Dresses

[Sasquatch]

I'd say that how a man looks in a dress depends on body shape. If you're built thin, you can pull it off. If you're stocky or burly or burly and fat (like me) may not be a good idea.

I recall Tom Petty wearing a dress in a music video and it worked well on him.

I also recall seeing a lot of Deadhead kids at Dead concerts back in the '80s in tie-dyed dresses that looked pretty cool.

For most men, you would want to create your own or have one tailored to fit your height. Placement of the waistline will make the difference between looking good and looking silly. A jumper may resolve that issue if you go off-the-rack.

I think the look could be pulled off very well with a dress based on a man's suit vest.

Sasq

[Sasquatch]

I've had that idea too, but since I'll probably shop at places without the assistants for a little while, at least until I build up my confidence, it'll probably be a non-point when I eventually do shop at one. Of course, if I need to shop at one and still haven't built up my confidence it would be a good idea, even knowing that odds are they really couldn't care what I was trying on. Thanks for bringing the idea back into my mind again, though!

Try a Ross Dress-for-Less. Cheap and pretty decent for anonymity.

Sasq

[Steve]

Hey it's my first post here, hello, been lurking for a few weeks (and it's only been a few weeks since I've become interested in the topic - hey! I've already worn skirts out and about )

I was shopping in a thrift store and came across a black, sleeveless turtleneck dress in the plus-size section. I figured - what the hey - and tried it on; it fit rather well and (on me) looked rather like a tunic and actually looked decent when worn over (jean) tr*users. I wore it for my girlfriend and her first reaction was "Wow, that screams ARMS". I have to agree - I'm a big guy and have somewhat muscular arms and my white arms sticking out of the black fabric really drew attention to them (which wasn't a bad thing). Anyway, my girlfriend liked it

Wearing a dress as a dress and still looking 'manly' (and not silly) might be difficult, but it can certainly work as a shirt/tunic sort of thing. Though I suppose this is mainly true for less-shaped clothing (like I presume plus-size is?). Actually, now that I think about it, I wonder what it would look like if I got some tights... (which I've never worn before)

[miniskirt07]

I do have some of mini dress like knit jumper dress as my body is much nice shape (not fat or thin)... anyway I wear with opaque tights and black suede knee-high boots (flat heel) that look good on me - you can try as it really comfortable. I have lots of mini skirt, mini dress, shorts,etc.. (mainly are female clothes than male clothes cos male clothes are too big for me) but i dont mind to wear it as it look nice.. it just normal to wear it.

[SkirtDude]

Deleted.

[BrotherTailor]

I wear a floor length white gown to church all the time

I'm currently working on a black cassock-like skirt to go with a clerical shirt/collar, will go with a black leather dress belt and black shoes.

I just picked up patterns and material to make a black full cassock and an ivory linen hooded alb. They are both essentially "dresses" that reach the floor, tied around the waist with a self-fabric belt in the case of the cassock and a rope cincture in the case of the alb.

The context in which clothing is worn, and the mindset of the viewer, largely determines how any garment is perceived. My habit has long flowing sleeves, a tightly gathered and tied waist, and a long flowing A-line skirt portion, very much the hourglass silhouette. It does not look at all feminine. In fact people expect me to wear it as it is my "uniform".

At one time a cassock was the scholars garb of mediaeval days, so if you want to appear really brainy, go for that look

I sew all my own stuff. One secret to good sewing is to have a large work surface for layout, pinning, cutting; and a good steam iron and LARGE ironing board, and a good sewing machine. About 20% of your time is spent sewing on the machine, the rest is spent fiddling with pins, pressing, basting, hand sewing, and cussing. I would not recommend sewing if you dislike hand sewing, as I find that a proper job requires a lot of hand work for complex garments; this takes time and patience, and a sense of resignation to sit for hours and make tiny stitches. It is the difference between amateur-looking work and profressionally tailored work.

