Would you wear this dress?

[SkirtedViking]

First of all, when did you hear a woman saying that she is crossing the line or whatsover when putting trousers,tie and etc.This is not proper to be applied just for men,so I cannot accept that argument.Second of all,when a woman wears men's style apparel it is not expected that she would look like a male in them so what I mean is that you should not expect a dress on a man to look the way that on a woman does. But still it can be nice. For the braveheart followers of macho inspired fashion all I can say is that Brad Pitt looks good in a dress and in a manly way in the movie "Troy".So man in a dress can be proper if we take into account that there is difference in the body structure between the sexes and we should not expect us males to compete with females, but to look good according to the rules of our bodies and not the stereotypes that have brainwashed most of us. For most of people even man in a kilt is ridiculous and awkward.Women have breasts,we have muscular shoulders and broad chests,so we must take advantage of that,what do you know women might even like it!On an average scale men have better shaped legs than women,of course there are some exceptions.

[JRMILLER]

Yes, I know all of this and I can completely intellectualize the arguments as well as any of you. Bottom line is that we are all brainwashed and most choices available to men in skirts and dresses look femme "after filtering through our brainwashed brains".

I had no problem with what Brad Pitt wore in Troy, it looked good.

What I would like to be able to do is open a "TravelSmith" catalog up and see skirts for men that look like they are bloody well made for men! The choices available to us, for the most part, are made for women and the look like it. If we are going to make any inroads into skirt wearing and dress wearing for me, it's gonna have to look like something made for a guy. Anything less and we will simply be accused of crossdressing no matter how unfair that is.

[cessna152towser]

Is the source of your dislike for this look the head to toe pattern?

Yes. The camo skirt works well with a single colour shirt and the camo shirt works well with a single colour kilt or shorts.

[Sarongman]

Looking back in history, the English farmer, drover and, from a picture in a 1908 copy of the "Boy's Own Annual", hawkers and tradesmen wore a smock dress as everyday work wear. Admittedly, it was a shapeless sack shape and definitely denoted the "lower class" but it was a DRESS Decoration was by way of smocking at the chest. This garment seems to have totally died out at, or due to, the advent of WW1 as it is nonexistent by the 20s

[Peter v]

I do understand the comments made, mostly form men who apparently adhere to their manliness, which is of course very good.

I on my part do like the dress, and the other American Living Striped Dress, both very straight forward.

I think that they are not very tailored to the femm body, and any man who has a bit of a figure should be able to wear them well. I find dresses either very femm, with special tailoring for the breast area, deep V fronts, ( Maralyn Munroe) or accompanying for breasts, but without much if any accentuation so that even flat chested persons can wear them with no problems. This dress seems to be not very accentuated.

If you would not wear a striped skirt, then it is ofcourse not for you. But when you think of the summer, wearing a male striped shirt, and a matching striped skirt, or of course, a one piece shirt / skirt combi or a dress to most, then what's the problem.
Is it that most men don't want to wear anything that is anything but bland under the waist? That is where the ""Problem"" may lie. (not a problem)
Very few men would wear pants long or short with any pattern, or coloured.
Black, gray, denim, tan maybe white, and that is very much it.

With a lifetime of that, it is then very difficult to change that even when wearing skirts, very understandable.

For myself, I see the dress for what it is, a very nice garment, even for a man. The other:
American Living Striped Dress
Our striped knit dress is as comfortable and easy to wear as a tee. Just slip it on and you're ready to go! Simple styling and easy care make it great for travel, too.

* pure cotton knit for softness and comfort
* ¾ sleeves with deep contrast cuffs for an updated look
* buttons accent the left shoulder

..... dress is also very nice. Men would wear a shirt like that, but are somehow scared to take that under their waist. I think It depends on your personal taste for clothes, colour / motives / patterns and has little to do with it being a dress.

Dresses wear faboulously. Only being naked gives a more free feeling. It is time that dresses were made for the male torso, the top half being the problem area because of the difference in build. But the dresses in general can be the same styling.

