Do folks notice or not?

[MrNaturalAZ]

The other day I got a "Is that a kilt? Cool!" - I was wearing an olive Utilikilt with a tie-dyed tee shirt and bare feet.

[Couya]

Getting noticed.
I had a long cycle ride around Malaga today, to the port to see the biggest cruise ship in the world (6000 northamericans just invaded the town, while most of the Malagueños went to the port to view the ship), as well as visiting the botanic gardens and just generally enjoying the beautiful weather. Even managed a selfie cycling past some enormous windows but after reducing it to less than 500 kb, I still got the usual refusal.
Thousands of people milling about, but no-one "noticed" my kilt. Not, that is until I fell off my bike (no injuries!); then a lady walking by kindly asked if I was all right. I made a joke about learning to look where I was going instead of admiring the view, and then she said "Oh, and you're wearing a kilt!"
So, if you don't want your clothing to be noticed, don't be a clown!

Martin

[Couya]

Second try :

selfie.jpg

Martin

[Couya]

And this was the monster ship :

croisière - copie.jpg

Can you imagine living on board with more than 6000 passengers and some 2400 crew?
Not my idea of fun.

Martin

[Couya]

I'd forgotten an other detail of my day out.
Waiting for the train this morning, standing quite near the ticket machine, a lady came up and said "Vous pourriez peut-etre m'aider; je ne sais pas comme elle marche cette machine."
Yes, in French she asked me to help her use the ticket machine.
If you noticed a kilted gent standing around, would you automatically assume he was/spoke/understood French? a kilted gent in Spain?
Does this mean that my kilt had indeed not been noticed? During the subsequent conversation, no mention was made of my clothing. To tell the truth, I did not actually comment on her clothing either !
By the way, she was at least 20 years younger than I, and accompanied by her husband.

Martin

[Uncle Al]

About a week ago (+/- a day) my wife & I were at our newest, and close by,
Wal-Mart. We were headed into the dairy section when an African-American
lady, and her 4 kids, stopped us and said "A man wearing a kilt - See kids?"
I was wearing a brown gored skirt, brown and white check shirt and my
'belt-bag'. I grinned and said no, it's not a kilt but a skirt. She asked
why are you wearing it? (Now here's the kicker ) My wife said 'he wears
it because it's comfortable and cooler than pants'. (This from my wife no less.)
We chatted briefly and went about our business as usual. The lady was
AMAZED and was smiling from ear - to - ear about the encounter.

(Needless to say I was surprised as all get-out with my wife's comments,
which she volunteered at the time. I didn't get to say any of this stuff )

Things are looking up, in a GOOD way

Uncle Al

[skirted_in_SF]

Can you imagine living on board with more than 6000 passengers and some 2400 crew?
Not my idea of fun.

Martin

Not my idea of attractive, kind of a highrise hotel on lying on a raft.
We get cruise ships here in SF, though not that large. The Queen Mary 2 did pay a visit three or four years ago.

[dillon]

Was that ship the SS Norovirus, by any chance?

[Sinned]

I was on checkout today when a customer with her husband said to me "it's my skirted patient at the surgery". It took me a few seconds to recognise that she was the practice nurse at the surgery I frequent ( but not too often ) and I had visited once when I was skirted. I did write about the incident in one of my posts. She said that she remembered me saying that I had loads of skirts and I confirmed this. We had a little discussion about it as the store wasn't too busy and her husband was actually supportive but the exchange was loud enough for me to continue the conversation about me wearing skirts ( and not kilts ) with the next couple of customers. I said that I wore a skirt because it was comfortable and suited me and for no other reason. It was an unexpected conversation but allowed me to be honest with them. I presume that one or two of my colleagues may have heard the conversations but nothing has been said as yet. There were no negative comments at all. I will say that sometimes our actions bring unintended consequences. I did say to one of my customers "I hadn't intended to be known for wearing a skirt." She replied "Well, it's better to be remembered for that than not to be remembered at all." Food for thought.

As an aside I tried to count the number of women wearing skirts going through the checkouts out of the hundreds passing through and I came up with the figure of thirteen, of which two were dresses. There were four what I would call long tunics as they were too short to be called dresses and they were worn with some sort of leggings.