[JRMILLER]

BrotherTailor:
I would love to see some of your creations in the photo gallery -- either with or without your "being". Just like to see how they come out!

[Peter v]

I hear about men wearing skirts as men's fashion left and right,
te the most attractive of woman's bodies! Would this be true of men's dresses as well? For now, men are permitted the luxury of grey (or no) hair, beer guts, and other body imperfections, and are far less hung up on body image than women are. The weight loss industry in the USA (and very probably elsewhere) is a ga-jillion dollar business and 99.997% of its clintele is composed of women! Moreover, women are FAR MORE susceptable to eating disorders like Anorexia and the like. But what if men start wearing dresses that show off the body? Would society be as intolerant of body imperfection in men as it now is of women? Would men start experiencing the "side effects" mentioned above? Are you ready for that?

No side effects, but very positive effects, as the world is overweight, and men do little or nothing to keep themselves in good trim, falling back on the excuse that men should look that way. Not.

But that means drinking and eating with care, but those who want to look as their body should ( men don't have inheritently sand loper shapes like women) are generally those ( here in regards to skirts and dresses ) who want to look good, possibly slender, in their new found expression, skirts.

So that should be no problem for them as they WANT to look a certain way.

Peter v.

[Peter v]

I am so happy to see that this topic is still running, having read only some input from the start, then tiring, so only scanning the rest. ( it's 02 hours 47 minutes in the morning, ..again so must get to bed soon )

I have now a jumper turtle neck dress, which is very comfortable, and a knee length armless dress, which I like. I would have more but I am having a lack of cash problem, which amongst other things means I will have to do with what I have. and that when I am just getting warmed up. Life is much more interesting now that I wear skirts and sometimes dresses and has much more value to it.

Dresses, when the right shape is found, are I think very comfortable, and for my part should share the podium with skirts equally.

The problem wit any above the waist garments, is the fit around the armpits, and the arm length. / width. As women have a slightly smaller build.

And of course, many dresses are made with showing / presenting the womens breasts in a flattering way, which doesn't work so well for men. That can be remedied to some extent by wearing a shirt or long arm T shirt under the dress. I think that most longer dresses give a wonderful feeling of fredom, wear very easily, comfortably, always hang well, have built in compensation for fluctuations in waist size, either les or ( after a good meal) a bit more, where a skirt may hang loose, or be uncomfortable tight.

I like the free flowing aspect very much, giving a feeling of floating along.
I see dresses, made with some alterations to suit the male posture better, as a very good followup for the transition from pants to skirts. Dresses being skirts, with the tops sewn on.

Again just as skirts are made in different fabrics and motives, which are suitable for most men, so can dresses be made. It as I have said, the fact that dresses require the fitting of the body in more places than a skirt that is possibly holding the wearing of dresses back.

Just like wearing a skirt is not particularly feminine, dresses do not have to be that either. Someone stated, as long as you are a man in the gament it then is a man's garment or something like that.

Once you have taken the step to appreciate the possibilitys that are open to you when you go for "freestyling"or step away from the pants syndrom, then there is no stopping you.

Possibly only cost wil be the greatest stopper, as seeing things you like does not mean that you can afford them, then finding similar skirts / dresses that fit as wel, may not succeed. I have difficulty finding dresses, which I can afford, that are tailored in a way that they will fit me. And I am not particularly muscular. But dresses are often cut very close to the body contours, arms, back width etc.

one way to overcome those problems is with jumper dresses, which because of their elasticity, and being actually jumpers, knitted much longer than for a jumper, thus becomming a dress, there will be more choice of fitting dresses.

Hope this topic will continue. Even though the forum is a skirt forum.

Peter v.

[Big and Bashful]

I am watching an episode of 'Later with Jools Holland', a music show in the UK.
A group called James opened the show. There was a man, parping with a bent pipe (I think they call them trumpets) He was wearing a dark blue dress with white spots.
Just thought I'd mention it.

