Seriously?

[sapphire]

I have a skirt similar to that, but with a handkercheif hem.

Yes, it is short and one does have to be careful while wearing it.

Not sure that I really have the body type for it, but it's fun. I once wore it with purple and green plaid tights, high heel goth girl shoes and a Dropkick Murphys t-shirt.

If you think you can pull of the skirt and have the nerve to try it, you might find that it's a lot of fun.

[r1g0r]

wow! that's a mighty wide belt.

what kind of skirt would you wear it with?

[TomH]

Guess I'm the only one that can't see it now. Like short skirts but, Firefox is blaming Google and on it goes...

[tooslowprius]

Nice looking skirt, but it's just a tad to short and dare i say fem for my taste's. I would say you would almost have to wear some sort of heel with that skirt or mybe a ballet flat of some sort. as far a shirt that's a really good question!

[crfriend]

Nice looking skirt, but it's just a tad to short and dare i say fem for my taste's.

It is short, but I don't think that it's impossibly short; however, it would require strict attention to one's movements in order to retain one's modesty. That said, it'd probably be a blast to wear! As far as being "fem" goes, that could be mitigated by careful selections for the rest of the outfit.

I would say you would almost have to wear some sort of heel with that skirt or mybe a ballet flat of some sort. as far a shirt that's a really good question!

I'd likely either team it with a standard men's dress shirt or a "poet's", or "puffy" shirt, likely with the shirt tucked in. Clod-hopper shoes would likely not work well -- they'd throw the sense of balance off; I'm not precisely sure what I'd do. Common wisdom seems to indicate that the more leg one is showing the more critical the footwear becomes to retain line and balance.

[Pythos]

The only sticking point for me is the tiered appearance. I have skirts of similar length, but they are either plain or pleated.

Short flared skirts requite a bit more attention when wearing, more so than when the skirt is form fitting. They tend to "bounce" when walking, and are VERY susceptible to wind. Aside from this short skirts can be very fun to wear, and can look quite stunning when worn in conjunction with the right shoes and upper clothing, plus if one is daring enough some fancy looking tights.

[Kilted_John]

It looks nice. I have a couple skirts that are similar, but a bit longer, namely knee-length. The tiers are also not separate hems.

It would probably go well with a pair of black (or cherry red) Doc Martens boots, and maybe a pair of black cable-knit kneesox, for a somewhat goth appearance...

-J

[Kilted Musician]

...Bob, they don't call a male ballet dancer a ballerina(as you said) do they? I don't know what it is, but I didn't think it was ballerina, is it?

Hi Skip,

I often wondered the same thing and asked a good friend of mine who's quite knowledgeable about the ballet. She said a male ballet dancer is called a danseur. Satisfied my curiosity after quite a few years!

To keep "on thread," the skirt is nice and the only way I'd feel comfortable wearing it is around the house. I've got long hair almost down to my waist and would have a tough time trying to pull off a masculine look.

--Rick

[crfriend]

[... T]the skirt is nice and the only way I'd feel comfortable wearing it is around the house. I've got long hair almost down to my waist and would have a tough time trying to pull off a masculine look.

I'm in the same boat with the hair (actually, mine is just past my waist -- terminal, so it's not going to get any longer), so "tricks" need to be played in other regards to "pull off" the "masculine look". Bear in mind that long hair is not necessarily considered feminine in many circles (at least in my neck of the woods), nor even in most nowadays, so that might not work against a total look; however, paired with a skirt (or even a kilt) one needs to be careful to not send "the wrong message". My facial hair sends an unmistakable statement of, "This is a guy", and even if I shave my beard off I can't bear the thought of parting with my mustache, so that works in my favour. I also wear typically masculine dress shirts and shoes, so that mitigates the "feminine" look of many skirts. The typical male build also sends a strong signal in this regard and actually takes a lot of work to override, so you may be safer than you think.

I think the problem that some guys have with the skirt mentioned in this thread is that it's just so short, and, obviously, is pictured on a comely little thing which puts the mind off what might otherwise be possible. Actively ignoring much of the image's context in this case might be instructive (e.g. "stop staring at those legs!" ) and open the mind to masculine possibilities. The above having been said, this is not a skirt for the faint-of-heart -- either male or female!

[Skirt Chaser]

I think the more leg you see either through skirt shortness or through the ability to hug the body the easier it is to see those legs are manly. A guy with well muscled thighs looks different from a woman as somebody draws their eyes upwards. Another way to give gender clues is for long hair to be in a ponytail. Loose hair hides the shoulders which are another identification aid.

That black layered skirt is a good look. While the style is not to every guy's taste for himself I see no reason it should be ruled out as something off limits for all men.

[Bob]

That's right, most men in ballet aren't ballerinas. But I am. I became a lot happier when I finally admitted it to myself.

[Hawkrider3]

I think that it is a nice looking skirt and it is possible to wear it out anywhere, even for a guy. Personally I like shorter skirts as they allow more air to keep you cool. Since the skirt is a little more dressy, you wouldn't want to wear a t shirt with it but maybe a nice body shirt so you wouldn't have to guard your movements much. When you sit, it won't be much of a problem as the skirt looks like it would drape quite nicely into you lap, bending over is always a problem with a skirt. You just have to learn to bend at the knees more. I say go ahead and try it, especially if you have the legs for it!

[Javals]

This is the kind of skirt I do wear.

[Bob]

She said a male ballet dancer is called a danseur.

English: dancer. Someone who partakes in any kind or style of dance. If you do ballroom dance, or modern dance, or break dancing, or ballet, you are a dancer.

French: danseur = dancer (male). danseuse = dancer (female)

Ballet is one form of dance. One who pursues ballet, in Italian, is ballerina (female) or ballerino (male).

In contemporary practice, we use these terms inconsistently. Yes, we do use the Italian ballet-specific term (ballerina) for women at times, while its masculine counterpart (ballerino) is relatively forgotten. And we do use the French general term for ballet dancers who are men, although it's not really specific to ballet.

Frankly, as an English speaker, I prefer English. It's less pretentions: "dancer" or "ballet dancer" for men and women.

[TomH]

Good point about English, Bob. I agree.

Tom