Great for Men Too

General discussion of skirt and kilt-based fashion for men, and stuff that goes with skirts and kilts.
David R
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Great for Men Too

Post by David R »

After wearing my two new Kathmandu skirts all day for the last few days I have now posted a review in the customer reviews section "Great for Men Too"
http://www.kathmandu.com.au/womens/clot ... women.html
The great thing is that website moderator has chosen to promote that this style of skirt is suitable for men too.
The couple of improvements to the design that I have recommended are minor and do not affect my recommendation to buy and wear this skirt.
I have worn the black and grey skirts to work (in an office where I normally wear shorts through winter), to cafes and shopping. No comments, nothing to report.
Just go about your day as if you are wearing shorts but more comfortable in the heat of Summer.
David
photoguy207
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Re: Great for Men Too

Post by photoguy207 »

I love the look of it.

I have found a few skirts from LLBean, Mountain Hardware and Merrell that are similar, but not as good with the pockets as this one is.
STEVIE
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Re: Great for Men Too

Post by STEVIE »

Hi All,
I'd agree that this is a good looking skirt.
My reservation is easy.
Just do not restrict yourself.
You have come to the cafe, so you are already on the quest.
You have a breadth of choice, use it!
Discover, make the mistakes, laugh and enjoy.
Steve.
Bertino56
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Re: Great for Men Too

Post by Bertino56 »

The Kathmandu Semsa skirt, plus your customer review, is a great leap forward for unisex skirts.
I would only suggest more choice in colours! Does anyone know if Semsa is available in the U.S.?
It appears to be very much like my Bayou skirt from Cabela's. Ripstop fabric, knee length,
pockets, belt loops, zip front, same cut and fit, robust and durable, completely suitable
for men or women.
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Uncle Al
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Re: Great for Men Too

Post by Uncle Al »

I like the general look but I have 2 problems with it.
1) The skirt is not full enough for an A-Line skirt
2) They don't offer sizes to fit 'larger' people.
(My 'spare tire' grew up to be a Mack Truck tire ;) )

Uncle Al
:mrgreen: :santa: :mrgreen:
Kilted Organist/Musician
Grand Musician of the Grand Lodge, I.O.O.F. of Texas 2008-2009, 2015-2016,
2018-202 ? (and the beat goes on ;) )
When asked 'Why the Kilt?'
I respond-The why is F.T.H.O.I. (For The H--- Of It)
skirtingtheissue
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Re: Great for Men Too

Post by skirtingtheissue »

Looks nice and looks to be a practical style.

Thanks for writing the review. The more reviews of skirts written by men (who state they are men) the better! We should all do that when possible. It gets the word out that skirt merchants have male customers.
When I heard about skirting, I jumped in with both feet!
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finrod
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Re: Great for Men Too

Post by finrod »

It really looks excellent. I personally love the "activewear" look! The one thing that might hold me back is that like Uncle Al, I prefer a little more flare.
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Kirbstone
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Re: Great for Men Too

Post by Kirbstone »

So do I, but they're sending me one anyway, for delivery on Jan 3. Stay tuned....

Tom
Carpe Diem......Seize the Day !
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Fred in Skirts
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Re: Great for Men Too

Post by Fred in Skirts »

Uncle Al wrote:I like the general look but I have 2 problems with it. 1) The skirt is not full enough for an A-Line skirt 2) They don't offer sizes to fit 'larger' people.
(My 'spare tire' grew up to be a Mack Truck tire ;) )
Uncle Al
:mrgreen: :santa: :mrgreen:
Don't feel bad Al mine grew up to a Monster Truck tire!! :lol: :lol: :lol:
"It is better to be hated for what you are than be loved for what you are not" Andre Gide: 1869 - 1951
Always be yourself because the people that matter don’t mind and the ones that mind don’t matter.
Bertino56
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Re: Great for Men Too

Post by Bertino56 »

As usual, the product picture shows a very small size. Probably 6 or 8.
That's to show you how slim and trim you will look wearing this skirt.
Use your imagination a bit to visualize how a 14, or 16, or 18 (or whatever
your size) will look. More A-line, wider hem, more generous cut.
David R
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Re: Great for Men Too

Post by David R »

bertino56 is correct. Larger sizes have greater sweep (circumference of hem).
This skirt (in larger sizes) does hang pretty straight with no flare which looks OK for a man's skirt.
The key is that the material stretches when a large stride is taken so you don't need pleats or an A-line flare.
So the silhouette is similar to a traditional kilt which drops fairly straight from the waist.
For a plain skirt a small amount of A-line flare is desirable to provide some drape between the legs when seated.
Interestingly, my opinion is that pleats as found at the back of most kilts are inappropriate for a men's skirt.
A kilt is basically a wrap skirt generally with decorative pleats at the rear. And those decorative pleats are terrible to sit on.
Pleats at the rear do not serve any useful function. Pleats in a skirt if anywhere should be in the front to allow free movement, and you don't need many.
Alternatively stretch fabric as used in this Kathmandu Semsa skirt also allows free movement, enabling a plain skirt to be functional.
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Uncle Al
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Re: Great for Men Too

