Men In Skirts | Memorable Wag | Enjoy An Updraft | Share
I think about men wearing skirts a lot. Its rare when a gentleman treats the garment like any other. As designers forge ahead adding a piece or two into a menswear collection, or even make it their soul mission to implement the skirt as a male standard, its still a scarce occurance on our American streets. And, apart from being privy to female impersonators, transvestitism, and unsightly Halloween costumes or party gags, I can recall two distinct moments where I have seen a man wear a skirt (not a kilt, not a sarong, a skirt) in public.
The most memorable of the two happened when I was 17 or 18 years old visiting the Mall of America in Minnesota with my high school choir. As I roamed and avoided shopping for the day (c'mon...even then I knew such a monstrosity had little to offer) I saw the most beautiful young man in a skirt. By today's standards, he was goth; long straight black hair down the middle of his back, naturally pale skin, eyeliner, some simple piercings, a tight fitting long sleeved semi-transparent black shirt, and a full length black straight-cut skirt, worn with small, slim black shoes with a buckle on the side. In all honesty, it was one of the most compellingly beautiful things I have seen to this day. Aside from this gentleman's natural beauty (and the undeniable lustful attraction caused by a glimpse of him wagging beneath the skirt as he walked) it was not the skirt itself that was so powerful...but the strength and confidence with which he walked was most memorable...ultimately making the moment so potent. His masculinity wasn't compromised, his personal identity strengthened, and my eyes opened.
I thought about that moment constantly while I designed my last collection. I thought about it again last night when I chatted with a friend about men wearing skirts. And I'm thinking about it now and realizing what an enormous impact that guy had on me.
I wonder where he is now. I'd love to let him know that he changed the life of a midwestern kid in a big way, and permanently liberated my sense of what men can and should wear.
But what about you? When have you seen a man wear a skirt? I'd love it if you would share your stories.
posted by MC at 12:26 AM
2 Comments:
I once dated this guy who wore skirts. It was pretty hot, I'm not gonna lie. It took him a while to find just the right one, he went through the phases one might expect, the kaftan, the kilt, the occasional sarong, until he settled into what is fast becoming his signature, a long square cut skirt in a variety of masculine fabrics. Oh how he dreams of the day when the skirt will be a staple of menswear throughout the land.
I bought a skirt a couple of years ago. Really simple, black, strong canvas, a type of wrap-around, fastened at the waist, very straight lines and a kind of thin-A-line silhouette. As a straight man who cherishes his masculinity, yet thinks clothes can be important, I'm used to being made to feel a bit out of place. I'm typically quite confident in my own dress sense, but sporting the skirt around my neighbourhood in Seattle brought a few more critical glances than I was used to. It was not, however, the critical eyes of passers-by that convinced me to stop wearing the skirt. My reasons were far more pragmatic. I ride a motorcycle daily, and it was the first time I came out of the battery street tunnel on Goldie wearing my skirt that Function delivered to Fashion the fatal blow it had been saving up for years. As I exited the tunnel and picked up speed my carefully-tucked skirt succumbed to physics and became un-tucked. Riding along on an early 70's, golden motorcycle wearing nothing but a t-shirt, a pair of tighties and this, very strong and masculine, skirt flapping behind me like fury, I'm sure I looked like I was being raped by a gaint bat. Since then the skirt has remained carefully folded in the drawer where I lovingly placed it after riding slowly home and thanking God that the bat didn't get a wing caught in a tire.
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