What if men wore skirts?

[Lainie]

Would you? Well, they do!

I just posted a link in the media section
http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?147857-Men-in-Skirts-Paris-Fashion&p=2395199#post2395199
about a trend for spring in Paris fashion--skirts and dresses for men. Turns out some designers; e.g. Rick Owens, have been doing this for a while. Now many fashion houses seem to be getting into the act--Givenchy, Balenciaga, Commes des Garcons, &c.

So will you add a skirt to your boy-mode wardrobe for the office or an evening on the town?

[ziggie]

Unfortunately, I don''t like most of them. Of course I feel the same way about most of the high fashion women's apparel.

[Joann Smith]

I would ...that is if i could find some Stacy Adams wing tiped shoes with a 4 inch heel and a man bag to match ..


Joann

[Toronto Kristen]

An interesting thought and one that carries with it a faint glimmer of hope. It may turn out to be fad that dies out but it could be the first step along the path that results in the loss of stigma, with the resultant ability to be open and free in our choices of dress. It will be difficult to be stigmatised for wearing clothes that are found in the Men's section, as well as the Ladies'. Mind you, it would also require a change in our collective name: how can we call ourselves cross-dressers when we could be buying Men's (or at least neutral) clothes.

I am not certain that I will necessarily see societal attitudes change (note the sarcasm in the article) sufficiently to really benefit. However, as a generalisation, SOs of my generation are less likely to be understanding and accepting of our "life-style" compared to the SOs of the 20 and 30-year-olds. It would seem that societal attitudes are changing but at a glacial pace. This haute couture trend might add impetus to the pace of change.

[Cynthia Anne]

I would be one of the first! Mostly the skirt, evening gown maybe!

[JohnH]

If you want to see members who wear and discuss their kilts, skirts, and dresses in a masculine context I suggest you visit

www.skirtcafe.org .

One of their rules is that male members use masculine names.
My user name there is JohnH and I use the same avatar on that forum as I do here.


Johanna (masculine name John)

[Joanne f]

If it gets to the high street shops the styles would have been changed a bit so it may turn out OK , it has been tried a few times before though .

[Karren H]

Depends on what women were wearing!! if everyone were allowed to wear the same clothes... I'd quit and go find a new more exciting hobby!

[kimdl93]

Depends on what women were wearing!! if everyone were allowed to wear the same clothes... I'd quit and go find a new more exciting hobby!

I'm with Karren on this one. If everyone wore skirts, male and female, then I'd have to find another way.

[5150 Girl]

Looks like an attemt to mainstream Goth

[Eryn]

Would you? Well, they do!....a trend for spring in Paris fashion--skirts and dresses for men....
It's a very long way from the runways of Paris to what is acceptable male wear in the offices and streets of America. Do I hope it happens? Sure. I'm not holding my breath about it, though.

[Pythos]

Then most likely I would not have entered the realm of crossdressing. I like skirts and the styles that go with them. If men were permitted to wear skirts like women wear pants then I would not have tried out full on cding, and would just wear skirts and leggings. I would have my other Gothy elements (makeup and such), so I would be able to be me.

I don't want to be female. I want to have freedom of style.

[linnea]

If haute couture made men wearing skirts a common practice, it really wouldn't affect me much. I want to be able to dress as I please. What pleases me is to dress and present as a woman. When I'm wearing drab these days, I'm crossdressing. If men want to wear skirts because they like skirts, I'm fine with that.
I actually prefer dresses and sometimes pants and a pretty top.

[Sapphire]

The reasons why we feel the need to at least occasionally dress as women are perhaps less related to the clothes themselves than to what they symbolise.

While it is the case, at least in most contemporary cultures, that women’s clothes have attractive tactile and aesthetic qualities they are not always as comfortable as are men’s clothes.

Were it the case that women’s clothes had evolved in such a way that they resembled what are currently men’s clothes, and vice versa, it is hard to believe, that the phenomenon of cross-dressing would not now exist.

[Rachel Morley]

So will you add a skirt to your boy-mode wardrobe for the office or an evening on the town?
I wouldn't do it for work because some the opinions of some of the people there can effect my pay, my future and career development (at that company) but outside of work yes (depending on the situation). As a matter of fact, this summer could be the year I substitute my denim shorts for a denim skirt. :)

[suchacutie]

After spending a significant amount of time separating my genders, I'm not about to go blurring the lines.

