Can skirts coexist with a belly?

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.
Brad
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 246
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2012 11:54 pm
Location: Rockland County, New York, USA

Can skirts coexist with a belly?

Post by Brad »

I need assistance with a typical male dilemma. It seems that when I put on a denim skirt, the skirt gets into a conflict with my belly. The front of the skirt ends up much lower than the back which is not attractive and tends to accentuate my belly even more than it already is. Also, the skirt doesn't hang right- it seems to bow forward in the front. I tried wearing the skirt higher up more like a woman would but that does not look attractive either. We don't have narrow waists as a woman does. And usually I'm not sure where the top of a skirt is supposed to be anyway. Do we wear them like pants? I'm not sure. I've looked at women with bellies wearing skirts to see how they do it and what the result is. It seems that they have the same issues I do. I've tried wearing shirts untucked with skirts and although it hides the belly, I still get the front-bowing effect. So what to do? Any ideas? Note- please don't tell me to watch my diet or workout more. Those are not the answers I am seeking. I already do both anyway. My doctor tells me my body type is primarily due to heredity and cannot be significantly changed. So any ideas?
STEVIE
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 4187
Joined: Fri Sep 17, 2010 11:01 pm
Location: North East Scotland.

Re: Can skirts coexist with a belly?

Post by STEVIE »

Hi Brad,
How about trying braces or in your parlance, suspenders?
The skirt would then suspend from your shoulders like a dress. Adjust them accordingly and frony and rear will balance.
From stuff that I have seen online you will likely have access to a far wider range too.
Worth a try and less hassle than the other stuff.
Steve.
To answer the original question, yes they can and do, 24/7!
Brad
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 246
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2012 11:54 pm
Location: Rockland County, New York, USA

Re: Can skirts coexist with a belly?

Post by Brad »

That's a great idea Stevie.
User avatar
beachlion
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 1627
Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2013 3:15 am
Location: 65 year The Hague, The Netherlands, then Allentown, PA, USA

Re: Can skirts coexist with a belly?

Post by beachlion »

I have something quite similar. I make my own skirts and normally they hang from my hips like jeans. Then the front is lower than the back and it brings some strange creases in the front. I changed the way I put the waistband on. I made it wider and shorter in length. I took about an inch off and now it sits higher, like it is with kilts. The skirt is more balanced now.
All progress takes place outside the comfort zone - M J Bobak
User avatar
crfriend
Master Barista
Posts: 14431
Joined: Fri Nov 19, 2004 9:52 pm
Location: New England (U.S.)
Contact:

Re: Can skirts coexist with a belly?

Post by crfriend »

beachlion wrote:I changed the way I put the waistband on. I made it wider and shorter in length. I took about an inch off and now it sits higher, like it is with kilts. The skirt is more balanced now.
I believe this is what the Utilikilts company calls the "beer-gut cut". It's certainly one way out of the morass. I rather like the notion of braces, though.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
User avatar
skirtyscot
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 3448
Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2011 10:44 pm
Location: West Kilbride, Ayrshire, Scotland
Contact:

Re: Can skirts coexist with a belly?

Post by skirtyscot »

Well, Brad, we'd need to know just how much of a belly you have, and what shape it is. My wife is not as thin as she would like to be, she has a belly, but her skirts stay in the right place. Maybe the difference is due to the difference in where men and women store body fat. Maybe you just need to go up a size.

Re your body type and heredity: you got your genes from your ancestors. How many of your 24 great grandparents and great great grandparents were overweight? Probably not many. Somehow those same genes didn't make them fat. Maybe the answers which you don't want have some truth in them. :hide:
Keep on skirting,

Alastair
User avatar
denimini
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 3224
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2015 2:50 am
Location: Outback Australia

Re: Can skirts coexist with a belly?

Post by denimini »

Underbelly: Just put your skirt on like you would your pants; the hem will be a bit lower at the front but that is not a bad thing for a man wearing a skirt.
Sometimes I wear the shirt out but most are too long for that with a mini skirt, so I tuck the shirt in loosely so it doesn't pull tight against my belly.
If I wear the skirt higher, it will hang off my belly like an awning or pelmut, well away from my legs: a look I don't like.
I tried braces but unlike pants there is nothing to stop a skirt riding up too high, particularly a short skirt when bending. Also you can't tuck your shirt in unless you like the exposed braces look.
Anthony, a denim miniskirt wearer in Outback Australia
User avatar
r.m.anderson
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 2601
Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 6:25 pm
Location: Burnsville MN USA

Re: Can skirts coexist with a belly?

Post by r.m.anderson »

Two things to note:

One - an elastic waist band while great should be snug to hang in place - too loose and the skirt and gravity will seek its own level
at least down to the hips - hopefully ones hips will control the situation before exposed any further.

