A comfy alternative to pants for men

[Uncle Al]

Saw this on Facebook, read the article, and posted it below
From the Chicago Tribune, Wednesday, September 16, 2015
(Original question dated October 20, 2014)
A comfy alternative to pants for men.
Only the 1st question, and answer, is about this topic.
Nice picture too

Enjoy

Uncle Al

[crfriend]

For me that yielded a nag-advert that locked the page and when I declined to subscribe to the rag took me someplace else and the original story disappeared.

I was ultimately able to read the snippet in the HTML source-code -- although it was completely swamped by advert-driving Javascript -- and believe that we've all seen it before.

[KasparHauser]

For me that yielded a nag-advert that locked the page and when I declined to subscribe to the rag took me someplace else and the original story disappeared.

I was ultimately able to read the snippet in the HTML source-code -- although it was completely swamped by advert-driving Javascript -- and believe that we've all seen it before.

For those not inclined to register w/the Tribune: It's a reader Q&A

Q: Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I have an off-beat question for you. I am a guy. I started experimenting with wearing skirts, mostly to bed or on rare occasion around the house. My wife and I have talked at length about different looks. I am not trying for the drag queen or feminine look. Skirts are just more comfortable than pants especially on hot, muggy days. I have seen men’s skirts, but the prices are out of this world ... especially for what I am wearing as glorified lounge wear. The most gender neutral I have been able to come up with are American Apparel’s interlock cotton pencil skirt in solid colors or one type of Worthington pencil skirt in black or tan. But since you have the in on fashion, maybe you have some ideas of what works and what doesn’t, and why.

A: Dear Anon.: I’ll grant you that the question is a little offbeat but certainly not a shocker. To research my answer all I had to do was walk across the room and talk to my colleague Kevin Williams who was, at that very moment, wearing a tailored gray pencil skirt. He told me he bought it online in a women’s plus size at Talbot’s (talbots.com). Kevin agrees completely that skirts are more comfortable than pants, and he wears them often. And, honestly, he wears them well! Here’s his response to your question: “Tell him that he can shop at Utilikilts (utilikilts.com), which specializes in (not plaid) kilts for men starting at $150. There is also Apostrophe (apostrophe.cc) for skirts starting at $40. The pencil is always a tidy, elegant choice. I would steer clear of knit or interlock skirts in public, because of the prominence of certain portions of the male anatomy.” For those intrigued but hesitant, the Apostrophe website has encouraging tips for male skirt wearing: “The truth be known, once you start wearing skirts in public you will be astounded by how many compliments you will get (male and female). Yes you will get the occasional gawker, but that will happen no matter what you wear. In truth: If you live your life seeking approval from 100 percent of the populace then you will die well before your life’s ambition is realized, so we say: Enjoy yourself! Be comfortable, be confident and be yourself.”


Another vote then for the pencil skirt. Has anyone shopped at Apostrophe for such?

[Mugs-n-such]

For me that yielded a nag-advert that locked the page and when I declined to subscribe to the rag took me someplace else and the original story disappeared.

I was ultimately able to read the snippet in the HTML source-code -- although it was completely swamped by advert-driving Javascript -- and believe that we've all seen it before.

I had the same problem and just gave up trying to look at the dang thing. I was afraid of a virus or something, when I got a message about a long running script and I pushed the stop script button and it acted like it wanted to keep on.

[Tor]

I'm pretty sure this ones floated around the forum before, but I don't feel like dredging up a link just now. Still just as good as it was then, and a good reminder.

[moonshadow]

Q: Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I have an off-beat question for you. I am a guy. I started experimenting with wearing skirts, mostly to bed or on rare occasion around the house. My wife and I have talked at length about different looks. I am not trying for the drag queen or feminine look. Skirts are just more comfortable than pants especially on hot, muggy days. I have seen men’s skirts, but the prices are out of this world ... especially for what I am wearing as glorified lounge wear. The most gender neutral I have been able to come up with are American Apparel’s interlock cotton pencil skirt in solid colors or one type of Worthington pencil skirt in black or tan. But since you have the in on fashion, maybe you have some ideas of what works and what doesn’t, and why.

