Icon-Icon: The men’s fashion trends for spring-summer 2023

[Coder]

https://www.icon-icon.com/the-mens-fash ... mmer-2023/

Trends are changing, but the most global trend for 2023 will remain the quest for comfort. Wide cuts and
unexpected use for classic models will be frequent (for example, vests used instead of tops). There will
also be even fewer differences between men’s and women’s clothes as gender-neutral styles pick
up steam. Thus, shorts become shorter, the variety of skirts for men enriches, and accessories
traditionally assumed as womanly appear in men’s disposition.

Well, If they say so

[STEVIE]

Well, If they say so

"Even a stopped clock is right twice a day"
How often have we heard that "next" year will be the one for Men in Skirts?
I lost count emmmmmmmmmmmmm!
Steve.

[ScotL]

https://www.icon-icon.com/the-mens-fash ... mmer-2023/

Trends are changing, but the most global trend for 2023 will remain the quest for comfort. Wide cuts and
unexpected use for classic models will be frequent (for example, vests used instead of tops). There will
also be even fewer differences between men’s and women’s clothes as gender-neutral styles pick
up steam. Thus, shorts become shorter, the variety of skirts for men enriches, and accessories
traditionally assumed as womanly appear in men’s disposition.

Well, If they say so

Excellent find Coder, you have a knack for finding these. Being a computer guy, can you do a search for how many MIS articles there are a month or year? It seems in the last two years there’s been an uptick? I know on social media the number of hashtags for men in skirts has skyrocketed. For whatever that’s worth

[Coder]

Excellent find Coder, you have a knack for finding these. Being a computer guy, can you do a search for how many MIS articles there are a month or year? It seems in the last two years there’s been an uptick? I know on social media the number of hashtags for men in skirts has skyrocketed. For whatever that’s worth

Ugh, I lost my somewhat lengthy response... basically:

1) It's not automate-able because there are so few (quality) articles - plus there would be duplicates due to press releases (ie, Virgin Atlantic). One could automate the collection of articles - but they still need to be manually reviewed.

2) There needs to be some quality control - Icon-Icon almost didn't make the cut only because I'm a bit skeptical it's much of a news agency

3) I don't think a count is going to tell the story of the rise in popularity of MIS. Rather, it's seeing other guys out there in skirts, wearing them ourselves, and retailers adding them as options for men.

I post articles here to gin up discussion. I think there's only so many times we can debate kilt-vs-skirt, legwear, shoes, etc... and it's very hard to escape our own bias and thought processes. Reading - and reacting - to third-party takes on MIS seems beneficial - and it also helps catalog that this isn't as fringe as it feels. There are guys out there wearing skirts, there are retailers selling them - we are not alone... but the guys out there that just wear what they want don't need - for whatever reason - a greater community around MIS. I can tell you, if I wasn't afraid in the past to wear skirts in public, I'd never have bothered with a MIS forum. I still need the community but the crutch is less. Plus the random discussions are interesting, as are the other viewpoints, tips, tricks, and personalities.

[ScotL]

Excellent find Coder, you have a knack for finding these. Being a computer guy, can you do a search for how many MIS articles there are a month or year? It seems in the last two years there’s been an uptick? I know on social media the number of hashtags for men in skirts has skyrocketed. For whatever that’s worth

Ugh, I lost my somewhat lengthy response... basically:

1) It's not automate-able because there are so few (quality) articles - plus there would be duplicates due to press releases (ie, Virgin Atlantic). One could automate the collection of articles - but they still need to be manually reviewed.

2) There needs to be some quality control - Icon-Icon almost didn't make the cut only because I'm a bit skeptical it's much of a news agency

3) I don't think a count is going to tell the story of the rise in popularity of MIS. Rather, it's seeing other guys out there in skirts, wearing them ourselves, and retailers adding them as options for men.

