Skirt suits

[Ray]

If it makes you feel better, I shall be wearing a very pink shirt to work on Friday. I like pink shirts, and the shop I bought it from has at least 15 different pink shirt designs. And no, the shop is not called Mr Pink - that's another shop!

[SportSkirt]

The UK is England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, isn't it?

Yes; but to clarify(?) further...

Great Britain is the name of the largest island of the British Isles. The majority of England, Scotland and Wales are on this island though all three countries include numerous smaller islands. The name of the country I live in is shown on my passport (generally described as a British or UK passport but actually an EU passport issued by the UK Passport Authority) as "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". So Northern Ireland is clearly NOT part of Great Britain but is, as you say Kris, a part of the United Kingdom.

To add to the confusion; England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are officially classified as constituent countries of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; so if I'm asked which country I live in I have two technically correct answers ("UK of GB and NI" or "England") and at least two others that are recognised ("The UK" (as if there is only one united kingdom - how arrogant is that?) or "Great Britain" (technically wrong but well recognised)).

Darn it, now I don't know where I live. I knew I was getting older but did not expect to forget where home was just yet...

Have fun,


Ian.

......and to make it even more complicated, Wales is referred to as a Principality and has at times been considered to be part of England, whereas Scotland on the other hand........ Sorry, Only trying to have a bit of a laugh, please don't tell me off.

It's funny how we share a language on both sides of the Atlantic (avoiding naming the specific countries or groups of countries concerned) and put so much emphasis on the differences in our language rather than the similarities. It's abit like the way the public in general notice a skirt/kilt as being different to most Men's attire, and it can be blown out of proportion (not the skirt itself, that would be a bit chilly)

[Neil]

I think that skirt suits for men could come in many ways. Obviously, the kilt suit is one variant, and I think that could be a good entry point for the man concerned about the perception of crossdressing. It's clearly a "masculine" garment, in much the same way that there are skirt suits for women that have flowy, flouncy, skirts, with wavy hemlines that are clearly "feminine" garments. I think straight skirts can work well for men who are less concerned about the perception of crossdressing (like me). For my part, I think straight skirts make more sense for men than they do for women, because the male body is naturally straighter than the female body anyway. Give me a skirt suit with a knee-length (or very slightly shorter) straight skirt, a jacket cut for a man, a shirt and tie, and some pantyhose and heels (because that's what I like with my skirts), and I'm a happy guy. No one would mistake me for a woman, either.

[Peter v]

Niel, you have stated what is very thankfully more often stated, that if you are neatly, correctly dressed, it is then not such a big deal, man or woman. Even the so fought over "manly" appearance is just one of the many styles, looks that one can have, and even that should be done well. With suits I would call them refined rather than "manly".

[Pythos]

I like neil's way of thinking. Straight skirts or kilt like ones are the best for men.

Flouncy, lacy, poofy , actually are usually not part of a woman's skirt suit. The skits with such suits are straight and tight. This I think can be adapted for men by making the cut of the coat a man's cut, buttons the correct way for both shirt and jacket. The shoes worn should be a male version of heel. (yet to be re-invented I know). Hose also can accentuate the man's leg.

The point is, there really is no difference needed excepting little idiosyncrasies, and a massive and quick shift in the social paradygm.

[Since1982]

It's funny how we share a language on both sides of the Atlantic (avoiding naming the specific countries or groups of countries concerned) and put so much emphasis on the differences in our language rather than the similarities.

nononono, we don't share a language on both sides of the Atlantic. If Brits or any member of the United Kingdom talk fast, I think I'm listening to someone from Pluto, if I'm listening to someone from Jamaica or the Windward or Leeward Islands talking fast, it sounds really hard to understand. Bahamas are pretty much the same. In the USA, we don't speak English, we type it, but we speak American (a bastardized form of English). After all, folks on that side of the pond would never say "We had went to the store". This type of weird English is spoken as if it was correct all over the USA. I know this is unnecessary, but if anyone wonders what's wrong with that sentence, it has two enabling verbs. In a sentence that short one enabling verb is all that is ever needed. To be correct, that sentence needs to lose the word "had".

[Neil]

I like neil's way of thinking. Straight skirts or kilt like ones are the best for men.

Flouncy, lacy, poofy , actually are usually not part of a woman's skirt suit. The skits with such suits are straight and tight. This I think can be adapted for men by making the cut of the coat a man's cut, buttons the correct way for both shirt and jacket. The shoes worn should be a male version of heel. (yet to be re-invented I know). Hose also can accentuate the man's leg.

The point is, there really is no difference needed excepting little idiosyncrasies, and a massive and quick shift in the social paradygm.

I'm thinking of something like this:



Something like that (or more flowing at the knee, which we've all seen) is what I mean by "feminine," as contrasted with the "masculine" kilt suit.

[mugman]

I tried posting the idea of a sarong suit, but I don't think it reached the forum.
So, try again...
Any thoughts, or ideas on a sarong instead of a skirt?
Here's a rough design - ignore the colours, it's more about the format.