A: Dear Anon.: I’ll grant you that the question is a little offbeat but certainly not a shocker. To research my answer all I had to do was walk across the room and talk to my colleague Kevin Williams who was, at that very moment, wearing a tailored gray pencil skirt. He told me he bought it online in a women’s plus size at Talbot’s (talbots.com). Kevin agrees completely that skirts are more comfortable than pants, and he wears them often. And, honestly, he wears them well! Here’s his response to your question: “Tell him that he can shop at Utilikilts (utilikilts.com), which specializes in (not plaid) kilts for men starting at $150. There is also Apostrophe (apostrophe.cc) for skirts starting at $40. The pencil is always a tidy, elegant choice. I would steer clear of knit or interlock skirts in public, because of the prominence of certain portions of the male anatomy.” For those intrigued but hesitant, the Apostrophe website has encouraging tips for male skirt wearing: “The truth be known, once you start wearing skirts in public you will be astounded by how many compliments you will get (male and female). Yes you will get the occasional gawker, but that will happen no matter what you wear. In truth: If you live your life seeking approval from 100 percent of the populace then you will die well before your life’s ambition is realized, so we say: Enjoy yourself! Be comfortable, be confident and be yourself.”


Another vote then for the pencil skirt. Has anyone shopped at Apostrophe for such?

I've come to the conclusion, the biggest difference between a "man's skirt" and a "woman's skirt" is the woman's is $15, the other... well add a zero. Why? I guess because the man's skirt is at this time, a trend, where as the woman's skirt is more everyday and time tested. Lets face it, if all skirts (those for women) were over $100, hardly anybody would wear them. But men will pay it just because it says "for a man" on the label. That makes him think he's safe and won't be labeled as a crossdresser or gay. But hey, it's his money, if a label gives him peace of mind so be it. The gutsy man however isn't afraid to wear something that says "WOMENS SIZE ___" on the tag! No one can sit here and tell me that in this day in age when virtually EVERYTHING is coming out of mass production lines in Asia for pennies that it really COST hundreds of dollars to produce a kilt, or man's skirt. Fabric is fabric, and stitches are stitches, it's not like they're laced with gold or anything. B/S.

Just like so many other things.... you're paying for the name! Well To me, Food Club and Great Value taste just as good as Green Giant peas!

Tonight at work, I was in a small mountain town where many of the female shoppers wore plain skirts, and I have to say, I thought they would be a good fit for most men. They weren't really flashy, simple muted colors, conservative, etc. I bet they don't cost a kings ransom either. I've got to get to a Good Will. I bed those racks are busting with these type of skirts. And they are probably priced at like $3 each.

And while they were a little long, one could always hem them up as desired.

[crfriend]

No one can sit here and tell me that in this day in age when virtually EVERYTHING is coming out of mass production lines in Asia for pennies that it really COST hundreds of dollars to produce a kilt, or man's skirt. Fabric is fabric, and stitches are stitches, it's not like they're laced with gold or anything. B/S.

Whilst this is, indeed, true of the stuff that's sourced from the far east which is made with essentially slave, or convict, labour, it's also a matter of scale. While a skirt produced in China may be sourced for a buck or so per unit, one is also dealing with the scale factor where that 1-buck skirt is part of an order for 500,000 units. One cannot meet those sorts of requirements any longer in the Western world -- we've outsourced the capability, including the tooling and skills required to make it happen. What we have left here are boutique manufacturers, and they need to charge a premium simply so they can pay their workers a reasonable wage (what s shocking concept!); this drives the end cost up dramatically. (Note that that 1-buck skirt from China will likely retail for $20 or so; that's why we think it's a bargain when it gets knocked down to $10. That does not apply to locally-sourced garments where somebody needs to earn a living making them.)

