Dresses

[Sashi]

Years ago I found an interesting grey woolen fabric at a sale, and I used it to make the 'dress' in the attachment. To my surprise, many people find it the best item I've made so far...

...

ps2. I've been pondering too about making a knee-length dress, but my wife doesn't think it would look good. Maybe I should just try it... I does look good for the Romans and the Greeks..

Very nice looking. Now that I like, good job. Yes, you should just try it. You'll never know if it looks good on you until you do, and even if it doesn't the experience itself might be fun.

ps. There's no reason why the dress shouldn't be flowing. I would make the dress fitting above the waist, and then induce a A-line below. The only 'problem', is that it's not difficult making an A-lined skirt with say 8 panels, but in the dress the seams have either to end at the waist (ugly!) or continue all the way to the top.

Now as this topic continues on, just to help envision things like you just described there, I'm definitely going to need to get a basic understanding of the various terms and ideas here. Time to look for online sewing instruction! That and I should try and hunt down those old pictures on here of men in dresses that someone mentioned. I really need to start expanding my knowledge on this subject rapidly, or I'm going to fall behind so fast...

Isn't chain mail rather heavy? probably chafes a bit as well.

Ooo, chain mail! I want a dress made out of chain mail! :ninjajig:

[Departed Member]

When does a man's knee-length dress cease to be a 'dress' and really become regarded as a 'tunic', I submit?

[kingfish]

Isn't chain mail rather heavy? probably chafes a bit as well.

Actually, I think Jan was referring to a crusader tabard (sometimes spelled tabbard), or surcoat and was worn over the chain mail shirt(s) for protection from the weather if not identification and decoration.

Chain mail can be rather heavy and abrasive (the rings on the real stuff were all riveted shut). Because of this, beneath that chain mail they would wear a quilted garment made up of material about as heavy as a mover's blanket. They were called arming doublets or gambesons.

John.

[Bravehearts.us]

I like the long one you’re wearing in the picture. It looks really comfortable. I have something that is to the knee that I like a lot. It’s black cotton. I'll have to try and get a picture.

[Big and Bashful]

Sashi,
If you don't know a phrase or term, just ask, I do, and I've got to. It saves hours of reading and trying to work out what terms like 8 gore means.

[Sashi]

Sashi,
If you don't know a phrase or term, just ask, I do, and I've got to. It saves hours of reading and trying to work out what terms like 8 gore means.

Good idea, since I was turning up either too much information or not the right kinds of information. Or something. I'm not too sure about it. Anyways, I'll start with that term right there. I swear I have heard its definition sometime within the last year, but don't remember what it means. So what does 8 gore mean?

As for the other one, I think I know what this whole "A-Line" thing is, on a basic level, but just to clarify things for me, exactly what is it?

When does a man's knee-length dress cease to be a 'dress' and really become regarded as a 'tunic', I submit?

I'd say it would be a case of cut especially, and possibly length as well. In a basic sense it would be considered dress-like, but with its design it doesn't get associated as a dress. So as long as you keep the physical design looking like a dress, the length shouldn't matter. (Well, at least until it gets too short and then it's basically a shirt!) At least that's what I got in my mind after I tossed the question to my sister and listened to her answer.

[crfriend]

So what does 8 gore mean?

You probably heard it here. "Gores" (No, not Al) refer to the pieces of fabric that make up a skirt. If one looks at a skirt (or the skirted portion of a dress) as a cone, the gores are triangular (truncated at the top) sections that make up the surface of the cone. They're typically similarly sized, so an 8-gore skirt would have 8 triangular pieces, each making up 1/8 of the conical portion of the skirt.

By varying the shape of the gores, one can vary the shape of the skirt as well. The foregoing example used gores with linear verticals; by using curved verticals one can form a trumpet skirt by flaring the gores (making them wider) in a curve toward the hem than at the waist.

As for the other one, I think I know what this whole "A-Line" thing is, on a basic level, but just to clarify things for me, exactly what is it?

