Marie wrote:Hi guys!
I am amazed at the responses. This is a valid problem for men to find quality skirts at a reasonable price. I've read every response and I'm going to try to summarize what you are saying-
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How far off am I? Hopefully I am getting the basic idea....
You indeed are!
Let me see if I can offer some deeper insights into this...
Men are willing to adapt – and society is willing to accept – fashion notions that were once believed to be feminine; observe that earrings and ponytails are now quite common on men, and the “manbag” is taking hold little by little. My own experience with the men’s skirt suggests that society will have little objection, once a comfort threshold is reached. Quite apart from the fact that the skirt must be wearable, practical, and affordable, there are some other attributes that become considerations. I’ve always felt that “skirtsmanship” – the technique of wearing a skirt in public – is a rather subtle and sophisticated art, and in my mind, it’s all about impact, about message, about personna and perhaps “panache”. This leaves a tremendous “avenue of creativity” for the skirt designer but also presents him/her with a HUGE challenge!
Remember, the seldom-seen sight of a man wearing a skirt tends to “jar” the eye, so one rule of skirtsmanship is that the sight must be so visually appealing and pleasing to the eye that it’s acceptance is moot point. This is very subjective, of course; I have my own definitions, but so does everyone else. The skirt must be designed to highlite and underscore – rather than violate – conventional notions of masculinity. This is especially challenging; everyone has an intuitive sense of what “masculinity” is but NO ONE can define it precisely! The accomplished skirtsman uses his craft to project qualities that are considered attractive in men; he says “my sense of manhood is so strong, my level of self-confidence is so high, my sense of outside-the-box is so finely tuned that I can not only get away with this, but I can make the result very desirable and attractive!
In these forums, you’ll often see grousing and complaining about the lack of “fashion freedom” for men. I doubt that you could find a woman in the world who would acknowledge this; the ground rules may be slightly different, but I do not believe women to be any freer than men are! In my mind, the real issue isn’t freedom, but something else…
Men can learn something from the women-in-pants movement of about 30 or so years ago. This was the point at which pants for women became ACCEPTABLE everywhere, and at ALL levels of dress. It happened suddenly, and with VIRTUALLY NO sense of revolution! How did this happen? What was the secret?
Simple, really! The women followed the rules I’ve outlined above; they showed the world, an attractive, appealing image that DIDN’T contradict prevailing notions of femininity! The real question is “how do you implement this?”, and we are waiting for you, the skirt designer, to lead the way!
Marie, about 6 years ago – a time when I thought I was the ONLY man in the world who wanted to see skirts metamorphasize into an acceptable men’s garment – I wrote an article I intended for publication in Men’s Health or GQ. Neither bought it, but if you would like to read it, I would gladly e-mail you a copy.
I would also extend that offer to anyone else interested. I’ve made this offer before, of course, but there are always those who “just tuned in”…
Keep us apprised of your progress!
