How did you start wearing skirts?

[skirtingtoday]

Here is a website which has 13 men on it who give their reasons for wearing skirts and the types they prefer.

Perhaps some members here could add their experiences - I have added my initial experiences under the title "Kilts and Skirts" I think you may have to register to post but you don't get bombarded with e-mails (I added this over a year ago)

http://fashion.about.com/u/sty/fashionf ... Skirts.htm

[straightfairy]

I think we may do better writing about how we started on here, as they only have 13 responses.

So
1) How did you get started wearing skirts or kilts?
I think as a try out of cd/kinkyness but then realised just how comfortable and natural they are.

2) What styles of men's skirts do you prefer?
I conciously prefer the more masculine styles now, at about knee length for me.

3) What do you think would be the best men's skirt to gain more public acceptance?
I actually think the kilt would be the easiest way, as it's already established in the public eye as a man's garment, then maybe denim and combat style skirts.

4) The types of challenges you have faced?
Mainly my own lack of confidence, I think, to go outside.

5) Tips for others?
Be confident.

[skirtingtoday]

Sounds reasonable striaghtfairy - her are my replies to the same questions (mostly transferred from the external site)

1) How did you get started wearing skirts or kilts? I wore a hired kilt over 5 years ago and got uplifting compliments when wearing it (a 50 yr old Scot who had never before worn a kilt - shocking!). Since then I have bought my own and wear it on special occasions. However it is rather heavy for general use.

My son has worn a 14" fake leather miniskirt and a fully sequined pink and black skirt even shorter at fancy dress bops. This got me thinking. I looked on the Internet and found many sites for men in skirts so I thought, why not try it. I bought a couple of skirts - a 17" khaki cargo skirt and a 14" denim mini on e-bay and resolved to try them out.

My first time was at a petrol filling station where I had the skirt on when I arrived. IT would look bad if you chickened out and drive off so I got out, filled up and paid at the desk. There were a few people there including a couple of policemen. They were there having coffee who must have noticed me but no-one paid any notice. Almost a let-down really.

Now I have worn various skirts at supermarkets, shopping malls, do-it-yourself shops as well as travelling by bus, train and aeroplane. All with no adverse comments at all. A few double-takes and surreptitious looks back at you.

2) What styles of men's skirts do you prefer?
Knee-length or mini-skirt with sensible deep pockets.

3) What do you think would be the best men's skirt to gain more public acceptance?I agree with SF that the kilt is the easiest way, as it's already established in the public eye as a man's garment, then maybe denim and combat style skirts.

4) The types of challenges you have faced?
Initially just getting out the door! Have problems with my wife who detests the idea. Pat-downs at airport security! (I have a pacemaker)

5) Tips for others?
Buy on e-bay - but make sure they quote actual measurements. Ladies sizes are notoriously variable.
Look confident! - even though your heart is racing! You are doing nothing wrong!
Start in little used shops - eg Motorway service stations or shops you do not normally frequent.

[RichardA]

“How did you start wearing skirts”
I put it round my waist

[SkirtRevolution]

3) What do you think would be the best men's skirt to gain more public acceptance?
I actually think the kilt would be the easiest way, as it's already established in the public eye as a man's garment, then maybe denim and combat style skirts.

I totally agree with this. A natural evolution that is starting to take place, with no resistance is the modernising of the kilt. Kilts made in denim, leather, tweed, cotton, cargo. This in my opinion is a step towards making other types of skirts popular for men. As kilts in all different fabrics and designs become more popular then skirts will only be a choice away. I still believe strongly that if we promote these new styles of kilts we will win our battle for all skirts.

[Kirbstone]

The first one I tried wasn't wrap-around. I had to step into it! It was during a time when I was away from home studying, spending long hours either seated at a table or recumbent on a bed poring over textbooks and print-outs of relevant literature.
I happened to spot this modest item with a couple of box pleats on a sale hanger for half nothing and I bought it as it was my waist size. It was sticky hot Summer in London and I put it on instead of the short shorts then fasionable. I found it amazingly cool and comfortable and it was the first of many.

Getting the spouse to look kindly on my new fad was and is still for the birds, sadly, so they remain gardening wear for me. Proper kilts are something else. While touring Scotland some years ago we were bombarded with the sight of young men in kilt regalia (e.g. Edinburgh Univ. Graduation Day), so when I at last acquired one of those it was OK, but only for very special occasions.

