A new gateway garment?

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.
FranTastic444
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A new gateway garment?

Post by FranTastic444 »

As I continue to read about and to ponder upon the subject of gender identity, I have happened upon a garment that I find comfortable that is something I very much enjoy wearing.

Unlike skirts for men, which seem to have been the next big thing in fashion for forever (but never seems to get enough traction to get into the mainstream), the shorty shorts for men do seem to be a little more readily acceptable / accessible. I can report that I am at the vanguard of this movement :-)

I just cannot fathom why so many people expect men’s shorts to go down to the knee, but for women it is totally acceptable to go much shorter. I appreciate that anatomy May come into this a little, but I can confirm that my shorts with a 5 1/2 inch inseam do not expose anything they shouldn’t :-).

I cannot yet walk around with my wife whilst wearing a skirt but she is ok with the shorts. And I feel a little bit of a rule-breaking trend setter for the first time in all of my years on this planet!
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SkirtsDad
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Re: A new gateway garment?

Post by SkirtsDad »

Hmmmm...5.5" inseam seems quite long for shorty shorts, but great if it keeps your wife happy. Btw, my 20 year old men's shorts have a 3" inseam. This length is still normal for rugby shorts, for instance. The long ones used to be called board shorts. Perhaps from the sailing world. Virtually all of my shorts now are under a 2" inseam, and I don't think I've ever really had any comments when I've worn these out, certainly not had any negative ones.
rode_kater
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Re: A new gateway garment?

Post by rode_kater »

Bring back the Stubbies! This is a brand or shorts I think is only in Australian and New Zealand. I know my mother was annoyed that my dad wore them, thinking they we way too short.
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denimini
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Re: A new gateway garment?

Post by denimini »

rode_kater wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 7:51 am Bring back the Stubbies! This is a brand or shorts I think is only in Australian and New Zealand. I know my mother was annoyed that my dad wore them, thinking they we way too short.
That was my staple summer garment before I discovered mini skirts. I think I expose far less in a mini skirt than short shorts.
FranTastic444 wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:49 am I cannot yet walk around with my wife whilst wearing a skirt but she is ok with the shorts.
One can buy shorts that have a lot of flare and are easily mistaken for a skirt. If these were accepted by your wife then a transition to a skirt would be easy ............. otherwise just pick one stitch out of the inseam of your shorts over a long period of time and presto! :)
FranTastic444 wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:49 am And I feel a little bit of a rule-breaking trend setter for the first time in all of my years on this planet!
You would be even more of a rule breaker by wearing a skirt ......... but I understand your present situation.
Anthony, a denim miniskirt wearer in Outback Australia
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Kirbstone
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Re: A new gateway garment?

Post by Kirbstone »

When I was a young wage-earning hunk in the '60s The shorts availab;le for blokes in shops were all very short. I suppose it was to get away from the long baggy variety worn by soldiers in WW2, so my ealry Summer purchases all showed a lot of leg.

Much later Bermuda-length shorts became the norm for blokes.

Personally I have a liking for skirt-like culotte very flared shorts/skorts.

Tom
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FranTastic444
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Re: A new gateway garment?

Post by FranTastic444 »

Stubbies were mentioned a lot when I was doing my research.

Just got the tape out and the inseam is actually just over 4 inches. I stood in front of the mirror and folded the hem of the shorts up a bit more and they look great, but the bottom of the pockets then become visible. I quite like this look, but maybe doesn't work if you are looking for that "dress short" look.

I've tried some shorts from the other side of the aisle before and the fit was ridiculous for my generous waist. Far too much material everywhere else when I picked a garment that worked for my spare tyre belly :-)

When looking for shorts that were deliberately aimed at the male market, these were the shortest advertised inseams I came across. If I find a 2-3 inch inseam pair with shallower pockets, I'll let you know :-)

Yes, short shorts were the norm for me (for sport in particular) until relatively recently. I've only really ended up with baggy, knee-length garments since I moved to the US almost 8 years ago.
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Re: A new gateway garment?

Post by Layne »

Chubbies sells shorts for guys with a 5.5” inseam as well as some with a 4” insean. I’ve purchased both and love the shorter look.
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Fred in Skirts
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Re: A new gateway garment?

Post by Fred in Skirts »

When I was in my 20s and 30s I wore shorts made from old blue jeans. I would cut off the legs to have a 2 inch inseam and then remove the side seams all the way to the belt loop. I would show a lot of flesh but not any thing that would cause trouble with the law. Since I had a 100% tan (IE: no tan lines) It looked fine and I never had any blow back from anyone. One pair I had would actually show a lot of butt cheek since I cut it that way. I wore them every where and all of the time when not at work.

