skirtcafe.org

We have been discussing the wrong topics. The real future is in hematite items.

barefoot_kevin wrote:

skirted_in_SF wrote:My natural Hematite items are attracted to a magnet, but they're not magnetic themselves (won't stick to a piece of steel). My artificial hematite (I think the trade name is Hemalite) doesn't seem to attract magnets.
A friend, who makes various pieces of bling for me, claims hematite is good for the blood. But she believes in that stuff.

That's interesting. Once I thought that I had lost my hematite anklet, only to spot it a few days later stuck to the steel wall behind the taps at my local brewpub. The girl behind the bar said that they found it on the floor, had washed it, and had been playing with it since then, making all kinds of shapes out of it. I guess some hematite is more magnetic than others.

Hmm, I happen to be wearing my hematite today so I tested it. It doesn't want to be attracted to sheet steel at all.

Couya wrote:I asked if my neck chain could be copper-plated, but was told it could not. It is surprising how rare copper jewelry can be.
Martin

I happen to know a person who hammers jewelery out of silver or copper but he doesn't make chain.

Grok wrote:http://dappered.com/2012/03/the-man-jew ... lty-scale/ Chart regarding the difficulty in pulling off a look. The author said that the less functional an item, the harder it is to pull off.

I don't care for this chart. It seems to show the plain-masculine-to-Liberace gradient rather than the masculine-feminine gradient. The right hand side emphasizes quantity and size. Items are nonspecific (what kind of gold watch, what kind of earrings?). The pirate mention is outdated. Why even mention a "Crown"? etc.

Grok wrote:It occurred to me that jewelry, as worn by other men, might be helpful-by breaking the monotony. Variety is the spice of life. But the vast majority of men are still dressed in drab clothing, making the world a dull place.

I absolutely agree. Before I began skirting I enjoyed breaking societal norms (i.e. monotony) by wearing admittedly feminine jewelry such as a small gold watch with narrow band, small rings with gems, pendants on tiny gold chains, and bracelets. I don't care for the feel of bracelets so I stopped wearing them. I usually wear a pendant necklace at social and/or public events; my favorite is a single pearl, and also opals. They get a lot of positive comments, just the way my skirts do.

As to the future, I think current trends will continue, particularly with earrings which are seen more each year. I think men will increasingly fight the conventional wisdom of "Women can wear anything, men's choices are limited".

As far as I am aware only cobalt, iron and nickel are magnetic.

Sinned wrote:As far as I am aware only cobalt, iron and nickel are magnetic.

You have got most of them, gadolinium is also ferromagnetic, several other metals are very, very weakly magnetic.

skirtingtheissue wrote:
As to the future, I think current trends will continue, particularly with earrings which are seen more each year. I think men will increasingly fight the conventional wisdom of "Women can wear anything, men's choices are limited".

Women have had nearly a monopoly on gem stones. However, these are a limited resource. I came across an article that stated that known sources of gem stones are becoming depleted.

I hate to have to say this, but mens' typical attire is so drab, so boring, that a little bling will go a long way to relieve the dullness.

Couya wrote:It is surprising how rare copper jewelry can be.
Martin

I think that copper could be a good color for mens' bling. Two other colors I think would work well are silver and gold.

Any three could brighten a man's appearance a bit.

I think that combining copper and silver might also work well.

There's nowt weird or effeminate about men wearing jewellery. Where do people get their strange ideas from I wonder.

It's part of what I call the Plain and Ugly look men are expected to abide. Look at formal occasions where men are confined to no makeup, dull colors, the penguin look, and dull shoes while women wear their beautiful outfits.

John

For the record I have seen plenty of men wearing necklaces. The most common necklaces I have seen being worn by men include rosaries, crosses, crucifixes and dog tags. I myself often wear a Miraculous Medal necklace.

JohnH wrote:It's part of what I call the Plain and Ugly look men are expected to abide. Look at formal occasions where men are confined to no makeup, dull colors, the penguin look, and dull shoes while women wear their beautiful outfits.

John

Generally, mens' clothes form two categories of monkey suits: 1. Drab 2. Dull

Drab-think jeans.

Dull-think mens suits.

For formal wear, almost the only exceptions to dull are the kilt (with associated regalia), and some military uniforms.

There is no reason to wear a necktie. It is simply gender discrimination against men. I don't hate neckties, I just hate what they stand for and never wear them. Google Richard Branson and neckties and you will get the perspective. There is no reason why you can't wear a necklace. If we allow society to relegate us to boring traditional men's fashion, then men's fashion will surely never evolve. Women wear men's clothing items because they had the guts to just do it and not care about what other folks thought.

FYI -
The 'Turning Point' for women wearing men's clothes was during
WW2 when women had to take over the jobs of their men in the
aircraft factories. They were supposed to change into skirts/dresses
when leaving the factories but several said 'To Heck with that', and
wore their 'work clothes' home from the factories.

Katherine Hepburn was a leader in establishing women in men's
clothes in the movies. This was another 'vote' for women to
adopt men's clothes in their wardrobe. Now, the fashion designers
are making 'pants' tailored to the female form.

My question is - - - - -
When are men going to have their 'Turning Point' and include
skirts/kilts/dresses as part of their everyday wardrobe

Uncle Al