Waists RIP

[skirtyscot]

I'd always thought that one of the differences between women and men was that women have narrower waists and sticky-out bums. So if a skirt fitted a man round the waist it would flap around his derriere, or if it fitted him neatly round the backside it would squash his internal organs. But on starting to buy skirts, I found that it is not true. If the waist is the right size then it is a pretty good fit round the bum as well. Is this because:

1 only Marilyn Monroe and a few other fortunates ever had a titchy waist - most women never had the hour-glass figure;
2 the modern woman should lay off the beer and the pies; or
3 I have a fat arse?

I suspect 3 is part of the answer - when I buy a new suit I often find that the 32" trousers are fine on the waist but indecent round the posterior and gentleman's bits. So I have to go one size up and get the waist taken in.

I reckon 2 must be the main reason, though why the female waist would get bigger faster than the hips is a mystery to me.

Does anyone else find that skirts designed for women fit his male form very well, and are we forced to conclude that the waist is a thing of the past in our overfed western countries?

[SkirtRevolution]

I find that all my skirt fit me perfectly. Many womens skirts are also designed to sit lower on the waist which is good for us men. I have found though that some skirts (often designer skirts) are designed to sit hight on the waist (accentuating the curves of a thinner woman) and therefore the skirt doesn't shape as good on a guy when sitting lower but it is very rare to find these skirts.

[Dale]

I have found that a women's skirt fits me very well. Then again, when wearing sweat pants I have often been addressed as ma'am from behind, only to receive an apology when I turn around face to face. Needless to say I have no trouble at all with the fit of a women's skirt, that is once I figured out what size I am.

[SkirtRevolution]

All of my skirts fit me without any problems at all. Skirt that a designed to sit lower on the waist are perfect for is men. There are some skirt designs though that are no good for men. Often skirts found in more expensive stores, they are skirts designed to sit high around the waist to accentuate a woman natural curved figure. I find that these skirts a no good for men and look ridiculous, but in saying this, these kind of skirt are not as popular anymore.

[Dale]

I suspect that a high wasted skirt would not fit me very well. Frankly I don't care for the look, so I Have not tried one, but I strongly suspect you are correct about the fit on a man.

[Taj]

We're all different and the same in individual ways. I have a traditional kilt that was custom tailored for a woman who later decided she didn't want it, unworn even. The kilt maker had it on a rack of discounted kilts and had me try it on when I told her my waist size. Every dimension fit so perfect it may have as well been made for me. I didn't hesitate to buy it. That said, my butt occasionally gets compliments. I would bet her's at least gets admiring glances.

[couyalair]

Having worn traditional kilts most of my life, I like the feel of a snug fit round my waist, which may not resemble that of an hour glass, but which is quite small. I find that men's off-the-peg skirts/kilts fit either my waist or my hips, but not both, which is very annoying. I have a casual kilt from Scotland, that fits my waist but is much too narrow lower down, and I wear it only where no-one knows what a good kilt should look like. A cotton kilt I ordered from USA had no waist shaping at all, and was sent straight back.
It's obviously very easy to run up a shapeless garment ("made to measure in two days"!) than to take the time to get each pleat just the right angle to provide shape while keeping the pattern properly aligned. This may well be the reason that casual/modern kilt makers have encouraged the wearing of their garments several cm below the navel; like that, they need not shape the waist at all.
The women's skirts I have tried have been of all shapes and sizes, but I have found a few that fit me nicely.

Martin

[STEVIE]

You wear a skirt, you take the chance? Men have a shape, as do the ladies. There have been other discussions regarding hiding "bumps", and the showing of said "bumps".
Having said that, my own view is to avoid some and accentuate others. Like it or not, skirts are designed for a streamlined look up front, how that's dealt with is the prerogative of the wearer.
I, recently, bought a skirt, denim, size U.K. 12 from La Redoute. It's a fair copy of the one I wore in Stirling. However, I could easily have had a 10, much to the chagrin of some of my female colleagues. Point is, the waist has invisible adjusters, and with a belt, it, really is comfy.
From the waist down, it is easily one of the best skirts I have ever worn.
On comparison with trousers, I have a small waist and backside, so I am no stranger to "flapping material", but, in a skirt, for me, it hardly seems to matter.
One last note, male or female, we are the size and shape we are, live with it and enjoy.
Steve.