Men's? Unisex? Or Women's?

[timemeddler]

might be good for maxi skirts if there were more option longer that 36 inches, but other than that not much.

[shadowfax]

I just looked at an online bicycle shop and there was no mention of gender, just bikes for different uses.
Edit: Damn, I just found mention of a woman's mountain bike, where the stay bar is about 100mm lower below the seat post. I know there used to be a much lower bar in the old days so a woman did not need to hoist the skirt but I am not sure now with the ubiquitous bike shorts.

In the old days (!) as a student I had a "ladies bike" with a dropped crossbar, and it came in very handy when cycling to Scottish dancing classes in a kilt.

One type of step-through bicycle frame design is the Mixte
It is mentioned in this wikipedia article on step-through frames.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Step-through_frame

The writer(s) say that Mixte is a "direct appropriation of the French word meaning "mixed" or "unisex".".
So a Mixte frame bike is Unisex?

Edit
Here is a longer article, by an American writer, about Mixte-framed bikes
https://momentummag.com/mixte-vintage-f ... ity-bikes/

[GerdG]

Do we need skirts made for us, or skirts which women can wear too, or do we already have what we want if we accept buying in women’s stores?

A good question.

Well, if we are satisfied with remaining a small elitist group of men in skirts, some of them wanting or ‘needing’ to dress in female garb, we can go on with finding our skirts in women’s stores.
But if we are striving for having skirts on men become just about a tenth that common as trousers are with women, I’m convinced that we need skirts of our own, and to buy in men’s departments.

Like women wanted – and became - their own trousers, because it was the only way getting them widely accepted, I think we men should support those few making skirts for us, whether marketed as unisex skirts or man/male skirts. Thereby, we can help convincing the clothing industry that there is a big potential market ahead of them.

Male skirts don’t have to be very expensive. Examples are

Spanish Davesbrand https://davesbrand.com,
Mexican Baron https://baron.mx (prices in Mexican dollars!),
American Skirtcraft https://www.skirtcraft.com (unisex) and
Lightheartgearhttps://lightheartgear.com/products/hik ... -pockets-1 (unisex)
French Sou les jupes des hommes https://www.souslesjupesdeshommes.fr
Lithunian Linen Wedding Dress with a linen kilt https://www.linenweddingdress.com/produ ... 9657150529.

Add to this that there are numerous enterprises (mostly Pakistani) selling skirt-like utility kilts, denim kilts, leather kilts, camouflage kilts for both sexes, all of them to have in the length, waist size, and colour, YOU want.

Also, ASOS (already mentioned here), EMP and Amazon are on a more or less regular basis offering unisex or male skirts.

So, it IS already possible to find skirts for us at reasonable prices.

[Tazzmac]

On another thread I decided to wear and take photo of me wearing a wearing an 18 " women's kilt but wear it as if I was wearing a conventional men's one ..This photo I took recently to show a close female friend the difference between the two . I took three photos .. One was me wearing a 24" one , the next was the one I refer to and the third was where I overlaid the mini kilt over the standard one to show about 125 mm or a bit more difference .. An admission ...Even though I'd never likely be brave enough to one this short anywhere (even hiking) which is my main use of kilts I do enjoy the feel of the hem line that shows a lot more leg as sexist as that sounds ..It is wool but is even lighter to wear than my nylon Mountain Hardwear all weather ones ..
I don't yet wear normal skirts as such but I do understand why so many do . Essentially the little kilt in question is a mini skirt and it feels great if you want something above the knee ... I bought this years ago . Since I took the photo though I have reversed the buckles to fasten to the right and dropped the brand logo lower because if I wear any kilt I have to do so with a belt and decorative pin and it would hide that . sporran if the mood takes me .. It's way too short really but it might get worn at home now a little more often . Just for fun sake .

Oh yes , and my female friend commented back " Gee..Red really suits you " .... Cheers ..

[Grok]

Skirts marketed as "unisex" seems to be a category that can just barely exist.

I believe that Skirtcraft gained traction because of crowd funding.

The original Macabi was designed for women who wanted to go fishing. Fishing is something that appeals to men, which resulted in men inquiring about the garment. Which led to the brand being marketed as unisex.

[STEVIE]

Skirts marketed as "unisex" seems to be a category that can just barely exist.

True Grok, and simply because there is no great profit to be made from it.
Nothing to do with exclusivity or a need to wear female garments, Adidas, Zara and H&M have all tried and failed with this.
On price alone, let no one delude themselves that low end garments are tailored to the male physique, a skirt is a skirt end of.
In many respects there isn't a garment made which isn't "unisex" anyway, just a matter of taste for the wearer.
Steve.

[Seb]

I dont really care what the label says, but I would love to be able to buy knee length skirts/dresses with patterns/colours I like and with a wide/long hem and proper big (non cargo) pockets and belt loops of the shelf, without going bust.

I do think it would be good for traction to see more beskirted garments in the mens section though.

[familyman34]

Skirts marketed as "unisex" seems to be a category that can just barely exist.

I believe that Skirtcraft gained traction because of crowd funding.