In the end analysis, most skirts made for women -- at least of the new-style slab-sided adolescent-boy look -- will work just fine on men. There's still some extra circumference for the hips, but on guys that just translates to extra fullness if the line of the skirt is straight. However, if the line comes back in again and gets tight around the legs (the "bodycon" or "hobble" look) that'll look silly on a guy, it could be said that it looks silly on the gals as well. It's hard to ruin the look of the classic A-line skirt. This is one of the reasons I tend towards "timeless" looks; they always work, don't "go out of style", and just generally look good no matter the situation; this is not usually the case with the "latest 'fashion'".

Other than money, the main reason I tend not to buy skirts made for men is that the designers try a little bit too hard to make their creations macho. I can see festooning a skirt with D-rings and whatnot if one was going to be hanging heavy things like power-tools from them, but I don't live in that world. I also don't live in a world where I need something of a fabric so heavy that it's resistant to small-arms fire; I want comfort, and that means having a garment that flows around me and doesn't necessarily provide armouring.

As far as a skirt for the "rough-and-tumble" world of the Great Outdoors, I find the Macabi well-suited, and it's marketed to both men and women alike with sizing hints for each. It works. I have a Macabi I wear for sailing, and it's great for that. However, most of my life is spent in an office setting, in my car, or on easy walks; I don't need something that rugged, and would rather have something in a fabric that has a nice feel to it as that's one of the reasons I tended to get away from "men's" clothing in the first place -- it's too blasted stiff, scratchy, and uncomfortable.

[Tor]

Whilst this is, indeed, true of the stuff that's sourced from the far east which is made with essentially slave, or convict, labour, it's also a matter of scale. ... What we have left here are boutique manufacturers, and they need to charge a premium simply so they can pay their workers a reasonable wage (what s shocking concept!); this drives the end cost up dramatically. ... That does not apply to locally-sourced garments where somebody needs to earn a living making them.)

I have some knowledge of this issue, and can vouch for this. Those boutique manufacturers retailing out at $150+ are likely to be operating on just enough margin to keep the business going. If the business is established, and if the owner has managed to make good decisions in the beginning, and if the owner has had some luck, then they may be living comfortably.

[crfriend]

Note the conjunction in Tor's third sentence above. That's a whole lot of ANDs followed by a MAY -- long odds, indeed.

I'm a big fan of local production -- but, the style and construction needs to appeal to me first. I'm not about to shell out $150 for something I'd not likely wear. I'd not hesitate paying that sum for something of good quality that'd last several years and be something I'd wear once a week.

[Couya]

"No one can sit here and tell me that in this day in age when virtually EVERYTHING is coming out of mass production lines in Asia for pennies that it really COST hundreds of dollars to produce a kilt, or man's skirt. Fabric is fabric, and stitches are stitches,"

Don't say that too loud in company of any British kilt makers, who spend many hours making vast quantities of barely visible stitches and calculating pleat depth in the best quality wool cloth, closely woven not to lose its shape, dyed not to lose its colour.

Martin

[moonshadow]

Okay so I ranted a little. We all do now and then, take it easy. Obviously my comment wasnt directed towards local producers but rather Asian imports that wind up getting marked up thousands of percentage points.

I never insult anyone's hard work. Im really somewhat bothered that my comment seemed to be taken as such.

[Tor]

I never insult anyone's hard work. Im really somewhat bothered that my comment seemed to be taken as such.

Sometimes words get misinterpreted, and in a forum like this there can be more time for the thread to continue before correction.

My sense is that there are two types of "men's" skirt. The kind where they take an essentially "women's" skirt often likely from the East, and brand it for men, marking it way up in the process, and towards which your rant is well directed. Then there are the kilt variety where my sense is that the price isn't obscenely higher than trousers from a similar vendor. Utilikilts may be an exception to this last category.

Edit to add: By exception, I mean a bit excessive, not truly obscene like some of the crossdressing stuff I've seen - or some of the big fashion names. Utilikilts are ruggedly built and made in the US, both factors which drive up the cost.

[Darryl]

Well...I have 2 economy kilts for very casual wear, and 3 middle of the road kilts (though that should be the other way round) cause as I lose weight I'll be able to add/move the velcro on the economy kilts but the others will need to have a leather strap moved. I wear the kilts to church, RenFair and Highland Games as well as when visiting friends who have problems with men and skirts. The still say "skirt" instead of "kilt," but they frown less. At least one friend at church says that while I don't carry the outfit as well as Sir Sean Connery, I do pull it off fairly well.

