early 20th century parallels?

[AMM]

Don,
Can you describe or show us some photos of your idea of a skirt made for men?

Sure!!!...
<snip>
... so the colors and fabric choices for a men's skirt reflect those generally available for mens pants. Subtle earth-tones, rich fabrics, Etc. are the order of the day. I'm not sure about prints, but butterflies and birds and flowers are out. If a men's skirt must be a print, make it Budweiser, Jack Daniels, and NFL logos.

There are a couple of things on womens skirts that are clearly quite femme, and I'm curious how they would translate to a mens skirt. One of these is a gold chain instead of a belt (which would very probably work). I find hip-high, panty-peekaboo vents and slits to be OUTRAGEOUSLY SEXY, but they would almost certainly NOT work on a mens skirt....

Don --

I'm curious to see what you think of my skirts (see my section in Pics and Looks).

Virtually all are skirts I've made for myself, so they have pockets, belt or elastic waist, and fit my shape ("I'm in shape: round is a shape!") But my skirts, at least the ones for dancing, are far more "femme" than most of the guys here go for. I would consider trying the "flash what you've got" look, except that I'm not exactly the ideal shape, and also because exhibitionism carries a different message when done by men.

[SkirtedViking]

I have to disagree,parents influence children no matter the age and the school.And kids in school have their families which generally share the notion that males should be limited in self-expression while girls do not. The reason they give is that this is the NORMAL thing. Maybe in puberty some children start to revolt and not before that. I am not blaming women, try to realize what I said. Women are not bound to the female version of masculinity (they can exist without public scorn and not being feminine at the same time). I am using those categories (masculine and feminine) just to denote public conceptions.I am not a "feminine" fetishist or whatever.I have beard, very manly haircut and muscular body and I like who I am - a freestyler. I have female supporters, (just a few, probably because I do not know so many women after all) and they agree about the imprinting of the views by the mother, only MALES refuse to see it that way because are too proud to admit that they are being controlled by someone that is weaker (female) in their minds. Some women also claim that skirts are just for women and they can wear whatever they want because they deserve it and are better than males.They do their upmost to keep the macho alive in their male halves - a limitted person is very predictable... If all mothers start to teach that boy in a skirt is not GAY, shameful and etc.(as girl in trousers, playing football and so on is not lesbian or whatever as a public notion) the grownup men would not be afraid of "women's" stuff. People in my country see man and skirts only as gay connection - even the kilt culture is not popular. Most males that I know claim that trousers are more comfortable than skirts (I told them to compare it with wearing a towel) - my male friends consider me masculinist and probably weirdo for having views that they cannot comprehend due to the macho wash-up.

[crfriend]

With apologies to Don, I am going to quote out-of-order here.

The upshot of all of this is that "skirtsmanship" is a VERY SUBTLE art! Do it skillfully, and you will have a HUGE and POSITIVE impact. Do it poorly, and you're gonna look stupid! [...]

This is almost axiomatic, and something that I suspect that most -- if not all -- of us here understand at a gut level. If we're to wear these sorts of garments out and about in public -- effectively poking a stick in society's notion of "menswear" -- then we need to make it look believeable and we need to make it look good. This involves numerous facets among which are that (1) few of us share the same "body type", (2) it's unlikely that we all have the same complexions, (3) we probably don't share the same sense of personal aesthetic, and (4) we likely don't all see eye-to-eye on what sorts of "accessories" work or not. It's a bit of a free-for-all at the moment, and I'll posit that that is a good thing.

One thing I feel very strongly about is that I do NOT want to see skirt-rigs -- if they ever are accepted in the mainstream -- become as tightly constrained as the "penguin suit". That would subvert the whole notion and relegate it to meaningless. The notion needs to retain some "edge" to it if it's to thrive.

[...] design constraints imposed by nature...

There's the obvious hip-waist-length ratios that are different for men and women. A woman's body is shaped like an hourglass, so she has those beautiful flairing hips which make a perfect mounting platform for a wide variety of skirts. A man's body is shaped like a triangle, broadest at the shoulders and narrowest at the ankles, i.e. no mounting platform! [...]

