What would you like to see in a man's dress?

[crfriend]

Anyone seen this by Marc Jacobs:

http://popseoul.files.wordpress.com/200 ... .jpg?w=500 ???

I suspect the operative question here is whether the dress in question was designed for men or women. Unfortunately, the picture had no context as to a collection, and the model -- like all too many these days -- is completely androgenous. There's just nothing to base an opinion on.

On a woman, the dress would work; the cowl neck and cap sleeves speak to that, as does the extra body to it around the hip area. I see no hints in the presentation that the garment was intended for guys.

Advice to designers:

• If a garment is designed to be marketed to men then make sure that the model is unmistakably male.
• Don't show the model with a bob hairdo; have the model sport a mustache and a guy's haircut. How 'bout a beard?
• Don't go overboard with buckles, chains, and boots; make the man look like a man because he is and needn't rely on props.
• Men can have long hair and still look like guys -- just as much as bald men.
• Don't use overtly "brawny" models; most guys don't look like that. Contemplate a "professional" look.
• Where-ever possible, use "real-world" photo settings rather than runways (unless there are aeroplanes present).

[STEVIE]

Looks pretty much like a dress, male/female intended is a moot point.
However, if it suits , wear the thing, but I suspect the cost would be something worth looking at.

[crfriend]

Looks pretty much like a dress, male/female intended is a moot point.

Well, "yes and no" on that count. Marc Jacobs has a bit of a reputation for creating skirted looks for men, so without any context for the photo in question it leaves the mind wondering. The model is sufficiently androgenous that the casual observer may not be able to tell what he's looking at.

My comment was based on Jacobs' work with men's skirts and how that might relate to the photo in question. It's worth noting that he may well have a portfolio for women as well that I am not aware of (not being one who studiously follows ephemeral fashion trends).

However, if it suits , wear the thing, but I suspect the cost would be something worth looking at.

Indeed, and that's the approach I've been advocating for some time. My confusion arose from an inability to ascertain the sex (nevermind gender) of the model in question, and that's what put this observer off.

[Big and Bashful]

Hmm, I looked at it a day or two ago and thought it was a female in a dress. Looking this morning I reckon it's a male. I blame the cinched in waist for my earlier verdict.
However, I think on somebody bearded and over six feet, this would look kind of incongruous.

[JRMILLER]

We are conditioned to think "female" when we see a human in a dress or skirt. We used to be conditioned to think "male" when we saw someone in pants, however, during my lifetime, that expectation has changed to "look closer for other clues".

The films about ancient Roman life depict men and women in "dresses" of one kind or another. In this context, it seems natural, my mind doesn't object to seeing "men in dresses". Identification of sex is determined by the "form" of the dress, long, simple shirts (tunics) indicates "male" and long, flowing dresses with added decoration usually says "female". There are times we have to look closer for other clues, but generally, it is pretty easy to tell the guys from the gals, even in films about ancient Rome!

If enough guys wear skirts and/or dresses and otherwise behave and are distinguishable as "guys", these will be accepted by the general public -- in time. Kilts continue to catch on, more and more guys are buying them and wearing them at festivals and faires. One fine Spring day, they will spill out into the mainstream en masse. It's just a matter of time and fickle fashion. I believe the reason kilts are faring so well is because they are considered "uber" masculine. I have corrupted 3 other guys by talking them into wearing kilts and at a recent party we all showed up donning our kilts. By 10PM, the ladies we getting vocal about "what's under the kilt", by 10:30PM, some of the guys were getting groped. You just gotta love red wine!

Given enough time, we can change people's expectations just as the ladies did in the last century, to do so, we have to keep it real and believable. If we fall short of that mark, then we are just some crazy guy in a dress, less than human, a freak, one to be cut from the herd at the next culling.

[Stu]

The first photo was the male version. The women's version is almost identical:

[SkirtedViking]

We are conditioned to think "female" when we see a human in a dress or skirt. We used to be conditioned to think "male" when we saw someone in pants, however, during my lifetime, that expectation has changed to "look closer for other clues".

The films about ancient Roman life depict men and women in "dresses" of one kind or another. In this context, it seems natural, my mind doesn't object to seeing "men in dresses". Identification of sex is determined by the "form" of the dress, long, simple shirts (tunics) indicates "male" and long, flowing dresses with added decoration usually says "female". There are times we have to look closer for other clues, but generally, it is pretty easy to tell the guys from the gals, even in films about ancient Rome!

