skirtcafe.org

Over the years I have "purged" many times in my life, especially when was into the TV/CD mindset. You feel remorse for not being manly enough and try to push any thoughts of femininty aside and you do it by getting rid of your female wardrobe. If I had just kept all the skirts I bought I'd have a huge wardrobe to pick from. But I stoped being invested in the CD/TV side of things many years ago. I have four kilts and about six skirts, but have gained weight and can only get into about 4 garments at the moment.
I have noticed on several CD/TV web sites (I don't "DO" that anymore but like to see what's going on once in a while) the very large wardrobe a lot of CD/TV people have. Dresses and skirts, maids outfits, "sissy" clothes with frills, etc. etc. A awful lot of clothes for dressing up and pretending to be a woman once in a while. Of course some people do it more often, but on the average I'd say it was a once a week thing at most, sometimes a once a month thing.
So how many skirts, kilts, sarongs, dresses, etc. do memebers here have.
I remember years ago one of the bravehearts, and I don't remember his name, said he had dozens of kilts. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 50, I think.
I just curious about this.
I have twill or denim, A-line skirts, calf length, maybe six in all, plus four kilts, my clan Furgeson kilt, a Sportkilt Blackwatch and Clergy kilt and a generic kilt I pick up at a Ren Faire.
But right now I can't afford to invest in anymore until my health problems straighten out.
I also have to try and lose weight, it is the last thing I can do to help my distressed breathing problems. So why bother buying to many "fat" clothes when that's not the real answer?

Dennis A, Lederle

Grok?

DALederle wrote:So how many skirts, kilts, sarongs, dresses, etc. do memebers here have.

Of the ones that I purchased myself, or were purchased by my behest, I think I have slightly north of a dozen or so. There are also another half-dozen or so that I can borrow from Sapphire if I so desire. Most have seen mileage at work, and all have been "out and about" in one for or other. I feel no desire whatsoever to "purge".

Over the years I have "purged" many times in my life, especially when was into the TV/CD mindset. You feel remorse for not being manly enough and try to push any thoughts of femininty aside and you do it by getting rid of your female wardrobe.

This is one of the things that I find tragic about the "orthodox crossdresser" -- the sense of shame that's all too seemingly involved with the entire endeavour. Not only do I find it tragic, I find it pointless -- one can chuck on a skirt and still be a guy, still be perfectly masculine, and not have to pretend about anything. Yes, you may get questions from folks, and you may get some sideways glances, but those can be deflected by simple and honest conversation. One need not hide, for hiding only increases the sense of shame and guilt.

In short, if you want to experiment with wearing skirts just do so. It's not a hanging offence in any place I've ever been or intend to go. OK, one does run the risk of ridicule, but one runs the risk of that any time one states an opinion on something. In short, you don't need to check your manhood at the door if you want to shove both legs down one pipe. Choose your look wisely, and you might actually get other guys to ask that same question, "It looks comfortable and it looks good. What's it like? Should I give it a try?"

But right now I can't afford to invest in anymore until my health problems straighten out.
I also have to try and lose weight, it is the last thing I can do to help my distressed breathing problems. So why bother buying to many "fat" clothes when that's not the real answer?

Step one, of course Dennis, is to get your health issues sorted out to the maximum possible extent; for without your health, you won't enjoy much else.

Whilst working on your immediate health issues, it's perfectly fine to put haberdashery aside so you retain focus. If you believe you'll lose weight, go for cheap stuff that can be unemotionally jettisonned if you do lose weight. I'd not recommend buying for the size you want to be because that'll be a negative reminder that you're not there yet, and that'll be counterproductive in many ways.

Grok?

As an aside, using "Grok" as an interrogative can be deeply insulting to members of the computing profession who use the term as Heinlein used it. Phrasing it as a question is to directly challenge another's qualifications and skills. The underlying meaning of that usage is, "You don't get it, do you.", and if that sounds patronising, it is.

CRFriend:
I was unaware that people in the computing world were using the word Grok. For the most part, within my own life, few people I associated with have ever heard of Heinlein or his many novels. Within my own, closed circle of friend we have all read "Stranger In A Strangeland" but we all sort of nerds or geeks and not the hip crowd at all.
We "share water" frequently but it's not always water. We take the meaning the VMS said in STRANGER as to share amongst ourselves our needs and wants.
As an example, one of my oldest friends, Dave, from high school, when we were Explorer Scouts together, comes every day to take me to my treatment. He didn't even hesitate when he found out I needed to go in every day, five days a week. That is truely "sharing water" and there is no way I can repay. But he doesn't seek repayment.
I'm lucky to have a small handful of friends that are all so close like that.
But since it bother's you I won't use Grok with a question mark any more. I only used it to see who had read the book and knew what it meant. And also to indicate that I have many question and very few answers.

