Skirts - I have often wondered

[Dannigirl]

For the last few days with this reedonkulous warm weather we are having here in the great white north, I have been wandering around the house in a few nice skirts and got thinking to myself.

With how lazy most guys are and wayyyyyy back in the day when the men made most of the decisions (or thought they did) why didn't we choose skirts to wear and leave the pants to the ladies ?

Of course the Brits got it right and kept the kilt and there are a few other cultures out there where the men kept the skirt (or whatever it might be called in that country). They are just so much easier for everything, other than in the cold weather then I would have to crossdress and wear pants :)

Just something I wanted to throw out there as it has been on my mind for a few days and I have never really started this kind of thread.

Have a skirt filled day,

Danni

[noeleena]

Hi,

The brits well not quite , its us scots who wore the kilt & its na a skirt .& we wore them long long ago.

In fact when looking at the Renaissance period you find men wore dresses & women had them as well , plus pants called bloomers & another name or two.

Why the change look at fashon history,

I wear allmost every day a skirt & top unless im doing jobs so ill be in shorts & overall's depending on the day & the job im doing,


...noeleena...

[kimdl93]

I can't say what prompted men to gravitate away from skirts in their various forms, but I suspect that women work long skirts and gowns, since way back, as a practical matter because of the menstrual cycle.

[Laura912]

From an engineering point it is easier to take a piece of cloth and wrap it around ones self. Look at the Polynesians. Kilts were once very large wool cloths that were wrapped around waist and shoulders to protect against the cold Highland weather. But then if men wore skirts, cross dressing would be wearing slacks, but...but...

[Asche]

Well, since we're in speculation mode, here is my contribution:

Skirts, kilts, robes, gowns, etc., are simply the older, more traditional clothing for both men and women. Trousers are a very recent innovation.

First of all, until recently (somewhere around one and a half millenia ago), "unbifurcated" clothing -- tunics, robes, togas, skirts, etc. -- was all there was. As someone who sews, I can say that trousers are a lot harder to make than skirts or robes, and they wear out a lot faster. In the days when a few yards of cloth might represent a month's work or more, trousers weren't worth the cost.

Second, I suspect that horseback riding, which didn't really take off in Europe until the introduction of the stirrup, popularized tights (the medieval kind) and eventually trousers as men's clothing. That, combined with revolutions in textile technology -- looms, spinning wheels, etc. -- which made cloth cheaper, made it practical for non-nobles to wear tights and trousers for work. However, robes and gowns continued to be worn in other settings. Scholar's gowns and monk's and priest's robes are still in common use today. I'm not sure when royals and other nobility stopped wearing robes for formal occasions.

Women continued to wear tunics (shifts), gowns, and skirts simply because that's what they had always worn, and there was no pressure for them to change. It was only when trousers (breeches, etc.) became established as the usual clothing for men that gowns and skirts came to be seen as "women's clothes."

BTW, I realize we've really been talking only of Western (i.e., European) culture. In some other cultures, trouser-like garments have long been traditional for women. For example, in pre-communist China, on formal occasions, women would wear loose (silk) trousers while men would wear robes.

[Cynthia Anne]

Skirts! Rideing a horse Not the best!:eek: Climbing a tall ladder! Panties will show!:o Working around dangerous machines! Ouch!:brolleyes: Other then that I wear Skirts! Gotta' love them!:) Hugs!

[Marleena]

Danni I'm not sure how skirts ended being female attire only. I'm just glad it is that way, if guys wore them I wouldn't like them. Let's keep skirts for the GG's and us.:)

[diannecourtney]

Oh throw it out!!! Its iust to deep tp worry about & the swirl of warm air up the girdle and between the stockings is just amazing.

[Contessa]

Danni I'm not sure how skirts ended being female attire only. I'm just glad it is that way, if guys wore them I wouldn't like them. Let's keep skirts for the GG's and us.:)

Marleena

I know what your asking but I do believe that with the right look a skirt for men is okay. It can be worn with tights. They should have a look of cargo pants, just ask that they don't get into too many outrageous colors. It is men that don't like men to wear something else, aren't men gay if they look gay. Aren't men gay because they want to be. Aren't you gay if you polish your nails, for others to see. Men even though they know what is underneath the skirt still want to look. Clothing is necessary, the type shouldn't be. Fear is a problem for some, I can't live in fear(well not anymore) so I wear all the stuff, even a skirt.

One other thing Marleena in your avatar you look like you actually saying what your typing and you ask and explain things well. Just like Karren when she says something witty.

TaTa for now

Tess

[Marleena]

One other thing Marleena in your avatar you look like you actually saying what your typing and you ask and explain things well. Just like Karren when she says something witty.

TaTa for now

Tess

Tessa I just try to keep things short and to the point. There is only one Karren for sure.:)

You already know I really don't care what anybody wears or their sexual persuasion. I'm just being greedy about keeping the skirts to us girls.:)

[Cheryl T]

Other than the Scots with their kilts there are many Polynesian societies where men wear something akin to a skirt. In those climates it's more comfortable to be sure. For us in the Northern areas skirts year round would be impractical. Pants provide more protection from the cold and more freedom in bad weather.

