Wearing a Dress in Public Today

[oldsalt1]

The question asked Are you wearing a SKIRT or are you wearing a DRESS. I guess that there isn't much difference. I wear skirts most places that I go From running out for gas to church and to the city. But for some reason I still have a reluctance to wearing a dress. . I have done it a few places but progress in that area is moving at a much slower pace.

I have been to private parties and to my clients office in a dress , and I am constantly in dresses around home. But for some reason I just cant make that all inclusive move.

I don't know if you can bring it back to the entire masculinity concept. I don't feel that I am reducing my maleness when I put on a skirt.
but for some reason there is a mental shift when I put on a dress.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that dresses are more feminine in nature. The one pictured above is shall we say rugged with a hood and pockets matched with tights and boots . but normally I associate dresses with delicate nylons and heels.

I changed a tire on a main highway while wearing a skirt (very unique experience) I wonder if I was in a dress with nylons and pumps if I would have called for road service.

[weeladdie18]

Thank you for your comments Old Salt....perhaps we have a feeling of confidence as we are accepted as "Men in Skirts " , but to wear a dress is
still a bridge many of us still have to cross......

I see your snow came from Canada and Nova Scotia .....The latest forecast is that our cold weather should improve by the weekend.
At 5pm temperature was 7 C in S.W. U.K......Tonight in London.... 0 C ........ Temp due in Edenburgh...tonight ....Minus 4 C........

One of my theories is that skirt wearing is controlled by outdoor temperatures .......Perhaps folks just feel more adventurous in sunny weather.....

[Sinned]

Dave, with dresses styling certainly ain't a snap. With my build of broad shoulders there are only certain dress styles that suit me. I certainly just couldn't pull on any old dress that is sized for me. Also a lot of dresses are styled for the female physique aside from having the low neckline to show the bosom and cleavage. Then there's the flounces and trimmings that are definitely female. So no, it ins't a simple matter for the average man to put on a dress and we are here to try and encourage other men to try a skirt or dress and, to me, to appear too female is counter-productive. TBH some of the dresses you wear grate on me as being too female and it's only your lack of hair, for one, that indicates that you are a man. But I say little as I don't like to appear critical. I suppose that your style is just too much for me but I have made a start in convincing myself that dresses can be worn by a man, it's just a LBD for the moment.

[Denny]

Sinned, that is why this section is here, for those that go beyond just wearing a skirt.
I love to dress enfemme when i am home, with all the enhancements. It makes me very happy and calm.
When I am out, I am not so brave to even wear a skirt, although I often am dressed completely in clothes from across the aisle.
it is amazing all the compliments I get from both men and women.
My style and loving it, maybe because I look good this way.
I would say most men could not pull this off.
That's my Freestyle for today.

[Pdxfashionpioneer]

some of the dresses you wear grate on me as being too female and it's only your lack of hair, for one, that indicates that you are a man

- Sinned

I don't know what to tell you, Sinned, but as I have said a number of times, no one mistakes me for a woman and I'm out and about a LOT in my dresses. Not just on this forum, but even more out in public, I get LOTS of compliments. But if my personal style grates on you, then skip over my posts in "Pics and Looks."

When I said that styling a dress is a snap I certainly didn't mean just grab any old dress off the rack and go home with it. That's absurd! I'd never suggest that to anyone, male or female. I meant that once you found a dress that appeals to you, you're pretty much done. You don't have to match another piece to it, as you do with a skirt.

As for wrapping a dress around your broad shoulders, for my height and build, I have fairly broad shoulders and I have found plenty of dresses that fit me. One trick is to look for sleeveless dresses with large armholes. Sheaths are generally configured that way and I have a bunch of them. What I like about their look is that they're simple and straighforward so, while they're a staple in many professional women's wardrobes, they're certainly not girly.

[Sinned]

Thanks Dave, I know what you mean about finding a dress that appeals and suits and stick with them. MOH, unknowingly, has several dresses, mainly sleeveless but some sleeved, that I could wear and feel that they suit my build. I've tried them on and some of them are in my Pics & Looks thread. Interestingly, I tend to stay away from below knee length but most of the dresses are calf length and I really like them, a length I find difficulty liking in a skirt. Most of my dresses are the LBD's and mostly above knee that I may try out when the weather gets a bit warmer.

As for my perceptions of you, don't sweat it. Grate is probably not the word to use as it's too strong an association. Discomfort would be a better word. It's MY internal scenario that I have to sort out. It's not your fault - your style is yours. We may disagree on some things but agree on a lot of others. You say that you get very little resistance from those around you and I suppose that that's the acid test. Were to get resistance then it would indicate to you that maybe you're going too far. That you don't get it means that there's acceptance and that's what we're all after. I agree that in your pics you never present as a woman and your demeanour enables you to get away with it. It probably all boils down to confidence and that inner surety that you are presenting yourself as what you want to be. It may be a long time before I can stand where you are, though. In the meantime your story is inspirational and I shall continue to watch your threads.

[weeladdie18]

I would agree that we all gain inspiration from those who have pioneered their way forward as " Men in Skirts "..... and...." Men in Dresses "......
We may not accept the styles of garments our pioneers choose to wear but we can all find our own way forward by each others guidance .

I personally must work out why I have a reluctance to wear dresses....On the one hand I consider the female shift dress does work for me .....
On the other hand I am going back to Roman Tunics which were probably my initial interest in this style of male attire.

