra few hours, so I thought I'd write. I have told my wife that I will not wear a skirt in the foreseeable future, but I'm suddenly foreseeing that I may indeed do so and likely briefly in public. I am driving down to New Jersey Sunday by myself, and I thought I might try wearing that skirt from Ebay (the only one I have) while I'm driving. My wife and I have talked more and she's clearly ok with me doing what I want about it, but not just involve her. She says she may eventually change her opinion but that's more likely to happen if I don't make her feel pressured. That feels fine for now. I discovered with the Ebay skirt that if I pull some of the material up to the belt area, the length goes just above my knees and is much more comfortable. I'm thinking of sewing it so it will stay up. The only issue is the small piece of cloth holding the front and back together becomes tight against me. So I cut it. So it no longer has quite the effect of hiding the skirt, but maybe I don't care anymore. I might prefer to wear something else, but I don't have time to do anything about it between now and then. I'm intending to stop at a service area, the one just before the NJ Turnpike, and changing back into shorts there in a bathroom stall. (I need to change to shorts before I reach my destination.) I can carry the shorts in a backpack. I'm not yet sure when I will put on the skirt. At any rate I thought this would allow me to get a sense of how it felt to wear a skirt on a long trip, and to have a brief time in public wearing one in a situation where I'll be completely anonymous. This all depends on the weather as it would make no sense if it's not warm enough. So far the forecast is looking good.

I was a bit amazed at what crfriend had to say about his change of attitude about clothes, because only days before he wrote that I had had what I thought of as a bit of a revelation, that clothes can be fun and playful. Before that I had thought of "looks" as in general superficial and had an attitude about clothes like the one he had had. But even if looks are superficial, well fun does not need to be serious. I think it is important for me to try and keep this attitude as I explore the world of wearing skirts. It will be much healthier than getting upset with the lack of acceptance of men wearing skirts.

I told my wife's daughter (who just graduated college) about how my nightshirt wearing has morphed. She was very supportive about that and has no problem with this, but she likes to joke about how she might have to fight me for clothes. And I told her 30 year old son who suddenly visited us a couple of weeks ago for a few days. He told his mother that he admired me for willing to be my own person despite what others might think. But then again he is a self-avowed iconoclast.

EBay is great for cheap skirts, I bought this one for under £10 including postage:

Best of luck in your adventure. The first time is by far the hardest.

Jim2, typical male clothing has been referred to as "drab". What is there to be enthusiastic about?

Grok wrote:Jim2, typical male clothing has been referred to as "drab". What is there to be enthusiastic about?

I have a case in point, just witnessed today.

My new commute takes me past a rather tony private prep-school, and this afternoon it looks like a function of some sort let out and the students were being led back to the school proper. From the looks of it, the thing is co-ed -- a good thing if you ask me -- but what struck my eye was the disparity between the boys and the girls. The boys were almost perfectly uniformly clad in dark sports-jackets and khaki chinos (How preppy! Right down to white-soled boat shoes. Think "Alpha House" in the movie Animal House.); the girls sported a bewildering array of looks ranging from very attractive and somewhat conservative to things verging on beach-wear. My, we do hammer it into our children from an early age, don't we.

So, yes, guys start off in drab very early on. It'll take the girls a few years to learn that when they dress in beach-wear and look trashy they won't get taken seriously, but that's the way the system works. Some never do learn that. What would have been seriously worth commenting on would be if there was a single boy -- just one -- who had the guts to "think outside the box", and look good doing it, but there wasn't. It was an entirely predictable parade of youth, marching off into the sausage-grinder that is adulthood.

J2 - There is nothing like a skirt for long distance drives, especially if it is warm and the skirt is full and cotton. They are all I've worn the last several years on my annual 700+ mile drive from SF to my brother's home in eastern Washington state. I'll be doing it again in August and will be skirted again.

Jim2 - I have found skirts much more comfortable when on a long drive than say shorts or truousers - in colder weather with tights.

Quite a few times in recent years I have driven 150 or 200 miles (usually staying away overnight) and worn a skirt virtually the whole time (those occasions were for night shift work so had to be trousered then - but the days are fondly remembered).

Even met a couple of chaps from this forum on some of those occasions, which was great! Currently I don't have much work outside the office and certainly none that requires a long journey.

crfriend wrote:

Grok wrote:Jim2, typical male clothing has been referred to as "drab". What is there to be enthusiastic about?

. What would have been seriously worth commenting on would be if there was a single boy -- just one -- who had the guts to "think outside the box", and look good doing it, but there wasn't. It was an entirely predictable parade of youth, marching off into the sausage-grinder that is adulthood.

So begins a life time of monkey suits.

I recall a film with two different titles-"The Dress Code" and also, I believe, "Bruno"-which features a free styling school boy. Of course, not only does the boy experience adult disapproval, but he is also tormented by the other boys. Please note that the grandmother who urges drab on the boy is herself dressed in male styles-but the double standard is not commented on.

I decided to buy a real skirt and have bought this:

Easy Stretch Skirt Twill Misses
Qty: 1
Item: TC280298
Color/Style: Whalebone
Size: 18
Length: Regular

from L.L.Bean. I just received it in the mail. I love it. I've decided that I will wear it when I go on my trip Sunday and not the "skirt that looks like shorts" as it is much more comfortable. It's way more comfortable than a pair of shorts. I feel like women have been keeping a secret from men. Well, the male anatomy probably makes it even more so. A picture of me in it is shown below.

Looks good, have fun!

Caultron wrote:Looks good, have fun!

Thanks. I'm excited and a bit scared.

Looks like a good style for a man. Good choice.

Excited and scared is normal at first. Take your courage in both hands and step out! Many people will not notice, but you will get plenty of second glances. Don't worry - people are surprised or perplexed but not generally disapproving. Most folk think "Why not, if he wants to".

LL BEAN has been my place to go, I am now taking more of an interest in their catalogues. Size 18 is what I also find to fit well. Hit or miss at their outlet stores but worth checking out whenever you can. I have purchased from there a few different styles and when on sale usually under 10 dollars. Nice look by the way,

Woolrich often has size 18 skirts, though I have only one or two I found discounted, since their full price garments are too pricy for my budget. I am happily down to a size 14 now.