A pencil skirt

For those do-it-yourselfers...
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beachlion
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A pencil skirt

Post by beachlion »

I think I'm getting fed up with the winter. Suddenly I felt the urge to make a skirt. I decided to make a pencil skirt. Most of my skirts are A-line types, made from a circle type pattern.

The room I use for sewing was partly cleared because I plan to do some remodelling. So I had to build the sewing department back. The sewing as such went smooth, I think I get some experience by now. But I also realised why I don't make pencil skirts. The male form is too pronounced in the wrong spot. Maybe with a long T-shirt it will be more to my liking.
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melsav
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Re: A pencil skirt

Post by melsav »

Looks like you are very accomplished at sewing that skirt looks very well made. as you say the male body is not made for pencil skirts unless you wear something tight underneath, then that defeats the object of men wearing kilts and skirts.
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Daryl
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Re: A pencil skirt

Post by Daryl »

beachlion wrote:I think I'm getting fed up with the winter. Suddenly I felt the urge to make a skirt. I decided to make a pencil skirt. Most of my skirts are A-line types, made from a circle type pattern.

The room I use for sewing was partly cleared because I plan to do some remodelling. So I had to build the sewing department back. The sewing as such went smooth, I think I get some experience by now. But I also realised why I don't make pencil skirts. The male form is too pronounced in the wrong spot. Maybe with a long T-shirt it will be more to my liking.
I see what you mean though to be honest it still looks pretty good to me. There are two tricks I would advise. I've been making and wearing nothing but pencil skirts outside the home this winter and seem to have found a male formula for same.

1. Make the skirt fuller and rapidly tapered in at the waist by means of pleats or darts. That little extra bit of fullness gets rid of the problem at the "wrong spot" but doesn't ruin the overall straight-long silhouette effect. You can afford to add a slight taper inwards once past the "wrong spot". That will enhance the sharp/straight look without looking like your skirt was made to accomodate female hips.

2. Make the skirt longer and wear it higher, closer to the waist than to the hip. (this is where men once wore their pants) The essential part of the pencil look is the long and straight part, and if you make the skirt a little wider to accomodate the "wrong spot" then making it a little longer will recover that long straight silhouette.
Daryl...
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Daryl
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Re: A pencil skirt

Post by Daryl »

melsav wrote:Looks like you are very accomplished at sewing that skirt looks very well made. as you say the male body is not made for pencil skirts unless you wear something tight underneath, then that defeats the object of men wearing kilts and skirts.
Well, partly. For me "tight" is not as much a problem as a seam. A snug cup is still preferable to an inverted V with its apex in the "wrong place". 8)
Daryl...
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phathack
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Re: A pencil skirt

Post by phathack »

IMHO, there are some styles that just don't work quite right with the male form, those primarily being what are called Body Confidence styles of which I would consider the pencil skirt on of them.

Those designs are intended to show off the unique female form and work best on slender young females.

To my eye they just look funny on the average man and would look completely ridiculous on my rounded middle aged male body, I know because I have tried wearing a couple of pencil skirts and found that uncomfortable and strange looking on me.

:ugeek:
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beachlion
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Re: A pencil skirt

Post by beachlion »

I go back to the drawing board and try a slightly changed cut. I will try to get the waist a little up. I think I need to make the waistband a little wider like I have done with my kilts. The waist-hip distance will be a little larger. I keep the hem the same as I could walk with ease. The hip will grow a little. I hope it will not looks like a balloon. Maybe darker fabric will also hide some of the contours.

We will see.
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phathack
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Re: A pencil skirt

Post by phathack »

beachlion wrote:I go back to the drawing board and try a slightly changed cut. I will try to get the waist a little up. I think I need to make the waistband a little wider like I have done with my kilts. The waist-hip distance will be a little larger. I keep the hem the same as I could walk with ease. The hip will grow a little. I hope it will not looks like a balloon. Maybe darker fabric will also hide some of the contours.

We will see.
I had never thought about it but I guess the balloon is in some way related to the Pencil skirt in that they both have a narrower hem than waist/hips.


:ugeek:
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Daryl
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Re: A pencil skirt

Post by Daryl »

beachlion wrote:I go back to the drawing board and try a slightly changed cut. I will try to get the waist a little up. I think I need to make the waistband a little wider like I have done with my kilts. The waist-hip distance will be a little larger. I keep the hem the same as I could walk with ease. The hip will grow a little. I hope it will not looks like a balloon. Maybe darker fabric will also hide some of the contours.
We will see.
Maybe just mock it up with pins or basting first, to get a feel for the proportions.
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KenCT
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Re: A pencil skirt

Post by KenCT »

You could try a couple of reverse knife pleats in front, 10 - 12 cm each side of center, like Italian tailoring of men's trousers (see for example https://www.artofmanliness.com/2017/04/ ... or-pleats/ ). On a skirt, this creates something of a raised panel over the region in question, without losing the fit around the rest of the body, and therefore reduces the prominence of the local high point (hiking is one of my hobbies...)
When I started sewing skirts for myself, I looked at my store-bought trousers, and realized that the ones I find most comfortable have this feature.
I've only done this on straight skirts (same circumference from hips down). I stitch the pleat a few cm down from the waistband. You would probably want to trial with safety pins for depth, length, placement...
Edited to add: It's a good look for you - stay with it.
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beachlion
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Re: A pencil skirt

