Hello from the canals of England!

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Whynot
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Hello from the canals of England!

Post by Whynot »

Hi,

I've been wearing skirts in private since I was very young, but only just now got a pair of balls big enough to go into the wider world (I'm now 41). I have a narrow boat on the canals of England, and for the last few days have worn a knee-length black skater style skirt while boating, and even shopping in supermarkets! I've found nobody seems to give two hoots, even strangely getting complimented on my retro style 'Atari' t-shirt over any other comments.

What I really need, is a heavier duty fabric, and something with pockets which I so miss, preferably in dark colours, knee length and loose fitting, and machine washable with everything else I had would be best as I have to use laundromats - easy care I think they call it!

I usually wear black trainers and socks, but I'm not happy with the look, what are other forum members thoughts on footwear. I like the look of heavy boots, but find them uncomfortable and hard to get around the boat and locks over a pair of soft shoes.

Anyone have any ideas?

Cheers,

Mike
dillon
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Re: Hello from the canals of England!

Post by dillon »

Welcome, Mike. There are various denim and canvas skirts available, but few have pockets intended for use in the way men like to use pockets. When pockets are essential for me, I look for certain outdoor style, and cargo style skirts. But to get a skirt with pockets and durability comparable to men's brand name jeans may ultimately mean home- or tailor-conversions. As for shoes, some that may be appropriate for your needs - light colored soles that grip wet surfaces, light weight, secure fitting - you might look at old style canvas high-tops. I have a pair by Sorel in light tan that were inexpensive and fit well, which I bought with occasional fishing trips on a friend's boat in mind. They suit my style sense better than the preppy topsider style deck shoes. l'm guessing for a canal boat, non-scuff light-color soles may not be required, but I imagine that grippy rubber soles would be appropriate on any craft. Try neutral gray socks to eliminate the goofy-looking sock/shoe contrasts.
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Caultron
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Re: Hello from the canals of England!

Post by Caultron »

Whynot wrote:?..What I really need, is a heavier duty fabric, and something with pockets which I so miss, preferably in dark colours, knee length and loose fitting, and machine washable with everything else I had would be best as I have to use laundromats - easy care I think they call it!...
Hi, Mike, and welcome to the board.

As to a heavy duty, pocketed, washable, knee-length skirt, take a good look at utility kilts.
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janrok
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Re: Hello from the canals of England!

Post by janrok »

Welcome here from Holland, just a swim away. Living in a boat sounds jolly nice and cosy!
I wear A-line skirts with roomy pockets made of denim and Sportkilts. http://www.Sportkilt.com
http://www.skirtcraft.com provides the right skirts but I know a German seamstress who makes man skirts to measure.
She made a jeansskirt for me a couple of years ago and recently I wanted a khaki skirt with even larger pockets and she did a very good job at that.
Two pictures show what she has made for me sofar. Approximately 80 GBP incl. p&p is not too expensive.
http://www.mode-trend-s.de Sabine Seidel is her name.
Problem is she does not understand English but her daughter helps her whenever necessary.
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Jerevo
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Re: Hello from the canals of England!

Post by Jerevo »

Urban Outfitters has some really good corduroy skirts with good pockets at the moment. On the boots front, I recently acquired a pair of king Grinders from www.britboot.com, which are fantastic - one of the very rare instances of an immediate perfect fit with no wearing in.

Jerevo
Orca
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Re: Hello from the canals of England!

Post by Orca »

http://www.britboot.co.uk should be the link to the webpage.
I found out by googling 'britboot'
Last edited by Uncle Al on Fri Sep 11, 2015 12:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: corrected URL formating
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RichardA
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Re: Hello from the canals of England!

Post by RichardA »

Hi & :welcome:
Big and Bashful
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Re: Hello from the canals of England!

Post by Big and Bashful »

Hi Whynot,

I used to get my skirts (mostly denim cargo of various lengths) from Midas, however they have now dissappeared. I also use www.denimskirts.com (also known as StyleJ fashion). They have many heavier skirts, many also have decent pockets, they even zip/button up on the "correct" male side. I have bought a lot of good, well made skirts from them and highly recomend them. I mostly go for long skirts because I like covered legs, but they do a full range in most of the common lengths, worth a look.
I am also thinking of ordering a skirt from http://www.mode-trend-s.de/7.html who seem to make skirts to order, but at sensible prices.

Finally, I am thinking of finding a local seamstress and asking them to copy a Midas skirt or three. Unfortunately these days I have to wait for money to happen before ordering skirts! unless I am just spending £5 to £10 on EBay.
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jeffreyrichards2015
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Re: Hello from the canals of England!

Post by jeffreyrichards2015 »

Whynot wrote:
What I really need, is a heavier duty fabric, and something with pockets which I so miss, preferably in dark colours, knee length and loose fitting, and machine washable with everything else I had would be best as I have to use laundromats - easy care I think they call it!

Anyone have any ideas?
I have bought a few from this eBay supplier very good utility Kilts with pockets.
http://r.ebay.com/lml3Kj

And I have a couple of these on order - lots of pockets. Sounds just right
http://www.skirtcraft.com
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Kirbstone
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Re: Hello from the canals of England!

Post by Kirbstone »

Welcome, Mike.

There are a few boaty types among the contributors here. I am into knee-length wide-cut pocketed skirts myself, but it seems that in 24 hours since posting you have already had all the advice on that front you need.

Tom
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Milfmog
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Re: Hello from the canals of England!

Post by Milfmog »

jeffreyrichards2015 wrote: I have bought a few from this eBay supplier very good utility Kilts with pockets.
http://r.ebay.com/lml3Kj
Thanks for that. My Utilikilt Survivor is almost worn out, so I will be looking for something to replace it (preferably without the $$$ price tag).
And I have a couple of these on order - lots of pockets. Sounds just right
http://www.skirtcraft.com
I too have a couple of these on order. Looks like there will be a few of them here in Blighty.

Have fun (and welcome to our little corner of cyber-space),


Ian.
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renesm1
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Re: Hello from the canals of England!

Post by renesm1 »

If I could give my opinion on shoes. I think that if you wear trainers or shoes with a skirt then you either need to go sockless or wear those low-profile trainer socks. This look seems to work well on women, so should also work on men.
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Big and Bashful
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Re: Hello from the canals of England!

Post by Big and Bashful »

Most of the time I go for long skirts, when I want to go knee length I often use kilt hose or similar, mainly because of blotchy skin and the cool climate here in Scotland, not much Sun to enjoy and none unless I am stuck at work!
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