I also get more ladies and couples asking about the kilt when wearing it out and about.

I also have a couple of pencil skirts, straight skirts, sport (minis with undershorts) skirts all black and one bright blue asymmetric straight skirt (looks like a disarrayed wrap skirt) - all from Lane Bryant that are just as comfortable as the kilts, lighter, and easier to manager when sitting down. These generate smiles from the ladies, but no conversations like the kilts.

Then there's the 'running kilt' which is really just a mini skirt with built-in underwear - I wear this routinely out in the yard to cut grass.

[moonshadow]

Sometimes words get misinterpreted, and in a forum like this there can be more time for the thread to continue before correction.

It's cool. Trouble online is context, tone of voice, body language, etc are difficult to convey. In addition, when I'm posting on my phone I may come off as blunt mainly because using the phone is cumbersome for longer more detailed explanations. Now that all that's cleared up.

Other than money, the main reason I tend not to buy skirts made for men is that the designers try a little bit too hard to make their creations macho. I can see festooning a skirt with D-rings and whatnot if one was going to be hanging heavy things like power-tools from them, but I don't live in that world. I also don't live in a world where I need something of a fabric so heavy that it's resistant to small-arms fire; I want comfort, and that means having a garment that flows around me and doesn't necessarily provide armouring.

text bolded by me

This is another issue I've had. As much as I've kicked around the idea of a kilt, I just can't seem to locate one that's my style.

I do live in "that world" and I can say that it's pants territory. I wouldn't wear a maxi or midi skirt when working all over these greasy kitchens for obvious reasons, I have to get on my knee's, stoop, and bend myself in very strange positions to work on some of this stuff and a long skirt wouldn't work. A shorter skirt like a kilt, or even shorter I wouldn't wear for the same reason I wouldn't wear short pants. The environment can be just plain NASTY. Many nights when I get home, I find myself picking dried up chicken grease out of my arm hairs, and plenty of times I've had various food stuffs ground into the fabric of my work pants.

It's cool though, I'm not anti-trouser! Like everything else, there is a time, place, and purpose. Skirts are for my fun carefree, off days. I can see a lot of women's skirts seem to look "fun", which is from what I understand... "girls just wanna have".

Well... I like fun!

[crfriend]

I do live in "that world" and I can say that it's pants territory. I wouldn't wear a maxi or midi skirt when working all over these greasy kitchens for obvious reasons, I have to get on my knee's, stoop, and bend myself in very strange positions to work on some of this stuff and a long skirt wouldn't work. A shorter skirt like a kilt, or even shorter I wouldn't wear for the same reason I wouldn't wear short pants. The environment can be just plain NASTY. Many nights when I get home, I find myself picking dried up chicken grease out of my arm hairs, and plenty of times I've had various food stuffs ground into the fabric of my work pants.

This is another facet that seems to go overlooked a lot of the time -- that of the line between work and leisure. Depending on what one does for a living, sometimes it makes good sense to have two very disparate wardrobes, one for each. Nowadays it seems that the normal condition is to find the cheapest way out (usually the rattiest/toughest) and go with that exclusively. There could be any number of root causes for that, but increasing impoverishment of the average person is likely one strong driver of that trend.

For example, in moving my stuff from my ex-'s place over the past several weeks it's been exclusively trousers and the rattiest shirt I can find -- specifically because of the state of the place. I don't want to get my good stuff filthy. And there are times at work when I'd wished I'd worn trousers (mostly involving moving/re-cabling equipment that hasn't been moved in years). This is why I tend to keep a couple of pair kicking around for when things get nasty.

"... dried up chicken grease"? In a word, "yuck". That's shades of the summer I worked in an auto-body shop and upon arriving home had to take a shower to get the paint dust off me which invariably turned the drain-water some very interesting colours. I'm glad I don't do that now, but I learned a lot of valuable techniques and strategies during the time.