skirtcafe.org

I showed MOH the ASOS extremely long line sweatshirt with crew neck in the men's section of the site and commented that it was basically a dress in any other name. She said that she liked it but commented on the wearing of trousers as well as the "dress" and maybe that made it acceptable. Maybe I should get a similar one and wear it with thick tights. Ebay here I come.

There is lot of good advice in this thread as to the reasons it gets easier and not to push the envelope if you are feeling a bit fragile.
The more you wear a skirt, and in more varied situations, the easier it gets. No more Clarke Kent style changes into pants for me now. I actually forget that I am dressed differently when concentrating on what I need in a store. Now the only agony is which skirt should I wear.
Just start off in easy situations, beach areas are good, and simple tasks like filling up with fuel or going into a store. It does not take much time to become quite complacent.

renesm1 wrote:... I'm self-employed. Here's a thought; if people ask why I'm wearing a dress, I could always say it is my company's dress code. I insisted on wearing this dress!

I like that attitude! Wish you were my boss!

At least my Skirtcraft skirt isn't commented on at the office - at least in my hearing! I still wear trousers to work about 50% of the time though. Thinking of wearing my khaki cargo skirt for tomorrow (probably with the black tights for warmth)

skirtingtoday wrote:

renesm1 wrote:... I'm self-employed. Here's a thought; if people ask why I'm wearing a dress, I could always say it is my company's dress code. I insisted on wearing this dress!

I like that attitude! Wish you were my boss!

At least my Skirtcraft skirt isn't commented on at the office - at least in my hearing! I still wear trousers to work about 50% of the time though. Thinking of wearing my khaki cargo skirt for tomorrow (probably with the black tights for warmth)

I wish I had taken some pics of me at the exhibition now. I will do next time I'm in such a place!

Bamaskirting wrote:I have not been out in a skirt in a week maybe. partly because I haven't been going many places and partly for the weather. instead I have went out a few times in boot cut leggings. just to keep my nerve up really. where I live, I feel I must. and wearing them keeps me believing I can wear a skirt wherever. because guys just don't wear yoga pants here. and they are just as noticeable as a skirt in my opinion. so wearing them definitely reinforces my thinking that I can wear what I please almost anywhere. and they are comfortable too.

My advice is to keep at it, keep progressing, and keep remembering that at your age, you get to pick out your own clothes.

renesm1

Thank you for the link to the M&S dress, I have been looking for something like that to experiment with for a while. (I already have one of the longline sweatshirts, which gets a bit of use at home but does not feel right to me as a dress - I don't like leggings or tights).

I collected the dress today from a local branch and will try it this evening. I have to say that I detest websites that give horizontal dimensions for clothes (bust, waist, hips) then offer them in multiple lengths with no indication whatsoever of how long "short", "medium" and "long" are. Do the people who populate these sites with data never consider the folks they want to shop there? Oh well, trial by mirror will soon tell...

Have fun,


Ian.

Milfmog wrote:...Do the people who populate these sites with data never consider the folks they want to shop there?...

Yes, it would certainly seem that the more measurements they supply, the fewer returns they'd get, and providing the measurements is cheaper than processing the returns. But maybe those are two separate departments that don't talk to each other very much.

I suspect this will improve as etailing continues to grow.

Milfmog wrote: I have to say that I detest websites that give horizontal dimensions for clothes (bust, waist, hips) then offer them in multiple lengths with no indication whatsoever of how long "short", "medium" and "long" are. Do the people who populate these sites with data never consider the folks they want to shop there? Oh well, trial by mirror will soon tell....

The site I buy a lot of things from has a chat button that connects you with a person. I've used it to ask about the length of a skirt if it wasn't otherwise shown. The issue seems to have sunk in at this particular vendor, they almost always list skirt lengths now.

To add to my post from yesterday - we were forecast to have one more warm day today, mid 70sF. So I took the opportunity to wear my boot skirt to work. It's mid-calf length, grey herringbone made from a very drapey poly/rayon/elastane fabric. I can't walk the amount I need to in the boots I have, so I wore a pair of black booties, long black socks and a lightweight red turtleneck to complete the outfit. Like always, no comments.

Milfmog wrote:renesm1

Thank you for the link to the M&S dress, I have been looking for something like that to experiment with for a while. (I already have one of the longline sweatshirts, which gets a bit of use at home but does not feel right to me as a dress - I don't like leggings or tights).

