Can a skirt ever look masculine

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.
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GerdG
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Re: Can a skirt ever look masculine

Post by GerdG »

Kelly Rain,

your seven rules are the best I have ever seen! Spot on!
GerdG

There ARE viable alternatives to trousers.
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oldsalt1
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Re: Can a skirt ever look masculine

Post by oldsalt1 »

Sorry Kelly I have to agree with CR and Sinned on this one . Aside from the comfort issue we are changing our sartorial preferences to avoid the same boring limited choices we have been subjected to most of our lives. Your list while very helpful to someone making their first forays into the new world is just a slight revision to the same old thing. heavy black and dull
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Pdxfashionpioneer
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Re: Can a skirt ever look masculine

Post by Pdxfashionpioneer »

crfriend wrote:It's interesting reading all the proposed "rules" or "guidelines" for making a skirt look "masculine", but I feel that in doing so we're looking in the wrong place. What we're doing is willingly confining ourselves to what others deem "masculine", and that "box" has been being shrunk for decades to the point where it now fits like a coffin. Are we really interested in being defined by sombre colours, scratchy fabrics, and somebody else's whims?

To my mind, in addition to pushing back the boundaries of men's styles it's also about pushing hard and opening up the "box"


All of a sudden I'm finding this thread to be downright SCARY!

I mean, what's going on in this world when Carl and I agree on something!!

Bewaarrre!

And Kelly Rain check out my posts, especially those in Pics & Looks.
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Social norms aren't changed by Congress or Parliament; they're changed by a sufficient number of people ignoring the existing ones and publicly practicing new ones.
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crfriend
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Re: Can a skirt ever look masculine

Post by crfriend »

Pdxfashionpioneer wrote:I mean, what's going on in this world when Carl and I agree on something!!
OMG! The world is ending! We're all gonna DIE!!! :wink:

In all seriousness, one of the tenets I tend to hold true is that there is more that binds us together as people than what divides us -- and that we forget that at our peril Sure, disagreements happen from time to time, and it's our responsibility to manage them and behave civilly. Frequently, we need to do that in spite of where our modern "society" seems to be going.
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weeladdie18
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Re: Can a skirt ever look masculine

Post by weeladdie18 »

I feel the first aim of a Man in a Skirt is to wear a garment in which he feels safe.

I sometimes push my safe barriers to explore where I could be going with some of my more creative ideas....

If one explores both of these remits one can feel content with ones life style as a man in a skirt.....

We must remember that it has been agreed in the past that there are no definitive boundaries for the styles of a
man in a skirt, so how can any man be incorrect in the style of skirt he wears in his own region...?
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Re: Can a skirt ever look masculine

Post by dillon »

My short answer is “probably not.”

The longer explanation is that even though men and women have co-opted and borrowed each other’s fashions for quite some time now, I expect that the unbifurcated bottom will be the last piece of the wardrobe to find full acceptance, perhaps because those garments gird the most fundamentally different body regions distinguishing male and female. Aside from stiletto heel shoes, perhaps. Those may take longer to become accepted male attire than skirts and dresses.
As a matter of fact, the sun DOES shine out of my ...
weeladdie18
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Re: Can a skirt ever look masculine

Post by weeladdie18 »

The Male has a personal choice...he can either wear a skirt which makes him look masculine ...........

or he can wear a skirt which makes him look like a "Big Girl ".....The male wearer of the garment is the only person
who can make that final choice....The Male has to explore these issues...I am still not happy wearing a dress

However my complete skirt outfit is very finely tuned.....I have never been told that I look like a Big Girl
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crfriend
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Re: Can a skirt ever look masculine

Post by crfriend »

weeladdie18 wrote:The Male has a personal choice...he can either wear a skirt which makes him look masculine ...........
Precisely WHAT then defines "masculine"? What happens when that goalpost moves? Again.
However my complete skirt outfit is very finely tuned.....I have never been told that I look like a Big Girl
I've never been called a "big girl" either, but was called a "sexy b!tch" by another of the regulars at my local when she learnt about my petticoat. [0] It was all good fun, and I occasionally take a poke at her over the matter.

[0] She'd been asking about my long green plaid "walking skirt" as she was curious about the fabric. I told her to go ahead a get a feel of it, and when she exclaimed how heavy it was I explained that she likely got a handful of the heavy petticoat under it and showed her the hem by request. I don't believe she'd ever seen such a thing. (Yes, it was very cold that day.)
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Dust
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Re: Can a skirt ever look masculine

Post by Dust »

crfriend wrote:
weeladdie18 wrote:The Male has a personal choice...he can either wear a skirt which makes him look masculine ...........
Precisely WHAT then defines "masculine"? What happens when that goalpost moves? Again.
Hopefully, we can work to move that goalpost in the direction we want.
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Re: Can a skirt ever look masculine

Post by TheSkirtedMan »

It seems that some need their skirt appearance to be masculine, some question a feminine style, some insist on dull colours, some bright. In essence a man in a skirt is being labelled, styled and an expectation established.

I adhere to necessary labels only. i.e. skirt, trousers, shoe, boot etc as to in other areas of life. As to labels for clothing for men or women, is it masculine or feminine I don't. It is as with everything in life down to ones perception, preference and how one feels. If it is doing no physical harm to others then there is no problem. Each to their own. If a man wants to wear a skirt type garment via a kilt, so be it. If he only feels a man and masculinity via masculine style skirts so be it. If he wants to wear a long skirt, pleated, flowy etc, so be it. No one is perfect in the eyes of another in all aspects of life.