The other reason I won't be wearing a skirt in male mode is that I think they look absolutely silly without heels (and preferably stockings). Wing tips and skirts just don't do it for me. However, I will admit to smiling to myself when it becomes clear that this may start a trend of men with no leg hair :)

Nope, Tina wears the skirts! I'll stick to pants with my tuxedo in male mode :)

[BLUE ORCHID]

Here comes the Metrosexuals.

Orchid

[Pythos]

You say that like it is a bad thing. (the post about the metrosexuals)

Oh and I myself have worn skirts in male mode. It is a challenge, but fun. I have gotten only a few bad looks....from gang members.

[Shari]

Those guys on the link were anything but attractive.
Heels and hosiery might have helped.

[Frédérique]

What if men wore skirts?

Never mind that – what if women wore skirts? Sorry, I’m channeling Groucho…:heehee:

If men wore skirts, I’m sure they would turn the concept into a presentation of masculinity, which would be completely at odds with my own need for expression. Men do this with kilts, somehow turning a chance for reducing masculinity into an exercise of manly exaggeration. In that sorry (and unintentionally funny) case, I would slip on a pair of short shorts in lieu of a skirt, thus revealing (and maintaining) my effeminacy for all to see…


So will you add a skirt to your boy-mode wardrobe for the office or an evening on the town?

Not likely. I don’t have a boy-mode wardrobe “for the office,” nor do I go out on the town – where I live, it’s dead by 8PM, sometimes sooner, unless you want to swill beer at the local watering hole with the gender-specific residents of the prairie. I don’t think the patrons of the latter would appreciate my male-skirt, do you?


It's a very long way from the runways of Paris to what is acceptable male wear in the offices and streets of America.

If you even mention Paris, or France, or Europe to a typical uncultured American male, they will tap into a certain amount of prejudice for all things continental. This is a pity, because, by and large, we are all cut from the same cloth. In my little corner of America, far from the madding crowd and the hustle and bustle of big cities, skirts on males would resemble targets, and I’ll give you three guesses who would notice them…
:eek:

[Lexi X]

Dresses and skirts don't really go with my male persona. Especially the ones in the article. With that said, however, I really would like to find the courage to wear a utilikilt out and about. They're more rugged and manly looking.

[Jocelyn Quivers]

No thanks I'll pass on that fad, nothing against men's skirt wear. In male mode I love my boring Dockers, jeans, slacks, and other dull boring types of clothes. That's just fashion sense my male side chooses.

[joan658]

I can remember years ago (decades?) when they came out with "pantyhose for men" - never caught on (obviously). Regrettably, I doubt very much that "dresses for men" will catch on either ... though I wish it would, then we all could go out in dresses and skirts ... :-)

[TGMarla]

I've got to admit it doesn't work for me. It just doesn't. It's not all about the clothes, I guess, although that's a big part of it. But even if there is an enormous attraction to the clothes, they still work better on women. Maybe that's why most of us present as women when we wear them.

[Tina B.]

I don't dress this way to dress in skirts and dresses, I dress like this to present as female, most of those styles are not flattering, and I don't want to give up the make up and wig either. Years ago Phil Doneue did a show of men in skirts, and they where much prettier than what this designers are trying to do. If it did catch on, it would take a long time before you could go from that hard manly skirt, to something soft and floral that I would want. I say let men be men, and women be women, and I will stay right here in the middle.
Tina B.

[Emma England]

I have often worn knee length skirts in male mode in the summer.

The key is to have self confidence.

I know I am not doing anything wrong, and would rather be comfortable in hot weather, rather than suffer and sweat in pants.

Oh, look at my signature below - appropriate, don't you think?

[JiveTurkeyOnRye]

As a guy who has advocated skirt-wearing for men for years and who regularly goes out in skirts, I've seen this type of thing come and go on a pretty regular basis, designers sending men down the runway in skirts, or having the odd skirt here or there in their male collection, but nothing ever really comes from it because most times the runway styles are intended as an art-piece type of thing and not really as something for mass production.

