Getting the message out

[couyalair]

I don't know if many of you are following this gent (A Year In a Kilt) on facebook, but he's certainly getting quite a following.
Apparently without previous kilt-wearing experience, he decided to wear kilts every day. He's tall and handsome, and the girls are falling over themselves to compliment him!
Could he perhaps have a better idea than we have to publicize the pleasures of life unbifurcated?

A Year in a Kilt

Martin

[SkirtRevolution]

This is how I have felt about it for some time. I am all for the idea of us guys just going out there and wearing skirts but if not done correctly people may see it as men looking like “bad crossdressers”. Unfortunately, from what I have seen many guys are adding to many feminine items together or have very little care for their overall appearance and style. All of this can do more harm than good.

My approach is this, not only do we need to get out there and wear skirts but we must look good doing it. Furthermore, the best garment to do this with is the kilt. The kilt already crosses ALL the taboos associated with skirts, it’s completely accepted by ALL western societies as a men’s garment, yet it is a SKIRT. I personally believe getting skirts to become an acceptable men’s garment wouldn’t be that difficult with a little coordinated effort and agenda.

All ready, the kilt is making massive inroads and becoming not only a fashionable choice for men but it is all ready taking on evolutionary designs more like skirts. Consider the Utilikilt, Elkommando kilt and the list goes on. All we would need to do is make kilts popular (which wouldn’t be hard at all) and more companies will start to produce them, more guys will wear them and they will soon become mainstream. We will then begin to see more modern designs being made available as companies fight for popularity of their kilts which will evolve the kilt into more current skirt styles.

Can we imaging walking down the mall and seeing in just about every men’s clothing store, KILTS on the mannequins. Kilts of all different styles, traditional to contemporary. This for me would be a day of equality. Once guys are wearing kilts of all different styles and fabrics then guys would be able to easily wear skirts without raising a eyebrow. Its all about getting the idea out there that guys can wear a garment that is unbifurcated, then everything is downhill. Persoanlly I believe the kilt is the garment that will do it because it is pretty much already there, just not enough guys are wearing them.

One problem I see is the same problem we once had with the “braveheart” vs “Freestylers”. There is no united effort! People only look at the short term or do things for their own personal reason not for the greater cause. But if we see it as a longer but not too long a goal we would seriously make a change.

Don’t get me wrong, I still wear skirts all the time of all different style, but I am not under the illusion that they all look masculine and promote our cause, many of them don’t in today standards and until men’s skirts become popular these style will not be accepted. Therefore, when I want to go public and want to be seen, I wear kilts. Just yesterday I spent the day wearing a kilt at the shops in a casual style. No sporran, just the kilt hiking shoes and t-shirt. Simply put, I was completely accepted without any issue. I am also not saying that we should not go out in skirts, as some of us here wear skirts and are great at making it look stylish, just if you do wear a skirt then make it look good and stylish. We need to consider our look as either furthering our cause or being harmful to our cause.

Imaging seeing this in every Men's clothing store.

[straightfairy]

Have to agree with this. Much as we would all like men in skirts to be universally accepted, i think that this will most likely, and most easily, be done via kilts.

[GerdG]

SkirtRevolution, thank you very much! I think you are so right. And you have written it down so well!

That's the way to go.

[The Kilted Hoosier]

I too can see how this kilt-to-skirt trend can evolve: It will lead to various iterations of the "kilt" from creative fashion designers wanting in in on the action. Soon there will be full-on skirts for sale to the male populous. The distinction between these and women's skirts will likely be the details, e.g. floral designs, sequins, buttons, etc on women's skirts, none such on men's. It will, or at least could, trend just like jeans have over the years. A most positive outcome it looks.

TKH

[skirtyscot]

Skirtrevolution, you are right. Kilts are recognised as menswear (though in many parts of the world you will still turn heads if you wear one). We need to take the general populace one step at a time. So give it a few years of kilt-wearing, then keep buying all the latest slightly-less-kilty designs, then eventually nobody will think anything of it if you walk down the street in a skirt from the women's department. Finally they will be on display inthe men's department as well.

