Out and About -- In the World at Large

[Caultron]

Proving once again there's no law against men wearing skirts.

[Jim2]

Tomorrow, I am flying across the country and changing planes in Denver, going to Burbank CA. I've worn a skirt flying before, but now I'm feeling a bit scared, given all the incidents of attacks from bigots against LGBT people, among others (which apparently are way up now). Not that I am LGBT, but they don't know or probably care about it. I'm still fine about wearing a skirt around my Massachusetts community, but the rest of the country is not feeling so safe. Anyone else have any experiences since Trump was elected or thoughts to share? I don't like giving in to bigotry but also don't want to be attacked.

[beachlion]

Today my wife went to Visionworks. After 15 year with the same glasses for me it is time for a check. And my wife needed also new glasses. Although she accept me in kilts and skirts in the house, she tried in a quite faint way to talk me out of the kilt. No deal. At Visionworks the eyedoctor was not available so we made an appointment. The next station was a diner. I left my fannypack at home and without a drivers license and a green card with me, I'm quite illegal. So first home and then to a nearby diner.
They know us but I was not in a kilt before. But nobody seemed to notice. The sliding doors of a nearby cooling cabinet were jammed and the waitresses had trouble opening and closing. So after I finished, I offered to try to fix it. The rollers were hanging out and with some wriggling I could correct it. While doing this still nobody noticed my kilt. I got a dessert on the house. Only when I rose to go to the register the waitress noticed my kilt.

"Oh, nice kilt. Where are you from?"
"From Holland but the kilt is not Dutch."

I was glad my wife heard the bit of conversation. It will make her more easy when we go out like this.

[beachlion]

Tomorrow, I am flying across the country and changing planes in Denver, going to Burbank CA. I've worn a skirt flying before, but now I'm feeling a bit scared, given all the incidents of attacks from bigots against LGBT people, among others (which apparently are way up now). Not that I am LGBT, but they don't know or probably care about it. I'm still fine about wearing a skirt around my Massachusetts community, but the rest of the country is not feeling so safe. Anyone else have any experiences since Trump was elected or thoughts to share? I don't like giving in to bigotry but also don't want to be attacked.

Maybe a kilt is less offensive in the open. After you tested the waters you could change to skirts.
I was planning to go out in skirts when spring starts but I have to see how things are developing.

[skirted_in_SF]

It probably depends on where you are. In the SF Bay Area the problem (at least as reported in my local paper) is attacks (verbal or physical) on Hispanic or Muslim appearing people. There was a report in today's paper of a woman who was wearing a scarf as protection from the sun (she has lupus) returning from a hike to find her car window broken, her purse taken and a rude note referring to her "hijab".
Personally, I'm trying decide which one of my skirts is most appropriate to wear when picking up my new car tomorrow. I'll confess to wearing pants for the purchase negotiations.

[Fred in Skirts]

I am planning a trip by air to Denver next month to visit with my daughter and family. I plan on going skirted. My daughter knows I wear skirts so no problem there. I am not worried about being attacked at all. I am planning to take 1 pair of shorts to wear if needed. It gets cold and snowy there in December.
I will lets you know how the trip turned out, as I will be meeting a lot of people that do not know I wear skirts.

[Pdxfashionpioneer]

I too have been out and about since the election in skirts and dresses and as I said somewhere in the forum, the big reactions were a woman in the next checkout line came over to admire my navy blue heels and the two women in line admired my ability to go shopping in heels.

BUT NO STATIC from anyone!

Yes, there are hate crimes (vandalism mostly) going on here in Portland area, like everywhere else, but if anything now is the time for all of us to stand tall and show that there are many more diverse people in this country than bigots. We can't let bigotry become the new normal because we refuse to stand up to bullies.

But to speak to the idea of flying while skirted. The dumbest place in the country for a bigot to act out is an airport; there are just too many law enforcement officers there for anyone to get away with violence, vandalism or whatever.

[Caultron]

...In the SF Bay Area the problem (at least as reported in my local paper) is attacks (verbal or physical) on Hispanic or Muslim appearing people...

Not to worry, I doubt if anybody thinks men in skirts are blowing up our buildings or taking away our jobs.

...I'll confess to wearing pants for the purchase negotiations.

Why? Did you think they wouldn't sell you the car?

I find salespeople are the least likely of all to show displeasure.

[oldsalt1]

Why? Did you think they wouldn't sell you the car?

I find salespeople are the least likely of all to show displeasure.

I agree with Caultron. Sales people will never give you a problem. I have been to a number of car dealers in a skirt. I finally settled on a sabaru The sales lady I am working with is one of the few woman that constantly wears skirts. I have been there a couple of times Even took a test drive . Never a mention about my skirt. All she was interested in was the sale.

[Jim2]

I got over my worries. On the plane in Denver wearing a Mouseworks black long skirt. No problems in the airport.

