Over or bottom up?

General discussion of skirt and kilt-based fashion for men, and stuff that goes with skirts and kilts.
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mishawakaskirt
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Over or bottom up?

Post by mishawakaskirt »

Me and my wife had a somewhat heated discussion the other day on how to properly put on a skirt.
I say you pull them on and off like trousers.
She insists you must pull it over the head arms and torso. But then can remove the skirt like you would trousers.

Ok Café members what are your thoughts?
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Re: Over or bottom up?

Post by BobM »

Depends on whether or not I'm wearing a slip. If I am, especially if it has layers, then over the head it is. Otherwise its step in.
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Re: Over or bottom up?

Post by crfriend »

mishawakaskirt wrote:Me and my wife had a somewhat heated discussion the other day on how to properly put on a skirt.

I say you pull them on and off like trousers. She insists you must pull it over the head arms and torso. But then can remove the skirt like you would trousers.
Here's an instance where both are right and can be happy about it.

It depends on the skirt in question and what one is wearing as for a top. If one is wearing a top that should be tucked in, then an "over the head" method of donning the skirt is entirely appropriate, as is also the case if one is wearing a petticoat that one has already put on. It's all a matter of practicality in those cases. If the waistband of the skirt opens up (or is elastic) enough to allow it to pass over the hips and to accommodate anything that needs tucking in, then a "from below" approach can work quite well.

Personally I use both methods depending on the skirt and underlying bits. The "overhead" approach is always employed if I'm wearing a petticoat (else getting the skirt on at all is nigh well impossible) and is done by quite literally tossing the skirt into the air to land atop me and then catching it at the right time. (That sounds a lot tougher than it really is, by the way.) The "step in" approach gets used for skirts with enough stretch (or zip/fastener openings) to get into place and still have everything look proper after suitable adjustments.

If your SO thinks otherwise, watch her as she gets dressed and see how she does things. It might prove instructive. After all, she's likely had a lot more practise than you have.
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Re: Over or bottom up?

Post by Keystone »

Perhaps I'm wrong but I always thought that a man's shoulders were wider than his hips or waist but I'm guessing this all depends on build. I never knew anyone put a skirt on like a shirt but maybe that's because I'm a skirt newbie, still stuck in pants mode. I'll have to give it a try and see which is easier.
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Re: Over or bottom up?

Post by crfriend »

Keystone wrote:Perhaps I'm wrong but I always thought that a man's shoulders were wider than his hips or waist but I'm guessing this all depends on build. I never knew anyone put a skirt on like a shirt but maybe that's because I'm a skirt newbie, still stuck in pants mode. I'll have to give it a try and see which is easier.
This is one of the places where the quirks of sizing work for everybody.

In most instances, "women's" skirts open up at the waist wide enough to clear their hips (else they'd have to remove them overhead as well as put 'em on that way, assuming they can get the waistband over their bust). This leaves lots of clearance. Guys can leverage that into tossing the skirts overhead and dropping them into place so long as the fasteners are open or the elastics can deal with it.

The store-bought skirts I have with rigid waistbands all open up enough to get not only over my hips but also over my shoulders, and the ones I've had custom-crafted to fit have been specified so as well.

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Re: Over or bottom up?

Post by beachlion »

For me it is no problem at all. I translated shorts into skirts just for the comfort the skirts are giving me. I treat them likewise. The way I pull up shorts is also the way I pull up skirts. By pulling up skirts, you will have at all times a view on your surroundings, a bonus in these uncertain times. ;)
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Re: Over or bottom up?

Post by pelmut »

In a shower room it is better to pull a skirt over the top and avoid getting it wet or dirty on the floor, but otherwise I find it easier to put it on from the bottom up.  Unlike trousers, you don't have to worry about which way around it is at first, because you can just rotate it once you have got it on.

A third method, which is useful in a small hike tent, is to lay it out on the floor and burrow head-first into it.  Don't try this at home or you could finish up having to do a lot of explaining to your partner.
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Re: Over or bottom up?

Post by Kilted_John »

If it has an elastic waistband, over the top it goes. Easier to deal with. Otherwise, I'll step in or wrap around.
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Re: Over or bottom up?

Post by rivegauche »

I have never seen a woman (partner) in real life put on a skirt over her head and only one on television. Everyone steps into it. If I am tucking something in I reach under the skirt and pull it downwards and I have noticed women doing the same. I do the same if my slip isn't lying properly.
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Re: Over or bottom up?

Post by moonshadow »

Skirts on the bottom

Dresses over the top
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Re: Over or bottom up?

Post by crfriend »

moonshadow wrote:Skirts on the bottom
Try getting a skirt up and over a hoop. Even getting one on that way with a petticoat is a trying exercise. Overhead is the only reasonable way to do it for the final layer.
Dresses over the top
There are few other options unless the thing opens up enough to step into it. I've seen both types (actually I have both types), but overhead is usually the easiest.

My shirt-dress can open all the way down the front, but undoing and then re-doing all the buttons is a nuisance so it goes on (and off) overhead. My faux-wrap doesn't open at all and must go overhead.
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Re: Over or bottom up?

Post by moonshadow »

crfriend wrote:Try getting a skirt up and over a hoop. Even getting one on that way with a petticoat is a trying exercise. Overhead is the only reasonable way to do it for the final layer.
As for me, I normally put on the outer layer first, then hike up the skirt above my waist to allow for the donning of the under layers.

I guess it's just a matter of personal preference.
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Re: Over or bottom up?

Post by crfriend »

moonshadow wrote:As for me, I normally put on the outer layer first, then hike up the skirt above my waist to allow for the donning of the under layers.
I've tried that in the past, usually with "unfortunate" (read disastrous) consequences. It's vastly easier (for me) to get the underlying layers on properly and then toss the finishing piece over my head.
I guess it's just a matter of personal preference.
Indeed. The overall complexity of the rig plays into it as well, so cave lector.
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Re: Over or bottom up?

Post by Caultron »

mishawakaskirt wrote:Me and my wife had a somewhat heated discussion the other day on how to properly put on a skirt.
I say you pull them on and off like trousers.
She insists you must pull it over the head arms and torso. But then can remove the skirt like you would trousers.

Ok Café members what are your thoughts?
You are fortunate for this to be an issue, as opposed to whether wearing a skirt at all is OK.

But FWIW, I always put my feet into the skirt rather than pulling the skirt over my shoulders. Maybe it's the wider shoulders than women usually have.
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Re: Over or bottom up?

Post by Fred in Skirts »

For me, I always step into then pull the skirt like pants. Dresses how ever go over the head even if they have a zipper and can open enough to step into.
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