I wore an outright skirt to work today

[couyalair]

I think your colleagues' finding themselves lost for words show clearly just how weird we really are, so far out from anyone,s imagination that they just do not know what to think of us and prefer to stay silent rather than to look rude or just stupid'.
Sometimes I think I,d rather have a little interested insolence than cold indifference, simulated or otherwise. At least if someone makes remarks on our attire we can reply, in defense or in jest, and show we are not ashamed of our choices.
Martin

[Big and Bashful]

Glad it went well,
I think your sense of style and that beard would have had them "numbed" to whatever you turn up in! You certainly don't try to blend in with the crowd!

[crfriend]

crfriend, did you give them any sort of warning?

I gave them precisely no warning whatsoever, but I have been wearing my palazzo pants for a couple of weeks and have received no pushback whatsoever and figured I'd go whole hog just to see what happened. Nothing did.

Now, it is possible that word had leaked out beforehand. I came very highly recommended to the President of the company from a chap I used to occasionally work with at my last employer (who shall remain nameless lest I get slammed with a libel suit) and who knew full well of my "sartorial oddities"; if there was a leak, that was likely it. I'm not a plumber (I don't even play one on TV), so I'm not going to go looking. After all, what would I do with it if I found it?

Of note, and I do not know whether this is coincidence or not, the day after I wore my rather posh burgundy skirt one of the (two) women at work wore a skirt for the first time since I joined the company in early January. She usually wears -- wait for it -- jeans.

[skirted_in_SF]

Of note, and I do not know whether this is coincidence or not, the day after I wore my rather posh burgundy skirt one of the (two) women at work wore a skirt for the first time since I joined the company in early January. She usually wears -- wait for it -- jeans.

Progress is being made.
Of course, it's probably warmer now than it was in January.

[Tor]

Glad that went so well for you. Looks like it may now be time to keep it up and see about further elevating the sartorial style there as it appears you may have already succeeded in beginning.

...if there was a leak, that was likely it. I'm not a plumber (I don't even play one on TV), so I'm not going to go looking. After all, what would I do with it if I found it?

What would you even have reason to try to do with it at this point, when, near as I can tell from afar, it has done you at most zero damage, and quite possibly less?

[crfriend]

Well, that's it -- a full week of skirts at work -- five straight days. Nobody cares, and I've had a couple of good comments about the overall look (few comments are not particularly surprising as there are typically only six of us in the office on any given day.

The main concern at the moment is that the company I work for was recently bought by what was originally one of our clients in Texas. This is causing some worry locally for all involved. The Texans also wanted pictures of the local staff in Massachusetts to see what they bought. In the spirit of openness and honesty -- and since I'll be "found out" anyway as I don't conceal my style choices -- I wore my dark burgundy MouseWorks velveteen skirt, black waistcoat, and one of my poets shirts with plenty of ruffles. I do not believe the skirt was in frame, but even if it was I don't particularly care.

We shall see what happens, but the locals don't seem to give a fig about the matter which is as it should be.

[Big and Bashful]

Glad the skirtery is going well so far, long may it continue!

[Sinned]

I have just started a new job in retail. It's for a store selling homeware - anything from bedding, bathroom items and kitchenware to ornaments and some furniture. Although I have only been here a few days I have asked for, and been granted, an increase in hours from part-time to full-time. I do feel happy in work now where I am especially after a period of unemployment. I work on checkout at present but will rotate around the various departments as time goes on. It's different from the IT work I did for so many years but it has less pressure and I get to meet and talk to people instead of working on my own writing programs or servicing hardware. Since most software is packaged nowadays there isn't even the satisfaction of hacking code any more. Since I only have about 5 years to retirement and after that I could work part-time in the same role I am quite content. Nobody else seemed to want to employ me. It was getting to the soul-destroying stage.

Anyway to get to the point. During induction I was given a sheet detailing the dress code. Basically it's a black company top/fleece and either black trousers or a plain black knee-length skirt. I asked, hopefully taken half-jokingly, if I would be accepted at work wearing a skirt. My inductor said that there was nothing in the rules and to go for it. I know what you are all going to say and left to myself I would go in a skirt tomorrow. But seeing as I have only just started I thought that I would check with the store manager first as I don't want to jeopardise a new job so soon and as you all know of MOH's opposition I think that she would have kittens if I were to go to work in a skirt. Now my aim is for exactly this to happen so I now have to work to make it happen. Don't know how yet but I will think of something. I don't expect any comments from you but would welcome them if you want to make them. I hoped that you might be interested in what is happening in my life at the moment.

[crfriend]

It's good to hear you're doing well, Dennis -- and congratulations on the new gig. If there was no pushback from HR on the skirt topic, that's good, but there's always your immediate supervisory staff; personally, I'd play it safe for a little bit.

[Milfmog]

Glad to learn that things are looking up for you Dennis. Being out of work for an extended period sounds great, until it happens, then reality intrudes and life can become very tedious. As you say, it is a dramatic change in the type of work, but hopefully you will enjoy it and find yourself waking up with a smile at the prospect of going to work.

As for the skirt... I'm with Carl, get known for who you are before you give others (particularly those who could make life difficult) an opportunity to guess who you are and how you think. Once people know and respect you, how you dress tends to become secondary (immediate family excepted for some reason).

