Ask Dethroner: Men’s Skirts?

Chip S. asks:

I would very much like to hear your thoughts on the idea of men wearing skirts designed for men. Beyond the mere idea, what about actual implementations of instances of men’s skirts, i.e., www.midasclothing.com.

I have 2 of these midas skirts and they get quite a lot of use, but not much in the way of comments. Do people not notice? Not care? Or is the discontinuity so great as to leave them with no comment?

Well, Chip, in New York we tend to have more fashion-forward people than in most other places, so if such a trend were to get lift-off it would probably start here first. I’ve been seeing dudes in skirts every now an again for years. I must say that most often it’s an emo/goth kid working that look. The overall effect, though perfectly acceptable and slick within its own milieu, is kind of designed and directed to distance the wearer and his enclave from the rest of society—not merge with it or ask to be embraced. Society tends to respond accordingly; we don’t confront or challenge these individuals, we write them off a weirdos, we ignore them.

However, the gear presented by Midas Clothing, as well as that by Utilikilts, the better-known design house based out of Seattle, seems to be trying to integrate itself into society rather than clash with it. It’s a noble effort, and honestly not that outlandish. Hell, men have been wearing some form of dress or skirt for thousands of years; it’s only been in the last couple of hundred that the institution has fallen out of favor in western civ. Bringing it back is a challenge, but these companies are fighting the good fight.

We do see men in utilikilts with increasing regularity, and again, it’s within the relative fringe of society, but the men wearing these jobs are less thumbing their nose at society and more thumbing their nose at convention, which I personally like to get behind. Utilikilt wearers seem to come from all walks of life and are the least likely candidates to worry about being mistaken for gay because, honestly, it takes some pretty serious confidence in one’s masculinity to pull this garment off correctly. And when they do, it’s pretty cool, and perhaps the single greatest hope that the notion may find a toehold of acceptance by modern civilization.

Like most radical changes in modern dress, it will take a well-known, respected figure to push this thing over the hump. Top hats died a noble death when JFK attended his inauguration with a bare head and remained classy.

The funny thing about kilts is that within the elite class, formal events allow the traditional kilt to be worn with effortless grace by those of Scottish descent. Beneath that there is an enormous gap before it’s acceptable again, and then it finds itself reappearing within the likes of RPG players, members of the Society for Creative Anachronism, heavy metal band members, computer jocks who can get away with anything they want, and the occasional biker at a street fair. Usually what we have is a fellow whose machismo is so unquestionable that he can rock the kilt without inviting the cocked eyebrow, but at the heart it’s a guy who simply doesn’t give a fuck what anyone thinks, and does what he does cos he likes it that way.

I think we’re a long way off from the average Joe Blow wearing a comfortable men’s skirt while washing his car in the driveway on a Saturday morning. But I also have to admit, having work a skirt a few times myself, it’s a comfortable way to go. Very liberating, especially if you’re regimental.

(images: midasclothing.com, utilikilts.com)