Sundress Fest Fundraiser

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.
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DeeJay
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Sundress Fest Fundraiser

Post by DeeJay »

A bar in Washington, D. C. just had their 6th Annual Sundress Fest Fundraiser. The hook is that anyone wearing a sundress gets happy hour all night. There are quite a few articles and pictures of the event on the web. Here are some:

http://dailydiplomat.com/tag/sundress-fest/

http://www.brightestyoungthings.com/pho ... onderland/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/furcafe/se ... 299547767/

I think this type of event is unique compared to all male weddings or boy beauty contests in that the men (straight and gay) are wearing the dresses as men; not doing drag or impersonating women.

Do events like these further the cause of men having a choice of wearing a dress, trousers or a skirt? Do you think men wearing dresses will ever become socially acceptable in your lifetime?

Do you think sundresses "work well" for men?

Do you own a sundress?

If you chose to attend an event like this would you dress to ham it up or make a serious effort to look good in a dress thereby causing your friends and family to wonder about you?

What other feelings do you experience when you see men wearing dresses openly?
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Different_Trains
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Re: Sundress Fest Fundraiser

Post by Different_Trains »

Interesting barrier breaker, but not impressed with the 2nd article calling it 'semi-drag'. Some of the dresses suit the men, some less so in my opinion.
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AMM
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Re: Sundress Fest Fundraiser

Post by AMM »

Different_Trains wrote:Some of the dresses suit the men, some less so in my opinion.
Any worse than a lot of the clothes that women wear?

To be a bit clearer: I think we tend to notice, and be more critical, when we see someone wearing something that's way out of the ordinary. Lots of guys wear stuff that doesn't look good on them at all, but because we're used to twill pants or jeans with bellies hanging over the belt, for instance, we don't even see them.

We're more used to seeing women wearing a wide variety of clothes, so that even when they don't look all that good on them, we don't notice it as much: they're "just what women wear." We're not used to seeing men wearing anything unusual (or even brighly colored), so when they do, all the imperfections jump out at us.
Ryan
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Re: Sundress Fest Fundraiser

Post by Ryan »

That seem like a fun event. Did all those guys already own the dresses they wore, or did Goodwill or the Salvation Army drop by with racks of sundresses for those guys to choose (and buy) from?

Although it didn't look like a "sundress," my favorite dress was the black and white hounds tooth number worn by the guy seen among the photos in the middle link.

Still, what concerned me was when DeeJay said,
Do you think men wearing dresses will ever become socially acceptable in your lifetime?
What if I were to tell him (and everyone) that I looked 50 years into the future and I saw that men wearing dresses was not socially acceptable "in [my] lifetime"?

DeeJay, why are you concerned with whether "society" accepts our fashion choices? Do you want to wait until men wearing dresses become "socially acceptable" before you wear a dress in public? If you want to wait, fine. But when you're 95 and still waiting to wear your favorite frocks in public, just tell us which one of those frocks you would like to be buried in, if at all?

DeeJay and everyone, isn't part of our "movement's" goal is to encourage men to wear in public whatever they want and not be concerned with what "society" thinks or when it would be "socially acceptable" for us to wear what we want in public? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's part of our "movement" and an important part.

May I remind DeeJay and all the members of skirt cafe of that goal?

And as far as what I think about men openly wearing a dress, I just hope what they wear is stylish, fits well and looks good on them.

Speaking of dresses, Banana Republic currently has a spiffy "Crinkly Shirtdress" for sell. I love it. But should I get it in black or "rustic khaki"? You can see the dress here: http://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/pr ... =742859012

What do you think about this dress? Would anyone wear it in public? If so, what shoes would you wear with it?

Anyhow, I thank DeeJay for telling us about the Sundress event. And I hope he can accept his fashioin choices without being concerned with whether "society" accept his fashion choices and, most important, I hope he don't feel he needs to get permission from "socielty" to wear in public whatever he wants.

RYAN
skirted_in_SF
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Re: Sundress Fest Fundraiser

Post by skirted_in_SF »

Ryan wrote: Speaking of dresses, Banana Republic currently has a spiffy "Crinkly Shirtdress" for sell. I love it. But should I get it in black or "rustic khaki"? You can see the dress here: http://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/pr ... =742859012

What do you think about this dress? Would anyone wear it in public? If so, what shoes would you wear with it?
RYAN
I took a look at the shirtdress in the link. A bit short for me and more $$ than I would like to spend. But now that I think about it, it's the same price as the two silk crinkle skirts I have worn out. :lol:
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Davy
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Re: Sundress Fest Fundraiser

Post by Davy »

Looks like great fun! I definitely need to get a sundress.
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Since1982
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Re: Sundress Fest Fundraiser

Post by Since1982 »

I've thought about this post for quite a while to try and figure out some apropo response. I think I finally came up with one.

"One of the more FUN ways I've seen to earn a free BEER!" :thewave:
I had to remove this signature as it was being used on Twitter. This is my OPINION, you NEEDN'T AGREE.

Story of Life, Perspire, Expire, Funeral Pyre!
I've been skirted part time since 1972 and full time since 2005. http://skirts4men.myfreeforum.org/
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JRMILLER
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Re: Sundress Fest Fundraiser

Post by JRMILLER »

Hey,
It would be easy to do in the company of so many other like-minded and like-dressed guys. It's when you are out there all alone (which is usually the case) that is difficult.

My wife has a couple of sundresses and they appear very comfortable, I am guessing it would be like wearing a long T-shirt. It would be nice to have something like this for guys, I really don't have much of a waist and to have something simply hanging from my shoulders would be better. That's one of the reasons I like bib-coveralls, no pressure on the waist. I really do want to make a version of those with a skirted bottom instead of a trouser bottom. Perhaps that's the guys version of a sundress....
-John
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Davy
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Re: Sundress Fest Fundraiser

Post by Davy »

One of the big appeals of wearing a sundress (aside from getting free beer) is that most of them are pretty and colorful. I always admire how pretty most women look in them. Dresses are a bit harder to buy than skirts because the top never seems to fit right, and it is hard to find large enough sizes.
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