Above all, have fun,


Ian.

[Caultron]

I suggest letting it drop to your supervisor that you sometimes wear skirts, and that HR said it'd be OK. Then, unless he goes ballistic, show up in one the next day and see what happens.

I'd suggest a black utility kilt as being the least controversial but that's up to you.

Just for backup, though, you might want to throw a pair of trousers the back seat.

[STEVIE]

Hi Dennis,
I've had many years of experience in retail U.K. and I'd guess D.M. as your employer. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but that doesn't matter.
The HR guys can say all they like about individual freedoms and diversity, but it's you and you alone dealing with the rest of the shop floor and the customers. Those dealings are how you will be judged, be very sure of that.
I'd go with the rest, be cautious.
I'd love to be able to say, "go skirted and all will be well" , but that would be false.
I'd suggest wait for a social event, Christmas is just around the corner. Away from the shop ,it's your choice of garb, but colleagues and bosses can be "sussed out". Take it from there.........................
It took me a year to go from dress down days to permanent skirt at work, I don't face the public.
My very best wishes.
Steve.

[MrNaturalAZ]

Some years ago I worked in a music store as an electronics tech. I fixed pretty much anything music related - guitar/bass amps, effects, PA and recording gear, organs, synths, and other assorted electronic instruments and accessories, and even electric guitars & basses if the problem was primarily electronic and beyond the scope of our otherwise world-class guitar tech.

Anyhow, while I occasionally interacted with customers, I was mostly holed-up at my little workbench in the back room, out of sight of the general public. Not to mention it was a music store, where the customers were - wait for it - Musicians! They tend to be pretty open-minded and often non-conventional dressers themselves. Anyhow, after I'd been working there for quite some time - long enough to have well established my value to the shop - I asked my boss (the owner of this independent shop, and a musician himself) if it would be OK if I wore a Utilikilt to work. I was expecting a green light, but instead I was told that I absolutely could NOT wear it. I really was not expecting to be shot down.

[pelmut]

Some years ago I worked in a music store as an electronics tech. I fixed pretty much anything music related.... I was mostly holed-up at my little workbench in the back room...

I asked my boss (the owner of this independent shop, and a musician himself) if it would be OK if I wore a Utilikilt to work. I was expecting a green light, but instead I was told that I absolutely could NOT wear it. I really was not expecting to be shot down.

1) Was this at a time when a woman employee would be expected to ask permission before wearing trousers to work?

2) Presumably you could have worn an apron to protect your trousers (or bare legs in hot weather) from solder splashes? You could have started off with a normal-sized black cotton one with a pocket and then, after a week or two, swap it for a slightly wider one in the same material. Eventually you could work up to complete wrap-aound apron with shorts underneath and then see if anyone noticed when one day your 'apron' just happened to be a Utilikilt.

[Sinned]

Thanks for the support, guys. I have worked in retail before - Tesco for 4 years and Toys R Us for the past four Christmases so I know the role well enough. Stv, the store is Dunelm and it's a very big store - all on one floor but big enough to get lost in. I currently work on checkout as this is a basic area and everyone is expected to know this so as to be able to jump on the till at a busy time. I have already seen this happen and even the store manager or assistant manager will man the till when queues develop. Most of the staff are female, the manager is male and assistant manager, female. The dress code I guess was written by HR but the interviews were by the Assistant Manager and I get along with her like a house on fire. I was hired on 16 hours to see how we got along but had only served a couple of days when I asked for full-time. After only a couple of days thought I have been guaranteed at least 30 hours (and more in the run up to Christmas ). The supervisor who inducted me has been at Dunelm a long time and I have spoken to her a few times when visiting the store as a customer. Most of the female staff wear trousers but I have seen a couple of the staff wearing skirts and I was thinking of mentioning it to one of those. But yes, I will exercise caution as I think that I would like this to be my last job before retiring. I have had some very bruising times attending interviews and the subsequent rejections. For the first year of unemployment I enjoyed it - the economy was bad, the job situation dire and there were few jobs to even apply for. I filled my time usefully. The past none months have been soul-destroying and this job, as mundane as it is, will bring in income and enable us to pay off our mortgage by the time I retire. After that with pensions and capital reserves hopefully we will be ok.

One thing that occurred to me would be for me, closer to Christmas, to visit the store skirted as a customer and see what reaction I get. I know that a person can be sacked for say, comments made on a social media site but can anyone be sacked for a slightly unusual dress style out of work? It's not as if I am trying to look like a woman or act like one. As you say Halloween is coming up but I am not working Friday but working Saturday morning. I'll ask if there is any dress-up for this weekend as this might give me some scope to bend the rules a bit. There's also Christmas and I should have a better idea about unwritten rules and gender tolerances by then. I could do with a red skirt with the essential white fur trim - I wonder if I can adapt one of those Santa girl dresses ( remove the top and add a waistband to the skirt ). I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing a Santa girl dress.

But then I also have MOH to deal with. If I wore a skirt at work I would definitely be coming out of the closet as Stv has done. I may as well publicise it on farceburk. I would need to acclimatise her to such an event and I think that this would be by far the trickiest part of the operation.