I too went out and survived!

General discussion of skirt and kilt-based fashion for men, and stuff that goes with skirts and kilts.
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couyalair
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I too went out and survived!

Post by couyalair »

I wrote recently that a kind of mental blockage prevented me from going out in anything but a knee-length kilt-style skirt, even though I have enjoyed wearing shorter things at home with the heat of summer.
Today however I have broken down my own self-imposed barriers.
I was wearing a short skirt, mid-thigh, when wife and grandchildren announced it was time to go or we'd be too late to see the crocodiles being fed. So out I went as a I was. The most surprising was that this elicited no reprobation from my wife, who is always quite happy to see me nonbifurcated, as long as I keep to tartan kilts. Apparently a plain beige skirt has become unnoticeable even with some 20- 25 cms of bare thigh.
Another warm day, but how pleasant to be walking unencumbered (25-minute walk approx).
Plenty of people about in the streets, lots of people in the crocodile park, but no dirty looks that I saw, and my wife made no mention of people staring behind my back.
Of course, at this time of year in a holiday town, most people were in holiday clothes, shorts, t-shirts tank tops, so my attire was less remarkable than in a working town centre, I suppose.
I did make sure I kept my knees together when sitting down for a quick meal, but otherwise felt quite relaxed and comfortable, and will no longer hesitate to go out dressed in this way. I suppose too that an old codger was of no interest to the general public compared to the lovely young granddaughters accompanying me, who, by the way, took dozens of photos, but did not even consider me picturesque enough to be photographed, so I have nothing to show you.

Martin
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crfriend
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Re: I too went out and survived!

Post by crfriend »

That's great news, Martin, on a couple of fronts. First and foremost, you got over the hump you had in your brain about non-kilts, and second that you noticed that the sky didn't fall, and the world didn't stop spinning. Nicely done, and the benefit is that you now understand at a gut level that it is possible to wear something other than a kilt in public, and you were comfortable in the process.

Yes, the keeping one's legs together in short stuff is distracting at first, but eventually it'll become second-nature.

Three cheers!
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Re: I too went out and survived!

Post by Milfmog »

Good news Martin,

I have noticed with Carole that I can go out in more or less anything I happen to be wearing but if I change to go out I tend to get feedback suggesting that "trousers are good but I suppose a kilt is OK". Anything else seems to be a step too far if I change into it to go out.

I feel that she simply forgets what I'm wearing so not reminding her is my best option. If I know I'm going out in an hour or two I tend to change into what I want to wear so she can acclimatise before we leave.

Thanks for sharing your story.

Have fun,


Ian.
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Re: I too went out and survived!

Post by Since1982 »

The only time I even respond to folks that ask me why the skirt is if they are belligerent with something like "WHY aren't you wearing PANTS????" LOUDLY screamed from a distance. My stock response is " Oh sh.., I left my horse at home!" to which the ones that are the most upset continue with "What do horses have to do with it?" Me: Um...pants WERE invented to protect ones legs from the flanks of a HORSE!! So, no horse, no pants. Got it yet? :faint:
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couyalair
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Re: I too went out and survived!

Post by couyalair »

- edited below
Last edited by couyalair on Thu Aug 11, 2011 11:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: I too went out and survived!

Post by crfriend »

couyalair wrote:By the way, if you'd seen what those crocs could do to a big stick and joints of raw meat, you too would be glad to get home alive!
That's why the crocs are kept at a safe distance from the crowd and distracted by the food!
The granddaughters are the ones that tell me, when I complain of feeling cold, that I should wear tights under my mugs, but at this time of year, they make no comments at all about my mugs, minis and sarongs.
You have very practical and analytical granddaughters there Martin -- you should be proud! Not only are they comfortable around you in your "unconventional" attire, they accept enough to offer cogent and practical advice on the matter instead of telling you to ditch the skirts and put on trousers (which is what the adults would do)! All kids should be so smart.

By the by, heavy tights really do help in the wintertime -- and that was advice I got from one of the women in the "commuting community" that we had on the 06:05 Worcester-Boston train run back in the 1990s. Notably, this was before I started wearing skirts. I'm always cold in the winter, and she just popped that out as advice, and you know -- it works!
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couyalair
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Re: I too went out and survived!

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Yes, I know that tights work to keep out the cold, but I don't find them all that comfortable and not really attractive.
I discovered them when, living in Morocco, I made the mistake of going to Germany for New Year. Luckily the Germans do sell woolen tights for men (with front opening) and I made good use of them that bitter winter.
Later, I went to N Carolina to study, where lack of physical activity expanded my waist line and made the then fashionable narrow trousers MOST uncomfortable, so I ditched them in favour of wearing the tights under my jellaba. I got far more funny looks because of my GB accent than because of my attire -- in the 70s we had all become less conventional than the younger generation is today.

And yes, the granddaughters are fun to be with.

Martin
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couyalair
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Re: I too went out and survived!

Post by couyalair »

By the way, if you'd seen what those crocs could do to a big stick and joints of raw meat, you too would be glad to get home alive!

The "I survived" part was nothing to do with the skirt (just a bit tongue-in-cheek). Of course we survive except when caught up in a riot, perhaps, since people on the streets are too busy tied up in their own lives to worry about what other people wear. And spectators in crocodile parks have their eyes firmly riveted on those teeth!

The granddaughters are the ones that tell me, when I complain of feeling cold, that I should wear tights under my mugs, but at this time of year, they make no comments at all about my mugs, minis and sarongs.

Martin
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couyalair
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Re: I too went out and survived!

Post by couyalair »

Playing with the camera, I thought I'd show you my "daring" mini.
I'll try to remember to smile next time.

Image

Martin
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Re: I too went out and survived!

Post by GerdG »

But of course you survived. I have had a skirt rather similar to yours. And no problem at all wearing it in public:

Image

Greg
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There ARE viable alternatives to trousers.
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