[BillieJoEllen]

Cynthia mentioned above about wearing skirts around machinery. On TLC they sometimes show a segment on women working in the forties and early fifties in factories while wearing skirts or dresses. They show women doing some pretty heavy duty stuff.

[Veronica Lacey]

Interesting thoughts. Indeed, skirts would be cooler to wear in the spring and summer months. In any case, it seems that the types of shorts men wear these days - the legs stop at mid-shin - look more like super baggy capri pants any way. Maybe men are slowly delving into the feminine realm (or back into whatever time period men wore knickers/capris)?

:)

[Organza]

Maybe some of you are familiar with the marvelous website www.dressaday.com. It's run by Ms. Erin McKean, a marvelous person as well, who is a leading lexicographer by profession. She has expressed the opinion that women would be happier if they wore dresses and skirts. At one point she was questioned about men and her reply was essentially -- yep, they'd be happier if they wore dresses too. She doesn't discriminate :) Seriously, there's a lot of interesting material about sewing, including a very detailed method of making your own petticoats a couple of years back. You also get ads for the best online pattern stores when you visit.
Lisa

[Asche]

Other than the Scots with their kilts ... For us in the Northern areas skirts year round would be impractical. Pants provide more protection from the cold and more freedom in bad weather.
I live north of NYC, and I wear skirts year-round, and not just indoors. I even go cross-country skiing in a skirt (well, when there's snow, unlike this year :( ) I just wear long skirts (no minis!), petticoats, and tights, and I'm fine.

Is it colder down there in "Jersey"?

FWIW, the Highlands of Scotland are pretty cold in the winter, and it's a damp cold. Of course, back in the days when Highlanders wore kilts all the time (or rather, plaids), they were used to spending day and night out in the cold. They didn't spend half their time in overheated buildings.

[Organza]

My wife also wears skirts 100%, including cross-country skiing, racquetball, and sealing our deck :) What a girl...
(P.S. I take it back. She wore a full-skirted polka-dot dress while sealing the deck.)

[DonnaT]

http://www.cracked.com/article_19378_5-ways-invention-pants-shaped-modern-world.html

[Katesback]

It's easier to go to the bathroom with a skirt on. Strangely I dont wear one much.

[Frédérique]

With how lazy most guys are and wayyyyyy back in the day when the men made most of the decisions (or thought they did) why didn't we choose skirts to wear and leave the pants to the ladies ? Of course the Brits got it right and kept the kilt and there are a few other cultures out there where the men kept the skirt (or whatever it might be called in that country). They are just so much easier for everything, other than in the cold weather then I would have to crossdress and wear pants.

Probably because it got REALLY cold in that trench, and pants (or trousers, if you prefer) were much more practical than the kilt. At the time, ladies wore dresses, sometimes voluminous, and only little children wore what could be accurately termed “skirts.” Abandoned by the military (for the kilt originated as a battle garment), fashion designers picked up the kilt and all of its sub-variations, and literally ran with it. The result is that the kilt (or skirt) became divorced from its original wearer, i.e. males. Kilts have tried to make a comeback, but this is a different time we’re living in – either the gentleman has to affect an androgynous appearance, or he wears the kilt as some form of antiquated hyper-masculinity statement. Since nearly everyone wonders what he might have UNDER the kilt, I rest my case...

So, perhaps if men had never gone to war, they could’ve kept their kilts as everyday wear. I’m thoroughly amused by these LONG shorts that are worn by males these days, skirts in all but name, cool by way of absurdity, and linked to athletics for justification. If fabric did not encircle each leg, even though the “shorts” may reach mid-calf length, they would be skirts, no doubt causing much healthy confusion in the clue-less wearer. I mean, they’re so CLOSE – why not just wear a skirt, not care about being "cool," and make a fashion (as well as a gender) statement? BTW, I have several kilts, and I love them, but I wear them, and prefer to see them, purely as skirts – I will never don a kilt, cross my arms over my chest, and stand with legs apart, daring someone to challenge me. Case closed...
:straightface:

[Kaz]

Men have always worn skirts throughout history! They didn't call them that though. What really screwed us in terms of the modern fixations can be traced back to Victorian Britain and Europe and the influence on the States at that time.

Trousers appeared purely to protect someone's legs... practical. This is why many women prefer pants... they are very practical. Most men's clothing has been based on this premise for such a long time. Male fashion is just a variation on practical... when it deviates from this it doesn't really work so well.

Women, on the other hand, do both practical and fun... I am sure they wish we could do fun male fashion and in my experience when you are young they like this... as we age, women want us to be predictable and boring... fit into the box and not make any waves... IMHO

[DanaR]

I'm more into dresses than skirts, but if the weather in the Seattle are ever gets warmer I'll start wearing them again. We are supposed to be in the 50's in the next few days. It snowed again last night and got up into the 40's today.