I collected the dress today from a local branch and will try it this evening. I have to say that I detest websites that give horizontal dimensions for clothes (bust, waist, hips) then offer them in multiple lengths with no indication whatsoever of how long "short", "medium" and "long" are. Do the people who populate these sites with data never consider the folks they want to shop there? Oh well, trial by mirror will soon tell...

Have fun,


Ian.

I tried the dress when I got home, then repacked it for return today...

Length was OK and fit not too bad (even the sleeves were long enough) and the long length turned out to be 38" which just about skims the top of my knees (I'm 6'3"). However, the neckline is not to my liking as it is far wider than it appears in the pictures. I'd really like a polo neck or a t-shirt neck instead of the near dustbin lid sized neck hole that I found in this dress.

Nevermind, another experiment, another lesson learned.

Have fun,


Ian.

I quite liked the neckline if I'm honest.

If I could change anything it would be the size. I got a size 22 and on reflection I could have gone with a size 20.

renesm1 wrote:I quite liked the neckline if I'm honest.

I guess this is another example of how all being different that makes us interesting.

If I could change anything it would be the size. I got a size 22 and on reflection I could have gone with a size 20.

I also bought a 22 and could probably have got away with a 20; I went large to ensure there was sufficient width across the shoulders. The smaller size might have been a bit narrow, which would have stretched the fabric a bit more and made the neck look even wider.

Thinking about it, a collar (think polo shirt style) would have been OK, I could add a cravat for a splash of colour but the round neck, being so wide, did not lend itself to that.

Have fun,


Ian.

I'd quite like to get a polo dress too, but I can never find them in my size!

I had a quick wander around the local Matalan store at lunchtime and found this shirt dress. I tried a size 20 and it is spot on in terms of general fit and length, reaching to a couple of inches above the knee. It hung better without the drawstring being tied, but that would not be a problem to remove. Although the fabric looks like denim, it is actually quite soft to the touch and moves and hangs well. (There are five shirt dresses currently listed on the Matalan website, search dresses and filter for shirt dresses to see all five.)

One problem... the arms are ridiculously small in diameter, length is OK as they are designed to be rolled up, but even my skinny "pipe cleaners with the fluff shaved off" arms were too tight. Grrr!!!! I guess I could cut the lower part of the sleeves off to make a short sleeve out and gain a little that way... I might have to think about that for a day or two.

Have fun,


Ian.

PS I have added a review at the website; I wonder whether they will take any notice.

Milfmog -

Fortunate for you that you had the opportunity to see the dress up front for size and fitting.
Imagine the surprise of mail order customers - it looked oh so perfect and then the sleeves
were like trying on a straight jacket (where do the arms go?).
Looking at the multiple images the sleeves don't look that skinny (slim) but then the models
for photo shoots are not arm wrestlers or bulked out athletes.

You could also consider making the garment sleeveless or 1/2 of a 'T' shirt length (cap sleeve).

A positive note the waist is not nipped and tucked like an "A" frame so it would appear to
fit the male frame better and regarding the self cloth belt could simply be cut off.
Also note the button placket is the reverse and so many of them buttons - could be a small problem
until one acquires ambidextrous abilities in button holing.

Looking further for your Review - apparently has not been posted censored or whatever you moderators call it ! LOL !

r.m.anderson wrote:You could also consider making the garment sleeveless or 1/2 of a 'T' shirt length (cap sleeve).

I could, but I don't particularly like sleeves that short.

A positive note the waist is not nipped and tucked like an "A" frame so it would appear to
fit the male frame better and regarding the self cloth belt could simply be cut off.

Indeed, it was a fairly good fit generally. There are a couple of small darts from just under the arm towards the mid chest but they did not have much impact on the fit and did not make spaces for fillings I could not provide

Also note the button placket is the reverse and so many of them buttons - could be a small problem
until one acquires ambidextrous abilities in button holing.

True. By the time I got to the bottom of the buttons they were getting far easier, either that or I had had sufficient practice by then...

Looking further for your Review - apparently has not been posted censored or whatever you moderators call it ! LOL !

They do say, when a review is submitted, that it can take up to 48 hours to appear. Patience may be needed...

Have fun,


Ian.