This varies from individual to individual, and the current "fashion trend" for women to be emaciated waifs with boy-like "curves" can work quite well to our (men's) advantage, meaning that we can find stuff -- especially in the juniors' section for those with slender builds -- that can work stunningly well. I absolutely concur that few sights can compare with a classic hourglass figure as a "platform" for showing off a skirted rig, but that's not where the current batch of designers want to peg things.

Chaps with "keg abs" (I'm on my way there as I age) will likely need "support infrastructure" for holding a skirt up just as they do for trousers -- and either belts or braces (suspenders) work quite well in that regard. It'll be the younger set, or those with blast-furnace metabolisms, that can pull off "unsupported" looks.

Some men are reluctant to use handbags, so some kind of pockets would have to be provided. With a woman's skirt, this is more of an option.

Pockets on a skirt for me have always been optional, although welcome. I just have to take into account whether whatever skirt I'm contemplating has pockets before I decide on the rest of the rig. If I'm going to be wearing a jacket, then skirt-pockets are absolutely a non-issue as I'll have adequate pocket-space "up top". If I'm not going to be wearing a jacket, then I need to provide space, and that's usually in my shirt-pocket (for my wallet) which then pretty much mandates a waistcoat.

"Travelling light" (reducing the amount of cruft in one's wallet) goes a long way in helping find "alternate carrying spots" for the essentials. I've carried a bag on a few occasions, but find that I have a hard time keeping proper track of it if I put it down; this is a behavioural issue, and one that I suspect would auto-correct itself if I carried one more often.

Subtle earth-tones, rich fabrics, Etc. are the order of the day. I'm not sure about prints, but butterflies and birds and flowers are out.

I believe that this has more to do with colour and tone rather than any sort of pattern or print. I have a skirt that I'm quite enamoured of that's a floral -- but it's a subdued floral in dark reds, purples, and beiges, on a black background. It works amazingly well with a dress shirt that picks up the colours in the skirt. I've also got a couple of jewel-tone velvet skirts ("rich fabrics") that can work incredibly well depending on what I wear with them.

What about length? I wear shorts all summer, but not anywhere to which I want to be anything other that fully casual.

I completely agree that short skirts -- like shorts -- are meant for casual moments. I'm willing to let the gals wear short stuff any time they see fit (the "A dirty mind is a joy forever" dictum) but it's not something I would do. For professional attire, I prefer calf-length or longer, and wear such rigs frequently to work. I am not about to wear any of my minis to work!

The shaving of legs is absolutely a personal-preference option. I've been shaving mine since well before I started wearing skirts, but that's because I don't seem to be able to grow a proper pelt -- what I grow is patchy and looks like the moths have been at it. Legwear is certainly an option, and it's not as bad as folks make it out to be.

It would seem to me that a men's skirt would have to be compatible with that plumbing, and here we're talking something like a zipper fly!

At the risk of providing "too much information", I find this argument to be a non-starter save for very form-fitting skirts. Personally, I have no problem whatsoever in walking up to a urinal, deftly lifting the front of my skirt (and stuff underneath), adjusting other bits, doing my business, and letting it all down again. The view from astern shows precisely nothing more than if the entire skirt was at rest. This tactic, of course, won't work with "narrow hem" skirts, but for wide ones it works quite well. (One learns with time how to deal with assorted undergarments in use.)

There are a couple of things on womens skirts that are clearly quite femme, and I'm curious how they would translate to a mens skirt. One of these is a gold chain instead of a belt (which would very probably work).

The chain would very likely work well depending on the link structure. How about a scarf tied about the waist through the belt-loops? I've thought of trying that on myself a few times. (There was that time I managed to forget to put on a belt one morning and would up tying a length of Cat-5 cable around my waist....)

On "daring slits" and other reveals -- these can be devastatingly sexy, but I suspect one needs to judge one's audience and one's surroundings rather carefully. I don't know how well they'd work on the typical male physique. That said, it might be a workable look for the "more physically fit" of us.

[Kilted Musician]

Actually I had the chance to use a similar line. In my case it was a 40 something lady at Bingo asking me why was I wearing a skirt. I responded with, "You can wear a skirt whenever you please, why shouldn't I be allowed to??? " To which she responded, "Because WE are better than you are and WE SHOULD have more choices than men have, Men are only here to serve us!"...