Out of this collection from the linked thread, I think I'd only wear the last one, the dress with the skulls on it. Probably pair it up with some black and white chucks.

[2SpeedTranny]

Is it just me, or is it odd that there is opposition to men wearing skirts... on a crossdressing forum?

[ChanDelle]

I don't think there's a lot of "opposition," just differences of opinion as to whether one wants to look like a man with a skirt/dress on or a more feminine presentation. I prefer the latter, but each to one's own. I don't want to wear a skirt just for skirt' s sake.

ChanDelle

[meri]

My goal is to balance my masculine and feminine side. Thus, skirts and kilts work very nicely along those lines. I think a long skirt works quite well with a turtleneck and sport jacket. My utilikilts work very nicely with sandals and a T-shirt in warmer weather. I also wear a blue print sarong in the warmer months with sandals and a T. I take the liberty to blend modes and please myself according to my mood.

[Marla]

It would be men wearing skirts ....just not the same as when I do

[Billie Jo]

If men wore skirts we might have more to choose from

[busker]

That is the fashion house that is using Andrej Pejic as their new male supermodel. Even if it goes nowhere, it will generate a lot of publicity and that's what the game is all about-- and who knows, so cds may find a skirt to incorporate into their femme wardrobe.

[ikthys]

I do agree with those that say their crossdressing was about a female persona, not about the clothing items themselves, but I also firmly believe that if all lines were cast away, that some men (maybe even who would never crossdress now) would dress exaxtly how women dress now (feminine skirts, hose, heels, etc.). This article reminds me of the whole "mantihose (http://www.e-mancipate.net/)" bit. Since it seems like they're still trying to market it in some kind of "manly" way, most of those who like wearing feminine things to look feminine will not be all that drawn to it, though I think other types of people would be if there were no lines at all. I think you'd get all kinds of people along the spectrum.

[JohnH]

I wouldn't do it for work because some the opinions of some of the people there can effect my pay, my future and career development (at that company) but outside of work yes (depending on the situation). As a matter of fact, this summer could be the year I substitute my denim shorts for a denim skirt. :)

I did that last summer. I have almost no use for shorts.



The other reason I won't be wearing a skirt in male mode is that I think they look absolutely silly without heels (and preferably stockings).

Above the knee length denim skirts are informal. In my opinion they go with sandals, boat shoes, sneakers, etc. When I wear a formal dress I do wear hose and heels.

I really don't have a sharp distinction between male and female mode. I can go to church with my long hair and lipstick in otherwise male mode. I can wear an informal house maxi-dresses with boat shoes and sandals and even walk in the neighborhood wearing them.

Johanna

[cobra6481]

I don't think there's a lot of "opposition," just differences of opinion as to whether one wants to look like a man with a skirt/dress on or a more feminine presentation. I prefer the latter, but each to one's own. I don't want to wear a skirt just for skirt' s sake.ChanDelle

I'm thinking along the exact same lines..

[amielts]

I am female 24/7 but I really don't mind men wearing skirts.

[AlannahNorth]

I like skirts anyways, and if they actually do gain some ground in 'typical male territory' I would say that was good news.

Realistically, I think it will likely be a long hard grind before they (if they) become accepted by the general public. But... on the optimistic side, if they keep showing up even at the higher fashion level, the movement has more of a chance of going somewhere.

I hope it does.

[SusieK]

If this were to take off at all, then of itself it becomes less about gender, and more about age and environment.

Young good-looking models on a catwalk is a different matter from balding middle-aged bloke in an office.

[sara.s]

Indian men wear skirts. But they are different from women's skirts and that is considered normal there.

Check this out: http://www.google.com/images?q=lungi

[vetobob9]

The people in the pics don't look very happy about it.

[Melinda Lou]

I wouldn't be opposed to men wearing skirts or to wearing one myself, but I can't see it having a huge appeal to me as a crossdresser, for the same reason that I can't get excited about "panties for men" or just fly-less men's briefs. The point is to wear women's clothes, not to wear men's clothes that are a close copy of women's clothes. A "skirt for men" to me would be somewhat like non-alcoholic beer, as far as I'm concerned--if I can't have the alcohol, I'll just drink something else instead of "fake" beer. Now, wearing a skirt intended for women and getting away with it, that's a different matter...