Post by beachlion »

KenCT wrote:You could try a couple of reverse knife pleats in front, 10 - 12 cm each side of center, like Italian tailoring of men's trousers (see for example https://www.artofmanliness.com/2017/04/ ... or-pleats/ ). On a skirt, this creates something of a raised panel over the region in question, without losing the fit around the rest of the body, and therefore reduces the prominence of the local high point (hiking is one of my hobbies...)
When I started sewing skirts for myself, I looked at my store-bought trousers, and realized that the ones I find most comfortable have this feature.
I've only done this on straight skirts (same circumference from hips down). I stitch the pleat a few cm down from the waistband. You would probably want to trial with safety pins for depth, length, placement...
Edited to add: It's a good look for you - stay with it.
Thanks for the link. It looks like the old-fashioned trousers from before the war my uncles were still wearing.
I first will make a pencil skirt with a higher waist and a slightly larger hip. If that is not solving the problem, I go for the pleats. But first I have to finish other projects like loudspeaker boxes.
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r.m.anderson
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Re: A pencil skirt

Post by r.m.anderson »

Basically you were so used to having all that room under the "A" frame skirt and then you went
180 degrees in the other direction making a hobble skirt cause that is what a pencil skirt is !

A pencil skirt is like a boa constrictor and I am like Indiana Jones "I hate snakes" !
"YES SKIRTING MATTERS"!
"Kilt-On" -or- as the case may be "Skirt-On" !
WHY ?
Isn't wearing a kilt enough?
Well a skirt will do in a pinch!
Make mine short and don't you dare think of pinching there !
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Daryl
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Re: A pencil skirt

Post by Daryl »

r.m.anderson wrote:Basically you were so used to having all that room under the "A" frame skirt and then you went
180 degrees in the other direction making a hobble skirt cause that is what a pencil skirt is !

A pencil skirt is like a boa constrictor and I am like Indiana Jones "I hate snakes" !
Heh.

Lately I've come to appreciate stretch fabrics much more. I was kind of a purist before, regarding stretch fabrics as a kind of cheating; just a way to allow a poorly-fitted garment to fit anyway. Discovering the joys of the pencil skirt (or just a narrow straight skirt) has convinced me that stretch fabric is more than a cheap shortcut. It allows all the aesthetic and practical advantages of pencil/straight skirts while overcoming their chief drawback: excessively hobbling the wearer. (Not that hobbling isn't enjoyable sometimes, just not all the time.)

Now I have three pencil skirts in stretch fabrics. One I made and two I bought. The two I bought have an excessive amount of hip allowance (being made for women) but they look okay if I wear something that falls over the waistband rather than tucking under it. One of those two (the only black one) has become my daily go-to skirt, like 80% of the time. It remains to be seen if I will wear them in the summer, because pencil skirts are warmer than other skirts already, and stretch fabrics tend to be warmer too.
Daryl...
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Caultron
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Re: A pencil skirt

Post by Caultron »

Daryl wrote:...Lately I've come to appreciate stretch fabrics much more. I was kind of a purist before, regarding stretch fabrics as a kind of cheating; just a way to allow a poorly-fitted garment to fit anyway. Discovering the joys of the pencil skirt (or just a narrow straight skirt) has convinced me that stretch fabric is more than a cheap shortcut...
No doubt, Lycra and pencil skirts are a match made in heaven.

I especially like ponte, which is stiff enough to keep the whole rig smooth and under control.
Courage, conviction, nerve, verve, dash, panache, guts, nuts, balls, gall, élan, stones, whatever. Get some and get skirted.

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Tipsytim
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Re: A pencil skirt

Post by Tipsytim »

Hello everyone. I had to join this group to answer this point. Most women do not hide their upper manifestations of femininity. Quite a few even flaunt them. Some when go to the time, trouble, expense and even pain of enhancing them. Ever since Tudor times, men have hidden their lower manifestations of masculinity. Who is going to be the first to wear a pencil skirt with a codpiece attached. It may be the answer for those whose other halves complain that, when they see you in a skirt, they see a woman. Be a brave man to do it, but worth a try. Good Luck!
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Re: A pencil skirt

Post by Caultron »

Tipsytim wrote:Hello everyone. I had to join this group to answer this point...
Welcome, Tipsytin!
Please feel free to post a little information about yourself in the Introductions section, like your general place of residence, where and how long you've been wearing skirts, what kind you prefer, and any specific problems or successes you've encountered.

As to wearing a codpiece with a pencil skirt, I'll pass on that for now but if it works for you, go for it!
Courage, conviction, nerve, verve, dash, panache, guts, nuts, balls, gall, élan, stones, whatever. Get some and get skirted.

caultron
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