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Friday, August 18, 2006

Bust Out Your Man-Gams!

Posted by on August 18 at 11:09 AM

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Straight outta Tacoma comes CitySkirt, devoted to bringing the “popular European fashion trend” of man-skirts to North America. “It’s a different way of thinking about what a man wears and how he looks,” says the company’s mission statement. “It’s about style and comfort. It’s about the freedom that a skirt provides to the wearer. Sophisticated or relaxed, casual or formal: It’s CitySkirt.”

I’m all for freedom and style and comfort, but the fact remains that, when I see a man in a skirt—be it a Microsoftie in a Utilikilt or the above mannequin in a CitySkirt—I think, “He’s got to be kidding.” Not that kidding is a bad thing. But the male skirt-wearer is usually NOT kidding, and the psychic energy expended in the silent back-and-forth between wearer and viewer—”Is he kidding?”/”No, I am not kidding, I am a man in a skirt”/”Well alrighty then”/Swish swish swish—is enough to make me want to yell, “Dude, put on some pants.”

But this is my problem, not CitySkirts’s, and I wish them all the luck in the world.

FYI: Some of their skirts even have locally-flavored names, such as the Rainier and the Pacific. However, it must be said that any man wearing the Renton skirt in the city of Renton would be dragged to death behind a truck.


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And does the mannequin really need to have lipstick on?

my issue is with the whole "flashing" thing. having to remember to cross your legs like a proper young man would be very annoying. in shorts or pants, i can sit cross-legged any time i want.

You had better be fucking with me. Seriously. Every time I see a man in utilikilt I'm nearly driven to set a hungry piutbull on a playground full of toddlers. Now someone's pushing full on skirts for men?

man, what the hell is going on in tacoma? you used to be able to go down and visit ivan, get drunk with weird old dudes at seedy bars, and thrift shop with wild abandon.

sadly, my visit there last week revealed lots of "artist lofts," a mediocre and overpriced meal at a facsimile of a good restaurant, and far too much blown glass.

these crimes against humanity all pale in comparison, however, to the god-awful man skirts now being designed, assembled, and (presumably) worn by residents of our aromatic neighbor to the south. for shame, tacoma, for shame.

Be sure to check out Skirtman's photos. Yes, he insists he's straight.

It's unfortunate that even The Stranger has to express such violent discomfort over small breaks in male gender rigidity. For heaven's sake, grow up.

It's the blown glass. It corrodes the soul.

Yeah, I bet the crossing-legs thing gets pretty annoying for women. Be open-minded, people! Think practically! Men are the ones with stuff down there that can make a pants crotch really uncomfortable. And when it's hot out, I hear skirts offer much-improved ventilation over pants. Think of the quickie opportunities! All that being said, the reality is that a skirt on a man will draw a lot of attention, and so I'll probably never wear one.

Leave the men in skirts to the professionals. This is worse than Halloween drag - and I've seen some bad Halloween drag.

But with that said, I must confess a character flaw: Although I am a confirmed, lifelong pole smoker, avowedly liberal, resolutely pro-choice and most generally pro-women, etc, etc, etc. I like women in skirts - just the look of it, mind you - and really dislike "trousers" on women. I don't know why I'm that way, I just am. So my take on the citykirt might just be skewed by that.

They are way too expensive. For $85, those skirts need to be cuter or made of organic cotton or be lined with gold (or something!)

It's all very Samoan. I dig it.
And I second Noink's thoughts about potential quickies. Such convenience!

Sorry, but I wouldn't trade my black workman's and duck painter's UKs for one of those prissy looking little skirts for any amount of money. I mean, get real - it doesn't even have a single cargo pocket - where the hell am I supposed to stash my brews in that thing?

Methinks the designer who named his creation "the Renton" has never been to Renton.

I mostly agree with Catalina about trousers on women, with some notable exceptions, Katharine Hepburn, for one. That woman looked amazing in men's clothes.

With the exception of the Pacific (kind a funky, going out to the Vogue dancing sort of a thing,IMHO), they all look like the were patterned from vintage 70's Mccalls patterns for the "modern" woman.

I have nothing against the concept-- but those are ugly, cheap looking pieces of shit.

I just hate having to shave my legs.

I'll stick to shaving my face, thank you very much. My girlfriend can shave her legs. A chaque son gout.

oh, and I did wear a Fijian skirt when I was there, very suitable. but i didn't shave my legs.

Those skirts are BUTT UGLY. I am all for men mixing things up in the fashion department, but these are not working it. I saw a guy on Broadway the other day wearing a traditional sarong, he looked HOT.

That reminds me, did you ever see Cuba Gooding Jr. on SNL doing his "it's not a skirt, it's a man-wrap" bit? So funny!

WTF, Catalina? Women in trousers are HOT!

Tennis stars photos here: <a href=http://tennisstars.info>Tennis Stars</a>

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