Leggings

Discussion of fashion elements and looks that are traditionally considered somewhat "femme" but are presented in a masculine context. This is NOT about transvestism or crossdressing.
User avatar
oldsalt1
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 2470
Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2016 8:25 pm
Location: Long Island, New York

Leggings

Post by oldsalt1 »

I wear mini skirts, About 4 inches above my knees. We are going into the colder weather. Knee socks will solve part of the problem. But I have never been out in leggings or stockings. I am a man wearing a skirt. For some reason I think the leggings and more so stockings gives a more feminine cast to things. longer skirts which I don't like won't solve the problem Help
User avatar
crfriend
Master Barista
Posts: 14431
Joined: Fri Nov 19, 2004 9:52 pm
Location: New England (U.S.)
Contact:

Re: Leggings

Post by crfriend »

oldsalt1 wrote:For some reason I think the leggings and more so stockings gives a more feminine cast to things. longer skirts which I don't like won't solve the problem Help
This is social conditioning kicking in. We tend to equate legwear with "femininity" (if such a thing still exists) simply because it's "always been that way". The trick is to disconnect the notion from its cultural connotations and look at the usefulness of the article of clothing.

The same argument used to be used on men who decided to grow their hair out; guess what: the world did not stop turning and boys and girls could still tell each other apart. The parallel here is that if one is going to have long hair, then sooner or later one is going to need a way to restrain it -- and that's where tools and devices come in. That, too, led to some level of ridicule when some random bloke first put his hair back in an elastic or even -- gasp -- tied it back in a bow. It's not a "girly thing"; it's a long hair thing. Period.

It goes for skirts as well -- and the assorted panoply of tools and gadgets that help one deal with skirts. It's not a "feminine thing", it's a "skirt thing" and is no more remarkable than any other engineered artefact.

Recall, also, that hose in history were originally a male garment so we've got that crutch in our back pocket if necessary.

If one doesn't like long skirts and wants to wear short stuff in the winter, then some form of legwear is pretty much going to be required unless one lives closer to the tropics than in the northern latitudes of the USA. This can range anywhere from sheer tights through heavy opaques and into heavy leggings depending on how cold things are outside. Some tights can also be quite heavy and have sweater-like characteristics -- ideal for winter.

Personally, I tend to go for long skirts with petticoats for winter -- although yesterday, I did rock one of my short skirts as it was warm enough outside.

Ignore the conditioning.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
User avatar
oldsalt1
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 2470
Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2016 8:25 pm
Location: Long Island, New York

Re: Leggings

Post by oldsalt1 »

To crfriend. I am on Long Island NY so unless you are in the upper area of Vermont or perhaps Maine. We have pretty much the same weather. I like my shorter skirts so I will probably go with leggings. I am beginning to think that my problem goes back to my original fears about being noticed. I guess I feel that just wearing a skirt doesn't get noticed as much as tights. I am at the point where I wear skirts almost every place. I guess the leggings thing is just another step
User avatar
Judah14
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 319
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 3:48 pm
Location: Philippines

Re: Leggings

Post by Judah14 »

There are leggings marketed towards men, known as "meggings", though they are usually more expensive than "regular" leggings but have a fly as they are optimized for male use.
らき☆
User avatar
crfriend
Master Barista
Posts: 14431
Joined: Fri Nov 19, 2004 9:52 pm
Location: New England (U.S.)
Contact:

Re: Leggings

Post by crfriend »

oldsalt1 wrote:To crfriend. I am on Long Island NY so unless you are in the upper area of Vermont or perhaps Maine. We have pretty much the same weather.
I'm in the hinterlands of central Massachusetts, so our climates are comparable although mine being inland gets colder than your island realm. During the winter, Worcester (the nearest aerodrome) is usually a good ten degrees colder than Boston which is right on the coast; this flips in summer so Worcester is usually hotter than Boston. Then there's the cold wind from the northwest, not so affectionately known here as "The Montreal Express" which can send a chill down even the sternest yankee's spine.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
Darryl
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 571
Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2014 4:32 am
Location: Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Re: Leggings

Post by Darryl »

Flies should be swatted. :wink:

Going from sedentary to pulling 12-hours shifts in Network Operations and being on my fee on concrete and raised flooring my legs were killing me. Friends in nursing (both male and female) suggested support hose. I tried a pair and they WORKED! Less cramping, less tiredness and so on. Then I wore them to the doctor's office and the doc thought it a good enough idea he offered to write me a prescription for them.

Regular old support hose would be good enough to maybe the low thirty's or upper 20's perhaps. Then tights might get you a few more degrees, and then you can go with leggings. I got some fleece-lined tights and fleece-lined leggings for the really cold stuff.

The key is getting things just right....warm enough for outside where you might feel a bit cool but not cold, and cool enough for when you're inside so you're a bit warm, but not dripping sweat.

