Earth Wind and Fire and Male Skirts?

[Departed Member]

I was listening to EWF's "September" and the video for their song "Boogie Wonderland" came on next; I'd never heard the tune before and was curious to hear it to see if it's as good as "September" (I don't think it is, btw), but I noticed one of the male, alto or soprano members (don't know which exactly, but it's high) seems to be wearing something that looks suspiciously like a gold, pleated skirt. You get a really good look at it from the 2:00 minute marker and on: take a look and tell what you think. It looks like a skirt and not divided in anyway. This was back in 1979 USA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=god7hAPv8f0

[Kilted_John]

Culottes... Look very closely... A skirt won't wrap around the inseam like that, unless it has a slit that goes up toward the crotch in the front. Oh well. Cool song for the late '70s, tho.

-J

[crfriend]

I concur with Kilted_John -- culottes. The key is around 03:16 when the guy gets side-lit by the stage-lighting and it catches the inseam.

One needs to be very careful when examining things under stage-lights -- those are set for dramatic effect and frequently to trick the eye of the audience. Having experience on both ends of "the spotlight" has taught me to distrust my own eyes sometimes.

[dillon]

Regardless of the somewhat obscured bifurcation, it is still a fashion choice that challenges trouser tyranny. I think we get so technical at times that we miss the bigger picture.

[crfriend]

The other issue I see with the example given is that it's clearly stage clothing -- outright costume -- rather then a piece of either everyday knock-about gear or even a "special-occasion" outfit like a suit. While it's nice to see costume every now and then, I think it more important that we see practical rigs on just plain guys than stage-rigs on rock-stars.

And, no, I don't care about Kurt Cobain's white minidress.

[Caultron]

Yeah, if we're looking at the same segment, the guy looks more like King Tut than he does like a man on the street.

And they do seem to be flared billowy pants rather than a skirt.

But even though stage clothing of any kind and street clothing are quite different, and almost no one would wear one where the other is called for, stage performers are trend-setters and any occurrence of men in skirt-like garments is probably a good and interesting thing. (Not, again, that I or most anyone else would walk around looking like King Tut.)

I have to admit, though, that this act from 1979 hasn't yet had much effect, and probably never will. The chances of it now suddenly going viral and starting a worldwide trend seem dubious at best.

[dillon]

David Bowie was a stage/photo look too, but it still gave some kids the opportunity to embrace androgeny. And stage looks are not all that different from the way this group pushes the envelope in public. We simply have a smaller and more intimate audience.