Miniskirts

[crfriend]

Caution, a bit of a rant follows.

I've been trying to explore the "above the knee" region for some time now and I find it's as full of mines as anybody will find in assorted hotspots the world over with something just underfoot waiting to go "boom" when you step on it.

And so it came to pass that I figured I'd give the "above the knee" realm a go this afternoon, especially as it's been about 30 degrees (C) for several days and I want a break. I got laughter instead. From Sapphire. I'm used to this, so it didn't scar me any, it just stung a bit.

Now, I'm a reasonably balanced bloke, my legs are roughly as long as my torso, and, like most guys, I'm reasonably well built up top -- and no matter what I seem to try I look positively daft in anything that could be classified as a mini. This is in very stark contrast to some of the guys here who carry minis incredibly well. What gives?! Is there some sort of mystical method to "get it right" or is it just down to dumb luck to inherit the right genes to "allow" one to wear short skirts? Am I doomed to be constrained to knee-length and down?

ARRGH!!!!

[DenIM]

Doesn’t this sum up the whole perplexing issue of men wearing skirts in general?
A skirt is oft seen as entirely a feminine garment and it’s my perception that
people don’t want to see men becoming feminine, although it seems quite socially
acceptable for women to become more masculine; hence the walls and barriers that
a lot of men have against going out in public and surely you can’t get a more feminine
garment than a mini skirt? I too have what I call a mini skirt, 15” and I don’t even wear it around my family,
let alone out and about! In many societies a man seen wearing a skirt
draws enough attention without the wearer seemingly highlighting the fact
by going extra short. The reaction you received from Sapphire suggests that
it is a look on you too far and I am concerned that my rant is going against the grain of
the positive attitudes that I read on this site. After all don’t we agree ‘you only live once, live to the max?’
So It’s up to you.

By the way I’ve been watching the American golf on telly and
I noticed that all the male spectators and Caddies wear knee length shorts and
there are times when they stand in a certain position or the camera is at a certain angle
that they appear to be wearing knee-length skirts!!

[couyalair]

Perhaps, if you'd given us a pictorial sample of yourself in the shorter skirt, we might have found a thousand reasons why it looked so bad -- or perhaps 1001 reasons why it looked perfectly acceptable.
For once, we might have disagreed with Saphire.
Martin

[Milfmog]

I can't help wondering whether part of the reaction was due to the severity of the change from Carl's usual very long lengths to the mini. It may well be a case of Sapphire, who, (obviously) is very used to Carl's usual looks finding the sudden change amusing in ways that others less used to the long skirts would not. It's not just beauty that is in the eye of the beholder, humour can also be very personal.

Have fun,


Ian.

[Kilted_John]

I think Ian's on to something. Was about to say the same thing. When you're used to seeing someone wear calf-length to floor length skirts, and they switch to something that's well above the knee, it's going to look strange. Guess that's why I tend to stick with knee-length or slightly above-knee skirts. They're short enough to be cool in the summer with lightweight legwear (since I have gout, I find that I have to wear trouser socks all the time for relief, sometimes with regular socks over them, sometimes without), but long enough that, if I throw on some heavy wool socks, they're comfortable when the temps drop below freezing.

-J

[skirtingtoday]

On mini-skirts, if you consider which women suit them better than others, I think most of you would agree that slimmer women look much better in short skirts and minis than larger/heavier (dare I say fatter?) women.

Another factor is likely to be leg girth. In my opinion, slimmer legs look best and larger thighs are not a good look with short skirts. However, dark coloured tights help a lot here to improve that look as it diffuses the border between the skirt hem and top of leg blending them both together.

Also age will come into it, the older the lady, the longer the skirt – usually. However, I do recall Elizabeth Taylor bucking this trend well past the “age of innocence” and still sported the shortest skirts for many many years (and still looked good! Ny opinion) but the media were horrified and slated her choice of clothes saying they were only suitable for a teenager and not for when she was the age of their granny!

Is this the same for men? I think it is up to a point but I am not sure it is as simple as that. Certainly larger men look better (great!) in longer skirts, and average to slim built men look better in shorter ones. For the average build guy, some will look better in longer lengths and others in shorter ones, but why is this? Probably a combination of all of the above and more besides. The white pasty knees visible for the first time might also be a factor!

For some who wear long outfits all the time, the change to something shorter will be quite a surprise and could cause spontaneous laughter but the other person will also have to consider their partners well-being especially in hot temperatures. If they wore shorts the same length as the skirt, would that also have provoked the laughter. I wonder?

(ps I like miniskirts - see Pics and Looks - and have no problem wearing them outside. I did do the "How fat are you" test on the BBC recently and noted that my BMI was 23 - and I think it turns out that 93% of men had a higher value than that so I must rank myself as one of the "slim" ones - fortunate for me. Perhaps we should start a thread of BMI v's Skirt length?)

[couyalair]

Even if my BMI would class me among those able to wear minis, my own feelings tell me that my IMB factor make longer skirts more suitable.
(IMB = Incremental Measure since Birth -- counted in years)

However, although my IMB will continue increasing, my skirt length will not, as I do not like anything that tickles the back of my legs from knee down. I used to wear jellabas (Moroccan ankle-length robes) but never really found them convenient for walking, for winter wear, I'll stay with woolen kilts and long woolen socks.

Martin