[STEVIE]

Really odd encounter today.
It involves an elderly gent whom I have seen on several occasions before. He has always cast the stoniest looks at me.
I'll allow a certain licence for age. However, I discovered today that we share the same doctor's surgery.
I was entering as he was exiting. He stopped and commented, "I knew it was you!" and "Where is the pipe"?
He fled before I could get a reply back.
The odd thing is that I haven't smoked since January. I'm not sure when I became aware of the dude or his hostility.
I also wonder if he knows me or at least, imagines he does.
Just got no idea why I inspired such a reaction from the man.
Steve.

[Darryl]

While I have been out in my little red dress I've usually worn a turtleneck or something over the top so it just looked like a red skirt. BRIGHT red!

Following a discussion in the Café regarding sweater-dresses I had to get one and found one I really liked. Saturday, the 10th was a good bit warmer so I was out and about wearing it and made several stops - all non-events - until finally in the Kroger grocery mega-store while walking to the exit after checking out a lovely young lady swerved directly into my path and put on a huge toothy grin and said "I LIKE your outfit!" I grinned back and said "Thank you!" (Would that everyone reacted that way...well, at least the ladies....errr....single ladies.....

The outfit in question:
http://www.skirtcafe.org/forums/downloa ... &mode=view

All Lane Bryant products except the women's shoes - from Payless. Black fleece-lined leggings, a black half-slip and a black knit pencil-skirt below. The upper was a black compression top to hold the stomach in, a white knit turtleneck and then the sweater-dress. Finally I had the blazer I liked so much I bought another...in gray.

I like it SO MUCH I went back to the store and failing to find one in stock, ordered one just like the cable-knit sweater skirt I have....in burgundy. And got a couple different tops, not quite turtle-necks, but something of a straight up collar - one in black and one in a black-and-gray pattern I think I can use. (It was also Buy One Get One Free....)

Also interesting, Debbie, the SA who's been helping me regularly and knows me as a regular customer introduced me to a new SA who is really good-looking with a "He's wearing our stuff!" (Though at this time I had a long overcoat on as it has been somewhat less than freezing all day.)

[Pdxfashionpioneer]

Hello Darryl,

I'm going to make the assumption that you would not only like feedback, but honest feedback.

For the life of me I don't understand your obsession with wearing shirts over the bodices of your dresses. You won't get booted off of the website for wearing a dress! If so, I would be long gone and hard to find. (Check out my photos and posts)

Secondly, the T-shirts and polos probably don't fool anyone. Even if they do, they don't add anything to the overall look.

In fact, one female fashion critic writing about some designer's sheaths for men that she thought it was the perfect choice because it shows off her 2nd and 3rd favorite pieces of male anatomy (if you only count parts that you can legally display in public they're 1 & 2) namely arms and legs. She said she liked the shapes of most men's limbs. Thank our superior male muscle definition.

Third, your lace-ups definitely look androgynous, maybe too much so.

Btw, no objections based on age, you're no older than olsdsalt1 or caultron. I doubt you're any older than me!

And finally, not to ramp up your change anxiety too much, SMILE! Doesn't wearing your clothes make you happy!

Best wishes,

[Darryl]

I'm going to make the assumption that you would not only like feedback, but honest feedback.

Sure.

For the life of me I don't understand your obsession with wearing shirts over the bodices of your dresses. You won't get booted off of the website for wearing a dress! If so, I would be long gone and hard to find. (Check out my photos and posts)

Haven't done that with the sweater dress. I blame it on the fire-engine red color and perhaps trying to tone it down. I've always done the "grey man" ghosting through life in the background. Anyway the current sweater dress is "heather gray" and the one that should be arriving sometime in the next 7 days will be burgundy. Could have gotten cream, but I'll put that off a bit. Too much like white, and my experience with dress whites is that they are a pain to keep clean.

Have to ask my friend who does color analysis...did it years back but will have to see if it is written down...might be a cool summer - which means grey, Navy and "true red" would look great on me. Hmmm.

Third, your lace-ups definitely look androgynous, maybe too much so.

Got a pair of pumps a couple years ago, some said too girly. Wedges, they are a wee bit too short for comfort. Been wearing black athletic shoes in lieu of dress shoes for decades now. I went to wear my leather dress shoes a couple years ago and took them out of the box and the leather was all cracked up. Since I don't wear them, I don't buy them. The ankle boots I got last month...would like to find a pair with maybe .75" heel or a wedge configuration, or I just have to spend more time researching and practicing walking in 1.8" heels. I may simply return to my previous attitude of "it defies logic to wear high heels."

Btw, no objections based on age, you're no older than olsdsalt1 or caultron. I doubt you're any older than me!

And finally, not to ramp up your change anxiety too much, SMILE! Doesn't wearing your clothes make you happy!

OH....64.5

I've spent a lifetime being Mr. Spock...like him, I too was an A-7 computer expert. His was a classification level, mine were in an A-7 aircraft.

I do tend to smile at the ladies I encounter out and about, but it's not habitual. Yet.

[hoborob]

Looking at the Grey dress outfit I would have to say that it looks fun as is. The jacket maybe a bit of overkill but it does not detract from the look in my opinion. Since I do not see any links to or photos of the Red Dress outfit I cannot comment on that. So keep it up Darryl you're doing just fine.