[STEVIE]

Dennis,
The lady was bang out of order to identify you in that way.
As it worked out well, I'm really glad for you.
However, a different mind set on your part, or your employer's could have spelt disaster!
I'd say again, go public when you are truly ready, it's truly liberating, just be aware of potential consequences!
Pity, but it's still true!
Steve.

[Caultron]

This is a common occurrence for me: people remembering me because of my kilts whereas otherwise they probably wouldn't have. But I just take it as a compliment or acceptance.

I mean, of course you're being a bit different. You have to to accept people noticing that. The good news is that 99.9% of the people will give you your space, and the rest are jerks anyway.

[r.m.anderson]

-----
-We were headed into the dairy section when an African-American
lady, and her 4 kids, stopped us and said "A man wearing a kilt - See kids?"
-----
Things are looking up, in a GOOD way
Uncle Al

What I find even more interesting is the conversation that takes place afterward
with the kids asking "Why is that man wearing a dress(skirt)" ?
Humorous the answers mom gives the kids that you can hear.
AND the further questions; answers and replies which are not heard.

A pleated tartan pattern is easily mistaken for a kilt.
Sans the pleats and or the tartan pattern now this gets dicey to explain.
Hem length details (belts buttons zipper closing) nudge the envelope in the direction
of just a plain ordinary skirt.
Leg and footwear contribute to the misdirection of what is actually a kilt or skirt.

[Sinned]

STV, yes, I suppose that she was out of order in doing it so blatantly and she could have been quieter. I was more surprised by the exclamation than anything. In retrospect I should have expected it as during our discussions in the surgery she seemed a forthright character and very bouncy or bubbly. As long as it doesn't affect my employment then I am not worried about the exchange. Could do without many more surprises like that!

MOH again accused me of wanting to look like a woman in wearing a skirt and if I gather a few more female skirt counts then next time I can say "I am not trying to look like a woman - if I were to do so then I would wear leggings or jeans as most women seem to wear them now. I have counted the number of women wearing skirts in the low teens and that's in a full day." I know that it won't change her opinion as it's emotionally-based but at least I have a bit of ammunition in reply.

[skirtyscot]

Dennis,
The lady was bang out of order to identify you in that way.

Must say, I disagree completely with that. Dennis, you chose to go about your ordinary business in public while wearing a skirt. Somebody noticed and remembered. Unless you had asked her not to mention it, she was not under the slightest obligation to keep quiet about it upon meeting you again. It was perfectly reasonable for her to assume that you were quite open about wearing skirts and to behave accordingly. Obviously she could just have said hello, without mentioning the skirts, but maybe it was just that she didn't think to keep shtumm about them in the moment that she realised who you were. Why should she? She was probably just being friendly.

You could perhaps say that she shouldn't identify a patient publically because of medical confidentiality, but even there you'd not have much of a case. The surgery needn't have been the doctor's - could have been the dentist's. So long as she didn't say why you had been there, I can't see a problem with this.

You decided to take a risk by going out in a skirt. Those of us who go out skirted make a choice to do so, and we have to bear the consequences. It's as simple as that. Nothing bad appears to have come of this particular incident. Maybe if a colleague did overhear, it could be an opportunity for you.

[skirtingtoday]

I was on checkout today when a customer with her husband said to me "it's my skirted patient at the surgery". It took me a few seconds to recognise that she was the practice nurse at the surgery I frequent ( but not too often ) and I had visited once when I was skirted....

I think that the nurse must have been quite comfortable with you in a skirt to make the remark so freely and accepting. I have had very few remarks/comments whilst wearing skirts (though I do believe that many more notice but don't comment)

On one occasion several years ago, I was wearing my 19" khaki cargo skirt and, (for the first time in public) black tights so more becasue of the tights, I was slightly nervous and apprehensive when a man approached me and asked it my skirt was a Utilitikilt. I replied it wasn't but agreed it looked like one. No comments on the tights. Because of the apprehension I felt, I didn't have much chance to talk further but he did say, "Everybody is looking at you!" which caused the heart to race a bit faster I can tell you!

I hope that I am more ready for the next contact and comment and reply/chat further.