Dennis A. Lederle

Live Long and Prosper!

Dennis -- I was not overtly offended by your use of the term "Grok?" simply because you could have meant no malice by it because you did not know that the term was in active use, or at least jargon, in a community very different from your own. In the world of computing, "grok" means that one not just innately "gets it" when faced with a particular machine or problem, but also understands the designer's and/or programmer's intent when they were faced with solving the problem in the first place. I've had the term used on me by computing grand-masters in the past, and the patronising tone that it embodied made me very sure to never use it so going forward.

In any event, I am happy that your treatment is progressing well and that you have the companionship of one of your childhood friends through it. That is absolutely grand. In that respect, you can call yourself fortunate, nay, blessed with absolute certainty!

I currently have 8 skirts and 1 dress.
I probably wear 2 or 3 on a fairly regular basis, the dress, only very rare occasions.
The point, it may only be one, but the enjoyment uncountable.
What we do should be about quality, not the extent of our wardrobes.
Steve.

I have 10 skirts of which I wear 5 of them on a regular basis, and more than 14 dresses of which I wear 5 on a regular basis, not counting the dress I am wearing as shown in the avatar. Most of the dresses are left over from what my ex-wife left me when she divorced me.

Most of the time I wear the skirts and dresses casually with no makeup or heels. But when I wear formal dresses I wear makeup, hose, and heels. I also don't hide the fact that I have an expanded wardrobe selection from anybody - sometime my wife who is wearing pants will go for a walk around the neighborhood with me while I am wearing a dress.

I paid for those dresses - my ex-wife ran up the bills on my account.
As far as the accusation of cross dressing - well, that's too bad. I don't even pretend to be manly at all. On the other hand I do not attempt to pass as a woman. I just do what feels good to me and damn the torpedoes!

John

About 15 various style skirts, plus 3 nightshirts, 2 jumpers and 1 each of khaki gray, khaki brown and denim shorts. No long pants at all.

Waaaay too many!
At least 25-30 skirts and probably 10 dresses of various lengths, but the dresses are mainly used as nightshirts.
This is in the context of maybe 20 pairs of trousers, 25 office shirts, 40-50 other shirts and at least as many t shirts and tops....

Way too many!
Last count about 25 with about 12 that I regularly wear.

I have 12. Various styles, all "fem", one gray, the rest black.
Have had them going on 15 years. My first skirts are still part of the group.

My current inventory consists of:

Two "traditional" kilts (one black, one camouflage)
Two modern kilts (Tan UK and a black Union Kilt)
Three sarongs
Four long skirts
Three wrap skirts af around knee length, mostly reserved for walking and hiking.
Three skirts shorter than knee length
Three mini skirts (15" or less is undisputedly mini on me)

That makes a total of 20 skirts and kilts, which compares with eight pairs of long trousers, one pair of shorts and two business suits for when they are completely unavoidable. Of the skirts I guess I wear about half regularly, another quarter occasionally and I ought to take the remaining five to the local charity shop.

I have not tried to do a count of my wifes collection but suffice to say her wardrobe is three times the size of mine and overflows into my space...

Have fun,


Ian.

Milfmog wrote: I have not tried to do a count of my wifes collection but suffice to say her wardrobe is three times the size of mine and overflows into my space...

I'm the one who has more clothes than my wife - she is a strict pants or shorts sort of gal. She maybe 4 dresses and never wears them other than a sun dress that she wears occasionally around the house. She also cannot wear shoes with anything higher than 1.5 inches. So I'm the one with the heels, hose, skirts, and dresses.

I have a lot of long pants, men's shirts, neckties, and suits so I wear traditional men's clothes a lot of the time. Unlike a lot of crossdressers I don't have a feminine alter ego - that to me smacks of being loony.

John

At the moment, 23.

All are between 1" above knee and just below the kneecap. Don't like them long, nor do I like them really short.

Five are straight, two lined, three not. Of the straight skirts, two are black and are lined. Both are fairly lightweight fabrics, but comfortable. One of those has a 2-3" slit where the left knee is. Doesn't bug me, so I've left it. Of the rest, one's denim and is a typical 5-pocket jeans skirt with the fly placed as it would be for a guy. There's one that is made of a gray knit material, which is kinda clingy unless worn with a slip. The fifth one is navy blue and a little less straight than the others. Also has a couple pockets and a drawstring waist.

I have one that's probably an eight-gore skirt, with the gores near the hem, so it's kinda like a trumpet. This one's salmon pink, so it typically doesn't get worn as an outer skirt, but maybe as an underskirt, underneath one of the other ones. Comes to about mid-knee. Lined, with a somewhat sheer outer layer.