I post articles here to gin up discussion. I think there's only so many times we can debate kilt-vs-skirt, legwear, shoes, etc... and it's very hard to escape our own bias and thought processes. Reading - and reacting - to third-party takes on MIS seems beneficial - and it also helps catalog that this isn't as fringe as it feels. There are guys out there wearing skirts, there are retailers selling them - we are not alone... but the guys out there that just wear what they want don't need - for whatever reason - a greater community around MIS. I can tell you, if I wasn't afraid in the past to wear skirts in public, I'd never have bothered with a MIS forum. I still need the community but the crutch is less. Plus the random discussions are interesting, as are the other viewpoints, tips, tricks, and personalities.

Thanks for the lengthy explanation Coder! I was just curious. Instagram had this thing about the number of tags for menu skirts and other monikers and it was high. In my own world, I go to this website called PubMed where all my geeky science is stored and you can get a listing of the topics published by month/year. Just thought there may be something similar.

I love that you post these articles because you’re right. We aren’t alone. Large corporations like Adidas are selling mens skirts and we all need a little help from a friend from time to time. Even though we know the sky won’t fall if we wear one, it’s just nice to be able to chat about it.

Between you and a few others, I’ve learned a lot about picking tips and shoes for the skirt to “butch it up” so to speak.

[Ray]

Since I joined this café in 1997, the world for men in skirts has changed a lot. While going from 0.01 to 0.5 is a lot, it’s still peripheral. There have been skirts for men in the past (1999-2001 saw a few wrap skirts) but nothing like now. You have a considerable number of influencers, and the result is - from my experience - a marked change in attitudes. Even in my generation, far more women are accepting of men in skirts, and a wider number of men are no longer rejecting it outright.

There is a long long way to go, and for me, we won’t get there until we either de-gender the garment, or truly view the sexes as equal.

Still, I am encouraged. In 1997 I couldn’t wear skirts at all. Now I can wear them with friends and family, even if my forays out in public are rare. That’s a real change for me, and I think, reflective of wider change.

I still have hope.

[moonshadow]

Still, I am encouraged. In 1997 I couldn’t wear skirts at all. Now I can wear them with friends and family, even if my forays out in public are rare. That’s a real change for me, and I think, reflective of wider change.

I still have hope.

In the late 90s and early 00s, I was just starting out in adulthood, and though I often thought about donning a pretty skirt or dress, or even letting my hair grow out, it was completely unthinkable.

Living in what was still very much a traditional and conservative society, with a strong "southern" identity, anything remotely queer was out of the question. You couldn't hold a job as it was written in every dress code that males are not allowed to grow out their hair, wear jewelry other than a BASIC wedding band (no stones) no makeup, no nail polish, and certainly no skirts!

The rhetoric around town was that people who do such things "had better keep their asses in California... or else...".

Yes, we (as a overall society) have come a VERY long way indeed! Though we have our red and blue states, American culture by and large has gotten a lot more open minded and dare I say... liberal (the old definition).

Aside from our problems, it's still a good time to be alive in my opinion.

[FLbreezy]

Excellent find Coder, you have a knack for finding these. Being a computer guy, can you do a search for how many MIS articles there are a month or year? It seems in the last two years there’s been an uptick? I know on social media the number of hashtags for men in skirts has skyrocketed. For whatever that’s worth

This might be fun to play around with (use related terms) but shows kind of a flat level of interest: https://trends.google.com/trends/explor ... 0for%20men

[ScotL]

Excellent find Coder, you have a knack for finding these. Being a computer guy, can you do a search for how many MIS articles there are a month or year? It seems in the last two years there’s been an uptick? I know on social media the number of hashtags for men in skirts has skyrocketed. For whatever that’s worth

This might be fun to play around with (use related terms) but shows kind of a flat level of interest: https://trends.google.com/trends/explor ... 0for%20men

Very interesting. Likely there’s some difficulty in accuracy but still interesting. This link is worldwide for mens skirts since 2004.

