What would you like to see in a man's dress?

[jeanfor]

Thanks for broaching the subject. Here is me in my denim shirt-dress with cotton knit t-dress underneath. I got good reactions, what do you think?

Here I think it works really well. But this dress is more like a tunic...

[Since1982]

Reaching back to the original title of this thread...what would you like to see in a man's dress?? my answer= A Man?

[Liam]

I'm curious, as someone who enjoys sewing, what is the definition of a dress? I personally think of a "dress" as something made for a woman, which means, it must have extra fabric to accomodate such things as breasts and hips.

If that seems approrpiate, then there would be no such thing as a man's "dress" because garments for males don't include (or don't need to have) accomodations for breasts... or wide hips either.

I was recently watching some documenteries about castle building in Europe, and was struck by the paintings of the period showing the craftsmen, all wearing "tunics." And these tunics, could easily be considered to be the modern equivelent of an "above the knee" dress... except for the exlusion of any room for breasts. They were generally worn with hose (of some medieval sort), and sometimes with mutliple layers of different colors displayed. Personally, that seems to me to be a garment designed for men, and very appropriate for the male anatomy. And comically enough, very easy to make. Let's face it - the male anatomy is practically the ideal shape for that type of garment - all you need is a tube of fabric large enought to encircle the largest area of the body (with some breathing room), add some sleeves, and you've got it. If the length of the garment comes down to the knees, then you'lll want to have the lowest part a bit wider to account for the man's stride, and for each inch longer, you'll need to make even more room for the stride of the wearer (which is true for either gender).

Funny - that's much easier to make than a women's dress - they have all sorts of wonderful curves to account for, and their basic body shape changes over the course of a month (I make clothes for my wife as well).

So, I guess what I'd like to see in a man's dress, isn't a dress at all. It may be a "robe" or a "tunic" depending on length. But in any case, it would not have any accomodation for women's breasts and would probably not need to account for hips in the skirt area, and probably most important is the color or fabric pattern - either solid colors or camo probably come across the best.

Well, that's my two cents worth.

[crfriend]

I'm curious, as someone who enjoys sewing, what is the definition of a dress? I personally think of a "dress" as something made for a woman, which means, it must have extra fabric to accomodate such things as breasts and hips.

In this case, I suspect we're using the term as a generic notation for a one-piece garment that covers the space from neck to hemline, hangs from the shoulders as opposed to the waist (like a skirt), and may have sleeves.

Used in its strictest sense, yes, a "dress" is a woman's garment whereas a tunic or a robe is "unisex"; there is no strictly male term for such a garment. I put it down to usage.

[AMM]

I'm curious, as someone who enjoys sewing, what is the definition of a dress? I personally think of a "dress" as something made for a woman, which means, it must have extra fabric to accomodate such things as breasts and hips.

If that seems approrpiate, then there would be no such thing as a man's "dress" because garments for males don't include (or don't need to have) accomodations for breasts... or wide hips either....

Women's dresses don't necessarily have to make special accommodations to women's curves, either. There are many styles of women's dresses that don't have special bulges for breasts or hips or any narrowing in between. Some will use a waistband or belt to define the waist, but some don't.

In the past, when all clothes were made by hand and most were made at home, most women's dresses or shifts were simply loose tubes (as you describe for men) with no special tailoring for "women's curves." Women had bodices or sashes (cf. "obi") to put on over their dress to make the dress more form-fitting. This was a lot more practical, since if you changed size (or got pregnant!), or wanted to give some clothes to someone else, you didn't have to alter the dress. In those days, only the very rich could afford more than one or two sets of clothes.

Note that, until the 19th century, children of both sexes wore dresses up to a certain age, simply because it was more practical.

[JRMILLER]

Liam,
It's a question of terminology. A "dress" is generally defined as a woman's garment. Hence, whatever fashion designers have done up to this point has been for women. Thus, if you think of a dress as something which accentuates the breasts and other womanly features, then for the most part, you are quite correct. It is, afterall, a dress.

To speak of a "dress" for a man is a new meaning for the term. We can define it anyway we wish. Personally, I think we ought to adopt a new term if you want to gain some degree of acceptance. Hence, start with a caftan or a tunic, modify it as you like, but still call it a caftan or tunic. This is what has happened with kilts, the general public is so confused about what a kilt is, that any knee-length garment and sometimes longer plaid skirts are called kilts.

Tunics are a great starting point, no reason why you couldn't tailor it to fit a guys shape and accent the guys best physical features. Minimize the beer-belly, enhance the shoulders, etc. Thus, drop the word "dress" and let the ladies keep it.