Did she say this in a joking kinda way or was she real serious? Assuming she was serious about it, I can't believe that anyone would actually say something like that.

--Rick

[Since1982]

She was middle aged, not old, only about 40 or so. Older women, in my experience are more superior minded and more likely to argue if they are not from this area...Whereas younger woman just out of "girlhood" and living with the parents are more laid back. For instance, if her father was a wife beater, she'd probably feel more of a Man hater than her mother did..

[Different_Trains]

Outrageous! If a man said that to a woman, he'd be frowned apon as a sexist, but for a women to say it to a man is fine?

That sums up the sexism of society and why we can't wear skirts!!

[zizkov]

Picking up on a few things. In the Czech Republic a handbag is usual for a man and less usual for a woman, they tend to have large shoulder bags. From that influence and the large range available I have used a handbag for 10 years now (In the early days the bag did get left but now it is second nature to pick it up)
That meant I could change the design of my clothing; all my trousers have no pockets and all my jackets only a token pocket. This gives a better line to the garments combined with the elimination of the flies, Oddly the skirt I had on today has pockets and a perfectly useable fly!
Paradoxically wearing skirts has become an exercise in less flamboyant clothes. The difference between male and female clothing fit can be overstated. I can get well fitting female attire easily, my wife with an hour glass figure finds it difficult. If female or male are outside of the mass-market norm in body type they have equal problems.

[cavincosters]

According to my knowledge the entry of the parallels in early years of the 20th century.It sets a trend and proved to be sucessfull for so long .It is one of the best and most preferred outfit pattern for men.

[Since1982]

Zizkov said: Oddly the skirt I had on today has pockets and a perfectly useable fly!

Question, does anyone have any idea why the zippered or buttoned opening in front of a man's garment is called the same thing as one of the most disease ridden/carrying living creatures on the planet?? I've always wondered about that, We could probably think of at least a million better names for a garment "port" to be used for privately used "been through the horse" liquid eradication than a "fly".

[JohnH]

I have a way of looking at old threads and responding to interesting comments..

There's the obvious hip-waist-length ratios that are different for men and women. A woman's body is shaped like an hourglass, so she has those beautiful flairing hips which make a perfect mounting platform for a wide variety of skirts. A man's body is shaped like a triangle, broadest at the shoulders and narrowest at the ankles, i.e. no mounting platform! Accordingly, the mounting systems now used in men's pants - belt loops, suspenders, Etc. - will have to be included on the men's skirt.

There are variations between individuals in the hip-waist ratios even among men. I have a 38 inch waist and 45 inch hips so there is no problem with the "mounting platform" for me. When I was young I had to get pants with a wider waist than what was necessary for my waist so that the pants would be able to go over my hips. Hence I can wear women's skirts without any alteration in the profile.

In my neighborhood there are two narrow-minded men who vehemently assert that men should not wear skirts. One, whom I thought was a friend came out of his garage and threatened me with bodily harm after I walked on his driveway and greeted him while I was wearing a skirt. Mind you, I did not go into the garage and I told him that I was going to leave immediately. He disturbed the peace so much that someone on the neighborhood called the police and a squad car showed up shortly after I was gone.

Actually I had the chance to use a similar line. In my case it was a 40 something lady at Bingo asking me why was I wearing a skirt. I responded with, "You can wear a skirt whenever you please, why shouldn't I be allowed to??? " To which she responded, "Because WE are better than you are and WE SHOULD have more choices than men have, Men are only here to serve us!"...I couldn't think of a thing to say in a room full of women. I mumbled a bit and left...happily Bingo was over for the night.

I have had to deal with narrow-minded individuals in my neighborhood as describe above, and this woman was just another narrow-minded individual to be confronted. I don't think I would have mumbled and meekly left. I would have gotten into a vigorous argument with her and remind her of what happened in the early 20th century with women wearing pants. If a man said that to a woman there would justifiably be fireworks.

[Since1982]

I didn't want to get banned from Bingo. Most of the Bingo workers are women. The "caller", a man, takes orders from the woman in charge and I don't want a rep as an argumentative person as well as a skirted man. I like going to Bingo, I have no relatives and Bingo is one of my few enjoyments that DOESN'T occur on the computer.