Post by Uncle Al »

David R wrote:A kilt is basically a wrap skirt generally with decorative pleats at the rear.
The pleats ARE NOT DECORATIVE :!:
David R wrote:And those decorative pleats are terrible to sit on.
Not if you 'manage' your pleats. They help provide
1) insulation when sitting on a cold surface.
2) a cushion when sitting of a hard surface
3) tickle the ladies fancy when they wonder if the wind will 'create-a-view'
:oops: ;)
David R wrote:Pleats at the rear do not serve any useful function.
Well 'laddie', I don't know where you get your information but pleats are
EXTREMELY FUNCTIONAL at the rear of a kilt :!:
Functionality is the reason the basic design of the kilt hasn't changed
since the 16th century. The Great Kilt is a multi-functional garment.
The 'Breacan' is most common today. It is the 'shorter' version of the
Great Kilt and is not a multi-functional garment as is the Great Kilt.
David R wrote: Pleats in a skirt if anywhere should be in the front to allow free movement, and you don't need many.
You have FREE MOVEMENT with the pleats in the back of the kilt :!:
David R wrote:Alternatively stretch fabric as used in this Kathmandu Semsa skirt also
allows free movement, enabling a plain skirt to be functional.
This MAY be true but the fabric will only stretch so far, Then you run out of fabric.

So David R, please be careful when writing your 'thoughts'. Check your
"facts" before quoting them. The info I've written comes with 20+ years
experience of wearing kilts.

Uncle Al
:mrgreen: :ugeek: :mrgreen:
Kilted Organist/Musician
Grand Musician of the Grand Lodge, I.O.O.F. of Texas 2008-2009, 2015-2016,
2018-202 ? (and the beat goes on ;) )
When asked 'Why the Kilt?'
I respond-The why is F.T.H.O.I. (For The H--- Of It)
Liam
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Re: Great for Men Too

Post by Liam »

Uncle Al wrote:The pleats ARE NOT DECORATIVE
I agree with Uncle Al. I have been making and wearing kilts for 7 or 8 years and the pleats are not decorative and absolutely serve a purpose. And the idea that they should be in front instead of in back as that would somehow create more freedom of movement just doesn't make sense. :roll:

Everyone has a right to their opinion, and If you prefer a skirt to a kilt that is totally cool. Just but please don't inaccurately portray the kilt in the process.
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mishawakaskirt
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Re: Great for Men Too

Post by mishawakaskirt »

Uncle Al wrote:
David R wrote:A kilt is basically a wrap skirt generally with decorative pleats at the rear.
The pleats ARE NOT DECORATIVE :!:
David R wrote:And those decorative pleats are terrible to sit on.
Not if you 'manage' your pleats. They help provide
1) insulation when sitting on a cold surface.
2) a cushion when sitting of a hard surface
3) tickle the ladies fancy when they wonder if the wind will 'create-a-view'
:oops: ;)
David R wrote:Pleats at the rear do not serve any useful function.
Well 'laddie', I don't know where you get your information but pleats are
EXTREMELY FUNCTIONAL at the rear of a kilt :!:
Functionality is the reason the basic design of the kilt hasn't changed
since the 16th century. The Great Kilt is a multi-functional garment.
The 'Breacan' is most common today. It is the 'shorter' version of the
Great Kilt and is not a multi-functional garment as is the Great Kilt.
David R wrote: Pleats in a skirt if anywhere should be in the front to allow free
movement, and you don't need many.
You have FREE MOVEMENT with the pleats in the back of the kilt :!:
David R wrote:Alternatively stretch fabric as used in this Kathmandu Semsa skirt also
allows free movement, enabling a plain skirt to be functional.
This MAY be true but the fabric will only stretch so far, Then you run out of fabric.
So David R, please be careful when writing your 'thoughts'. Check your
"facts" before quoting them. The info I've written comes with 20+ years
experience of wearing kilts.

Uncle Al
:mrgreen: :ugeek: :mrgreen:

Uncle Al, David R. I'm still on the fence so to speak, you both have valid points. I do think that pleats in a kilt allow for great freedom of movement. Having worn a kilt several times I have learned there is plenty of room for movement. And when sitting down I keep my legs a part with a greater than 45 degree angle,I find that the front aprons fall right into place, then I put my legs into a more natural sitting man spread. Without
Fear of exposure. Now I have only worn a kilt 5 times so I might be doing something wrong, but I do find the pleats especially when sitting on hard surfaces to being a literal pian in the backside :( I tried sitting on the edge of the chair and then scooting back.
That seems to eliminate the wad of pleats. But after awhile the pleats start to hurting.ouch.
Am I doing something wrong?


Mishawaka
On another note I measured two of my kilts, the cheap traditional style was 11 feet of material. And the modern kilt has 17 feet of cotton twill in it.
Mishawakaskirt @2wayskirt on Twitter

Avoid the middle man, wear a kilt or skirt.
Darryl
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Re: Great for Men Too

Post by Darryl »

I found this quite helpful when I started wearing kilts: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ho ... ORM=VIREHT

:D
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