A matching sarong might be a style that could be seen as both casual and formal. The length can be according to mood.
Just trying to think laterally. If I've doctored one of your photos - my apologies. It's been done with a non-profit making sentiment.

[Ray]

These designs work for me.

One other thing I was thinking; I'm looking to buy a pinstripe kilt suit. It's a three piece suit, with matching waistcoat. One thing I wanted to to was move away from the kilt shoes - for example, winter wear. I currently have a friend (who sells, or is about to sell, womens shoes online) who is looking out for mens knee high boots that would compliment a kilt. I'm thinking something like riding boots - very masculine, as befits the sturdiness of a kilt, yet at the same time, finely tailored, as befits a contemporary black/pinstripe kilt.

See attached for an image of the suit. It's not cheap, but my goodness; it looks good to my eyes.

http://www.21stcenturykilts.co.uk/discountedpackage.htm

[Milfmog]

These designs work for me.

And for me; though how successful they would be in practise would largely depend on the weight and drape of the fabric. All my sarongs are lightweight and would look rather odd with a formal jacket. The other concern I'd have is that if they are literally sarongs (ie rolled over waists to fasten them) they would look unfinished. I suspect for this to work we would have to move away from true sarongs to a sarong like wrap skirt or a skirt with a deep front (and / or back) box pleat to allow for a comfortable stride. The pleat would have the advantage of not flashing legs at people, which could look rather flirty and inappropriate for formal occasions.

I'm looking to buy a pinstripe kilt suit.

I've been eyeing those up for a while and love the look but have a couple of reservations. One is price, I simply don't wear a suit often enough to justify spending that much cash. The other is that when I'm in a suit I tend to spend a lot of my time sitting down (in cars, on trains, at meetings etc). The pleating on the back of a kilt could get pretty messed up and is not all that comfortable to sit on for any length of time unless we are taking very light weight polycotton kilts (which 21st Century kilts most certainly are not). Has anyone here owned one of these kilt suits? If so can you tell us how well it survived routine wear and tear, being sat in for long periods

Have fun,


Ian.

[Since1982]

A little humor... Whomever the model was must have been unhappy wearing those suits. He looks like he might be saying "MY WIFE MADE ME WEAR THESE". How do I know this, since the heads are not there? That's easy, the tightly clenched fists tell it all!

[mugman]

Good point about the tucking in waist Milfmog. What if there is the option and addition of a separate band of the same material, about 2" deep, with belt loops on it. Then you can wear the sarong, with a belt, at whatever length is preferred. Holding the sarong in place while the belt band is added might just mean tucking the top in to hold it, and then pull it out and straighten it up once the sarong is held around the waist. It would worry me to just anchor the sarong in place by tucking the top in anyway. Whenever I put a bath towel around me it always loosens and falls off eventually. Not a good idea in a high powered meeting, just when the big deal is being clinched .
The sarong could have two or three box pleats placed along the width, to allow better movement. Where they fall might be asymmetric - depending upon the wearer's measurement - but all part of the less formalised tone of the idea over the very symmetrical trouser suit. From a modernistic point of view, I think it would need to retain the obvious nature of being a wrapped design that is being worn with some freedom, and anti-pants suit attitude.

[Since1982]

I like a belt with a sarong, I use a fairly small buckle with it, no wider than the belt is. I prefer the belt cause I can just flip flop the belt downward rolling the sarong material to make it better held together as well as being able to change the length at will. The rolled up material at the waist is no problem as after a while you forget you're wearing it, a sarong is so handy, you can fold it into a swim suit, a knee or mid calf or ankle length garment, soo handy and affordable.

[Pythos]

looking at those samples I really see little to know difference between the skirted part for the female or male suit. I like how this looks.

Now if only one of these fashion designers would get something like this on the cat walk, and then out into the main stream.

[Peter v]

I like neil's way of thinking. Straight skirts or kilt like ones are the best for men.

Flouncy, lacy, poofy , actually are usually not part of a woman's skirt suit. The skits with such suits are straight and tight. This I think can be adapted for men by making the cut of the coat a man's cut, buttons the correct way for both shirt and jacket. The shoes worn should be a male version of heel. (yet to be re-invented I know). Hose also can accentuate the man's leg.

The point is, there really is no difference needed excepting little idiosyncrasies, and a massive and quick shift in the social paradygm.

I'm thinking of something like this:



Something like that (or more flowing at the knee, which we've all seen) is what I mean by "feminine," as contrasted with the "masculine" kilt suit.

Just love the LOOK. Note: "The look" of a skirt and jacket combi. Whether male or female body is in it. The shown suit would look good on both men and women, with the statement for some disbelievers, that it may be known as a frestyle, or comfort style suit as opposed to the executive suit, which may have another style, or snit as we say over here. That being possibly a straight skirt. The straight skirt is less friendly, more buisness like. But that does not say that any other suit is not buisness like. Again here, I think that we should be very careful in not taking the rules of inhibitance from the pants scene and have the skirt scene be inhibited by the same narrow biased way of thinking.