The Shirt Dress: The Menswear Trend's Latest Look

[BrotherTailor]

Its possible...I know that buddhist monks wear a wrap around skirt thingy...in saffron.

[Raakone]

Both are right. Besides the "wrap robes" of the monks, the traditional garment worn by both sexes in Burma is the Longyi, otherwise thought of as a "tube" sarong. That is to say a sarong with its ends sewn together, forming a tube (in some parts of India men wear similar garments). It's stepped into, and then "tied" to the body. When changing longyi, just step into the new one, make the old one slide off, and adjust the new one.
~Ra'akone

[BBB]

I worked in Burma briefly in 1997. Most men wear a lon ghi (a sarong) those who do not are usually working as govt officials or conforming to a multi nationla dress code. For a small sum of money you could buy a lon ghi at a market which would be cut and sown up. The military ru the place like a mafia and they extort money and labour from the populace the Burmese I met were charming but under horrific oppression

[DavidsSkirts]

Sarongs from India and some South East Asian countries are frequently imported into Australia, and sold widely in a lot of shops and markets around here as either unisex or ladies wear [as if there would be a gender difference in what is basically a hemmed and/or trimmed piece of patterned cloth..], for the equivalent of under $US10.

(p.s. had that umbilical hernia fixed in June, so now have a scarred 'innie' navel in place of the 'outie' bellybutton in this photo..).

[Peter v]

Sarongs from India and some South East Asian countries are frequently imported into Australia, and sold widely in a lot of shops and markets around here as either unisex or ladies wear [as if there would be a gender difference in what is basically a hemmed and/or trimmed piece of patterned cloth..], for the equivalent of under $US10.

(p.s. had that umbilical hernia fixed in June, so now have a scarred 'innie' navel in place of the 'outie' bellybutton in this photo..).

Aren't they just great! They should have a larger place amongst skirts, very suitable as evening wear, around the house or at partys. And strangely enough, seeing a man in a so colourful sarong feels at first easier to accept (in the mind) as a man wearing a skirt made from precicely the same cloth. There shouldn't be any difference, and it is just one of the many very great things about skirts, the diversity of them. A skirt in such a lovely rich colour scheme would be great to wear. Yet who would even dream of wearing pants so colourful?

O and being colourful might be dreaded by the purist men's skirt wearers, but it is colourful ( versus drab ) and very expressional. Just a fun garment, just like a tropical floral shirt. Makes you feel tropical happy just wearing it.

Peter v.

[Raakone]

That's a cool sarong there. That's my choice of skirted garment. Although I have a couple of "sarongs" that have buttons incorporated into them, "custom made" for me.....I know, kind of cheating.
~Ra'akone

[Milfmog]

I regularly wear sarongs when just kicking around at home and if I on holiday somewhere with a warmer climate than that of the UK. They are astonishingly easy to wear and very flexible in that the length can be adjusted easily however they feel just a little too loud and tropical for the high street unless we have very unusual weather.

I have not cheated with a button yet but I do have one "sarong" from Jdez that has a snap fastener at the left hip and velcro (hook and loop) on the right hip. This is the one that always goes on holiday with me as the pocket is invaluable.

Have fun,


Ian.

[RichardN]

Further up this thread RichardA posted a link to a thobe - a long loose tunic-like garment. I googled that word and discovered it is the standard menswear in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. It is ideal for those hot dry countries as it keeps the sun off but allows plenty of air circulation. According to Wikipedia thobe (or thawb) is much the same as a dishdasha, kandura or khameez. Under Islam it should be somewhat shorter than ankle level.

It seems to me that the thobe has as many cultural aspects as the Scottish kilt has, and perhaps would not gain widespread acceptance in other countries as part of the mis/mid movement -- but I could well be wrong.

RichardN