skirtcafe.org

https://www.bworldonline.com/friday-ess ... n-wear-it/

The first half feels like a copy-paste from various online articles in favor of men's skirt/dress wearing (though I'm sure the author did their own research), the latter half ties in some of the current trends happening around us.

Hi Coder
It is very very mistaken to apply terms like "androgynous" to historical fashion.
Indeed, "fashion" is a misnomer as that would have been a reserve for the elite and never at the common level we assume today.
The clothes which were available to men, women and the various social groups highly controlled and vigorously applied.
As for a "perfect" dress or any other garment, there is no such thing and never will be.
Too much variation across the human race, regardless of gender.
Just have a quick browse in pics and looks. I really could not see myself in some of the other's outfits and I am fairly sure they wouldn't be seen dead in mine.
Steve.

Coder wrote: ↑Wed Nov 17, 2021 1:15 am https://www.bworldonline.com/friday-ess ... n-wear-it/

The first half feels like a copy-paste from various online articles in favor of men's skirt/dress wearing

Hardly! Did you read her credits at the end of the article? She’s a fashion historian.

I feel she makes a lot of great points, but I don’t buy her conclusions because she didn’t consider a few factors. To wit:

The Covid crisis has lead to a widespread rethinking of almost everything and people are breaking out of their societally (self) -imposed cages.

Skirts and dresses are more comfortable.

Especially in hot weather and climate change is giving us plenty of that.

And skirts and dresses are more fun and all of us missed out on too much of that!

Pdxfashionpioneer wrote: ↑Thu Dec 02, 2021 10:35 am

Coder wrote: ↑Wed Nov 17, 2021 1:15 am https://www.bworldonline.com/friday-ess ... n-wear-it/

The first half feels like a copy-paste from various online articles in favor of men's skirt/dress wearing

Hardly! Did you read her credits at the end of the article? She’s a fashion historian.

Arg, missed that! I’m just so jaded I assume every article out there is just a rehash of what I’ve read before.

The perfect men's dress? Sure - if you want to order it from India:

I spy pockets!.

pelmut wrote: ↑Thu Dec 02, 2021 6:09 pm I spy pockets!.

Yes - I spotted the pockets.

I think these dresses look great - and they are cheap at 599 rupees - £6 UK or about $7 US!

https://theoddprani.com/product/salmon- ... irt-dress/

Nice looking, yes but they are really just long tee shirts.
The price probably reflects the likely horrendous conditions under which they were made so I'd give them a miss on that basis.
Any guy who would venture afield thus attired would likely just step across the aisle anyway so the retailers are quite unlikely to add to their menswear offering.
Actually, the answer is really never. The implication being that one single creation could satisfy all the requirements of approximately half of the human race, not going to happen I'm afraid.
Steve.

STEVIE wrote: ↑Thu Dec 02, 2021 9:50 pmNice looking, yes but they are really just long tee shirts.

Precisely. There is no way in creation I would show up for work wearing such a hyper-causal garment. I need more panache to it. Would I wear one on days off or as a nightgown? Certainly. But not to appear in public.

It's a nice idea, but in this bloke's mind it's a non-starter. We need something that'd be wearable to a job interview (assuming such things ever exist again the the COVID world).

I've posited before - take a T-shirt and keep adding an inch of material at a time. At what point does it cease to be a T-shirt and becomes a dress? I asked my wife that question and have not had a good answer. I have a couple of what I call tunics - short sleeved T-shirt but a bit longer but not really long enough to be a dress. Just long enough to cover my bum by a couple of inches.

I was thinking of this garment for a holiday situation - wearing at the beach, or walking around the town on a hot day or drinking at a bar. It might come in for a walk in the local park on a warm day or visiting a market. I am not advocating it for the office or business. The price is low - but this is an Indian product aimed at local customers in India, where prices for clothing are far lower than in western countries and it doesn't necessarily mean that these are produced by virtual slave labour in sweat shops.

We have to start somewhere that is acceptable to men in general and a tee-shirt that is long enough to be worn without other legwear seems a reasonable entry point for the male dress. Once we start to think of formal dresses, then you have to understand that formality correlates to conservative - and a man wearing a dress is the opposite of that, so it's a non-starter. On top of that, issues arise like what shoes should be worn and whether tights are worn - and these lead us towards feminising of the style which, for 99% of men, will be a turn-off.

Sure, reject the tee-shirt idea if it's not for you. But what alternatives would you suggest as an introduction for men's dresses?

Stu wrote: ↑Thu Dec 02, 2021 4:23 pm The perfect men's dress? Sure - if you want to order it from India:

Looks practical and comfortable. Nice to see the guy in pink.

My wife opposes me wearing dresses (skirts are fine) but had no trouble with me wearing a teeshirt dress as my painting outfit for a month or so. We just called it a long teeshirt, not a dress. Drop the d-word and it's fine.

Stu wrote: ↑Fri Dec 03, 2021 12:25 pmSure, reject the tee-shirt idea if it's not for you. But what alternatives would you suggest as an introduction for men's dresses?

I've suggested shirt-dresses in the past, and have three myself both of which get fairly extensive mileage out and about. The addition of the collar makes a big difference in the perception, and the decision of whether or not to wear a belt with them resides with the wearer. Imagery of all exists, and the shorter one can be worn as either a tunic or a mini-dress (and I've done both); the longer one (floor length) usually gets worn with a petticoat so as to tame the hem. Another is a midi- length with a belt that works very nicely indeed but necessitates the carrying of a purse (which I do not mind one whit).

I'm in the process of deciding what I want to bring for clothes on my upcoming trip, and the minidress is definitely going in the bag (having had a popped button fixed the other day). The long one, probably not because of the volume it occupies, but the general mix is going to be skirts, the dress, likely a pair of palazzos, and sufficient dress shirts to top things off. I'll be wearing a long skirt for the trip down, and likely back, because I'll be standing around outdoors for a bit in late December weather.

Suggestion to those who would market a teeshirt dress for men....

Avoid the word "dress". Market the garment as a "tee", as though the name has been casually contracted.