Out and About -- In the World at Large

[greenboots]

Yesterday i sang in our choir Christmas concert in a local church. I was wearing a red Christmas jumper decorated with a green Christmas tree covered in “snow” with two google eyes. Below the waist I had a red, yellow and blue tartan kilt from one a a family of sites that all trace back to Pakistan, with white kilt hose and black brogues. I had a lot of compliments for the Christmassy outfit.

Later I did a few errands and handed more compliments. I’ll try to put a picture in Pics and Looks, if I get time.

[Midas]

Last Friday morning I was on my way into a supermarket, wearing a midi length dress (teal coloured with an ice flower design) as a man came in from a different direction. As he saw me he stopped, looked up and down before smiling and saying good morning. That’s the only noticeable reaction I’ve had in the past few months.

[Kirbstone]

On Sun. afternoon our choir took part in a larger church concert, contributing some classical motets at the beginning, one accompanied by a string quartet, then a medley of spirituals at the end with which the punters were encouraged to sing. All very jolly, but our dress code was strictly male black tie, i.e. Black suit, white shirt & black bow. Ladies all in black long dresses/skirts and pink scarves to add a bit of colour.

Our programme was brightened in no small measure by a troupe of Ukrainian ladies who sang like angels and one of whom just happens to be a Concert pianist. This lady gave us a time-limited taster of solo Beethoven and Chopin, delivered on an electric digital keyboard, which in that church setting lacked the horsepower that a grand piano would deliver, but it was well received nonetheless.

Tom

[STEVIE]

Not much more "out and about than this".
Two shots, same venue eleven years apart.
Number one was my first day in a skirt at work and number two, just because.
I even had a few compliments.
Steve.

[greenboots]

On my wife's suggestion I wore my Christmas jumper and yellow/red/blue kilt to visit one of her nieces. This was a surprise since the most snippy of my sisters-in-law would also be there. Apart from a couple of comments on arrival, nothing else was said, until we came to play pass the parcel. It was suggested that if I were to sit on the floor, I might expose too much (questions about underwear followed, which I pointed out were quite personal!) I sat on a sofa, but had to be extra careful because most of the others were sitting on the floor

[Barleymower]

On my wife's suggestion I wore my Christmas jumper and yellow/red/blue kilt to visit one of her nieces. This was a surprise since the most snippy of my sisters-in-law would also be there. Apart from a couple of comments on arrival, nothing else was said, until we came to play pass the parcel. It was suggested that if I were to sit on the floor, I might expose too much (questions about underwear followed, which I pointed out were quite personal!) I sat on a sofa, but had to be extra careful because most of the others were sitting on the floor

Gentle discouragement. Don't fall for it GB. You are out there now. Don't give in!
As for the underwear comments. They need reminding that comments on a ladies underwear would be crass in the extreme. Men should be afforded the same civility.

[greenboots]

I forgot to say that last Thursday I wore the Christmas outfit to the office as it was our first Carol Service in the new building. I received many compliments and some said I should wear it everyday. Sadly, next day was back in uniform.

[Barleymower]

Do you think you could get away with a tasteful non tarten skirt, Coder style?

[greenboots]

Do you think you could get away with a tasteful non tarten skirt, Coder style?

I’ve tried that before. Tolerated at home with the occasional groan. But not to be warm under any circumstances in front of family or people we know.

[Barleymower]

I understand GB, it's not easy. Worth remembering you are not doing anything wrong by changing tarten for, say seasalt. They are in the wrong.

[Coder]

On my wife's suggestion I wore my Christmas jumper and yellow/red/blue kilt to visit one of her nieces. This was a surprise since the most snippy of my sisters-in-law would also be there. Apart from a couple of comments on arrival, nothing else was said, until we came to play pass the parcel. It was suggested that if I were to sit on the floor, I might expose too much (questions about underwear followed, which I pointed out were quite personal!) I sat on a sofa, but had to be extra careful because most of the others were sitting on the floor

A shame about the unfortunate discussion, however, it's sort of better than the opposite. Years ago when I was in college and wearing skirts to work, we had a storage area and one needed to use a ladder to get stuff from up there. The manager of the area (a woman) asked me (while I was wearing a skirt) if I could go up the ladder to pull some things down. Three of my coworkers were standing right by the ladder. I politely declined. It still bugs me to this day that she asked. She wore mostly skirts - and some would say too short for her age (I would not - but a coworker would often complain to me, as if I could do anything about it, and it really was none of our business). My point being, she should have known better not to ask me to climb the ladder. I suppose I could have found a workaround - like use a binder clip or something like that to make an impromptu inseam.

(To clarify - I had an excellent set of coworkers and that group I still keep in touch with today. I don't think there was any malicious intent, but I wonder about their judgement.)

[pelmut]

...The manager of the area (a woman) asked me (while I was wearing a skirt) if I could go up the ladder to pull some things down. Three of my coworkers were standing right by the ladder.

Just say "Don't look up, it'll make you go blind". I've done that before and it always gets a laugh.

[Myopic Bookworm]

I went to the farm shop in trousers the other day, so it wasn't until I started looking at the handmade hair scrunchies for sale (wearing my hair long enough that I could well have been buying one for myself) that the (lady) farmer said "Is it you who wears the lovely dresses?" I replied that it was mainly skirts, it being hard to find dresses made for the male figure. It was nice to have a positive comment when not even wearing a skirt!

[Modoc]

I went to the farm shop in trousers the other day, so it wasn't until I started looking at the handmade hair scrunchies for sale (wearing my hair long enough that I could well have been buying one for myself) that the (lady) farmer said "Is it you who wears the lovely dresses?" I replied that it was mainly skirts, it being hard to find dresses made for the male figure. It was nice to have a positive comment when not even wearing a skirt!

People notice and remember someone who does something differently even if they don't do it all the time.

[Barleymower]

I went to the farm shop in trousers the other day, so it wasn't until I started looking at the handmade hair scrunchies for sale (wearing my hair long enough that I could well have been buying one for myself) that the (lady) farmer said "Is it you who wears the lovely dresses?" I replied that it was mainly skirts, it being hard to find dresses made for the male figure. It was nice to have a positive comment when not even wearing a skirt!

It feels like we are on the cusp of a breakthrough