Long "maxi" skirts

General discussion of skirt and kilt-based fashion for men, and stuff that goes with skirts and kilts.
Disaffected.citizen
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Long "maxi" skirts

Post by Disaffected.citizen »

I'm starting this thread as OldSalt1's My many minis thread seems to be going off topic.

I recalled a skirt suit for men several years ago; it was likely high end designer and quite pricey as it was from Thom Browne.

If we wish to continue the discussion of long skirts in a professional situation, let's do so here.
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Re: Long "maxi" skirts

Post by Ray »

I work in a professional environment. No women wear long skirts. That's not to say it's unprofessional; it's just that contemporary fashions rule such a look out. They were more popular in the early 1990s but seem to have fallen by the wayside since then. The longest skirts I see are mid calf length, worn exclusively by the more mature ladies.

Interestingly, there seems to be a consensus among the women that skirts are more professional, and I think there is some form of adherence to conformity. Thus, a new recruit may start wearing trousers, but after a while, she tends to convert to skirts. Of the 25 or so women in the office, I would guess that 20 wear skirts. In our office, all women of Asian and Chinese ethnicity wear skirts, 100% of the time at work, and very professional and smart they look. The skirts in question are usually about 20 inches long, plus/minus 2 inches, so about 2 inches above the top of the knee.
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Re: Long "maxi" skirts

Post by moonshadow »

What puzzles me about this "prohibition" of certain skirts for the work place is our (mens) place in the matter.

Under what is considered "acceptable" by social norms, men are not to wear skirts of any type in a business environment. Granted, it's nice that old salt seems to work in a place that allows it, however I would find it very vexing if old salts employer allowed him to wear a short skirt, yet a woman could not wear a maxi.

In fact, this isn't going to sound quite like I want it to, but I believe that if a woman wants to wear a maxi in a professional environment that's her choice, and there's nothing wrong with it. Lets face it, we all know why shorter skirts are the norm in office environments for women- that being it makes them "eye candy". A prude woman in the workplace will struggle to go as far as one who dresses in more shorter, provocative clothing. It's really quite sexist, and in many ways demeaning to women as they appear as nothing more than sex objects.

My question of "why", is a loaded one.

But even if you disagree with me on the sexist point of why shorter skirts are acceptable and longer ones are not, I feel few of us would deny that generally speaking, men wearing skirts at the office is a no-go, at least in most positions. Granted, a few among us are masters in our field and are readily employable regardless of what we wear thanks in part to our various reputations, however still I feel for a majority of us, skirts are a "time off" thing only.

I guess what I'm really pointing to is if an office is cool enough to allow a man to wear a short skirt, then what rules would prohibit a long one? It almost seems like a contradiction. I also seem to recall a slight snafu of a fellow member across the pond who had a bout with a shorter skirt, whereas a certain manager favored longer ones for our male member, despite female colleagues being allowed to wear short ones.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... people are strange.
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Re: Long "maxi" skirts

Post by Liam »

I have to wonder how much is related to where you work geographically. I work in a professional capacity at an international corporation where the dress code is "business casual", and it is rare to see a woman wearing a skirt much above the knee, long (ankle length) is much more common and pants are most common by far. Which is kind of funny considering weather gets pretty hot here half the year.

I have never worn a proper skirt to work, but often wear traditional length and ankle length kilts and nobody cares.
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Re: Long "maxi" skirts

Post by Ray »

Geography may have a part to play, but so too does the formality of the sector you are in. I think that geography varies the range around a yardstick; the sector defines that yardstick in the first place.

For example, in the UK, professionals in finance are conservatively dressed in London, getting more casual as you move to Manchester or to the west of London, then getting more conservative as you get to Scotland, Wales and possibly Cornwall - that is, the outer reaches of the UK. That's my experience anyway as I travel around the regional offices in my firm.

However, none of our offices are as formally attired as law firms. Their yardstick is a little more towards the "business formal" end of the spectrum.
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Re: Long "maxi" skirts

Post by Kilty »

moonshadow wrote:What puzzles me about this "prohibition" of certain skirts for the work place is our (mens) place in the matter.

Under what is considered "acceptable" by social norms, men are not to wear skirts of any type in a business environment. Granted, it's nice that old salt seems to work in a place that allows it, however I would find it very vexing if old salts employer allowed him to wear a short skirt, yet a woman could not wear a maxi.

In fact, this isn't going to sound quite like I want it to, but I believe that if a woman wants to wear a maxi in a professional environment that's her choice, and there's nothing wrong with it. Lets face it, we all know why shorter skirts are the norm in office environments for women- that being it makes them "eye candy". A prude woman in the workplace will struggle to go as far as one who dresses in more shorter, provocative clothing. It's really quite sexist, and in many ways demeaning to women as they appear as nothing more than sex objects.

My question of "why", is a loaded one.

But even if you disagree with me on the sexist point of why shorter skirts are acceptable and longer ones are not, I feel few of us would deny that generally speaking, men wearing skirts at the office is a no-go, at least in most positions. Granted, a few among us are masters in our field and are readily employable regardless of what we wear thanks in part to our various reputations, however still I feel for a majority of us, skirts are a "time off" thing only.