Now All I wear are skirts and wear them every where and all of the time. I like the comfort and choice I now have...
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Re: A new gateway garment?

Post by STEVIE »

Fred in Skirts wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 7:19 pm When I was in my 20s and 30s I wore shorts made from old blue jeans. I would cut off the legs to have a 2 inch inseam and then remove the side seams all the way to the belt loop. I would show a lot of flesh but not any thing that would cause trouble with the law. Since I had a 100% tan (IE: no tan lines) It looked fine and I never had any blow back from anyone.
Hi Fred
You must have lived in a very liberal part of the world.
That would never have been acceptable in my neighbourhood for a male or a female.
Kind of makes the ripped jeans fad seem quite tame too.
Steve.
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Fred in Skirts
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Re: A new gateway garment?

Post by Fred in Skirts »

STEVIE wrote: Wed Jun 23, 2021 10:43 am
Fred in Skirts wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 7:19 pm When I was in my 20s and 30s I wore shorts made from old blue jeans. I would cut off the legs to have a 2 inch inseam and then remove the side seams all the way to the belt loop. I would show a lot of flesh but not any thing that would cause trouble with the law. Since I had a 100% tan (IE: no tan lines) It looked fine and I never had any blow back from anyone.
Hi Fred
You must have lived in a very liberal part of the world.
That would never have been acceptable in my neighbourhood for a male or a female.
Kind of makes the ripped jeans fad seem quite tame too.
Steve.
Actually Steve I lived in the bible belt deep in the heart of it. How ever no one wanted to get involved by calling the law or otherwise causing trouble. Even where you would think people would cause me trouble they did not.
I wore the cut offs all over town and into stores and shops with nary a bit of blow-back from the proprietors. The only time I have had any trouble with how I was dressed was at a clothing store and it was because I was bare foot. Not because of my cut offs. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Fred
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r.m.anderson
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Re: A new gateway garment?

Post by r.m.anderson »

Anyone around from the 50's remember the Basketball pants -
these were short really short maybe a 2-3 inch hem
AND NOW
the team wear is the baggy CAPRI length -
a few inches shy of the ankle.
Exaggerated of course LOL !

Anyone remember the fly-away pants with the snaps down the side -
one swift move and the pants split at the side seams and voila total instant free movement -
best done by the other half -
nothing to see here folks LOL !
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mishawakaskirt
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Re: A new gateway garment?

Post by mishawakaskirt »

If you look at pictures from the 1970 there were some short shorts on both the men and women.

This is just one of many pages
https://www.demilked.com/mens-shorts-1970s-fashion/
Just Google men's shorts 1970
I was born in 76 so I don't remember some things until about 1981 82 ish. I think shorts we gradually getting longer, by the 90s they were down past the knee.
I remember having some of those long ones back then.

By today's some of those men's shorts would be considered women's.
I have a few pairs of women's denim shorts with 4 to 5 inch inseam. My wife complains about them, of course, however she does let me wear the out and about with her. Honestly I think a person would have to really study me in them and might not notice. People hardly look at me for 5 seconds, let alone examine my clothes to the point of realizing that they come from the other side of the aisle. I have never had anyone come to me and say I knew it, I knew there is something different about those clothes, your wearing womens jeans, shorts, or shortalls. Now days inseams on men's and women's shorts are all over the place so inseam length is no longer really a indicator, unless it's like 2 inches and under.
Last edited by mishawakaskirt on Thu Jun 24, 2021 5:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A new gateway garment?

Post by Coder »

I don't think I'll ever be able to understand these trends. For the past few years I've seen an increasing number of men wearing tight jeans. Not quite jegging tight, but enough that it's gotta be difficult to put them on unless they have some stretch. In fact, a guy was wearing them to a wedding mass last weekend!

So I ask the question: how are tight jeans are able to make their way into "mainstream" mens fashion, but skirts do not? It feels like that's the opposite direction someone would want to go when it comes to things like comfort, and so forth.
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Re: A new gateway garment?

Post by Uncle Al »

OK - This comment is "Off Topic" but, when I first read the "Title",
I began wondering why/when did a computer company start
making garments, skirted garments for men :?:

:hide:

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Re: A new gateway garment?

Post by TheEngineer »

Kirbstone wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 9:00 am Personally I have a liking for skirt-like culotte very flared shorts/skorts.
Me too. :-)
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