Two - like the elastic waist the fitted exact waist skirt - closing with a zipper or button panel also needs to be snug.
In both of these cases a belt could make a difference in keeping the skirt in place.

Thinking along the line of braces (suspenders) a novel approach would be to adopt the top half of lederhosen - the skirt being
held in place by the over the shoulder harness (not suitable for all designs of skirts - leather denim ok - pencil skirts no).
With this application no snugness would be required at the waist and the belly bulge would be less apt to be noticed.
"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 !
weeladdie18
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 1474
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2018 3:17 pm

Re: Can skirts coexist with a belly?

Post by weeladdie18 »

I find that an adjustable male belt in waist belt loops is a useful safety precaution as it holds the skirt at the true height
of the male waist....the indentation is there; between the rib cage and the hip bone...........
User avatar
Sinned
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 5804
Joined: Sun Aug 19, 2012 5:28 pm
Location: York, England

Re: Can skirts coexist with a belly?

Post by Sinned »

Well, Brad, thinking outside the box as we on this site are want to do. Have you tried a dress. No hanging the garment from the waist ( or lack of it ) but from the shoulders and the belly getting in the way. Try a shirt dress or a shift dress - something plain, at the start. Sleeveless may be a good idea and you could wear a shirt underneath the shift dress. You'd need a bigger size and to be careful about sizing as dress sizing is not just a black art, there just aren't any rules or standards. I think that bigger women get over the belly issue that way. Just sayin'.
I believe in offering every assistance short of actual help but then mainly just want to be left to be myself in all my difference and uniqueness.
lazerr
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 224
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2018 3:40 pm
Location: Central Massachusetts

Re: Can skirts coexist with a belly?

Post by lazerr »

I've found that the elastic belt made by "Tights Up" is perfect.

It is thin and grips without a belt loop. I use it on pretty much every skirt and it works for me at belly level. It also comes in multi colors.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010N ... =UTF8&th=1
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
Caultron
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 4122
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2013 4:12 am
Location: Phoenix, AZ

Re: Can skirts coexist with a belly?

Post by Caultron »

Brad wrote:I need assistance with a typical male dilemma. It seems that when I put on a denim skirt, the skirt gets into a conflict with my belly. The front of the skirt ends up much lower than the back which is not attractive and tends to accentuate my belly even more than it already is. Also, the skirt doesn't hang right- it seems to bow forward in the front...
First, wear a high-wasted skirt with enough lycra to keep it up and enough length to end where you want.

Then, don't tuck in your top.
Courage, conviction, nerve, verve, dash, panache, guts, nuts, balls, gall, élan, stones, whatever. Get some and get skirted.

caultron
Brad
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 246
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2012 11:54 pm
Location: Rockland County, New York, USA

Re: Can skirts coexist with a belly?

Post by Brad »

There are some good suggestions here. I will look into the elastic belt. Sinned suggested wearing a dress. I've always felt that dresses don't hang well on straight male bodies. However, it may be worth trying anyway to see if it works for me.
User avatar
Fred in Skirts
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 3988
Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2016 6:48 pm
Location: Southeast Corner of Aiken County, SC USA

Re: Can skirts coexist with a belly?

Post by Fred in Skirts »

Brad wrote:There are some good suggestions here. I will look into the elastic belt. Sinned suggested wearing a dress. I've always felt that dresses don't hang well on straight male bodies. However, it may be worth trying anyway to see if it works for me.
I find that "T" shirt dresses work great for the straight male body. Since they are designed to hang straight anyway. I also check to see if the dresses have any darts designed to accommodate the female thingies on the front that most men don't have.
I have about 12 dresses and wear them almost as much as my skirts. Right now I am wearing a "T" shirt dress that comes just below the knees and has a crew neck. I some times use a belt to add some dimension to the look.

Fred
"It is better to be hated for what you are than be loved for what you are not" Andre Gide: 1869 - 1951
Always be yourself because the people that matter don’t mind and the ones that mind don’t matter.
User avatar
moonshadow
Member Extraordinaire
Posts: 6994
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2015 1:58 am
Location: Warm Beach, Washington
Contact:

Re: Can skirts coexist with a belly?

Post by moonshadow »

To echo was skirtyscot said, to determine something that might work, we need to know how big a belly we're dealing with. Just a "pouch" or a total sphere. I've seen some guys with a waist just as round as they are high.

If it's the former, then you're in my neighborhood. I wear all of my skirts above the navel and often just leave the shirt untucked. Since most if my shirts are "ladies" they stop right around my waist anyway.

If it's the latter, then jumper dresses might be your ticket.

Observe women with similar builds to your own. What kind of skirts and dresses do they wear?
-Andrea
The old hillbilly from the coal fields of the Appalachian mountains currently living like there's no tomorrow on the west coast.
Post Reply