Out and About -- In the World at Large

[JeffB1959]

Just a short outing downtown yesterday before afternoon thunderstorms blew in. With temps in the low 70's with plenty of sunshine, wearing a light skirt was delightful as I was cool and comfortable in ways I couldn't in jeans or even shorts. And, as is usually the case, no one gave me the time of day, despite how I was dressed, and that's delightful too.

[Charlie]

Mrs C and I spent last week at Halsway Manor contra dancing to the lovely Cis Hinkle (caller from the USA) and the English Contra Dance Band). A brilliant week, made better by not having a pair of trousers in sight .
I did the morning workshops and afternoon relax period in a Union kilt, and the evening dances in a gypsy skirt - a different colour each night. Everyone took the skirts in their stride (contra dancers are pretty open-minded). I even received a couple of compliments from the ladies; one wanted to steal the deep purple skirt from me.
One dance I did with a very tall Danish guy. The joke was that he danced the women's role (in trousers) and I dance the man's part (in a skirt). The look on people's faces as we went up the set was priceless as they worked out who was dancing what role.
Its the Chippenham Folk Festival in a couple of weeks, so if you're there, the guy in the colourful skirt will probably be me
Charlie

[Caultron]

Mrs C and I spent last week at Halsway Manor contra dancing to the lovely Cis Hinkle (caller from the USA) and the English Contra Dance Band). A brilliant week, made better by not having a pair of trousers in sight...

I've heard of this before -- that men wearing skirts is relatively common (or at least taken in stride) at contra dances.

Is that true?

And if so, why?

[Jim2]

I've heard of this before -- that men wearing skirts is relatively common (or at least taken in stride) at contra dances.

Is that true?

And if so, why?

It is definitely true. I go every week to a contra dance in Concord Massachusetts and there are usually about a dozen men wearing skirts or kilts. It is usually young men but occasionally an older man other than myself (I'm 63) does so. I have no idea how it started. I had been contra dancing at least once a year at NEFFA, a 3 day dance festival in Massachusetts that is attended by people from all over the United States, for many years until I stopped around 2005. As far as I knew back then, men did not wear skirts there. I started dancing again about a year and a half ago and men were definitely wearing skirts at contra dances then. There are lots of men wearing skirts at NEFFA now, as can be seen in videos from there. Many contra dance organizations will have a web page with a section on the proper way to dress, and will include a statement about the fact that many men like to wear skirts to a contra dance, and they often add a statement such as "it doesn't mean anything." Well, I don't know how often such a thing is said, but I've seen it.

I'd be very interested to know how it started. My suspicion is that it must have developed locally somewhere and then national folk dance festivals like NEFFA (perhaps NEFFA itself) spread it elsewhere.

[moonshadow]

Just a short outing downtown yesterday before afternoon thunderstorms blew in. With temps in the low 70's with plenty of sunshine, wearing a light skirt was delightful as I was cool and comfortable in ways I couldn't in jeans or even shorts. And, as is usually the case, no one gave me the time of day, despite how I was dressed, and that's delightful too.

Jeff the fact that you incorporate tops in your outfits has served as an inspiration of sorts for me to add them to my collection, and I'm pleased with the result.

Here is one example of such, granted, for some reason being several hundred miles SOUTH of you, we didn't enjoy quite the warm weather, it struggled to hit 60 and the wind was pretty steady, but I managed to snag this shot near Asheville NC today thanks to Jenn...

Personally I'm pleased with the look... not sure how it will go with the color-coordinators here, but at least the color of the hat matches the whole ensemble. With the outside of the hat matching the top, and the inside of the hat matching the skirt....
Fellas I'm afraid this is about as good as it gets for me... I did my best, anything further and I'd no longer be Moon Shadow the "non-conformist"

[Sinned]

When Jenn says, "No darling, I think you can go on your own," then you'll know that you've got it wrong. I think that what you were wearing was fine. I like the top.

[pelmut]

Its the Chippenham Folk Festival in a couple of weeks, so if you're there, the guy in the colourful skirt will probably be me

...and one of the plainer ones will be me (unless I find a colourful bargain in a charity shop beforehand).

[Kirbstone]

Moon,
Great outfit, lovely location. Walking in places like that you need a nice big dog.

Tom

[crfriend]

Personally I'm pleased with the look... not sure how it will go with the color-coordinators here, but at least the color of the hat matches the whole ensemble. With the outside of the hat matching the top, and the inside of the hat matching the skirt....

