skirtcafe.org

"Most men for example unless you are Scottish or Greek wouldn't dream of wearing a skirt for the obvious connotations."

https://uk.blastingnews.com/style/2018/ ... 21171.html

Whilst he's pretty much on the money with the article, so far as I can see, sadly, he's not offering any solutions or even hope of a solution. One thing that would have been nice if there had been some focus on, is what brings about a change in fashion? As with pretty much all art there is the chicken and egg argument as to whether it is reflecting society or leading society. Looking back, some of the biggest changes in fashion have been coupled with significant social changes, even as far back as losing heels for men. This is one instance of fashion coming after change, but does it happen the other way round too?

Social media, I feel, in many ways has a lot to do with the stagnation of fashion. These days it is far too easy to support a cause, even facelessly, by simply clicking to sign an online petition or dropping in the odd hashtag. Compare this with, for instance, the anti-war protests of the 60s, along with its flower symbolism that gave rise to a myriad of wonderfully colourful clothing. At a time where there was no social media, how else did one show political solidarity better than using clothing to make one identifiable on the street?

Just as today, albeit not necessarily with the same message, the clothing I wore in my youth - as well as those of many of my friends - made a definite statement. Is clothing perhaps being lost as a form of communication?

Good article. The author has hi lighted the problem very nicely, if you walk down any high street or any shopping mall you see the same fashions, same styles as in past years. But he has not put forward any possible solutions. We as a group are making some headway but its very slow. I go to the beach or the shopping malls and check out the people and everyone is dressed almost the same, same drab colours, you may see some individuals in bright colours but few and far between.

I might also mention the US is in a time warp with the refusal to adopt the metric system for daily use. The only other countries that don't commonly use metric units are Myanmar ( Burma ) and Liberia.

People all over the world learn English which of course much more difficult to learn than metric units.

John

JohnH wrote:I might also mention the US is in a time warp with the refusal to adopt the metric system for daily use. The only other countries that don't commonly use metric units are Myanmar ( Burma ) and Liberia.

People all over the world learn English which of course much more difficult to learn than metric units.

John

Sorry to correct you but those two countries went metric recently. So now the USA is the single country in the world to uphold the antique units in daily use.

beachlion wrote:

JohnH wrote:I might also mention the US is in a time warp with the refusal to adopt the metric system for daily use. The only other countries that don't commonly use metric units are Myanmar ( Burma ) and Liberia.

People all over the world learn English which of course much more difficult to learn than metric units.

John

Sorry to correct you but those two countries went metric recently. So now the USA is the single country in the world to uphold the antique units in daily use.

Thanks for telling me. I really appreciate knowing that. And people say how advanced the US is.

Just a suggestion we in this forum quit using archaic units such as inches, and in this case, use centimeters instead.

I beg to differ in that England anyway still uses dual measurements. It is still legal to show Imperial as long as metric is also shown. In my daily contact with customers questions about measurements for curtains, rugs and bedding is generally expressed by the customers in Imperial and the response expected in the same. Of course we do get questions in metric but they are the minority. I appreciate that the government and other useless entities are championing the metric system and I also agree that it is much more logical but Imperial is still alive and kicking in the masses.

BTW I admire you for sticking to Imperial measures even if they do sometimes differ from ours but I often see creeping metrication in the programmes that come from your shores.

As for the main point it depresses me to go into any of the clothing sections and see the same drabness and dross on the racks. When shopping with MOH she will ask if there's anything in the men's section and I say no and refuse to even go down that aisle. The last things I bought from the men's section was a couple of pairs of trousers for work. Before that - I can't remember. I agree that the article is correct in his analysis but without solutions it's pretty much preaching to the converted.

What we can agree upon that the term "men's fashion" is an oxymoron.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I have the impression most younger people in the UK at least know metric (SI) units. Most people in the US appear to be quite ignorant of metric units.

JohnH wrote:What we can agree upon that the term "men's fashion" is an oxymoron.

Indeed.

Also, having just read the linked article I'll submit that the writer of said article got it wrong. Whilst I recall the "New Romantic" notion from the 1980s, the last actual gasp of anything stylish, creative, or colourful for men happened a decade earlier in the 1970s. The rise of the yuppy-ism and the neo-con in the 1980s killed any such notion as dead as DDT does bugs.

The notion of the "New Romantic" in the '80s gave me some hope that the stultifying blandness imposed by the then might be banished by something, but alas that was not the case; rather if continued to spiral downwards the way that water does in a toilet.

It's not gotten any better -- at least for the masses -- in the interim. What has -- in a sick sort of way -- gotten "better" is that the average person on the street has gotten so stressed out about their own place in the modern hierarchy that they've become de-tuned to what others might happen to be wearing. This benefits us, mind, but it comes at an overall mind-boggling cost societally.

On SI vs. Imperial units, I can use either one with aplomb (childhood training); converting from one to another is painful at best. At least one Mars-bound probe fell victim to that, much to the embarrassment of all involved (see "lithobraking").

SkirtsDad wrote:Social media, I feel, in many ways has a lot to do with the stagnation of fashion. These days it is far too easy to support a cause, even facelessly, by simply clicking to sign an online petition or dropping in the odd hashtag. Compare this with, for instance, the anti-war protests of the 60s, along with its flower symbolism that gave rise to a myriad of wonderfully colourful clothing. At a time where there was no social media, how else did one show political solidarity better than using clothing to make one identifiable on the street?

+1

That's what I like about wearing what I want. It says everything I need it to say without my mouth having to say anything at all. It encourages... and pisses off exactly who it's supposed to!

Talk is cheap.... live free.

It’s not only England that uses imperial measures. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland also use imperial measures to a large extent.

...so that’s the whole of the UK then

Ray wrote:...so that’s the whole of the UK then

Perhaps it's the last remnant of Empire?

Sinned wrote:BTW I admire you for sticking to Imperial measures even if they do sometimes differ from ours but I often see creeping metrication in the programmes that come from your shores.

Sorry, Sinned, our U.S. cousins do not use Imperial measures; they use United States customary units, some of which actually pre-date Imperial weights and measures.

At the least none of are using biblical "CUBITS" for our standard of measurement
with the distance from the elbow to the middle finger extended in a mock jester of one upmanship -
my measurement is superior to yours !

Disaffected.citizen wrote:

Sinned wrote:BTW I admire you for sticking to Imperial measures even if they do sometimes differ from ours but I often see creeping metrication in the programmes that come from your shores.

Sorry, Sinned, our U.S. cousins do not use Imperial measures; they use United States customary units, some of which actually pre-date Imperial weights and measures.

One of the discrepancies between Imperial measures and US customary measures is liquid measurements. The UK standardised on the ale gallon which is larger than the wine gallon used in the US. The weight unit stone is not used in the US; people are weighed in pounds.

Now I'm surprised no one has used the King's D!ck. There would be the erect D!ck used in the UK and the US would use the flaccid D!ck in the same way as the use of different gallons.

John, that's be no good - there's be no agreement on what six inches was!!!!