The original Macabi was designed for women who wanted to go fishing. Fishing is something that appeals to men, which resulted in men inquiring about the garment. Which led to the brand being marketed as unisex.

I recently found a nice skort in a local charity shop, priced at £3.00 (and I bought it). It's very nice to wear.
I subsequently found that the brand, Orvis, is focused on clothing for fishing enthusiasts, male and female.
My one seems to be an earlier version of the one linked below:
https://www.orvis.co.uk/collections/wom ... 3767192817

[Grok]

I think the few designs that are selling as "unisex" have features that members like. I have two of the original Macabi, as well as one of the knee length. These have a feature that seems to be popular among members-useful pockets. Reasonably sturdy material.

Haven't tried Skirtcraft. These appear to have useful pockets too. Seem to be made with reasonably sturdy material.

Both Macabi and Skirtcraft are available in colors seldom found in mens trousers.

Macabi is somewhat adapted to different body shapes by having elastic, draw string, and belt loops.

I think that in these designs there is an overlap in what some men want, and what some women want.

So there appears to be a market-if limited to two or three designs-that is commercially viable.

[Grok]

if we are striving for having skirts on men become just about a tenth that common as trousers are with women, I’m convinced that we need skirts of our own, and to buy in men’s departments.

Like women wanted – and became - their own trousers, because it was the only way getting them widely accepted, I think we men should support those few making skirts for us, whether marketed as unisex skirts or man/male skirts. Thereby, we can help convincing the clothing industry that there is a big potential market ahead of them.

Possibilities:

1. Running Kilts. The design with the brand name is an A-line actually. I have also seen kilt like designs online.

2. Hiking. There are a very few designs available. I think one specifically marketed to men could be commercially viable.

3. As I recall, there was a thread about skirts for driving. I have also seen a few designs for cycling, marketed towards women. Perhaps these functions could be combined into a new design?

My point being a product that has a specific practical function, which will give a man incentive-and excuse-to wear.

4. Sarongs. As beach wear.

I have seen designs marketed towards men that could be described as general purpose skirts. These have had a high rate of failure. Not enough incentive to motivate the average man to defy the Taboo.

[Grok]

5. Borrowing designs from non-western cultures. Advantages?

A. These could be described as traditional mens wear.

B. Already in production.

A disadvantage? Limited selection.

I suspect that this option has a better chance of gaining traction than others. By default. The hill to climb is steep.

[Grok]

After I posted I realized that I had yet again repeated the same old list.

I was born in 1956. In my optimistic moments, what I think I may see during the rest of my life....to summarize....

...if anything gains traction in the mainstream, the selection will be very limited, and tend to emphasize masculinity.

Looking up at the steep hill to be climbed, this would be next tier up after the kilting tier. I doubt that I will survive long enough to see any other tiers. Perhaps a few of the younger members will, as aging adults.

[Bertino56]

In many respects, I consider myself an unclassifiable individual.
If somebody asks me, "What is my religion?" I respond "unclassifiable."
If somebody asks me "Do I consider myself a Christian?" I respond "not to the exclusion of anything else."
If somebody asks me, "What is my race or ethnic category?" I respond, "Caucasian (white), as determined by genetics."
If somebody asks me, "What is my gender?" I respond, "last time I checked, unquestionably male."
If somebody asks me, "What pronouns do I prefer?" I respond, "he, his, him. But I'm not a fanatic about it."
If somebody asks me, 'What is my political persuasion?" I respond, "I'm registered as a Democrat, but that's far from the whole story."
So what's the point of this? People are not that easy to classify. Baby boomer, millennial, gen-X, gen-Y. gen-Z, I don't subscribe to any
of that. The only reason to classify people is to manipulate them. I remain an unclassifiable individual, and I avoid classifying others.
As much as possible, I consider others as individuals, and avoid placing them in categories.
Similarly with clothing. Few garments lend themselves to precise gender classification. Even jeans and skirts labeled as "ladies'" have
front zips. If a man's wearing it, it's a man's garment. If a woman's wearing it, it's a woman's garment. You'll likely be seeing the same
garment tomorrow, on a completely different body.
I want to wear what I enjoy, what's practical, what's comfortable, what looks good (in my opinion), in any place, at any time,
among any company, without fear of ridicule, or fear of misrepresenting myself.

[Grok]

6. Blue denim design, intended as a skirt for working.

Over laps in function with utility kilts, but with fabric that is even sturdier. Likely having a way to fasten between the legs in a "shorts" mode. If I were trying to market a new design to men, this would be it.

With over designs I mentioned, I see similar over laps with kilting for running and hiking

7. Madras kilt. Originally intended as womens wear. Short wrap around skirt with pleats. If I recall correctly, it wrapped in the same direction as a woman's kilted skirt. There was an attempt to market it to men; I liked the look of the skirt, but it was not offered in a size that would fit me.

Even X Marks the Scot had a thread about the Madras kilt. If offered in sizes that could fit men, I can imagine a Cross Over version appealing to both men and women. And for men, coming to be seen as part of kilting, or perhaps as a kilted skirt that is okay for men.

[Grok]

As for designs intended for athletic or outdoor activities, skorts may be what actually gain traction. For cycling, for example.