The colour-coordination on that rig is spot on. and the design on the blouse works very well with the entire ensemble. The hat and shades are priceless. The only thing that I (as in my own opinion) find "off" about it is the leggings. Every time I see leggings, my brain not-so-gently screeches "'80s fashion victim".

Caution: Rant follows.

Leggings were a bad idea in the 1980s and that hasn't changed any over the intervening years. They remain an unmitigated fashion disaster. There are several folks here who have shown that skirts can be entirely flattering to a range of physiques, but that much of that quality is down to line and proportion. Leggings put one or more horizontal breaks in what should be a graceful vertical line, and they do so at a complex and usually not all that attractive part of the anatomy. That 1-inch band of skin bordered by two fields of black just does not work. Just as bad, though this is usually committed by women, is leggings and bare feet.

The double-horizontal of kilt hose and a kilt is expected, so it tends to "go" a bit better and is also at a wider part of the leg. Putting the break at the narrowest spot just looks wrong.

OK, I'll go and sit in the corner now.

[Caultron]

...That 1-inch band of skin bordered by two fields of black just does not work...

I tend to agree.

I do wear leggings for warmth sometimes, but only with socks. Usually that's either hiking socks worn over or thin black socks worn under.

[moonshadow]

Well, thanks for all the kind remarks... one saying of mine is "even a broken clock is right twice per day"

Regarding the leggings, I too am not a fan generally speaking. Had it had been about 10 degrees warmer I would have went without them. Leggings are only something I wear when the temps are cold, as I find them cumbersome during the day. But they are warm, and the waist down was toasty all day long despite the Canadian wind gust.

I've come to find when wearing skirts, particularly those intended for women (who are of a more feminine demographic), the addition of a "womens"[0] top seems to pull the outfit together. As I look at some of my old photo's of me wearing my skirts with a regular mens tee, I find that it now looks "off". It is difficult to find mens shirts that go with "womens" skirts. Seems to me, most mens "dressy" shirts are meant for dress trousers, slacks, etc. All that remains are t-shirts, polo's, etc, and they too, while will work with skirts still don't compare to a "womens" top. The addition of "womens" tops broadens the palette of choices with additional designs and cuts.

The exception of course being Carl, who seems to have a gifted "magic" touch in regards to making mens tops work with "womens" skirts. I, alas have taken the easy way out. I think it has a lot to do with his vintage style, and the fact that once upon a time, mens clothing wasn't so boring. Unfortunately, vintage mens clothing of that style appears to be mail order, and out of my budget right now. Goodwill doesn't have anything like that, so I travel the womens isles for now.

[0] I understand many here don't like using the term "womens" to define the clothes we wear, and prefer "from the other side of the isle". I often choose to simply using "womens" however will place the word in quotations to attempt to imply that I realize they are only "womens" in as far as society goes, as far as we are concerned, they are "ours". To say "from the other side of the isle" is just too long and cumbersome phrase to employ in some context.

[crfriend]

The exception of course being Carl, who seems to have a gifted "magic" touch in regards to making mens tops work with "womens" skirts.

That's not magic, that's the result of a lot of hard work and more than a few really bad gaffes. Trust me, I've had my lumps in that regard.

[Kirbstone]

Speaking as self-appointed Commissioner of Attire Police, text correction division, I need to point out the interpretation here of the word 'Isle'.

The 'other side of the isle' from here is Galway Bay and people 'watch the Sun go down on' that.

This corner of the Globe is a veritable archipelago of Isles, of which I happen to live on the Emerald one.

Aisle, on the other hand is that pedestrian thoroughfare between departments in a store, e.g. wimminz & menz, or indeed down between banks of pews in a church/synagogue.

Btw. I think we should legislate against leggings. I HATE 'em!

Tom

[Sinned]

Moon, a man's dress shirt CAN go with a skirt, but probably not with the fussy skirts that you wear. Fussy in the sense of the busyness of the patterning. Most of my skirt are of a solid colour and these are suitable for the dress shirt. Look at the picture of me in yellow and I could repeat that look in most other colours - black, blue, brown, red and so on. I could even add the appropriately coloured tie if I wanted to. In casual format I tend to wear T-shirts or sweaters in winter.

I hate leggings also and don't own any, even though it is MOH's choice for pretty much every day of the year. Talk about a uniform as boring as any of the usual man's trouser rig. Of course following Thumper's advice I maintain silence.

[pelmut]

Speaking as self-appointed Commissioner of Attire Police, text correction division, I need to point out the interpretation here of the word 'Isle'.
[...]
Aisle, on the other hand...

Isle . . . Aisle . . . I'll bear that in mind