That Damn Denim

[Kirbstone]

Right now here, Anthony, a 'stiff cool breeze' means something entirely different. No close-fitting minis recommended....unless you're Skirts Dad, of course!. Taking my 'Benjy' out for his morning walk tody at 08.30AM, the outside temp said Minus 8 deg. Centipede....and it won't get anywhere near Zero for the rest of today.

Tom

[mishawakaskirt]

50 years ago.... About the time when females were rapidly abandoning skirted outfits for twin tubes. The Powers That Be probably noticed a severe drop in demand for denim skirts, so figured it wisest to dump a product of declining profitability.

Do we actually know this is true? Like are there data that supports this or is this prideful pessimism? Could it be that fashion ebbs and flows and that newer fabrics have diluted what was there before newer fabrics?

I’m no fan of denim but there’s this sense of anger here that I just don’t get.

On a website dedicated to allowing men to wear whatever they please, shouldn’t that extend to everyone and everything?

I am not saying people should dress like slobs. Some people think denim can look great. That should be respected.

I can't speak for everyone, but for me. Maby not denim anger, maybe more resentment?? Not that that's any better of a description. Not the actual wearing of.

Frustration? Women can wear pretty much any color style they want. Why choose to wear something so dull and drab so to speak when you have a rainbow of colors at your fingertips?

Men are nearly forced to wear clothes that are About one of 6 colors.
Ladies, why dress in denim if you have a rainbow of options.

I have seen alot of women's clothing that are in colors I would love to wear.

Women used to dress nicer, now they tend to dress a little to casually.

[ScotL]

Guess that’s the point. Women can wear any color they want and do so. And that includes blue Jean denim. That’s what they want. Ok.

It’s not just women dressing worse. Everyone is. That’s the pendulum that occurs. Especially after a pandemic it seems.

I wish all people would dress better but, to each their own

[crfriend]

It’s not just women dressing worse. Everyone is. That’s the pendulum that occurs. Especially after a pandemic it seems.

No, that damned thing has been steadily swinging towards the slovenly side for 40+ years. There was a brief flare of soft style for women in the '80s, but that's long since dead and buried. Guys have been on the downswing longer.

[Faldaguy]

Grok wrote: ↑Sun Dec 11, 2022 8:03 pm
50 years ago.... About the time when females were rapidly abandoning skirted outfits for twin tubes. The Powers That Be probably noticed a severe drop in demand for denim skirts, so figured it wisest to dump a product of declining profitability.

My unofficial take from the Charity shops is that there is still lots of denim skirts being made--or a lot more ladies unloading the old items in their closets.

I have a number of denim skirts, from mini-to ankle length and find them to be good 'work' skirts -- when doing "manly" things -- in the shop, yard nasty cleaning projects, etc. --so I suppose that is my way of devaluing and demonizing them--but, they do have their place. Interestingly, one of my early skirts was a soft denim, brown in shade that just flowed and moved with me so well that is got notice and compliments, even one from a neighbor guy. I liked and work it so much, that when it starting getting too shabby, I took it to a local seamstress to replicate (it has a complicated pattern/pieces) and I took three different fabrics -- one of which proved too stiff; the other a delight; and the third....still on her back-order shelf! Anyway, what I've found is that the fabric can vary a lot and oft mixed with a bit of elastane/stretch stuff that can give very different walking/working characteristics.

My spouse also has several denim items -- pretty blah, that seem to be an easy turn to item for her as well. I can't say I delight in them...but it is better than the days when she often wore pants. (She abandon the pants about the time I took to skirts full time.)

Like prior comments, it may not be the flashiest item out there, in fact -- often rather dull and just blends in--but I concur it is often the ideal entry item for the new MIS.

[Big and Bashful]

50 years ago.... About the time when females were rapidly abandoning skirted outfits for twin tubes. The Powers That Be probably noticed a severe drop in demand for denim skirts, so figured it wisest to dump a product of declining profitability.

Do we actually know this is true? Like are there data that supports this or is this prideful pessimism? Could it be that fashion ebbs and flows and that newer fabrics have diluted what was there before newer fabrics?

I’m no fan of denim but there’s this sense of anger here that I just don’t get.

On a website dedicated to allowing men to wear whatever they please, shouldn’t that extend to everyone and everything?

I am not saying people should dress like slobs. Some people think denim can look great. That should be respected.

I can't speak for everyone, but for me. Maby not denim anger, maybe more resentment?? Not that that's any better of a description. Not the actual wearing of.

Frustration? Women can wear pretty much any color style they want. Why choose to wear something so dull and drab so to speak when you have a rainbow of colors at your fingertips?

Men are nearly forced to wear clothes that are About one of 6 colors.
Ladies, why dress in denim if you have a rainbow of options.

I have seen alot of women's clothing that are in colors I would love to wear.