I guess what I'm really pointing to is if an office is cool enough to allow a man to wear a short skirt, then what rules would prohibit a long one? It almost seems like a contradiction. I also seem to recall a slight snafu of a fellow member across the pond who had a bout with a shorter skirt, whereas a certain manager favored longer ones for our male member, despite female colleagues being allowed to wear short ones.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... people are strange.
Old Salt's employer is... Old Salt :roll: He bagged himself the accounts work, having met the client whilst skirted. Having worked in office environments in the UK for years, most women who wear skirts were the pencil-cut type between 21 and 24 inches, you do see longer skirts, but that's either due to a woman's religious background (many from Arabic cultures may choose a longer calf length but this is rare even nowdays), generally it's the much older woman who will wear a calf length skirt (there's a shop for the older woman called Marks & Spencer where there's loads of calf-length skirts)... but until skirts become mainstream for men (I did like Dexter Cheston's pencil skirts for men from last year), some schools are offering boys the option of skirts, but that's more to accommodate Transgender kids to have that option if they wish. Guys will have to fix up, shave their legs, wear tights, sit properly to wear a formal pencil skirt, and skirts on men may prove a distraction in an office environment initially. People are accepting of kilts on Dress Down Days so who knows? It's also down to retailers to just make a decent straight skirt for men that isn't as outlandish as something on the catwalk at the moment :roll:
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Sinned
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Re: Long "maxi" skirts

Post by Sinned »

I think that the point here is that there is no deliberate self-selection of skirt length in the work environment by the employer, it's just an unconscious choice of the perceived fashion norm at the present time. The perceived fashion pendulum has swung away from the long and is more toward the short so long skirts are out at the moment. There's no reason why a long skirt cannot be worn in the workplace it's just that women are deciding not to. At least that's how I see it.
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Re: Long "maxi" skirts

Post by rivegauche »

I see a few long skirts at work. There is more 'work' in a long skirt with stairs, getting in and out of cars, and there is more fabric to catch in tights. In wet weather the hem can get wet and dirty. I still like them, though
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Re: Long "maxi" skirts

Post by trainspotter48 »

On most mornings a (young) lady waits opposite our house for a bus, presumably to her place of work. Why does she stand out? Because she is wearing a reasonably full long (ankle-length) skirt. This contrast with the majority of her peers who are wearing short (above knee) skirts with dark tights/leggings, or trousers, or just the heavier weight tights/leggings on their own.
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Re: Long "maxi" skirts

Post by hoborob »

I also find it really puzzling why we don't see many people wearing the longer skirts. I have two ankle length skirts that I enjoy wearing. One is a very soft fabric A-line that I have no problems whatsoever wearing and walking around in. The other is a fairly heavy Pencil type skirt with no slits at all that I also have no problems walking around in. Perhaps my stride is not as long as some here but the lack of a slit in the pencil skirt does not impede me at all. I have worn it out and even in a snowy environment it caused me no problems at all even walking across icy surfaces I had no problems. I also have a knee length Black A-line type of skirt that has some extra fabric billows that I like to wear but this time of year has a bit to much exposure for me as it leaves my lower legs exposed and even with hosiery on my legs still get cold. This is my own experience and I cannot say my own mileage is typical, it's just mine.
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Caultron
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Re: Long "maxi" skirts

Post by Caultron »

I've just never liked the look of midi- and maxi-skirts, and it seems that wearing one would involve a lot of extra bother.

But to each his own.
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Re: Long "maxi" skirts

Post by crfriend »

Caultron wrote:I've just never liked the look of midi- and maxi-skirts, and it seems that wearing one would involve a lot of extra bother.
The former is down to personal preference, and of course everyone is welcome to theirs. The latter might seem to be the case, but one learns how to move in long skirts surprisingly quickly and once that lesson is learnt they're no more of a hassle than knee-length skirts and likely less of a worry than very short ones.

I like the elegance that long emphasizes, so I gravitate to that; however, that does not mean that I intend to leave the short look unploughed,
But to each his own.
As always. I will admit to bristling a little bit regarding the "NOT acceptable as business attire" crack though -- and sometimes I have the temperament of a porcupine (and sometimes the intelligence to match).
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Re: Long "maxi" skirts

Post by moonshadow »

Perhaps the reason many women don't wear maxi skirts often is because they can't rock em' like men can... :D

Seriously, when we look back through the history of unbifurcated garments across the sexes, when men wear anything down to the floor, it's normally presented very elegantly. Think- kings, wizards, monks, etc. Mid grade (knee length), and we think of the tough as nails Scots with their kilts, go a little shorter and we can easily envision the short skirts and tunics of the Roman warriors.

Lets face it, men who wear skirts are bad ass... in any length! 8) :)

Masculine maxis:

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finrod
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Re: Long "maxi" skirts

Post by finrod »

moonshadow wrote:Seriously, when we look back through the history of unbifurcated garments across the sexes, when men wear anything down to the floor, it's normally presented very elegantly.
I very much agree. They're not only elegant, but dramatic and powerful. This blog is dedicated to striking maxi skirt photos: Maxi Skirted Nation.
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Re: Long "maxi" skirts

Post by GothScot »

Strange. That's all I see females wearing around these parts. Always black. Always knit. Always ankle-length. And I'm always envious.

Oh, I have three at home of varying weight, but where I am now, let's just say I'd be shaking hands with Brandon Teena in no time at all due to probably going out the same way ze did, if not worse.
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