Balancing act. :D
Gusto10
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 928
Joined: Mon Aug 17, 2015 12:07 pm

Re: Leggings

Post by Gusto10 »

oldsalt1 wrote:I wear mini skirts, About 4 inches above my knees. We are going into the colder weather. Knee socks will solve part of the problem. But I have never been out in leggings or stockings. I am a man wearing a skirt. For some reason I think the leggings and more so stockings gives a more feminine cast to things. longer skirts which I don't like won't solve the problem Help
If leggings looks horrible on most women, why not just opt for tights? The color should go with the rest you wear.
User avatar
oldsalt1
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 2470
Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2016 8:25 pm
Location: Long Island, New York

Re: Leggings

Post by oldsalt1 »

I think I am going to work on tights. I am going to use the old kiss method (keep it simple stupid ) and just work with black or dark browns to avoid clashing .
User avatar
crfriend
Master Barista
Posts: 14431
Joined: Fri Nov 19, 2004 9:52 pm
Location: New England (U.S.)
Contact:

Re: Leggings

Post by crfriend »

oldsalt1 wrote:I think I am going to work on tights. I am going to use the old kiss method (keep it simple stupid ) and just work with black or dark browns to avoid clashing .
Dark and earth-toned colours are always safe bets; off-white can work as well. Definitely start conservatively and then move into more vibrant colours as you gain confidence in putting stuff together that works well.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
User avatar
Caultron
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 4122
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2013 4:12 am
Location: Phoenix, AZ

Re: Leggings

Post by Caultron »

oldsalt1 wrote:To crfriend. I am on Long Island NY so unless you are in the upper area of Vermont or perhaps Maine. We have pretty much the same weather. I like my shorter skirts so I will probably go with leggings. I am beginning to think that my problem goes back to my original fears about being noticed. I guess I feel that just wearing a skirt doesn't get noticed as much as tights. I am at the point where I wear skirts almost every place. I guess the leggings thing is just another step
When I started wearing tights, I found that the difference in reaction to (1) a skirt and (2) a skirt and tights was zero.
Courage, conviction, nerve, verve, dash, panache, guts, nuts, balls, gall, élan, stones, whatever. Get some and get skirted.

caultron
User avatar
oldsalt1
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 2470
Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2016 8:25 pm
Location: Long Island, New York

Re: Leggings

Post by oldsalt1 »

To crfriend Its funny before I got home and read your note I stopped at the store I purchased a pair of black dark brown and off white tights.
User avatar
oldsalt1
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 2470
Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2016 8:25 pm
Location: Long Island, New York

Re: Leggings

Post by oldsalt1 »

REVELATION I got home and decided I wanted to try on the tights. Its a little hot to wear them out but I still wanted to try them on. I put on the dark brown tights a brown skirt and a brown shirt. I was standing in front of the mirror when it hit. YOU GO OUT WEARING SKIRTS. What difference does it make if you wear socks or tights or whatever. You are still going out in public wearing a skirt. Just dress neat and proper and nobody has the right to say a dam thing.
User avatar
Pdxfashionpioneer
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 1650
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2015 6:39 am
Location: Portland, OR, USA

Re: Leggings

Post by Pdxfashionpioneer »

Everybody's got the right to say what they like. Likewise you also have the right to ignore every single bit of it.

I choose not to because I get so many nice comments from strangers!

But for sure putting together a nice, well-coordinated outfit makes it that much easier. If for no other reason than such an outfit gives you such self-confidence.
David, the PDX Fashion Pioneer

Social norms aren't changed by Congress or Parliament; they're changed by a sufficient number of people ignoring the existing ones and publicly practicing new ones.
User avatar
oldsalt1
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 2470
Joined: Sat Jul 09, 2016 8:25 pm
Location: Long Island, New York

Re: Leggings

Post by oldsalt1 »

you are right people can say whatever they want. What I meant was I don't give a FF what they say they don't pay my mortgage
Ralph
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 493
Joined: Wed Jun 26, 2013 9:07 pm

Re: Leggings

Post by Ralph »

oldsalt1 wrote:I was standing in front of the mirror when it hit. YOU GO OUT WEARING SKIRTS. What difference does it make if you wear socks or tights or whatever.
I kind of wondered about that when you wrote your initial concerns that tights might seem too "feminine". Like when I got an all-you-can-eat buffet and load my plate down three times, then worry what people will think when I get dessert. Dude, that ship has already sailed and there's no calling it back to shore :D

That being said, I often wear black ribbed tights under my jeans because there's really no difference between them and my black ribbed crew socks except the length (and the tights keep me warmer when I go out in the snow). Yeah, pink floral or lacy tights might get you even more hostile looks from the Fashion Gender Police, but something reasonably bland like solid black or grey shouldn't get any more reaction than the skirt itself.
Ralph!
Post Reply