I won't live long enough to enjoy SkirtRevolution's revolution.

Tom K.

[MrUtopia]

1) How did you get started wearing skirts?
When I was young (teens) I tried skirts,dresses as a bit of sexual experimentation. Later I tied cross-dressing as I liked the choices women have and I liked the feel of less restrictive clothing. I finally settled with the comfort of a skirt but wanting to make it a men's clothing item.

2) What styles of men's skirts do you prefer?
Knee length or a little longer, box pleat (not as many as a kilt), pockets and belt. Plain colour. (not a kilt)

3) What do you think would be the best men's skirt to gain more public acceptance?
I hope the one I am designing to release to the public soon.

4) The types of challenges you have faced?
Finding a skirt that is not identified as 'women's' and then my own confidence.

5) Tips for others?
Buy my skirts and join my campaign to promote them world wide. (coming soon)

[skirtingtoday]

I could buy them but the postage to the UK would be quite a set-back I'm sure.

I wish you all success in your venture - at least skirts have been tested out at the other end of your continent - in the Humpty-Doo hotel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaC_TCf788c

[ChrisM]

Just a brief anecdote about laying groundwork for the future:

I did not wear a skirt to work yesterday, but in my lecture on engineering design I did ask the students "when faced with two beings, one having two legs and one having three legs, why does our culture put the trousers on the three-legged one and the skirt on the other? Isn't that backwards?"

This was within the context of a lecture on rational design, in which you let the system requirements determine the answer, instead of forcing a preconceived answer upon the requirements.

Who knows, maybe a seed or two planted.

Chris

[skirtyscot]

Three legs? Are you boasting about something, ChrisM?

[ChrisM]

Lol Skirty - No I would never have thought of that interpretation. The "three legs" metaphor is just my quick way to highlight the male/female difference without being too overtly graphic about, although I suspect that my students are much less easily shocked than I am.

[Milfmog]

Three legs? Are you boasting about something, ChrisM?

Hey... They don't call me "Tripod" for nothing... Come to think of it, they don't call me Tripod

Have fun,


Ian.

PS That reminds me of an occasion when a colleague told me that he was depressed. His wife had just seen him coming out of the shower and said something along the lines of "Put some clothes on, you look like an orange with four pins stuck in it". His depression was a consequence of the number of pins...

[STEVIE]

A very simple and childish experiment around the age of 5 or so. The rest, as they say, is history.
Steve

[MFrog]

I'm quite new to skirtwearing, started some 6 months ago, much thanks to this forum.
I do recall that I often wondered during my days in school why girls always was allowed to wear nice and cool looking clothes. A bright coloured T-shirt was the limit for us boys.
Today I feel and think that there are relly no male or female clothes, it needs to change. I want to be able to wear whatever I like. I am now 'discovering' all different kind of clothes, and the skirt is one of the most comfortable ones I've ever tried.

I like most skirts but I do think the ability to wear a skirt that is more thin in it's fabric apeals to me. I like all sorts, long, knee-length, mini. It really depends on the temperature and the weather. Knee-length and tennis/running-skirts is the most comfortable.

I think the kilt is a good way to go. I think it is good to try the younger to catch on, they often do not have the limitations that older generations tend to have.

Since I haven't used a skirt in public yet, I think you all know where the real challenge lies. For most part of life it seems that 99% lies inside yourself. Don't think, do!

Try! Dear. The only way to make this 'accepted' is to do, wear a skirt or whatever you like and be confident while wearing. It's kind of 'fight your inner deamons'.

Happy skirting.

[JPatrickM]

It all started with a conversation, after a day out walking, when my son's partner changed her jeans for a skirt. I commented that it seemed unfair that men didn't have that option, and were stuck with trousers or shorts. She argued that a man could choose to wear a skirt, but was unlikely to, because "men don't". But the choice is there.Eventually I had to concede the point, and the seed was sown. Later I did some internet research (in the course of which I discovered this site)found that George at ASDA had some likely looking skirts at very reasonable prices in their online catalogue, and ordered a couple. I was hooked !
Incidentally, the lady is now married to my son, and still doesn't know what an effect her argument had !

Unfortunately, ASDA have greatly reduced the number of skirts in their list, and I am finding it difficult to add to my wardrobe. Local charity shops seem to have a very poor selection, ebay is rather hit & miss, and pretty well everywhere else is over-priced. Perhaps I could retrieve my wife's sewing machine from my daughter ?

Patrick