My long skirt adventure

[Jim2]

Interesting discussion. I like wearing long skirts because my feet and the bottom of my legs easily get cold. I've only been wearing skirts since the spring, but I find myself wanting to wear long skirts because of the cold even in summer. I have two rayon (please don't bother telling me how terrible rayon is; I can't help it, I love the way the fabric feels) skirts that go down to my feet. When I lie on a couch watching TV or even going to bed, I'll curl my legs and feet inside the fabric and feel comfortable as can be. Unfortunately, these are the skirts that my wife is most bothered by. We have an agreement, though, she tolerates me wearing them (and any other skirts), and I tolerate her having negative feelings. Somehow it seems to work, and she says she's been feeling better about my sarong and my kilt. We are on vacation at Martha's Vineyard now, and she has let me wear my kilt to the beach every day - the first time she let herself be seen in public with me wearing such a garment. It's progress, but it must be so much easier if your spouse just warmly accepts it all.

[skirted_in_SF]

I think rayons can come in a variety of textures. I have a 100% rayon scarf that I love and get a lot of compliments for, but it does have a funny hand. Rayon is, after all, mostly made from wood pulp.

[Big and Bashful]

I like long skirts for warmth, I just feel comfortable in them, also in the West of Scotland summer they help reduce the area of skin vulnerable to midges. I like not having to think about keeping knees together or arranging the skirt to cover the bits and I also just like having to "manage the skirt", i.e. lifting it on stairs etc.
I do find that they are good at undoing shoelaces which is annoying, as I tend to wear denim they interfere with the legs more than a shorter skirt, walking in a high crosswind can be less comfortable as they wrap around the legs, helped by lifting slightly on the upwind side. I know lighter fabrics do feel much nicer but still as a large man I just don't feel I would carry off the look of a soft floaty skirt. I keep them for around the house. I also us pockets and miss them in lighter feminine type skirts.

(editied because my typing today is terrible)

[norstdresses]

What do you mean, Dillon?

[skirtyscot]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=great+grey+green+greasy+limpopo

[dillon]

Rudyard Kipling's The Elephant's Child. Fun childrens story.

[norstdresses]

Many thanks, understood

[Big and Bashful]

I had the strimmer out a few days ago and tried wearing a long denim skirt which I wouldn't wear out and about (pockets too small and a fish (Jesus symbol) on a pocket). Much better than wearing jeans, I didn't feel any impacts at all from the stuff thrown up by the strimmer, the skirt is far enough from my legs to stop anything reaching them, unlike jeans. As the strimmer is a full size petrol engined affair, the head is far enugh from me to avoid any chance of it tangling in the skirt.

[pelmut]

I had the strimmer out a few days ago and tried wearing a long denim skirt which I wouldn't wear out and about (pockets too small and a fish (Jesus symbol) on a pocket). ...

Here's one with very large but unobtrusive pockets:

DenimLong3376.JPG

The tutorial for making it is at:
http://www.poppyrecords.co.uk/dressmaki ... tIntro.php

[Big and Bashful]

Thanks for that, now all I need is some denim, a sewing machine and some skill!

I have thought several times about getting a sewing machine, one day I will and I like your design guides. Thanks! It's more of a priority now that Midas seem to have gone for good. Previously I ordered from them, I don't know of any other "bespoke" skirts for men tailors which charge a sensible price,

[pelmut]

Thanks for that, now all I need is some denim, a sewing machine and some skill!

I have thought several times about getting a sewing machine, one day I will ...

You could talk yourself into it by thinking "What do I stand to loose?"

If it all goes wrong, you would have wasted the cost of a yard-and-a-half of denim, a yard of petersham (waistband stiffener) and a reel of cotton. You would have gained a supply of denim which could be used as practice pieces for the next sewing project - or as wiping cloths. You would not have wasted your time because you would have learned a lot (probably faster and certainly cheaper than if you had joined a sewing class) and you would still have the sewing machine for the future.

You might feel you would loose face, but nobody can just dive into a new hobby without some sort of learning curve. I was lucky because my mother used to get me to mend her sewing machine, so I was able to learn the basics by watching her sew - but my first attempts at making my own clothes were peppered with mistakes (my skills at unpicking are legendary). Nowadays you have tutorials on the Web, so it should be a bit easier.

Why not try it?

[janrok]

A couple of years ago I wanted a long jeansskirt but I didn't go to the trouble of making it myself, even though I own a sewingmachine.
In Germany there is a skilled seamstress called Sabine Seidel who makes men skirts to measure at a very affordable price.
http://www.mode-trend-s.de
If you order ask for 2 inch wide belt loops otherwise the beltloops are too small to accomodate any belt at all. I had to alter that!
I still wear said skirt but originally ankle length I shortened it up to knee-length making it more useful in summertime and for cycling.

Jan.

[Big and Bashful]

I was aware of their site, it is good to know that their prices are reasonable. I had emailled them asking about a skirt a few months ago, but got no response. I wonder if it is a language thing, as I only speak English. It is easy to forget language barriers when Google automatically translates web pages.

Thanks for the reminder!