I am waiting to see if there is any response to my suggestion in Kelly Rain male skirt manufacture in Japan ...Perhaps the concept of a
Male Roman style tunic to be worn indoors is a way forward....for the masses...this avoids contact with others out on the street and
may meet the approval of S.W.M.B.O...... Certainly this does avoid the resistance of the " Man in a Dress " going out on the street....

Perhaps if this " In the Closet " male style gains more interest and approval for house parties and garden Barbies this may give the
" The Man in a dress in the Street " more credibility once he has made a "fashion Style " out on the street more credible....weeladdie

[weeladdie18]

Here is a British Radio Joke for Inspiration....."Doctor , Doctor , I need treatment "......Response ...." Just sit down and be a Little Patient "

[Daryl]

The question asked Are you wearing a SKIRT or are you wearing a DRESS. I guess that there isn't much difference. I wear skirts most places that I go From running out for gas to church and to the city. But for some reason I still have a reluctance to wearing a dress. . I have done it a few places but progress in that area is moving at a much slower pace.

I have been to private parties and to my clients office in a dress , and I am constantly in dresses around home. But for some reason I just cant make that all inclusive move.

I don't know if you can bring it back to the entire masculinity concept. I don't feel that I am reducing my maleness when I put on a skirt.
but for some reason there is a mental shift when I put on a dress.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that dresses are more feminine in nature. The one pictured above is shall we say rugged with a hood and pockets matched with tights and boots . but normally I associate dresses with delicate nylons and heels.

I changed a tire on a main highway while wearing a skirt (very unique experience) I wonder if I was in a dress with nylons and pumps if I would have called for road service.

I might have, but probably not as long as I had something to kneel on so as to not ruin my nylons. I usually have a blanket in the car.

It's definitely the femininity of most dresses; a little more over-the-top than I am comfortable with. Most strange. I honestly wish that the thawb was not so strongly an "Islamic" garment here. In places in the world where it is common, even non-Muslim men wear it. They are designed to be very practical for men, and I love wearing mine but won't wear it in public as daily wear just because I'd definitely be signalling something I don't want to signal. I stopped wearing plaid kilts because they scream "I'm Scottish" to people. I don't want to disappoint as many Muslims as I have Scots over the years. I've considered having a bespoke thawb, with the design altered just enough so it doesn't say "Muslim inside" so strongly, but have yet to act on that idea.

[Sinned]

And another: "Doctor, Doctor, I think that I'm a pair of curtains." Doctor, "Stand over there and pull yourself together."

[weeladdie18]

Going back to Daryl's comment ...ones style of dress might make others perceive A Garment wearer to be a member of an Ethnic Minority Group

Certainly.... "The Men in Skirts "..... are a Minority Group....but are "Men in Skirts " an ethnic group.....?

To further confuse the issue .....I went into The Cornish Tartan shop....The ancestors of the proprietor had designed the Cornish Tartan, which is worn
as a Cornish Kilt to the design of the Traditional 1930's Scottish Kilt......

The Propriotor looked at my below the knee brown skirt and drovers sporran and said ..." I like your Kilt . Are you a member of an Ethnic group ? "

My response was simple " My ancestors come from two Celtic groups and one Gallic Group..."..........The Gentleman was satisfied with my reply
and we spent half an hour discussing the old heritage of the Old Cornish Kingdom.....

If one considers the history of " The British Isles " and the invasions and migrations of the "Old Tribes " of the Modern E.U. and N.A.T.O. Countries ;

My solution is to just wear a skirt and Say..." I am not a local. I had to get a Visa to come here today "

If My enquirer is persistant and friendly;..I show him my V.I.S.A. Card from my bank..... " .Need some food .. I must move on... Good afternoon sir ."

[Pdxfashionpioneer]

Thanks Dave, … I agree that in your pics you never present as a woman and your demeanour enables you to get away with it. It probably all boils down to confidence and that inner surety that you are presenting yourself as what you want to be. It may be a long time before I can stand where you are, though. In the meantime your story is inspirational and I shall continue to watch your threads.

I would agree that we all gain inspiration from those who have pioneered their way forward as " Men in Skirts "... and..." Men in Dresses "...
We may not accept the styles of garments our pioneers choose to wear but we can all find our own way forward by each others guidance .

Thank you gentlemen for your understanding and support. I'm glad you're taking my posts the way I meant them.

As my email signature says, "Be yourself, it's who God wants you to be!"

[weeladdie18]

Fair comment Dave.............Man in calf length brown skirt over Knee high boots and leggings today..............Plenty of winter warmth
Temp 6 C in gale of wind and sunny day.....................weeladdie

[Grok]

Sorry gents, but I just don't get the hesitation around wearing dresses in public. Dresses are MUCH easier. If it's a popover style, that's all there is to putting it on, popping it over your head. No zippers or buttons you can't reach because you're a muscle-bound male instead of a limber, flexible female. It's like putting on a t-shirt, a very long t-shirt.

Popover styles include caftans. See the sewing section.

[Daryl]

And another: "Doctor, Doctor, I think that I'm a pair of curtains." Doctor, "Stand over there and pull yourself together."

My computer, modest by today's standards, has 1,000,000 times the memory and is 1,500 times faster than the computer that took Americans to the surface of the moon and back. And I used it to read the above.