Fusion Dressing

[STEVIE]

This is my first new post in a long time.
An idea, that is, an itch, which needs scratching.
The Fusion idea is not new, the world is pretty much mixed up.
This is my thought and apologies if it has been voiced before.
First having seen the "couture" for male skirts, accessability for the common man isn't much of an option. I, personally, could not afford to spend the asking price for a lot of these garments.
I would suggest that we should openly acknowledge our invasion of the "other aisle" in our quest for fashion freedom. I am currently trying to work out a complete set of photos which will illustrate this idea.
I wil include as much of an eclectic mix as I can but, I would welcome any comments and contributions. I will include male pants or trousers, just for contrast.
The main point is to fuse not confuse.
Steve
The pics are a work in progress.

[Since1982]

Sounds good however, I don't think we have a shortage of ads for trousers or pants online or in "any" clothing shop. It's bad enough a lot of the so called skirts for men manufacturers have pants under the skirts. To me, that's downright silly. If you're gonna wear trousers, wear trousers...if your gonna wear skirts, wear skirts, period.

[STEVIE]

Thanks Skip
I must admit to having had a few beers last night when I wrote the post. The idea of including trousers is for contrast to show that a masculine outfit can look as good with a skirt.
The main principle is to express a freedom of clothes choice whatever or whoever the individual garment was originally meant for.
For example there is a photo of me in a sports jacket with a 1960s style pinafore underneath, it needs working on so not ready to publish yet.
I don't realistically think this will ever be commercial, but, who knows? Fashion designers take note, you read it here first.
I also thought that Musion, the mixing of "gender oriented" clothing might be more appropriate and that could make me a "MEWS"
Man Enjoys Wearing Skirts".
Finally the whole Trouser/Skirt is plain wrong.
Steve

[crfriend]

I have to admit that when I read the subject line my first reaction was, "Right! High-energy physics. Now this I can get my teeth into!" Oh, well...

Not to be deterred from commenting, however, I think it's worth mentioning that any bloke who wishes to put a skirt on his lower half had better do some pretty good "fusing" with other elements of traditionally male wardrobe items if his look is to be really "believable" (there's that word again...) to the casual onlooker. Skirts-over-trousers just doesn't "cut it"; to this observer it looks forced, occasionally slovenly, and at worst juvenile -- like the wearer could not make up their mind what to wear that morning so put on one of everything. One word: "fail".

Recently posted in the "In the News" section is a shot of a French footballer (and links to more, which I'll admit not having looked at yet) that looked very believable indeed. It wasn't forced; it wasn't "over the top"; and it wasn't "in your face", either -- it was a restrained, functional, and elegant look. Kudos to that chap!

I think what I'm trying to drive at here is that if you want to wear skirts instead of trousers then you can't "force" the look by overcompensating with other elements: everything must work together as a cohesive whole and still set you apart as a man in a skirted rig who has the guts to buck trends and has the confidence to back that up with action. "Forcing" (either with trousers under, or "over the top" "uber-masculine everything else), I think detracts from the image. Let the image speak for itself, and let your own courage, conviction, and confidence enhance it.

[JohnH]

It can't get any simpler than to wear a plain black dress or robe. If you want to wear traditional men's shoes with socks you would want something that comes down almost down to the ankle.

I agree with the lame excuse of trousers under a skirt - UGH!

John

[phathack]

If you want to wear traditional men's shoes with socks you would want something that comes down almost down to the ankle.

That's been one of the things I have been thinking about.
My idea is to replace dress pants or slacks with a skirt but how to pull the look off.
The issue of what about leg wear and shoes, as traditional men's shoes just don't look right, too bulky and forget the socks, you have to go with tights of some type. But the shoes I'm still looking for something that looks right and will fit my US 13 / EU 47 feet.

For casual its simple, just switch to a denim skirt, that's same length and color as the shorts it replaces..
No one ever notices until you sit down. Saddles or trainers are the normal shoe for warm weather.

[Milfmog]

Sorry, off topic but I have to ask...

Saddles or trainers are the normal shoe for warm weather.

What, in this context, are saddles? To me that's something used to make riding a horse easier and more comfortable(?) or possibly a physiological feature of our friend Lumbricus Terrestris, but neither of those makes a lot of sense in this context.

Have fun,


Ian.

[crfriend]

It can't get any simpler than to wear a plain black dress or robe. If you want to wear traditional men's shoes with socks you would want something that comes down almost down to the ankle.

At issue here, I suspect, is more the socks than the shoes. Knee-length socks work very well with kilts and can work well with many casual looks. Kilted John is a strong proponent of that look and wear it well.

I think it comes back to the "line of the leg" and putting overt breaks in that line is distracting to the viewer; in this writer's opinion the line should be as unbroken as possible save for the unavoidable one where the ankle and shoe meet. There are options to solve this problem, and it's ultimately up to each of us to decide on what works best for ourselves.

[JohnH]

If you want to wear traditional men's shoes with socks you would want something that comes down almost down to the ankle.

The issue of what about leg wear and shoes, as traditional men's shoes just don't look right, too bulky and forget the socks, you have to go with tights of some type. But the shoes I'm still looking for something that looks right and will fit my US 13 / EU 47 feet.

If you want lighter looking shoes than traditional men's shoes you probably are going to have to get them from a crossdresser vendor - http://allheelsformen.com. You have to add 1.5 to 2 to a man's US size to get a woman's size which would make it 14.5 or 15, and women's sizes don't go that high. They usually don't go over 11.

You do have to wade through a lot of crap to get to the shoes on that website. I feel much more comfortable buying shoes from women's vendors since my feet are small enough.

John

[STEVIE]

Hi Guys
I'm glad for your input.
My idea was to show that you can really mix the fashions successfully, but also economically with a bit of thought and creativity.
I also cringe at the trouser/skirt combination except on girls for religious or cultural reasons.
The shots of the footballer are a help, but, he is a very rich and talented guy who can afford to go out on a limb. This is not a luxury every skirted guy can afford.
Sorry about the physics, not my subject, but the Scots word for it is "Natural Philosophy" This, I kind of like as it appeals to my sense of the whole disorderly nature of our world.
I was really trying to say that we should acknowledge our use of, dare I say, "feminine garments" simply because we cannot really escape it. I am looking to mix if not destroy the idea of "segregated aisles"
When, I eventually post the photos, I hope they will illustrate some of the possibilities and maybe give rise to some more.
Please, we are only discussing a concept, lets not get bogged down in details yet.
Steve

[STEVIE]

See pics and looks, maybe it will explain my ramblings better.
Steve