For me, I am a man, I have no question or doubt. I do not like dull colours or restrictions of choice just because it has to be manly. I prefer character, personality and colour and society labelled male clothing only partially does that for me. I am not ashamed to admit that I openly invade the society labelled female clothing wardrobe as it gives me a vast and varied range of character, personality and colour. Mine are mostly A-line but I have some flowy ones to. They are all calf length or longer, none at the knee or above. I tend to wear non flowery patterns but that is my choice. To some, even many, I may not appear masculine but that is irrelevant. Remember no one is perfect in the eyes of another. Your personality defines you, your biological sex too, not what you wear.

I ran a garden business before retiring to one day a week, I fell walk very frequently, active in 4 clubs as well as own walks. These are hilly, mountainous, up to 15 and 20 miles carrying a back pack. I have another serious hobby of DIY, in fact best described as amateur builder where I do all aspects of this work except plaster, often struggle on my own only getting outside help when the task absolutely dictates it. I crawl around in lofts, small spaces doing electrics and plumbing. Where practical alot of my DIY work and some of our private walking is skirted. Do I feel masculine, yes, without question. Do I appear masculine that is down to ones perception. For me I appear as me, my character, my personality. I am currently putting in numerous Cat6 network cables to provide each room with hard wired access as well as maximum strength WiFi all terminating in a Comms Cabinet with 2 16 port switches. Stone built house, three thick gabels, walls metre thick plays havoc with WiFi. Is this masculine for society of feminine? Does it matter, any one has the opportunity if they wish. I have just completed lighting and wiring cirucits in a large 30 ft by 20 ft shed. Masculine or Feminine? I wear a skirt often, trousers occassionally, masculine or Feminine? Does it matter, its a label only.

Many in our conservative rural area know I wear society labelled female clothing. Some avoid me, but then some did in male society labelled clothing. Game keepers, farmers, builders etc wave, stop, talk when out an about. This is greatly helped by attitude, a point mentioned in this thread. I have friends who interact with me, go out with me socially and they are not bothered. No one makes a statement about masculine of feminine with appearance. Perhaps privately by some passers by but then those passers by are not part of your life so their observation of masculine or feminie is irrelevant. I volunteer in my prefered clothing choice, 3 years at a National Trust Property, and since last October at a private Hall and discussions on my appearance of masculine of feminine is never raised with those I interact with and those we maintain social contact with. Do other volunteers ask the question about my appearance, perhaps so, but then they are not part of my life. As with any groups of humans some like me, some don't. Is it my clothing choice or somethibg else - it is both.

At the end of the day many humans need to live by labels, expectations and stereotypes. Many thankfully are not bound by complying exactly. What ever one chooses is good for them, it is what they want to do. So can a skirt ever appear masculine? Why, does it matter. It is a skirt and not trosuers, that is the only label one needs to identify to.
Last edited by TheSkirtedMan on Tue Feb 12, 2019 8:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
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skirtyscot
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Re: Can a skirt ever look masculine

Post by skirtyscot »

A fine answer!
Keep on skirting,

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Re: Can a skirt ever look masculine

Post by weeladdie18 »

Dust wrote:
crfriend wrote:
weeladdie18 wrote:The Male has a personal choice...he can either wear a skirt which makes him look masculine ...........
Precisely WHAT then defines "masculine"? What happens when that goalpost moves? Again.
Hopefully, we can work to move that goalpost in the direction we want.
If I consider myself to be classed as a Man in a Skirt.... it has already been agreed that we Individually make
our own personal guidelines....for example ....I am now quite happy and content in my range of below the knee summer skirts
with elasticated waist bands.....I find there are some patterns and colours of these skirts which are too female
for me to initially wear .......as I am accepted as a Male in this type of skirt I can now move the goalposts
as I am accepted in this style of skirt......

In the real World I am either a Man in a Summer Skirt or a Man in a completely different style of skirt.
I consider I would be more noticeable if suddenly chose to wear a completely different style of skirt

This different style of skirt would be likely to attract some curiousity from those in my community
who are used to only seeing a Male in his normally acceptable Styles of Skirt
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BouffantBelle
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Re: Can a skirt ever look masculine

Post by BouffantBelle »

Not mine. Mine are about as feminine as it gets. :lol:

Since women have all but forsaken them for - what? Miner's work duds, no less - I consider it my divine mission to rescue these elegant garments from extinction by creating a safe haven for them in my closet. Gotta be done, i'm afraid. :)
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JeffB1959
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Re: Can a skirt ever look masculine

Post by JeffB1959 »

Speaking just for myself, I have ZERO desire to have my skirts look masculine. All of mine are as feminine looking as they get: prints, patterns, bright colors, long and flowing styles, none of which smacks of masculinity, and that’s good enough for me. Because I wear women’s tops and shoes with said skirts, I see no reason to deviate from that theme, that makes me happy.
I don't want to LOOK like a woman, I just want to DRESS like a woman.
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BouffantBelle
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Re: Can a skirt ever look masculine

Post by BouffantBelle »

JeffB1959 wrote: Mon Jun 05, 2023 12:14 pm Speaking just for myself, I have ZERO desire to have my skirts look masculine. All of mine are as feminine looking as they get: prints, patterns, bright colors, long and flowing styles, none of which smacks of masculinity, and that’s good enough for me. Because I wear women’s tops and shoes with said skirts, I see no reason to deviate from that theme, that makes me happy.
Whew! That's a relief to read. I was beginning to think I might have wandered into the wrong place and bared my soul for naught! :oops:

It really is interesting to read about all the different preferences and motivations here though. My tastes won't be everyone's cup of tea, but no sense in joining a community like this if i'm not gonna lay it all out there. :wink:
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