New to it all

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SportSkirt
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Location: lurking on the Beds/Bucks border

New to it all

Post by SportSkirt »

Hi, I've just registered and am new to un-bifurcated clothing.

I spend most of my weekend in shorts, and tend to wear them to and from work as well. However, it's office dress standards for me once i get there (unfortunately but they pay the bills)

I'd been interested in trying a kilt for some time but the high price kept putting me off. Any way, last week I took matters into my own hands, and modified a pair of camoflage shorts from Next.
I was hooked, as I found the "skirt" so much more comfortable. I have since picked up a pleated skirt, and a mini skirt which is about the same length as a pair of sports shorts. I look back now and wonder why I didn't try this sooner.

I still consider a kilt but will probably stick with skirts for now as they are cheaper.
I'm considering a running skirt as I do a fair bit of running too.
I find it disappointing that there don't seem to be many men's skirts available in London.
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Milfmog
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Re: New to it all

Post by Milfmog »

Hi and welcome to the Café,

It would be good to know a little more about you, where are you, how old, married or single; whatever you feel comfortable sharing. A name to call you by (it does not have to be real if you feel shy) always help others to identify with you.

It sounds like you've taken well to skirt wearing but you do not say whether you are openly wearing skirts in the world at large or just at home...

As for kilts being expensive they don't have to be; my first kilt was just over a tenner from Ebay.co.uk and "Mercy" brand kilts (often sold as goth wear) generally sell on Ebay for less than £25, don't take my word for it, check this link (I have no knowledge of this retailer, it was simply the first one in the list when I googled "mercy kilt".)

Good to "meet" you here,

Have fun,


Ian.
Do not argue with idiots; they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
Cogito ergo sum - Descartes
Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum - Ambrose Bierce
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SportSkirt
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Location: lurking on the Beds/Bucks border

Re: New to it all

Post by SportSkirt »

Hi Ian,
I'm married with kids, early 40's and work for a "respectable" firm. My family and friends don't know about this yet as i'm still finding my way.
I've taken to wearing a short skirt to and from work, then popping a pair of shorts over the top when i near my work or home.

The oddest experience so far has to be travelling on the tube. Getting up stairs involves being a little more demure than i'm used to.

I've always preferred shorts to trousers and tend to only wear trousers for work. As a result, the skirt feels quite natural.

I've taken the plunge and ordered a running skirt, and hope to do a half marathon in it if all works out.

I look forward to meeting people and experiencing their different views on the Site, which has impressed me tremendously.

Cheers,

Sean
john62
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Re: New to it all

Post by john62 »

Welcome.

john
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Milfmog
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Re: New to it all

Post by Milfmog »

Hi Sean,

Thanks for the additional details, they all help to add context.
SportSkirt wrote:I'm married with kids, early 40's and work for a "respectable" firm. My family and friends don't know about this yet as i'm still finding my way.
Sounds like you are exactly where I was about three years ago. Somehow letting friends and family know about our fashion choices always seems to be hard. However my experience and that reported by others here suggests that for many of us most of the difficulty is imagined rather than real. Apart from a bit of leg pulling from friends and the occasional disapproving head shake from a few older and more conservative types my friends are very supportive. My wife and son are both very relaxed about it and that has made it far easier for me to go out and about skirted than it would otherwise have been.
SportSkirt wrote:I've taken to wearing a short skirt to and from work, then popping a pair of shorts over the top when i near my work or home.
Its good to learn that you re out and about; I guess that you have discovered how little others really care what we wear.
SportSkirt wrote:The oddest experience so far has to be travelling on the tube. Getting up stairs involves being a little more demure than i'm used to.
Managing short skirts is something that you get used to fairly quickly, I still have nightmares about catching a long skirt in an escalator; it has not yet happened to me but I did once witness a young lady finding herself stood at the top wondering whether her skirt would come back out again... It didn't, fortunately she was rescued by another lass who gave her a long coat.

Have fun,


Ian.
Do not argue with idiots; they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
Cogito ergo sum - Descartes
Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum - Ambrose Bierce
ChrisM
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Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Re: New to it all

Post by ChrisM »

Hi John. I am interested in your comments about riding the Tube.

I am visiting London at the moment, and I am finding that in the UK I get a lot more looks and stares than I do at home in the USA - and that's in trousers! I think that I would feel horribly self conscious in a skirt.

Although I may find out tonight - I have a dinner date with a colleague, and his wife has asked me to wear my kilt/skirt. That means a trip back to the hotel to change shoes too, and then riding from Earl's Court to wherever the rendezvous is.

Now, In Washington DC I would have no problem doing that. But somehow in London it seems like people are looking at me more closely. I can't believe that's really true - I suspect that what is really happening is the normal self-consciousness of being in a foreign venue, which would indeed be magnified by adding the self-consciousness that is normal (to me at least) when skirted.

So, to return to your story: What do you experience on the Tube? Are you aware of stares other than the normal collection?

I am riding Picadilly line from E.C. to Hyde Park Corner, and then walking to my meeting in Belgravia. That's the only corridor of London that I have experienced thus far.


Thanks!

Chris
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SportSkirt
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Re: New to it all

Post by SportSkirt »

ChrisM wrote:Now, In Washington DC I would have no problem doing that. But somehow in London it seems like people are looking at me more closely. I can't believe that's really true - I suspect that what is really happening is the normal self-consciousness of being in a foreign venue, which would indeed be magnified by adding the self-consciousness that is normal (to me at least) when skirted.
Chris,

I've found that if you go about your business on the tube as if you know where you're going, no one takes a blind bit of notice. Mind you, I did feel a bit self concious going up an escaltor at Westminster tube station this morning in a very short skirt. You're probably more self-concious as an out-of-towner.

Oddly enough, the only comments I have received heard the last couple of days have surprised me. I wore a short skirt to Camden Market last night and no one batted an eyelid except for one lady at a bus stop whose eyes lit up when she saw what I had on. On the way back in my newly purchased Kilt, I heard two people commenting behind my back about my "skirt".

This morning, again in a short pleated skirt on the South Bank i was teased by two west Indian Builders. Oddly enough, no comment about my clothes. They teased me as I was the only one walking and everyone else was jogging!

That was a surprise.

All I can suggest is that you get on with your journey and just enjoy the experience.

Sean
Departed Member

Re: New to it all

Post by Departed Member »

Folk wearing Kilts in London is a more common sight than in any other city in the UK, including Edinburgh and Glasgow ('cept on match days, perhaps!). Apart from admiring (or inquisitive - don't forget London has a huge proportion of foreigners!) looks, I doubt anyone will comment. As for skirts, depends on the skirt! :)
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