What happened to ...

[couyalair]

I wonder if any of you remember Nigel/Veletron...?
He must have been the first man I noticed on the web showing photos of himself in plain, no frills, skirts as he went about his daily life and travels. All I know about him was that he had a web site called fashion freedom (I think), but I regarded him as a real pioneer and, apparently, a decent bloke (to use his own word). Until then I had seen only men in tartan kilts, on one hand, and cross-dressers adopting feminine manners, on the other.
Have seen no trace of him in a long time now.

Just curious,
Martin

[crfriend]

I wonder if any of you remember Nigel/Veletron...?

Nigel pops by from time to time, but may just not feel he has anything to add.

This is common enough with guys who've been wearing skirts for quite a while; eventually the "out and about" phenomenon becomes routine, nobody comments or is just used to it, and there slowly over time becomes less and less remarkable. There are a couple of real pioneers who "lurk" here, but apparently there's not a lot to say that hasn't been said before so stay quiet.

I'm sure Nigel's fine.

[couyalair]

Thanks for the reply.

When I began writing, I could not remember his pseudo.
Then it came back to me, and I googled veletron, and it appears he is indeed alive and well, getting into outdoor sports for which skirts may be unsuitable (and apparently he prefers trousers to kilts when it gets too cold for skirts).

I too sometimes feel it's all been said before, and skirting is no big issue. But it's nice to stay in contact with like-minded, open-minded men, and that is why I go on looking at these forums.

Martin

[crfriend]

[... I]t appears [Veletron/Nigel] is indeed alive and well, getting into outdoor sports for which skirts may be unsuitable (and apparently he prefers trousers to kilts when it gets too cold for skirts).

To the very best of my knowledge, the only chap we've lost in recent years to tragic circumstances was jbruyndonckx. Jan was killed a few years ago doing one of the things he loved best -- paragliding. Before that, the only one I am aware of was Tom Manuel who founded Tom's Cafe which was the progenitor site to this one.

Interestingly, both Tom and Jan touched my life "from a distance"; both made skirt and kilt wearing look so effortless that was just natural. I never met either man, but I recall both on-line personae fondly.

There are also some of the "pioneers" who braved the fashion wilds of the 1980s and 1990s in kilts and skirts who come 'round now and then to read up on what the "kiddies" are doing. Those characters touched my life as well by showing that it was actually possible to flaunt convention and actually pull it off in a cogent and sane manner. These guys know who they are, so they can quietly take a bow.

I too sometimes feel it's all been said before, and skirting is no big issue. But it's nice to stay in contact with like-minded, open-minded men, and that is why I go on looking at these forums.

It turns out that silence is not necessarily our best friend. Average blokes from all walks of life may pop in here every now and then, and it's the stories of, "I wore a kilt (or a skirt) out in public today and nothing happened!" that are helpful to those who might be contemplating chucking twin-tubes for one. Yes, those posts get boring to those of us who just wear it on a day-to-day basis, but they're important to somebody who may be "on the fence".

[ethelthefrog]

...it's the stories of, "I wore a kilt (or a skirt) out in public today and nothing happened!" that are helpful to those who might be contemplating chucking twin-tubes for one. Yes, those posts get boring to those of us who just wear it on a day-to-day basis, but they're important to somebody who may be "on the fence".

Amen, brother.

[Since1982]

I met Tom Manuel. The year before I joined this site, I was in New York on business and the topic came up about men in kilts etc. and one of my associates told me about a "Million Skirted Men March"(it was actually about 52 men) that was going on in town at that time and I took a cab to the area. I could still walk OK and wandered into a coffee shop that had about 25 skirted and kilted men, women and children in it. I asked who was running things and a husky man in what looked like his 50's was pointed out to me. He was wearing a gray sweater and a gray, white, black and blue kilt with regular kilt socks and flashes.

I introduced myself to him, told him about my experiences in the South and Central Pacific with the Tupenu, sarong, sulu and longyi in the 11 islands we visited and ship wrecks we dove around. I explained that I wore them IN my home but was afraid to wear them outside my home because I lived in a high redneck and GOB area. He told me about "Tom's Cafe" and when I returned home, and later that year bought a new, better computer, Googled it and joined up in 2004. It was only a few weeks later that Tom expired from a Heart attack. I never really got to know him as well as I know some of the long time members that are still here and many skirted men who don't come any more. The crusade for skirted men lost a real hero in him. He's really missed.

Anyone that would like to see what Tom looked like should contact Veletron, I believe he still has some pictures of Tom.