The "A-line" refers to the way a skirt will look if stretched at the hem; the top of the "A" is at the waist, the bottom at the hem.

If you're interested in pursuing this, you might contemplate picking up a good book on sewing. Even basic ones should cover such elementary concepts. A good book will also come in handy if you decide to start adding things like pockets and zippers to basic skirts.

[Sashi]

It is quite possible that I heard the term here. I think I have a basic understanding of it now, but I'll probably need a book or something with example pictures to help stick it in my mind. I'd say my ideas of what an A-Line is are close enough to what you said, more or less. Thanks for the help!

I'll have to see what our library has on sewing books next time I'm in town. Looks like I'm going to need it, and as I learn more I should get more ideas for skirt/dress designs I can try out on myself. Maybe I'll get lucky and find something others will like, although I'm sure I'll be able to create things I'll like if I can't already find them in a store.

[crfriend]

I think I have a basic understanding of it now, but I'll probably need a book or something with example pictures to help stick it in my mind. I'd say my ideas of what an A-Line is are close enough to what you said, more or less.

Yes, a book is what you'll need if you want to get to the next level of understanding. Bear in mind that any books you are likely to find will treat skirts and dresses as womens' garments only and will have patterns/examples based on womens' shapes -- and, as men, ours are different.

The key point to remember is that when constructing garments you're turning two-dimensional stuff (raw fabric) into three-dimensional stuff (fitted clothes) -- that's why things like gores and darts exist; else everything would be half- or full- circle skirts. If your sister has anything fancier than jeans and T-shirts, try laying some of her nicer stuff out flat on a table and really study how it was put together. Don't be surprised if you can't get it to lie perfectly flat either; going from three dimensions to two is just as hard as going from two to three (sometimes the best you'll be able to do will be to get one panel more or less flat).

Thanks for the help!

Always happy to try!

[Sashi]

Bear in mind that any books you are likely to find will treat skirts and dresses as womens' garments only and will have patterns/examples based on womens' shapes -- and, as men, ours are different.

I wouldn't expect it to be any different, as sad as that may be. It just means I'll have to be a little more creative in my thinking I guess, eh?

The key point to remember is that when constructing garments you're turning two-dimensional stuff (raw fabric) into three-dimensional stuff (fitted clothes) -- that's why things like gores and darts exist; else everything would be half- or full- circle skirts.

That does make sense, although the thought never clicked with me before.

If your sister has anything fancier than jeans and T-shirts, try laying some of her nicer stuff out flat on a table and really study how it was put together. Don't be surprised if you can't get it to lie perfectly flat either; going from three dimensions to two is just as hard as going from two to three (sometimes the best you'll be able to do will be to get one panel more or less flat).

Heh, not anymore. About six months to a year ago she got rid of most, if not all, of her clothing that was feminine looking. She basically got sick of people treating her like less than an equal just because she is female, so now she strives to look androgynous to keep people guessing and therefore be more likely to put her on an equal level from the get go. That and she says she is more comfortable in mens pants/shorts than womens.

So she doesn't have anything fancier than jeans and t-shirts, but that doesn't mean I'm out of luck. There were two skirts of her's that fit me more or less, so she gave them to me. One is a little too tight though, so I've given up on it (it's just a little too small for me, which didn't click with me at first). The other fits but I hate the material it's made out of, so that's why I still am basically skirt-less. Anyways, I'll try that out and see what I can learn. Thanks for the idea!

[Stevie D]

.....The other fits but I hate the material it's made out of, so that's why I still am basically skirt-less.....

I know this thread is about dresses, but your last comment caught my eye. I'm not sure if it has been answered for you before now.

Compared with dresses, skirts are much easier to get hold of. Most major clothing stores will have a selection of womens' skirts that WILL look good on a man. Just go out to your shops, mall or whatever you have, and browse through the racks and buy something you like. Your b***s will not fall off simply because you buy and wear a woman's skirt.