I've three black pleated skirts, ranging from 1" above knee to mid-knee. So, 17-19" long. The 18" long one is usually worn on the outside, since it's almost sheer and needs a layer underneath it to make it less noticeable. The 19" one is heavy, but very full, so it can sometimes be a handful in windy conditions unless I stand a certain way. Typically gets a bit flighty in urban areas where the wind channels between buildings. The 17" one has become more A-line due to multiple washings. Also have a navy blue pleated knee-length that's pretty heavy and unlikely to blow up, pretty much like a kilt. Length is about 21" or so. Was bought at that length in 2006, and hasn't been hemmed up at all. The fifth pleated skirt is a knee-length white/black polkadot skirt. A little small, so will be worn once I've slimmed down a bit. Probably will combine with a black shirt, black knee socks, and athletic shoes to do the two-tone look.

Got two tiered skirts. One is a squaredancing skirt that came with the salmon gored skirt in 2005. Is a tie dye denim blue color. About 20" long. Goes well with a pair of trouser socks and athletic shoes in the summer. Light enough to keep me from sweating, but not likely to do a marilyn monroe on me. The other is a black skirt that's about 22" long. Comes to the tops of my socks, so there's no bare leg showing while standing. Might provide a flash of skin if I'm walking at a decent clip. Does have an embroidered strip of fabric that looks kinda like a lace pattern about 2/3 of the way down. I haven't worn this one recently, since I'd like to get it a bit shorter, so it's not as warm on days that would be appropriate for it.

Brown skirts: have two. Both are fairly full. One's from Old Navy and needs to have the waistband gathered a bit more, so it's less likely to slide down on my body. The other is from Kohl's and is a little on the small side, so won't be worn much until I've shrunk. It fits, but is a little tight. Has a white abstract floral pattern from about 1/2 of the way down, down to the hem, which does have a thin strip of lace. Probably not going to worry about the lace, since it'd be something you'd be hard pressed to see.

Got two more black skirts, one of which is knee-length, a-line, but paneled as well. Not a true pleated skirt, but looks close enough. The other is mostly straight, except for a ruffled hem. Wear that one underneath one of the pleated skirts if I know it's going to be majorly windy.

Patterned skirts: two here. One's a traditional floral print that I've sometimes worn underneath the really lightweight black pleated skirt. Does provide a little bit of color underneath on a sunny day. The other is an abstract pattern in blue, white, and maroon. This one's a little on the small side, so will be worn as I lose weight. Also is a lightweight silk, so should be comfortable in the summer.

One more denim skirt - made by Levi's. Light blue denim, soft fabric, paneled, so a little wider than a-line. Two pockets in the front, none in the rear, belt loops, and the typical fly. Wear that one for bike riding and have worn it when I've been searching for used car parts at the wreckers - no comments from people, plus I don't have to worry about ripping the crotch out while jumping over mud puddles.

Also have a couple navy blue minis that started out as bottoms for women's two-piece swimsuits. One is still complete, so, if I'm doing stuff around the house or the yard, all I need is a shirt, the skirt, socks, and, if outdoors, shoes or boots. The other isn't, so it requires underwear, and will probably be retired anyway, since it's tattered.

Until yesterday, I had four more, but one was a mini that probably was 15" long, so it showed too much thigh, plus was made for someone bigger than I, so it didn't fit right. Also had a very wide waistband, then short boxpleats. Prefer more pleats than waistband. Also purged a black velvet pencil skirt, a blue pinstripe pencil skirt, and a very nice brown skirt that was about ankle length on me and covered with a net-like fabric. If that one had been knee-length, it probably would've seen wear, but, alas, no dice. So, it's gone.

Of course, I still have the three tartan kilts I got in 2002 and 2003. Don't wear them much, since they don't really fit properly anymore. Gained weight. The rest of my skirted clothing was purchased between June 2005 and probably March 2010.

-J

My count is as follows,

1 x camouflage kilt
1 x work / utility kilt
1 x plain green budget kilt
4 x home made wrap around skirts. Mainly used around the house & garden, or for walking.
1 x sarong

I haven't counted my wifes collection but she says I've got more than her.

John

I think I have about 25-30 different skirts.
Some with flowal patterns and ifferent colours, some denim ones in different lengths. Some beige coloured, some manchester type etc. Then some grey ones.

Currently I am mosly wearing skirts that are either ankle length or below the knee. That is currently my faovourite tpye of skirts. Almost every day I change into a skirt when I come home from work. I also go out to a local restaurant to eat about 4 times a week and thoose times I am dressed in one of my skirts.

For work I am not wearing any skirts, I do however always wear earrings and most days I also have nailpolish on both my nails on both my hands and toes. Currently my earrings tend to be slightly bold from a male perspective since they are dangling and not very discreete.

When it comes to dresses I think I have about 10-15 dresses, I love to use them at home but it is very rare that I goe out dressed in a dress.