My introduction

[Vince5680]

Hello, my name is Vince. I live in Essex England. I am 55 years young.
I am 6' tall very slim.
I started to try skirts when I was about 12 & have wanted to wear them all my life.
When I was about 12 my parents were having a discussion about how I kept growing out of my school trousers.
My dad said we should get him some skirts, then he would not grow out of them so fast. I started to think how lovely that would be to do that! But what would my friends think & say ? My dad then turned to me and said would you like to wear a skirt to school ? I wanted to say yes but decided to say no. I now wish I had said yes !
I could have been starting this trend for boys and men wearing skirts back in the late 60's.
I have been privately wearing them when I got the chance. But my wife would not have allowed it at all.
Twenty months ago I sadly lost my wife to cancer.
Since then I have not been looking for a relationship.
I have been wearing skirts a lot, mainly around my house and yard. I have been out wearing a skirt to the sea front, a hospital appointment, the filling station & my local shop.

I am glad I have found the group. It is so encouraging to no there a so many other men who feel comfortable in a skirt.
I hope I can bring something to our group and also get something from it too. In fact I already have gained a confidence, just from reading some of the posts.

Vince

[couyalair]

I already have gained a confidence, just from reading some of the posts.

That's what we're here for! It's good to know the forum has some positive influence.

Martin in Malaga

[skirtyscot]

Welcome, Vince!

When I was about 12 my parents were having a discussion about how I kept growing out of my school trousers.
My dad said we should get him some skirts, then he would not grow out of them so fast. I started to think how lovely that would be to do that! But what would my friends think & say ? My dad then turned to me and said would you like to wear a skirt to school ? I wanted to say yes but decided to say no. I now wish I had said yes !

But what do you think would have happened if you had said yes? And what would have happened at school if you had done it? Late 60s was probably a better time than most to wear something out of the ordinary, but how would it have gone down in your town?

[Sarongman]

I hope I can bring something to our group and also get something from it too.

Vince, I hope to hear and see more from you Welcome to the Cafe, we're a mixed bunch and, mostly very civilised, except when the subject turns to religion, when things can get a little tense. As a mason, religion and politics are taboo subjects in the "south". Where skirts are concerned, we are a good mutual support group and most criticism is constructive and received well. If you'd like to sit down and tell us more, we're interested and friendly. It's b****y hot here (going to hit 100 degrees today) would the barista adjust the air conditioner please, oh! and I'll have my usual English Breakfast white with no sugar

[Vince5680]

Firstly thanks for the replies to my introduction.
Thanks Martin, it was a nice thing finding this group.
Well Scot, if I had said yes and my parents has got me some skirts for school. Then if I went through with it, my friends may have disowned me, the other children would have made fun of it and the school head teacher would have sent me home.
That's what I think !
If I had been stubborn and been able to carry on going in a skirt, things may well have settled down and I may have had some other boys joining me ?
I so often think about what would have happened if I had said yes. The first thing would have been the shock to my parents.

Sarongman, sounds like its dress weather if its that not. I put on a dress for a couple of days when it was hot here in the summer and I was working from home.
Religion is taboo subject among masons. It's the great architect.
I should be getting some sleep now, as I am working in the morning.

I will post again with more about me. I look forward to reading more from the group.

Good night

Vince

[crfriend]

Allow me to offer a belated greeting and welcome, Vince.

The late 1960s could well have been the perfect time to set the tide in motion; there was much experimentation with style at that time, and quite possibly skirts for guys could have made a better go of it had there been more "first adopters". Sadly, the late '70s and then the '80s came along and snuffed all that out.

Interestingly, your dad's possibly flippant comment makes some sense as it's harder to "outgrow" a skirt than it is trousers -- so what if the hem gets a bit shorter; so long as it's decent there's no problem, and usually with younger guys it's the vertical growth that renders stuff unwearable in short order (been there, done that). Kudos to him for bringing the notion up -- he was "thinking outside the box"!

[Pleats]

The late 1960s could well have been the perfect time to set the tide in motion; there was much experimentation with style at that time, and quite possibly skirts for guys could have made a better go of it had there been more "first adopters". Sadly, the late '70s and then the '80s came along and snuffed all that out.!

First,welcome Vince.

Yes, in the 60's would have been a time when skirts for men could have occurred. After all men went to long hair and got a lot of grief over it as I recall. Shorts were shorter then and a guy was not chastised for showing a little leg. I recall a magazine article about what trends would appear in the next decade (70's). If memory serves I recall hand drawn images of what this article predicted. One of them was skirts for men. I can see the hand drawn image of the guy in a skirt. I am thinking this was Life or Look magazine. But for the life of me, looking over covers of those two magazines from 1968 - 1970 I have not found it.

I don't want to send this thread off into another discussion. If there is any discussion it should be in a new thread.

Again, welcome Vince.

[knickerless]

I too started wearing skirts in the 60's. I wish I had gone to wearing them full time and to hell with any nasty comments.

I do recall seeing one national paper dressing a man in a mini skirt and getting him to walk thru Carnaby St wearing it.

I wish it had caught on.

Nick

[Vince5680]

Hello crfriend, firstly I like your symbol of the thermionic valve !
Yes my dad was great. I often wonder if he had an interest in wearing a skirt himself.
Sadly I can't ask him now as he passed away ten years ago.
The whole discussion was started by the fact that my vertical growth kept making my trousers look like they had an argument with my socks. It was costing them money, keep buying more school trousers. A skirt would have lasted me three or four times as long. I wish I had saved them some money and into the bargain pushes forward acceptance of men in skirts.
I could have enjoyed many more years of comfortable clothing !

That's interesting Pleats,
I would like to read that article.
Funny you should mention the long hair, as soon as I left school and my employer said long hair is ok I grew my hair to about half way down my back. I think if I had been wearing a skirt at that time, there would have been a lot of confused people about.
I remember the more senior folk commenting, you can't tell the boys from the girls these days.

Vince

[Sarongman]

I think if I had been wearing a skirt at that time, there would have been a lot of confused people about.

I'll have to recount an incident that happened about eight years ago when I was wearing sarongs and also had hair down around my shoulders. We (wife and a good friend) were at a market and the trader at the stall we were at, approached from behind, saying "Can I help you, ladies?" The poor fellow was dumbfounded when I, bearded, turned round to reply.

[Vince5680]

Hi Sarongman,
You reminded me of a situation, not related to wearing a skirt.
I was living away from my family about 17 years old. I was invited to go on a short break with my family to Scotland.
When traveling on the train and wearing a smart suit with my long hair all washed and brushed. The waiter serving tea said to me would the young lady like tea?
So I guess I was involved in gender confusion back in the seventies !