[Billie Jean]

I already wear skirts and love it. Billie Jean

[Kathy4ever]

I guess it would be nice if the trend was accepted. My problem with these skirts is their is no color. I guess okay for a night out, but give me some color. This is the problem with guys cloths is they are boring. Blue, green, black, hey you want want color then wear hawaiin shirt but then you look like a tourist or something. Give me the reds, purple, pink or teal with a soft frabric any day.

[meri]

Men do wear skirts and they are catching on in the US and in the UK. They are a subset of the skirt family called "kilt". At first, it was about "tartan" (plaid) kilts, but in the mid-nineties, a company called Utilikilts began making solid colored, knee length skirts and decided to call them "kilts". The originator said in an interview that he had an interest in wearing skirts, so he created the utilikilt. It looks somewhat like a kilt, but it's construction is very different. Utilikilts has been very successful, so a number of other US and UK companies began making them too. There are about a dozen manufacturers of non-traditional kilts in the US today.

At last summer's Irish Festival in Dublin, OH, there were 4 kilt vendors and they were very busy through-out the show. There were many people wandering around the show donning solid colored and plaid kilts. Both men and women were buying them! It was very cool and amusing to see so many people in kilts for the first time. Some had them turned around the wrong way!

So, men wearing "skirts" is off to a very good start and so far, it's still growing by leaps and bounds. For the most part, men will not wear their "kilt" unless it's a special occasion like a Ren Festival or Irish Festival. However, I expect that someday, the kilts will bloom for no other reason than it's a nice, warm Spring day! I look forward to that day!

http://www.utilikilts.com/img/banners/newcolors.jpg/ (http://www.utilikilts.com/)

[Carol Elizabeth]

I would embrace skirts being commenly worn by men regardless of ethnic background or geographic location. Those of us who crossdress would still find crossdressing apealing. There is the makeup, nail polish, hair styles, did I forget to mention shoes, and if one really wants to pass, wearing a skirt is not always the best choice.

About all that men wearing skirts would mean is that they (we) may be a little less likely to try and look up someone's skirt if there was the chance they were looking up ours. Then again, maybe that wouldn't change.

[corynn]

Would you? Well, they do!

I just posted a link in the media section
http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?147857-Men-in-Skirts-Paris-Fashion&p=2395199#post2395199
about a trend for spring in Paris fashion--skirts and dresses for men. Turns out some designers; e.g. Rick Owens, have been doing this for a while. Now many fashion houses seem to be getting into the act--Givenchy, Balenciaga, Commes des Garcons, &c.

So will you add a skirt to your boy-mode wardrobe for the office or an evening on the town?

UMMMM isn't the Point of us being CD'S is just that in itself (Cross)Dress
I.E. societies have had a set of norms, views, guidelines, or even laws defining what type of clothing is appropriate for each gender. Cross-dressing runs significantly counter to those norms

now for example GG'S dressing in male form is also Crossdressing however society allows that. And is not frowned upon
now with that being said this company is taking away the whole reason why we dress. CROSS dressing is to cross the proverbial Line if you will G.M. dressing in womens clothes!! G.G. dressing in male clothes duh ...... crossing the line

The reason it is so hard to have statistics for female-bodied crossdressers is that the line where non-crossdressing stops and crossdressing begins has become blurred

we're female bodied Crossdressers well some of us anyways and the ones who are Like to be accepted as such

now take for example a CDer that lives in the UK moves here to the US. And they find that they are frowned upon.
But a CDer that lives in the US moves to the UK where it is accepted more widely.

Point I am trying to make is that Dresses are dresses and pants are pants now merging those outfits together is fine but it is an outfit within it self

it did not look like a dress or pants it was a mix of somewhere in between now the 4th and 5th photo those were clearly dresses I will not deny that and the 5th one hella cute tee hee

long story short is that we CROSS-dress because we like to wear clothes of opposite sex of what we're.!!!!!!!!!!

[RADER]

Great Idea; But in winter when the wind chill is a big negative number, I think not.
Rader