Skirt Cafe is an on-line community dedicated to exploring, promoting and advocating skirts and kilts as a fashion choice for men, formerly known as men in skirts. We do this in the context of men's fashion freedom --- an expansion of choices beyond those commonly available for men to include kilts, skirts and other garments. We recognize a diversity of styles our members feel comfortable wearing, and do not exclude any potential choices. Continuing dialog on gender is encouraged in the context of fashion freedom for men. See here for more details.
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.
Grok wrote: ↑Sun May 12, 2024 1:14 am
Same orchestra, with the men in full penguin mode.
If I join an orchestra and play violin or viola, I would not wear a coat and tie outfit. It looks really awkward to hold the instrument under your chin while wearing a jacket and tie. Instead I would wear a dress or a gown. Now for any other instruments a coat and tie outfit would be fine.
JohnH wrote: ↑Wed Jun 26, 2024 9:11 pm
If I join an orchestra and play violin or viola, I would not wear a coat and tie outfit. It looks really awkward to hold the instrument under your chin while wearing a jacket and tie. Instead I would wear a dress or a gown. Now for any other instruments a coat and tie outfit would be fine.
John
Another option?
Mark Wood Viper "Floating" Violin?
YouTube video demonstration link below. https://youtu.be/AzFvTaLnXls
That "floating violin" would be unacceptable in an orchestral setting. It's an electric violin with frets. On the other hand a dress or gown would be acceptable as typical female attire in an orchestra.
Or if I wanted to wear the coat and tie outfit I could simply play cello.
Believe me, it would not be a big deal to wear a dress as I do it all the time time.
STEVIE wrote: ↑Sun Jun 09, 2024 7:26 am
I wear a necklace in one form or another most days now.
More occasionally that will be on top of an actual tie or a silk scarf and hey, why not?
So, you are combining neck wear from both sides of the aisle? Interesting, the experiments that members come up with.
I was thinking that you might wear a necklace with an ascot. Perhaps a gold chain making a loop below the ascot. Or wearing a choker above the ascot.
JohnH wrote: ↑Thu Jun 27, 2024 2:10 pm
It's an electric violin with frets.
John
Just to be clear, Mark Wood Viper violins are available with fretted necks, fretless necks with fret markers embedded (phantom frets as Mark calls them) and fretless without any fret markers at all.
crfriend wrote: ↑Thu Feb 06, 2025 12:34 am
T-shirts and suits do not mix. Full stop. Shades of Steve Jobs once his style sense went into the toilet.
Thought about it, and I now agree. There is too much clash between formality and informality. This clash also applies with the idea of wearing sneakers with a suit.
Yesterday, at a grocery store, I notice a young man wearing a necklace. A new employee, I believe. A silvery chain worn with a T-shirt. I suspect a younger generation of men is somewhat more adventurous than their elders, in terms of personal expression.
Yesterday I went into a store to pay a bill (Xfinity). Noticed three young men, store employees, who were wearing jewelry. All were wearing black T-shirts. One wore a necklace, the other two wore bracelets. Of the two with bracelets, they both wore a bracelet on only one wrist; one also wore a watch on the other wrist.
Tattoos are not for me, however I respect everyone’s self expression and am not repelled by tattoos unless they are on the face or front of the next, or are obscene like swastika or something similar.
Why don’t men just wear a Pearl Necklace like some women news anchors wear? It is a very classy look.
I routinely wear a simple quartz crystal on a fine gold chain around my neck. It's nowhere near as constricting as a neck-tie and suits my personality quite well. It gets comments, too.
I've worn such adornments for years varying between overt statements of occupation (an early 1960s disk-drive head), to a rather whimsical unicorn (based on the goat model rather than the horse one), and simple chains.
I will wear ties from time to time, but prefer the cravat as it's less constricting. I also have some silk ones that belonged to my grandfather, likely brought back from the UK in the late 1930s.
There's more to life than the male noose.
Such things should be reasonably safe in the modern world; however, we shall see.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
I never wear neckties. because that noose around the neck is symbol of the ManBox and fashion prison. In fact, I hate neckties with a passion! I remember in the late 80's and early 90 engineers at the aerospace company that I worked for were sent home for not wearing a tie. Ties also symbolize a class system to visibly separate white collar workers from blue collar workers which I also disagree with. They are also a default symbol of masculinity which is another reason that I don't wear one because I identify as a feminine male.
