Skirt Cafe is an on-line community dedicated to exploring, promoting and advocating skirts and kilts as a fashion choice for men, formerly known as men in skirts. We do this in the context of men's fashion freedom --- an expansion of choices beyond those commonly available for men to include kilts, skirts and other garments. We recognize a diversity of styles our members feel comfortable wearing, and do not exclude any potential choices. Continuing dialog on gender is encouraged in the context of fashion freedom for men. See here for more details.
Discussion of fashion elements and looks that are traditionally considered somewhat "femme" but are presented in a masculine context. This is NOT about transvestism or crossdressing.
What with the Payless closure and the discussion this weekend about runway fashions, the subject of ballet flats has come up again a few times; brennk in particular likes to use a .sig that points to Ballet Flats for Men .
I notice on that site most of the pictures feature bare feet inside the shoes. Is that a thing? Do y'all typically go sockless? I've tried once or twice, and just can't get into it for a few reasons:
On anything with thick, unbreathable fabric (which is to say, anything except loose bedroom slippers), my feet can't breathe and the shoe gets stinky with sweat no matter what the weather. I absolutely can't bring myself to put a sweaty shoe against clean skin.
Anything with a firm upper (again, just about everything except slippers) tends to chafe my skin. Even my soft leather ballet flats have a thicker rim around the upper, leaving a circular indentation all around my foot and/or ankle
So I always wear some kind of hosiery between my foot and the shoe: Knee-high stockings in hot weather, thicker socks or tights in cold weather, or compression socks if my feet are swollen. What about the rest of you?
Ralph - I wear nylons or tights sometimes with my ballet flats. Occasionally I will wear the little no-show footie socks. The flats I wear are mostly 100% leather, so the issues of too much sweating are not as pronounced when wearing barefoot. If I can, I much prefer to go barefooted, but sometimes the weather does not cooperate. If I were to wear thicker socks with the flats, I would probably have to get 1/2 size up.
Ralph wrote:...... Anything with a firm upper (again, just about everything except slippers) tends to chafe my skin. Even my soft leather ballet flats have a thicker rim around the upper, leaving a circular indentation all around my foot and/or ankle ......
If rims or edges of shoes are chafing or feeling hard, a little hammering might help. A cobblers anvil is handy for that but any sturdy underground will do.
All progress takes place outside the comfort zone - M J Bobak
About the only time I wear anything between my feet and shoes is when I have to travel a long distance and then it is compression stockings. I am barefoot most of the time around the house anyway. In the summertime I wear sandals or flip flops. Again no socks or stockings.
Fred
"It is better to be hated for what you are than be loved for what you are not" Andre Gide: 1869 - 1951 Always be yourself because the people that matter don’t mind and the ones that mind don’t matter.
I always had socks on when I wore shoes. Then somewhere in the 80s, I saw a movie with Gary Grant and he was with his bare feet in loafers. Since that time if the weather is right I have no socks on with loafers. As soon there are laces to tighten, the socks go on. I hate slippers and sandals so that is not an option.
All progress takes place outside the comfort zone - M J Bobak
My clodhoppers won’t fit into women’s shoes of any sort so I can only offer the answer “It depends.” In skirts, I don’t wear socks, so unless I am wearing tights...no. In pants I usually have socks of some sort just for the comfort of my feet.
As a matter of fact, the sun DOES shine out of my ...
Socks are disappearing. I notice in the stores that there is a growing number of ankle socks, which would not show themselves above the top of a normal boot. I have never tried them but imagine that I would be trying to pull them up all the time.
I just wish that the socks we buy now would last as long as they used to; I am often pairing up odd socks to get some value out of them which is quite noticeable when wearing a mini skirt.
Anthony, a denim miniskirt wearer in Outback Australia
denimini wrote:I notice in the stores that there is a growing number of ankle socks, which would not show themselves above the top of a normal boot.
I had a big laugh when I saw a collection of "no-show" ankle socks with elaborate designs. If they're not to be seen, why bother decorating them? But I will certainly invest in a few pair (plain) for summer days when I still want something between foot and shoe but it's too hot for socks or tights.
I go barefoot pretty much all year round in my shoes.
Sometimes I wear stockings, sheer never above 20 denier, most often 10 deniers in dark grey/barely black.
I don't do nude hosiery unless they're fashion/patterned because I can just go bare for a neutral look.
Nude sheer hosiery is very classy; it gives a finished look. I wear them a lot, unless the temperature gets above 25c (at which point my blinding white legs are exposed). The colour and discreet sheen add tone and definition to my legs. I wear expensive ones too, which feel great.
I do like a back seam, but in general above say 10 degrees C - I would only wear stockings if I wanted a backseam, or if I wanted darker toned legs for evening etc...
Agreed that nude hosiery is more proper, I know a lot of companies require nude shades of hosiery, but its not usually a requirement here in NZ, although most women still do wear hosiery. I think it depends on your legs, I don't worry these days because I luckily don't ever have hair/skintone to worry about, so for me stockings are purely aesthetic, not functional.
While I do wear shoes without socks or hosiery in the spring and summer (it gets hideously hot in my neck of the woods at this time of year), I do have insoles in everything save for my sandals which I enjoy wearing.
I don't want to LOOK like a woman, I just want to DRESS like a woman.
I always wear at least hose or in the winter trouser socks with ballet flats. Usually match the color of the shoes with the socks, Black Ballet shoes, hose and jeans are a popular wear that never has gotten spotted. Occasionally nude knee high with regular jeans.
Although I did catch myself slipping into ballet flats barefooted to run the trash out. . I was wearing cheap walmart ballet flats though, and they are approaching the end of their life anyhow.
Generally speaking always socks or hose with womens shoes.