Dresses give an even more different "line" to the body than the two piece top / skirt combi worn by men, and it may be scary to look any different than most are used to see. I must however think back to when I worked in an assembly plant and we wore dusters, a soort of wrap around coat, or as we know today, actually identical to women's wrap dresses, but the dusters were of a khaki material for protection. But they were never the less in actuyal fact a real dress. Nothing was thought about that. And yet if we speak of wearing the same out of work, of a nicer material, recognised as a dress, it then becomes something that for most is out of the question.

That is somehow a bit strange, contradictory, but I DO UNDERSTAND THE WORKINGS OF IT. Men do not have to wear dresses, but it is a great garment, with many possibilitys, and positive things going for it.

Peter v.

[Donald]

I probably would not wear it. But my reasoning is due to the stripes. I am not big on the stripes. If it were a darker solid, then I would wear it because I do like its cut.

[Big and Bashful]

I may have a cunning plan:
My first attempt at on-line skirt buying was the purchase of a long (six to eight inches above the ground) heavy denim skirt. I got the sizing completely wrong as it has a huge waist, maybe 50 inch. Its waist is about the same size as the bottom of a denim jacket I do not use. Do you think some hefty thread and a lot of stitchery could result in a sort of denim dress thing?
How does one make a strong weld with a pin and some string anyway?

[01/01/08]

Check in with BrotherTailor for the details I'm sure he could help.



john

[Peter v]

Although a bit femme, still with an open mind,....

http://blogs.mt.bravotv.com/blog/thedis ... 6_0242.jpg

The red dress is a smasher. I would certainly wish to wear this one in the summer!

[Big and Bashful]

Check in with BrotherTailor for the details I'm sure he could help.



john

Sorry John I missed this reply. That plan was overtaken by events, I am currently wearing a ankle length stretch combat skirt which is ridiculously comfortable and so easy to wear. The length is perfect, just clear of my feet when climbing stairs, it doesn't restrict my movement thanks to a slight stretch. I had the EBay link on another message a month or two ago, I should have bought more than one and would have if I knew how right it would be.
The big one and the jacket are still there and I might yet attempt that if I ever find a cheap sewing machine.

[Donald]

If that dress was a solid, I would gladly wear it. To me, stripes do not seem to work well with me since I am...well...large. But give it a solid royal blue, navy, teal, black, or the like, and I think it would look good on me.

One thing I have noticed is that as well all know, the average man generally is taller than the average woman, yet the average woman has a waist farther up from their hips than men. As such, a dress or skirt that may be right down at the knees on a woman tends to be a bit lower below the knees on a man despite the man being taller. So that shirtdress would go about 2-4 inches below the center of my kneecap. As such, that would be a great length for me in that style.

I can understand that often a dress will give a femme appearance as JRMiller has stated. But to me, I can accept that. I do feel a little bit of a femme appearance works well for me and with dark solids, it is not overdone. I guess it all boils down to what we feel comfortable wearing. I have worn both dresses that I have posted in the photos section in public many times and have had no problems approaching people and striking up a conversation. Sure, they may be taken aback at first, but some women last fall were very cordial and treated me as if I was wearing jeans and a Tshirt. And I feel comfortable wearing a woman's A-line or pencil skirt. Because in my book, it is more about comfort than overall appearance. But admittedly, I do like to look good and not overly "loud" like some dress patterns tend to be.

[Ryan]

Hello all,

This is my first posting here are Skirt Cafe. I have, however, posted at Chris' Atrium, the sister freestyle fashion forum.

[Content removed by moderator because it does not conform to SkirtCafe's Family Friendly guidelines.]

Anyhow, I just wanted to chime in on this posting by first saying that I agree with SkirtedViking when he put things in perspective in his Tuesday, March 11, 2008 reply by saying:

<< First of all, when did you hear a woman saying that she is crossing the line or whatsover when putting trousers,tie and etc.This is not proper to be applied just for men,so I cannot accept that argument.Second of all,when a woman wears men's style apparel it is not expected that she would look like a male in them so what I mean is that you should not expect a dress on a man to look the way that on a woman does. >>

To this, I like to remind everyone that freestyle fashions cover a wide spectrum styles from femm to manly. None is more correct or proper than the other. It's just a matter of taste. Also, some freestylers are "manly conservatives" who want to stay in "safe bounds," while some are "flaming femms" who want to "push the envelope." What's important is we respect each other's choices.