Trouble is, most of us can't wait that long! I'd be drawing my pension before going skirted in public, and at 46 I'm a fair bit younger than many here on SkirtCafe. You admit yourself that you don't want to do it that way, as you wear skirts already. Me too. There may be a few kilts-only members who are doing their bit already, following your plan, but most of us just want to do our own thing. We are individuals who want comfortable clothes, not a campaigning organisation.

So I will just stick to my shock tactics* and hope that a few other guys do it. Then after a while, once everyone has seen a number of skirted men, we attain a critical mass and people will genuinely think "why not?" and not have to think about it again. Though I think your way would be more likely to succeed.

*My latest, a couple a weeks ago, on a late train (again). Getting on, I had gone past a group of seats where a woman was sitting, and I sat down at another group where another woman was sitting. Nothing was said, and she didn't react visibly. They both happened to get off at the same station, and one commented to the other at the door "Well, I've seen everything now." Must have been the purple tights; the denim skirt was ordinary enough.

[Milfmog]

< snip > So I will just stick to my shock tactics and hope that a few other guys do it. Then after a while, once everyone has seen a number of skirted men, we attain a critical mass and people will genuinely think "why not?" and not have to think about it again. Though I think your way would be more likely to succeed.

"Succeed" might need a bit more definition... From where I'm sat I have largely succeeded already; I can (and do) wear skirts pretty much any time and any place I choose and I receive very little feedback that could be construed as negative (probably no more than I'd expect for an overly loud tie at work or torn jeans in a restaurant).

The only remaining frontier for me is work. Unfortunately I have a role in which I frequently find myself representing the company to customers (some of whom are less than happy) so anything that distracts from the company message is going to get in the way of doing the job. As a result a business suit and tie are appropriate most days and a kilt would only be OK if in on my own time at weekends outside the regular working week.

Have fun,


Ian.

[Grok]

Well, there does seem to be modifications of the basic kilt-I don't know if that will lead to anywhere in particular.

[Grok]

I have become very skeptical about fashion designers-they seem to be interested in skirted models as works of art, rather than in creating anything anyone would want to wear.

[skirtyscot]

< snip > So I will just stick to my shock tactics and hope that a few other guys do it. Then after a while, once everyone has seen a number of skirted men, we attain a critical mass and people will genuinely think "why not?" and not have to think about it again. Though I think your way would be more likely to succeed.

"Succeed" might need a bit more definition... From where I'm sat I have largely succeeded already; I can (and do) wear skirts pretty much any time and any place I choose ...

SkirtRevolution clearly uses "success" to mean kilts (and maybe even other skirts) being mainstream menswear, on display in ordinary clothes shops, etc. Success on a personal level, as you and he have achieved, is completely different. I'm pretty much there myself, except that my nearest and dearest are still putting up obstacles.

[skirtyscot]

I have become very skeptical about fashion designers-they seem to be interested in skirted models as works of art, rather than in creating anything anyone would want to wear.

This is true of the rest of the menswear, and the womenswear, at fashion shows. I still take comfort from the mere presence of men's skirts on the catwalk.

I found an article about a footballer going to a party in a skirt and matching top. (Must try and find it again and put a link up here.) It was as seen on the catwalk (Givenchy?) so it was an outfit that at least one man wanted to wear. Result!

[straightfairy]

Must have been the purple tights; the denim skirt was ordinary enough.

[Grok]

Kilts were mentioned. A few members, I believe, like sarongs...which look substatially different from kilts.

[Grok]

I have come across the term "early adopter" in relation to Information Technology. For unbifurcated garments these would be male "skirtonians," those individuals who are particularly inclined to like skirted garments.

[Grok]

I have tried to imagine ways to coax the average male out of his trousers. For the general population, I expect change to be incremental, over a long period of time.