[kingfish]

To the very best of my knowledge, the only chap we've lost in recent years to tragic circumstances was jbruyndonckx. Jan was killed a few years ago doing one of the things he loved best -- paragliding. Before that, the only one I am aware of was Tom Manuel who founded Tom's Cafe which was the progenitor site to this one.

Interestingly, both Tom and Jan touched my life "from a distance"; both made skirt and kilt wearing look so effortless that was just natural. I never met either man, but I recall both on-line personae fondly.

That's what I get for not reading this as much as I should! I wondered what happened to Jan. He definitely was one of the pioneers.
I actually got a chance to meet him when he was working for EMC and had to visit Hopkinton back in 2003 (my office is about two miles away in Milford.) It was an opportunity I just couldn't pass up. He was just as great in person as he was online.
Here's a picture of us at Outback Steakhouse. Jan is the one on the left.



This one is a picture of Jan, Mary Jane Boy, and me in front of Boston's Museum of Fine arts a couple of days later.


I confess, I also need to get my derriere out of the lurker zone a LOT more often.

[MSpookshow]

Veletron is a huge inspiration for me. His photos were a huge stepping stone for me to accept my own interpretation of fashion. His pictures from the mountaineering club dances blew my mind with how stylish and sophisticated he looked while wearing garments traditionally viewed as very feminine. I wish he still posted.

[Milfmog]

Veletron is a huge inspiration for me...
...I wish he still posted.

Nigel still posts when he has something he wants to say. If you search the Members list you can quickly find him and see that he has posted this month...

Nigel is most definitely still around.

Have fun,


Ian.

[MSpookshow]

Nigel still posts when he has something he wants to say.

Ah, yeah I should have worded my post a bit differently. It's been just over a year since he has posted a picture of one of his outfits here, which is what I would like to see more of from him. It's good he's still around though, of course.

[veletron]

Hi

Just seen this thread! I am still alive! I still read this forum, and post occasionally, but no where near as much as I used to in the past. I'm still skirting, damaging the rules of fashion, mostly on a daily basis. I tend to post pics more on lookbook these days. Posting here was a bit like preaching to the converted!!

http://lookbook.nu/veletron

Nigel

[crfriend]

Posting here was a bit like preaching to the converted!!

Indeed it can so seem, and I myself have sometimes fallen into that trap. However, without compelling role models -- those who get out and about without hesitation or reservation -- the casual passer-by of the forum who might have an interest might not actually take notice.

In any event, it's good to read you again and I will wholeheartedly second the motion that the look you had at the Mountaineering Club's meeting was nothing short of smashing!

[Since1982]

Nigel said:Hi

Just seen this thread! I am still alive! I still read this forum

Hi Nigel, good to see you again. I'm one of the few members here that remember your site and I miss it.

[Pleats]

Nice to hear Nigel is still around. I always thought he looked very natural in skirts. That gave me the confidence that I could do it also. Some of the early pioneers like Tom and others on his site in the early days confirmed that I was not the only guy that wanted to wear skirts as a guy. Today I wear kilts most of the time.

There was another one of us in the early days that has disappeared. Unfortunately, I have long forgotten his name. If I recall he was from the Seattle area. He also had a very nice website. I think he made most of his skirts. I had the feeling that he must have worked in the aircraft industry maybe as an engineer. I also don't think his wife approved of his interest in skirts. I recall a post about running into someone from where he worked. He appeared to be somewhat concerned about it. A month or so later all the pictures were removed from his web site. Later the site was taken down. Darn, I wish I could remember the URL for that site. Does that ring a bell with anyone?

[wishbone]

There was another fellow that came to the Cafe just before 2004. He was the one who started the Million Skirted March in New York. His name was Larrie something. I don't remember the last name but I remember the first because it had such an unusual spelling. I know he and Tom Manual got real close. He was a fire cracker of a little guy who really got into some arguments at the cafe. It's my understanding that he got Tom into creating the New York march and they worked close together recruiting others to help set it up. There was a girl named Siri who helped to get the permits and things they needed and they recruited USA Kilts, Amerikilts, and a whole bunch of others. When the papers came out naming Tom as the creator of the march he was pretty upset because he told me even though he did a lot of work on it, it was Larrie's conception and baby. Does anyone have any of the papers from then? It's probably got Larrie's last name in it somewhere. I know he started the circle of friends and locations at the Cafe. Tom seemed to like all of Larrie's ideas and implimented just about all of them. That's about all I know except I know Larrie was pretty crushed when Tom died and he just seemed to disappeared after that. Does anyone know what happened to him?
Wishbone