https://trends.google.com/trends/explor ... t&date=all

[new2skirts]

Excellent find Coder, you have a knack for finding these. Being a computer guy, can you do a search for how many MIS articles there are a month or year? It seems in the last two years there’s been an uptick? I know on social media the number of hashtags for men in skirts has skyrocketed. For whatever that’s worth

This might be fun to play around with (use related terms) but shows kind of a flat level of interest: https://trends.google.com/trends/explor ... 0for%20men

Very interesting. Likely there’s some difficulty in accuracy but still interesting. This link is worldwide for mens skirts since 2004.

https://trends.google.com/trends/explor ... t&date=all

There must be a lot of men searching this as it brings up a 429 search error, as if Google is overwhelmed

Most of the wearers in public are over on Reddit, Instagram etc as "influencers"... and although some may transition, there's quite a few guys as guys in various skirted outfits. Some have success and fame from it like GenderBlender and Mark Bryan on Instagram. I have seen more young men in skirts in London and don't seem to see much of a reaction from others, so perhaps things are changing in terms of perception

[ScotL]

When I did the search on google there is a spike in 2017 but in general there has been an increase ever since 2014

[familyman34]

This might be fun to play around with (use related terms) but shows kind of a flat level of interest: https://trends.google.com/trends/explor ... 0for%20men

Very interesting. Likely there’s some difficulty in accuracy but still interesting. This link is worldwide for mens skirts since 2004.

https://trends.google.com/trends/explor ... t&date=all

There must be a lot of men searching this as it brings up a 429 search error, as if Google is overwhelmed

Most of the wearers in public are over on Reddit, Instagram etc as "influencers"... and although some may transition, there's quite a few guys as guys in various skirted outfits. Some have success and fame from it like GenderBlender and Mark Bryan on Instagram. I have seen more young men in skirts in London and don't seem to see much of a reaction from others, so perhaps things are changing in terms of perception

There was a long (15 pages) blog about Mark Bryan on MumsNet, starting in October 2020 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rig ... der?page=1.
Most of the comments seem to be from UK-based women, and are generally rather critical.

Sorry, Mark, if you haven't seen this before!

[Coder]

There was a long (15 pages) blog about Mark Bryan on MumsNet, starting in October 2020 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rig ... der?page=1.
Most of the comments seem to be from UK-based women, and are generally rather critical.

Wow, mixed opinions for sure. Some pretty nasty opinions.

[moonshadow]

There was a long (15 pages) blog about Mark Bryan on MumsNet, starting in October 2020 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rig ... der?page=1.
Most of the comments seem to be from UK-based women, and are generally rather critical.

Wow, mixed opinions for sure. Some pretty nasty opinions.

Only read the first two pages...

A mixed bag for sure...

Seems mostly positive or at least neutral.

Well.... when something goes viral, people will talk.

[Coder]

There was a long (15 pages) blog about Mark Bryan on MumsNet, starting in October 2020 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rig ... der?page=1.
Most of the comments seem to be from UK-based women, and are generally rather critical.

Wow, mixed opinions for sure. Some pretty nasty opinions.

Only read the first two pages...

A mixed bag for sure...

Seems mostly positive or at least neutral.

Well.... when something goes viral, people will talk.

It gets worse the further you go, I read all 15 pages. It was less vitriolic than say, a news story comment section, so props to them for that.

Perhaps I should clarify - I find the back and forth in these types of discussions sections or forums interesting when the people writing are acting in "good faith". There were "nasty opinions" as I wrote, but they seemed genuine. There were also some good questions raised about "man on top, gender neutral on bottom". Is Mark saying to erase women (no, I don't think so, but some on that thread seemed to imply that)? What's so wrong about being feminine all over? Why do we associate certain styles/forms with femininity? Can you divorce femininity from being female? Etc.... Perhaps I read too much into what they were saying, but some of the discussion made me think.