If enough guys wear skirts and/or dresses and otherwise behave and are distinguishable as "guys", these will be accepted by the general public -- in time. Kilts continue to catch on, more and more guys are buying them and wearing them at festivals and faires. One fine Spring day, they will spill out into the mainstream en masse. It's just a matter of time and fickle fashion. I believe the reason kilts are faring so well is because they are considered "uber" masculine. I have corrupted 3 other guys by talking them into wearing kilts and at a recent party we all showed up donning our kilts. By 10PM, the ladies we getting vocal about "what's under the kilt", by 10:30PM, some of the guys were getting groped. You just gotta love red wine!

Given enough time, we can change people's expectations just as the ladies did in the last century, to do so, we have to keep it real and believable. If we fall short of that mark, then we are just some crazy guy in a dress, less than human, a freak, one to be cut from the herd at the next culling.

Nice opinion!Could not have said it better myself.

[Since1982]

I really don't understand why it seems so difficult to get accepted as a man in a skirt in the USA or Western Europe. It only took from the 1960's to the present to get all kinds of long hair accepted on all sizes of men. Long hair on men is as accepted today as pants are for women. Personally, I just don't get it that men STILL seem to prefer the Penguin look over any other look for a man. That black/white with a black vertical stripe in the center just reminds me of a huge herd of Penguins. Sheesh

[JohnH]

It's probably because few women wear skirts or dresses any more. When I go out publicly wearing a skirt or dress a lot of times I am the only one wearing those types of garments.

John

[Jack Williams]

Interesting. In this part of the world, dresses have been the big thing for the girls for a few years as the "post-feminist" era takes hold. Lovely Summer dresses in all lengths everywhere! I have to wear my light denim dress as much as possible to keep up!

[zizkov]

So few women are to be seen with skirts or dresses. Perhaps in winter the proportion of skirt wearers goes up; thick tights and boots are probably more compatible with a long skirt that jeans or trousers are. Even so the proportion of skirt wearers is low around these parts. Maybe that is why my sober long skirt does not seem to be that noteworthy. It is essentially losing its female association. Light summer frocks are as perfect for English summers as Jack's Australian summers, but they are not that common. We await the post-feminist era, all we seem to have is post-something prurience coming in!
The asian community wears what amounts to a frock over trousers and most of the young have taken to something similar with the Kameez replaces by lycra, worst of both world in terms of summer practicality. Maybe as the proportion of women in frocks falls there will come a point when this man will not be noteworthy in one. Perhaps something similar to those used by Jack for my summer experiment?

[JohnH]

I guess I have resurrected this thread. We were moaning back in 2010 that few women wore dresses and skirts. Now it's 2015 and guess what - many more women are wearing dresses. So it might not be quite such a stretch for a man to wear skirts or dresses. I wore a dress on Halloween to work and to shop at a grocery store and hardly anybody paid any attention to me.

John

[freefire]

some time back,i saw a parody of psycho in with the lead was played by a male who was wearing the same type of dress the original female actress was wearing but it was tailored for a man and it looked good on him ,tailoring tailoring tailoring need i say more.i believe it was a rod sterling episode on tv

[dillon]

Dresses can work fine on men if the upper half is designed for a man. We don't need anything to accentuate the bust as women do, and need something that enhances the shoulders. So, the racerback is good sans a plunging neckline, or a sleeved dress if the shoulders are sewn broad, like a man's shirt.

[moonshadow]

Regarding the OP

I think a mans dress obviously wouldn't need to be formed for larger breast, and like you said, needs to be a little room for a mans "gut". Although a maternity dress may accommodate this. But an actual "mans" dress IMO needs to be made of mans fabric. Nothing for floral or lacy. (nothing wrong with that, but we're talking about something marketable to the everyday man) Fabric needs to be DURABLE.

Pockets would be nice.... really nice since you don't have to worry about the weight pulling the dress down like a skirt would. There still needs to be some kind of "sash" or way to affix a belt like object around the waist so it doesn't look like a night gown. The neck hole needs to be smaller, more like a mans t-shirt, no need to boast chest cleavage, maybe even a little breast pocket, like on a mans t-shirt for a pen, note pad, or carpenters pencil? The sleeves should come down almost to the elbow, again similar to a mans t-shirt.

Just for fun:
If I were a designer I would experiment with different fabrics and styles, such as cammo fabric, "man" logos such as popular gaming logos, pop culture, etc. Maybe a witty phrase on the chest like "Real men wear dresses"... something like that.

In the market of dresses for men, everything below the waist (the skirt part) is fine, it's the TOP that makes me not want to wear one. Make the top more for a man, and I'd wear one. Frankly I have a very unsightly and down right ugly torso and back. I would require a dress that hides all of that.