If you are concerned about the fit of it, get to know your waist size beforehand and then take a tape measure with you to measure the skirts on display. If the skirt is held flat on a hanger with the fastening closed, simply measure it flat and look for a value of half your waist measurement. You can hold it up to you to get an idea of the length, or if you are not comfortable with doing that, use your tape measure again. Ideally of course, you ought to try it on at the shop, but I recognise that takes a bit more courage at first. Again, I've never had any problems doing so.

If you have never bought a woman's garment for yourself before, it may seem like a big deal the first time, but really it isn't. No-one is going to care. The shop staff are just concerned about a sale and 99.99% of the time will be polite and courteous as usual.

[Sashi]

Yeah, it's been answered for me before, but thanks for the thought :ninjajig:

I actually plan on looking around for some women's skirts sometime soon. Just need to get some money and a chance (we live about an hour away from any major town), so it may still be a little while off.

I'm pretty sure of my waist size, although I'm still gonna want to try it on first. It'll definitely take more courage to try it on there than to just purchase it, so I'll have to make sure wherever I go doesn't have one of those annoying check in stations (like Target, and possibly Wal-mart does). Knowing I don't have someone staring down my back would make everything much easier at first.

If you have never bought a woman's garment for yourself before, it may seem like a big deal the first time, but really it isn't. No-one is going to care. The shop staff are just concerned about a sale and 99.99% of the time will be polite and courteous as usual.

I've never even bought a woman's garment before, let alone for myself. So it'd be a completely new thing for me all around. You are right though, most people working in a store care more about the profits than who is buying what. Of course, there always are the few extremely narrow minded or immature people who'll be unable to keep their mouth shut, particularly if they know you are buying it for yourself rather than some girl you know.

Your b***s will not fall off simply because you buy and wear a woman's skirt.

Okay, that censoring took longer than it should have to decipher for me. Guess I just needed some sleep first. I'm pretty sure I got it figured out, and if so then that's not even a concern to me, let alone a priority. I'm far more removed from society's trappings of masculinity than your average person my age, so something like that is just a non-point to me. Now, various members of my family on the other hand (not counting my sister), well that's a completely different story I think.

Anyways, I'm bored and still waiting for the sun to rise so I can more clearly see all the snow that fell last night, so I'm off to play SimCity. See you all later!

[Milfmog]

I'll have to make sure wherever I go doesn't have one of those annoying check in stations (like Target, and possibly Wal-mart does). Knowing I don't have someone staring down my back would make everything much easier at first.

The first couple of times I wanted to try a skirt in a shop, I took a pair of jeans to the fitting rooms as well as the skirt. I reckoned that the assistant would think I was trying the jeans on and was getting the skirt for someone else but having found it did not want to put it on the rack where someone else might buy it. I have no idea if it worked as far as the assistant was concerned, but I felt more relaxed .

These days I don't bother, no one seems to care what I wear. I guess I always knew that but it took me a while to come to really believe it.

Have fun,


Ian.

[Sashi]

The first couple of times I wanted to try a skirt in a shop, I took a pair of jeans to the fitting rooms as well as the skirt. I reckoned that the assistant would think I was trying the jeans on and was getting the skirt for someone else but having found it did not want to put it on the rack where someone else might buy it. I have no idea if it worked as far as the assistant was concerned, but I felt more relaxed .

These days I don't bother, no one seems to care what I wear. I guess I always knew that but it took me a while to come to really believe it.

I've had that idea too, but since I'll probably shop at places without the assistants for a little while, at least until I build up my confidence, it'll probably be a non-point when I eventually do shop at one. Of course, if I need to shop at one and still haven't built up my confidence it would be a good idea, even knowing that odds are they really couldn't care what I was trying on. Thanks for bringing the idea back into my mind again, though!

[binx]

I did this for a while, but the reason was to get the same waist sizing from a pair of Dockers that fit to match up with a skirt's waist size. I'd get a rough idea placing the pants on top of the skirts and comparing, then take both into the fitting room.

binx