Having said that I like to make some comments about the shirtdress.

First, as sapphire said on March 9,

<< It is a basic shirtdress, but I need to add some caveats.

<< The picture does not show if there are bust darts. Those are guaranteed doom for a man. >>

Not necessarily. Although most men, including myself, can't "flesh out" tops made for women's bodies, here's a way to keep these tops, or the dress in question, from hanging too far away from our bodies, which is the "doom" I think sapphire alluded to: Use eyelash adhesive to attach the fabric to our bodies. This will also work with anything low-cut so it won't gape open. By doing do, these garments will look better on our bodies.

Next, I'd like to ask John if he ever bought this dress. I see the dress is now on sale for $29.95, reduced from $90.00. So if he hadn't bought this dress yet, now is a good time as any.

Anyhow, I think it's a nice looking dress. Some members might had already cautioned John that a light color would make him stand out. And generally, lighter colors do make bodies look larger. So unless John don't want to look like a line backer in a dress, I would tell him to go for it only if he's slender.

Still, the best way to know how he'll look in the dress is for him to try it on. So, John, if you like this dress, what do you have to lose if you buy it, as you can always return it if it doesn't work out. And tell us how it turned out. (As for myself, I think I would wear this dress and I shall order one and see how it looks on me. I'll tell you about it.)

Thanks for posting your concerns and for reading my reply.

RYAN

[Peter v]

I myself have been looking very closely at dresses the last few weeks, but the prices have given me a shock, besides that, there are unfortunately for men,.... most are fabulously shaped, in both deep v necks and backs, ( think about hairy men's backs.. and ofcourse shaping for breasts. Although a form of t shirt, with short or long arms can be worn under them, the shaping for breasts can be unding.

But there are many other dresses available, which have more subtle lines which suit men quite well. One thing I have noticed, is that I am double breasted, as a man. That is, my rib cage sticks out nearly as much as my modest breasts do, which is something women do seem not to have. Thus depending on the style of the dress, it may wel / not be suitable.

There are fantastically bright and outstanding patterns and colours in the dresses on the market at the moment which I would really love to wear. But finding a dress which is not too accentuated on the breast area / shape , somewhat more neutral may be difficult.

Nobody said it would be easy, but at least even if i am 53, an "old bugger" i don't feel it, and I wear skirts as wel to boot! I enjoy the fashion as much as any woman of practically any age, but finances, and of course being able to find suitable examples for me doesn't make it easy. Also the way things are made these days, there may be only one or two of each sice of one particular garment, and if you are the third person to want a particular size, it may be gone, and ordering another is no option. As sometimes I do se something I tjink I could wear, also in other than skirts and dresses, but the right size is gone.

When i was all out "manly"dressed, all I needed was a hand full of clothes, but now I cannot get enough, and now I find myself, a man, standing before that which I have bought, and saying to myself, "I don't have anything to wear" actually meaning, which combination shall I wear now, and do I have matching shoes? I never thought i would be thinking that. But with the creativity comes the next problem, of having only clothing which is a matching set so that you can actually wear it.

As men generally have only dress shoes, work shoes, possibly hiking shoes, rubber boots and sandles, which makes life very easy.

[Milfmog]

This is my first posting here are Skirt Cafe. I have, however, posted at Chris' Atrium, the sister freestyle fashion forum.

[Content removed by moderator because it does not conform to SkirtCafe's Family Friendly guidelines.]

I just want to thank the forum moderators for removing this link and to tell Ryan that I believe that by publishing homo erotic fantasies such as that under the guise of skirts as a fashion choice for men he is doing us all a great disservice.


Ian.

PS Pythos, thanks for taking him to task over this on the Atrium.

[Gregg1100]

No--bloody awful--no style at all. Yuk