[Grok]

World wide, there are far more civilizations that consider skirt type garments a definitely male garment and a dress definitely a female garment. There are, world wide, far more men that wear skirted garments (MUGs) than men who regularly wear trousers.

Perhaps some of these cultures made choices based on the quirks in their history.... Nevertheless, the comparison to an inverted pyramid remains an apt description for the male body.

[rick401r]

I passed a fellow the other day on a hiking path wearing a tunic style dress, barefoot, and smiling. I was in my Utilikilt. I commented as to how comfortable his clothing looked, and he complemented my kilt. I would wear a dress like that. Not out in public though.

[Grok]

Summer weather finds a number of women in dresses. Usually short-skirted, often with a lot of skin exposed above the waist.

What about relief from the heat...for men?

As I recall, the Incas wore a kind of sleeveless tunic. Perhaps someone could take inspiration from this and design an airy, sleeveless garment.

[Peter v]

I passed a fellow the other day on a hiking path wearing a tunic style dress, barefoot, and smiling. I was in my Utilikilt. I commented as to how comfortable his clothing looked, and he complemented my kilt. I would wear a dress like that. Not out in public though.

Rick, where there is any "feeling" of being maybe a little bit femme, in any garment, that may be what restricts / keeps "men" from wearing that very garment. There is NO harm in that, being "manly", and no harm in showing any other feelings than those of which men guard with fear of showing anything else. Those "other" feelings are just that persons feelings, nothing more or nothing else. Men who show "softer" feelings are often accused of being femme, but they are really just not so manly, so "hard" or whatever, as other men may be.

Men who are not scared of showing their own feelings whatever they may be, will surely wear any dress more easily than those other men mentioned above.

Those are the "lucky" ones with regards to tapping the wonderful possibilitys that ( at this moment "women's") women's clothes provide.

I wear dresses very often now, and I do present myself as a man, in women's clothes.
That is no problem. Women even say they are jeallous of me, as I get so many positive comments as to how I dress and "behave".

Dresses are so comfortable, so pleasurable, easy to wear. I would certainly advise all skirt wearers to try a dress at least once, just to get a feeling of how enjoyable they can be, and just to know how it feels. One will have to be bold enough to stand above any others who, just as with wearing skirts, may comment adversely about you wearing a dress. But just as with wearing skirts, who cares? They are mostly few and far between. As long as you wear what YOU want to.

Men CAN wear nearly any clothing they like. As long as they believe in themselves, and show it. But always being themselves.

PS Grok, indeed men are generally more likely to cover their body than women, but when it is not a health risk, UV rays, then it can be very rewarding to wear dresses. Note, when talking about dresses, it is VERY different as when at this time men on this forum "talk" about wearing their skirts, as there are very few other than myself who talk about the whole concept, and also talk about their "top" half, what they also wear in conjunction with their skirted lower half.

Men will have to have a presentable top half, in conjunction with the styling and revealance which the worn dress gives. As many men have hairy bodys, that is seen as complementary when men are dresed somewhat "manly" so as to demonstrate their manliness, their virility. When wearing clothing relatively new to men, it will need some time for all to adjust to men also wearing that, and getting used to differentiate to the look shown. Men who have smoother less hairy bodys will be easier able to wear dresses with more open, revealing upper parts. ( of the dress itself )

With chosing the right dress, men should even be able to compliment their manliness, but with a warmth, softer perhaps, without showing a "hard" manliness which I believe many men think they "need " to survive amongst other men.

[Grok]

World wide, there are far more civilizations that consider skirt type garments a definitely male garment and a dress definitely a female garment. There are, world wide, far more men that wear skirted garments (MUGs) than men who regularly wear trousers.

Perhaps some of these cultures made choices based on the quirks in their history.... Nevertheless, the comparison to an inverted pyramid remains an apt description for the male body.

Seems to me that (if we set aside the kilt as a special case) skirt-like garments have been as forbidden for males as dress-like garments. If someone wanted to design a new garment for males I think that a dress-like garment would have as much chance of success as a skirt-like garment.