skirtcafe.org

Well, normally I'm from near London, but I've been visiting in York for the past week, in either a green utility kilt or a Skirtcraft skirt, and I've been wondering whether I might run into one or another of the stalwarts of this forum during my stay. It hasn't happened, and in fact I seem to have attracted almost no attention, despite the city being full of tourists. There was one moment in an ironmongery shop where one of the shop assistants, a young man, asked with interest whether this was a utility kilt -- and we had a short conversation about it. Then there was another nearby in a crowded café while I was queueing by the counter: a pleasant-looking middle-aged woman, squeezing through on her way to the door with her companion, paused to murmur, "I do like to see a man in a kilt". This was in the hearing of my grown-up daughter, who was with me. There was just time enough to smile and thank her.

Welcome, geron!

It seems Sinned wasn't out and about enough during your sojourn in York. Keep up the good work, now you're back down south!

Welcome geron and it's nice to see another skirtonian join the fold. Had you contacted me via the forum earlier I would gladly have met you in York. But being your first post you can be forgiven for it. Unfortunately today is out as I'm working until 17:00 and my son is staying over due to his soon to be wife's hen party at his house. Unusually because of the wedding next weekend I am working tomorrow as well. I don't normally work on a Sunday. I wear skirts out and about as much as I can and get absolutely no reaction whatsoever. I must admit that I rarely see the centre of York due to the crowds of holidaymakers in summer and the difficulty of car parking - I have to park about 15 minutes walk from the centre and there really isn't much in retail trade to draw me in there. The out of town centres provide adequately for my needs.

Anybody else contemplating time out in York PM me to make arrangements. Bear in mind that I also have to tiptoe around MOH's irrational dislike of me wearing skirts out of the house and pick a time when she isn't around.

Thanks, skirtyscot and sinned, for that warm welcome. York does seem a very skirt-tolerant city in July, if only because most people are busy looking at something else and probably assume that they're seeing shorts anyway.

I bought my first kilt, a grey camouflage canvas one, a year or two ago, just out of curiosity, and wore it at home occasionally. My wife was puzzled but allowed me to wear it for country walks together, and then started noticing than it was attracting compliments from random passers-by and no adverse reactions at all. I had to convince her that it was warm even in cold weather because of trapped air, but she then helpfully suggested that I buy some long kilt socks to go with it.

The big change came a few months ago when we ran into one of her oldest woman friends, who surprised us by flying into ecstasies about how great men looked in a skirt [sic], how they ought to wear them more often and why they shouldn't be any pressures not to, and how she was going to buy a camouflage kilt for her husband.

The upshot of this was that my stay in York came at the end of a month of wearing a kilt almost exclusively -- around town down south, for a short holiday in Spain (including on flights there and back) and at a large outdoor entertainment event in London (where someone complimented me on being the only man there dressed suitably for the hot weather). I now have some more kilts, and I ordered the Skirtcraft skirt with the encouragement of my daughter.

My experience is that it's a great deal easier to wear them in public if accompanied by a woman. It radiates the message that one person at least approves and that you're not weird. The succession of news stories about public transport workers in Germany, France and Spain, and the schoolboys in Exeter, must have helped towards normalising male skirt-wearing this summer. But I'm lucky to have the support of family members too.

geron, I only have one kilt that MOH bought me although I do have some tartan skirts. I find a true kilt very heavy and warm so I only wear skirts out of the house. Invariably I am on my own but I think that it wouldn't make any difference whether there is anyone with me or not although I still hope that MOH would accompany at least once to see the lack of reaction. I have been shopping for a skirt wearing a skirt and assistants are just as friendly.

Sinned, the kilt I've been wearing this summer is a lightweight utility kilt in green rip-stop fabric. It's been cool even in the hottest weather, and it dries rapidly if it gets caught in a shower. I also have a black wrap-around leather kilt which I've worn two or three times at parties (it drew compliments). But it must take more confidence than I have at present to wear a skirt in public, and so far my Skirtcraft 'Unaligned' (which I really like) has been confined to home, except for one brief shopping excursion in York But as global warming takes its course, each summer may bring more media stories about men in skirts, and gradually they will become unremarkable.

geron, if there is one message that runs throughout all the posts it is that VERY FEW NOTICE AND THOSE THAT DO DON'T CARE. The only obstacle to wearing skirts outside is the one inside your own head. Once I realised it then it has enabled me to wear skirts outside. MY only obstacle now is convincing MOH of this fundamental fact. Read Moon's posts and he lives in a redneck part of the US. Read other's posts particularly probies. But I realise that we all have to take things at our own pace so I hope that you do it soon then you'll wonder what you were worried about.

You're right, of course, Sinned. It's just that the very first time I went out in a kilt -- I'd been at home all day in my camo kilt -- it was a rainy evening and my wife, who had been away visiting, phoned to ask me to walk her back from the station. I threw on an anorak and hurried down there. As I was walking through the station underpass I was chiyiked by a couple of yoofs who were lurking there. It wasn't pleasant, and I got a feeling for what it must be like for lone women who have to handle such situations all the time. My experience since has been, as you say, that people don't seem to notice, at least when I am in company, but it did put a dent in my confidence.

Of course, geron, but you may have been heckled whatever you were wearing. They may just have been in that mood, egging each other on. So the skirt may not have been a factor. I haven't had any negative reactions to diminish my confidence but I think that now, with my longer experience, I would just shrug my shoulders and tell myself that it's their problem not mine. But as I said take it carefully, choose the occasions you feel comfortable in and go for it. A denim skirt seems the favourite first one as it seems more accepted, if there is such a thing, and likely to arrouse the least comment. Next time wear your kilt and carry a dirty great big sword. Just kidding.

As it happened, they did yell something about skirts. I just had time to yell back that it was a kilt, and that if they hadn't tried one they shouldn't knock it. No doubt it was my bad luck to appear during a lull in their otherwise scintillating conversation....

geron wrote:As it happened, they did yell something about skirts. I just had time to yell back that it was a kilt, and that if they hadn't tried one they shouldn't knock it. No doubt it was my bad luck to appear during a lull in their otherwise scintillating conversation....

I'd say you showed a very healthy attitude. Rock on!

Thank you, Caultron. I shall keep at it