skirtcafe.org

Recently I saw a few items on my smartphone's newsfeed that should be of interest:

First, a designer named Alber Elbaz died this past April. It seems he was well-loved in the fashion world because he was a true gentleman and always willing to give advice and help to anyone else in his industry who wanted some. Of particular interest to those of us on this forum are:

• He believed that, "If it can't be worn, it's not fashion."

AMEN
One of the best demonstrations of that design philosophy is his Elbaz zipper. Every one of his dresses that zipped up the back came with a pull that enables the wearer to fully zip and unzip garment without assistance.
His company has continued and is now dedicated to gender-inclusive fashion. If you're interested, check out their website, AZ Factory and you will see both men and women modeling their dresses with a variety of footwear and without pants underneath.

Another news item stated that some male celebrity is working with Thom Browne on a line of dresses for men. And again, the male models are wearing the skirts and dresses without slacks. Unlike so many of the dresses and skirts that Browne has had his male models wear in his shows, these are dresses that a normal person might buy and wear.

In between those 2 items was a third titled, "Dresses for Dudes." Some bearded, male (dur) actor and his wingman were decked out in yellow and black shirtdresses that the celebrity's stylist had made for him.

So, you see, the world is catching up with us. Carpe Diem!

Always wondered, why not just put the zipper for a dress on the front? Maybe that will be what determines a men's dress from a womens dress. The some of the egos can relax some.

Newtothis wrote: ↑Thu Sep 30, 2021 10:23 pmAlways wondered, why not just put the zipper for a dress on the front? Maybe that will be what determines a men's dress from a womens dress. The some of the egos can relax some.

There are plenty of "women's" dresses with zips up the front, some of them industrial sized. Such a thing appeared on the evening news from Boston just today. I was not impressed.

I have a range of dresses from as old as 2005 ish to now that have full zipped fronts. I don't believe front zipping is new.
It became a style around mid 200's here and the success of the dresses has meant they have stayed in production

a lot of the styles are just novelty to move your feature zip from back to front - as a lot of dresses use the zip line as a bold feature - rather than other dresses that are invisible zips. A lot of dresses have oversized metal zippers on your back (and they are cold on your skin) so moving to the front is just a quirky fashion thing. Its no easier to wear - and in some ways its actually more awkward with a front zip.

Cheers

Newtothis wrote: ↑Thu Sep 30, 2021 10:23 pmAlways wondered, why not just put the zipper for a dress on the front? Maybe that will be what determines a men's dress from a womens dress. The some of the egos can relax some.

I always prefer a back zip, for a number of reasons (only some of which I understand myself - a psychiatrist could build a career out of what goes on in my head!)

• I like a bodice with a smooth, unbroken line
• Since I don't have (or want) any cleavage to show off, I prefer dresses (and blouses) with a higher neckline
• A high front and a low back sets off my OCD need for symmetry, plus an exposed back makes me chilly, so I also like the back neckline to be higher (don't even get me started about the horrors of the "cold shoulder" style!)

So with high front and high back, most of my dresses will need some kind of closure to get it past my shoulders - with the exception of sundresses that don't have shoulders anyway. I even convert "keyhole opening" backs into short zippered closures to help it fit better around my barrel chest without gaping open like a fish mouth every time I raise my arms.

Your comment about a men's dress from a women's dress made me laugh, thinking about the old story about a world where everyone wears identical, monochromatic jumpsuits except the women's jumpsuit has an extra button so there would always be some men insisting on the extra button just so they could be dressed like a woman. Indeed, what would differentiate men's dresses from women's dresses when everyone wears dresses?

We are already seing some of that: The few retailers who market skirts and dresses for men tend to use more "masculine" styles - rugged fabrics, minimal or no decorative features, duller colours, and so on. By "retailers" I mean clothes that are priced and offered in venues where any Joe Blogg could find and afford them; I have always said that what the designers trot out on runways and in fashion magazines has no bearing on what you and I will be wearing in the street next week.

crfriend wrote: ↑Thu Sep 30, 2021 10:56 pm

Newtothis wrote: ↑Thu Sep 30, 2021 10:23 pmAlways wondered, why not just put the zipper for a dress on the front? Maybe that will be what determines a men's dress from a womens dress. The some of the egos can relax some.

There are plenty of "women's" dresses with zips up the front, some of them industrial sized. Such a thing appeared on the evening news from Boston just today. I was not impressed.

I've had skirts that button up the front, but, I didn't much like it.

JeffB1959 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 03, 2021 8:23 am I've had skirts that button up the front, but, I didn't much like it.

I have some of those too Jeff and like them fine.
It wouldn't do if we were all the same.
Steve.