Women used to dress nicer, now they tend to dress a little to casually.

For me I do not like to be in "loud" colours or patterns, I suppose that ever since I was a school kid and by far the tallest in class, I did not want to stand out and wanted to blend in with the crowd. So I like denim, I like dark blues and I like black. Maybe white in the Summer but when I bought "proper" kilts they were both green hunting tartans, not the brighter red tartans. I also find bright patterns distracting, I do have a red tartan skirt made by Midas, hardly worn and now it is too big for me, sorry, I am too small for it! I have a couple of long dark blue skirts covered in white spots, the spots really distract me because I am not used to having bright legs! I guess I like to be drab!

[ScotL]

And isn’t that just what we all want? You want to wear X, wear X. You want to wear Y, wear Y. No one telling you you can’t wear X, Y, Z. No judgements if people usually wear X or Y but you like Z. No feelings of I want Z but society says I shouldn’t.

[mishawakaskirt]

And isn’t that just what we all want? You want to wear X, wear X. You want to wear Y, wear Y. No one telling you you can’t wear X, Y, Z. No judgements if people usually wear X or Y but you like Z. No feelings of I want Z but society says I shouldn’t.

That's the frustration. I'm a XY chromosomes that wants to wear Z skirt.

A splash of Color would be nice, I don't want to wear anything too loud. Tartan kilts are a little bit too loud for my tastes even. But I occasionally wear them because they are ""expected" men's wear.

I have some nice skirts I'd love to wear on a daily basis and while are colorful I wouldn't consider them loud.

Once a man gets about 8 to 10 pairs of trousers the color and style limits are about exhausted.

A woman could buy a huge fabric bolt and have about 20 different types of skirts made From it.

With the combination of fabric, styles, colors, prints.
Skirts have a nearly inexhaustible number of combinations.

I want 5 percent of that added variety. There are several practical skirt styles I'd love to wear.
Women have the whole ocean to swim in. Men are stuck in the fashion kiddie pool.

Just do a Google image search for "skirt" the images probably would go on for nearly forever.

Women with the freedom to wear anything, but choose to wear denim jeans or leggings.

[Grok]

Women are allowed more latitude with trousers than men are. But even that variety seems minuscule compared the sheer diversity of skirts.

[Sinned]

misha et al, where do you get the idea that men can only wear 6 drab colours from? Men can wear any colour, including baby pink. From my early teens I have sported bright colours, black, blue, brown, purple, red, yellow. The only colours I can think of that I don't have much of are green and orange. A few years back Guinness had an advert with some men in brightly coloured suits.

[Grok]

I suspect that a DIY sewing project may be the first to gain traction. This would get around the chicken/egg dilemma. I was thinkingabout something someone suggested-turning very baggy shorts into a skirt. And, yes, there are tutorials on YouTube.

[Grok]

Or simply improvise a sarong with a rectangle of cloth.

[Coder]

I suspect that a DIY sewing project may be the first to gain traction. This would get around the chicken/egg dilemma. I was thinkingabout something someone suggested-turning very baggy shorts into a skirt. And, yes, there are tutorials on YouTube.

OK - let me get this straight. You think men, perhaps even manly men, will take up a sewing project - a sewing project - to make a skirt ? Now perhaps we could masculinize the process - use a staple gun to stitch the denim, or use rivets - the kind you use a hammer to set (as opposed to a press). Use a knife to cut the fabric - no dainty shears or seam rippers.

(this is said with the kindest sarcasm possible, were we in the same room you'd be laughing with me)

In all honesty, a DIY project might be the kind of thing a couple could do together, but I don't see a guy who's hesitant to buy a skirt from the women's aisle doing it himself, I think there's a stigma attached to sewing (at least in the US, though said stigmas are dying a slow death which is good).

[STEVIE]

I was thinkingabout something someone suggested-turning very baggy shorts into a skirt. And, yes, there are tutorials on YouTube.

DIY won't actually bring the progress we seek Grok, but I'd bet it is actually more common than you may believe.
Mr Norman Normal wants to wear a skirt but no way will he resort to buying one from the lady's ranges.
He will cut the crotch from a pair of shorts though, probably denim too. I have done so myself, long ago.
Now he has a skirt to wear, most likely in private only and whether it gets out and about is anyone's guess.
Equally, I'd also put maybe a 10% chance that he'd graduate to open skirting.
Pessimist mode says odds not good but his private "moments" will probably continue too.
Steve.

[FLbreezy]

Now perhaps we could masculinize the process - use a staple gun to stitch the denim, or use rivets - the kind you use a hammer to set (as opposed to a press). Use a knife to cut the fabric - no dainty shears or seam rippers.

I've been experimenting with 3-d printed "fabric" lately with thoughts that enough pieces joined together might make me a decent skirt.