In Defense of the Man Skirt

            Do as the Romans do, they say.  Or how about the Scots?  Without question, the Scots and Romans all had and still have one thing in common: a real knack for fashion and undeniable sex-appeal.  There are few things in life more manly than a warrior in a skirt.

            Skirts and dresses – really any garment that is open-ended on the bottom – has only become exclusive to womenswear in the relatively recent centuries.  Tunics and kilts have been dawned by men since well, the dawn of time.  They’re practical and flattering, who wouldn’t want to strut around in one?  The Scots might be a tad prickly about the word skirt but they certainly have the right idea, whatever they want to call it.  With the age of gender fluidity upon us, there is no question that the age of men in skirts will follow.  Skirts for all!  Am I right, ladies? And gents?

            A man in a skirt is a matter of personal taste of course, but the idea has kept an unnoticed hold on the world of designers nonetheless.  While the Scots – and other Celts, of course! – have stuck to their guns, steadfast in the kilt tradition, the fashion industry has only really crept back onto the skirt scene in the past decade or so.  Sam Heughan anybody?  How could a girl resist? 

            Each time a man in a skirt crops up in runway or street style photography, it was probably fairly insignificant at the time; but the effect of all these appearances together is beginning to make a strong statement. 

Not only are skirts making appearances on the men’s runway, but on the designers themselves!  If that’s not a clear message, I don’t know what is.  In 2008, Marc Jacobs was interviewed wearing a Comme Des Garçons skort to a showing of his own collection.  When speaking with New York Magazine, Jacobs told reporters, “I discovered how nice it felt to wear. They’re comfortable, and wearing it made me happy”.  Who am I to deny the man a little happiness?

            Even Mr. Kanye “Yeezy” has been seen wearing a skirt!  Not just seen in one, but proudly owning it in front of millions of fans.  Kanye donned a Givenchy leather skirt from the 2012 spring summer collection when he performed at Madison Square Garden for the Watch the Throne tour.  Whether this can be considered high fashion or not…well, that is still up for debate.

            Now let’s talk the not so distant past: New York Fashion Week 2015.  Telfar Clemens models sported form-fitting mini dresses on the male catwalk while the London-based label, Ada+Nik, opted for a series of men in black skirts.  The gender fluidity here has surely made a substantial impression, and just at the right time.  The world is poised and ready for men in skirts, in the wake of famous gender neutrality supporters like Miley, Cara, and Kristen.  But the most talked about addition to the gender fluid revolution is Jaden Smith, modelling a leather skirt in Louis Vuitton’s Spring Summer 2016 campaign.  The campaign is receiving a lot of hype for this decision even though it is not all that novel of a concept.

            There is something special about only women being allowed to wear dresses and skirts, some writers say.  While this perspective is rather conventional, it’s not all that practical for the millennial age. 

            Neutrality in fashion has been sexy, commended, and widely accepted in various other forms throughout fashion history.  Men in skirts are simply a natural extension of women in suits.  The status quo is acquiring greater and greater opposition as the younger generations move into society.  Who are we to say who can and cannot wear a skirt?  I’m certainly not going to argue.