[JohnH]

Tunics are a great starting point, no reason why you couldn't tailor it to fit a guys shape and accent the guys best physical features. Minimize the beer-belly, enhance the shoulders, etc. Thus, drop the word "dress" and let the ladies keep it.

Good idea to use the word tunic or caftan. We could also use the term robe for something that is mid-calf or ankle length.

[Liam]

Tunics are a great starting point, no reason why you couldn't tailor it to fit a guys shape and accent the guys best physical features. Minimize the beer-belly, enhance the shoulders, etc. Thus, drop the word "dress" and let the ladies keep it.

Good idea to use the word tunic or caftan. We could also use the term robe for something that is mid-calf or ankle length.

Yes! Exactly what I was thinking as well.
By using the traditional term for the male garment, we are saying it is intended for our male bodies.

[JohnH]

Just for a standard term that everybody can understand, perhaps we ought to use the term "robe" to describe a one-piece unbifurcated garment for a man. The word "robe" has a masculine connotation.
So my title should have been "What would you like to see in a man's robe".

[Stevie D]

Just for a standard term that everybody can understand, perhaps we ought to use the term "robe" to describe a one-piece unbifurcated garment for a man. The word "robe" has a masculine connotation.
So my title should have been "What would you like to see in a man's robe".

This comes from an earlier thread nearly two years ago, subsequently locked when it got a bit out of hand, so some new people may not have seen it:

In June 2005 my wife and I both wore dresses at our handfasting, and at our civil wedding ceremony a couple of days later. These were both very public events, the former being attended by over 100 guests in a public park and woodland and the latter involving a short walk through the centre of Sheffield to the Town Hall and to a nearby restaurant afterwards. Both our dresses were made especially for us. If anyone is uncomfortable with with the idea of me wearing a dress, they can call it a robe if they like, but actually it was a dress based on a medieval lady's dress.

See HERE.
We had a lovely time - it was the perfect day, just as wedding days should be. I am standing on the right, in case anyone is unsure.

[SkirtedViking]

Just for a standard term that everybody can understand, perhaps we ought to use the term "robe" to describe a one-piece unbifurcated garment for a man. The word "robe" has a masculine connotation.
So my title should have been "What would you like to see in a man's robe".

This comes from an earlier thread nearly two years ago, subsequently locked when it got a bit out of hand, so some new people may not have seen it:

In June 2005 my wife and I both wore dresses at our handfasting, and at our civil wedding ceremony a couple of days later. These were both very public events, the former being attended by over 100 guests in a public park and woodland and the latter involving a short walk through the centre of Sheffield to the Town Hall and to a nearby restaurant afterwards. Both our dresses were made especially for us. If anyone is uncomfortable with with the idea of me wearing a dress, they can call it a robe if they like, but actually it was a dress based on a medieval lady's dress.

See HERE.
We had a lovely time - it was the perfect day, just as wedding days should be. I am standing on the right, in case anyone is unsure.

You look great,but I like your wife's dress better .

[crfriend]

See HERE.
We had a lovely time - it was the perfect day, just as wedding days should be. I am standing on the right, in case anyone is unsure

Stevie -- Thanks SO much for refreshing the collective memory with that photograph. Two happy people on a very happy day. That photograph is one of my favourites; it just shines!

[crfriend]

You look great,but I like your wife's dress better .

In my estimation, both are very nice, but Stevie's is somewhat more visually compelling with its use of colour and fabrication. There's a lot of detail in Stevie's rig. This may be one of the few times where the groom outshined the bride; I hope -- no, I suspect -- that there was no friction over that!

[Stevie D]

.....There's a lot of detail in Stevie's rig. This may be one of the few times where the groom outshined the bride; I hope -- no, I suspect -- that there was no friction over that!

Absolutely no friction whatsoever! Actually, Jan's dress has a lot of embroidered detail in the fabric, but it is difficult to see well in the photo.

[JohnH]

In June 2005 my wife and I both wore dresses at our handfasting, and at our civil wedding ceremony a couple of days later. These were both very public events, the former being attended by over 100 guests in a public park and woodland and the latter involving a short walk through the centre of Sheffield to the Town Hall and to a nearby restaurant afterwards. Both our dresses were made especially for us. If anyone is uncomfortable with with the idea of me wearing a dress, they can call it a robe if they like, but actually it was a dress based on a medieval lady's dress.

See HERE.
We had a lovely time - it was the perfect day, just as wedding days should be. I am standing on the right, in case anyone is unsure.

You are so fortunate that you felt free to wear that outfit - you really looked nice.
Here in Redneck Country USA I hate to think of what the reactions would be here. I have a thread of "Intolerance to men wearing skirts in USA" describing my experiences.