Skirts!

[JeffB]

Well Jeff, having incorporated skirts into your freestyle fashion so effectively, your enthusiastic reaction is encouraging and very much appreciated.

 

The pleasure was all mine, SH. Wearing skirts has become my passion as a freestyler because I love them so much, and because of that joy, I work as hard as I can to look my very best when I wear them in public as I want to present a positive, tasteful image of a skirt wearing man. And I'm glad that others like yourself share my passion.

[SleekHeels]

New skirt from Dorothy Perkins (they're doing a 25% off promotion for the next week for London Fashion week):

http://www.dorothyperkins.com/en/dpuk/product/clothing-203535/skirts-203567/broken-rose-print-pencil-skirt-3412552?bi=1&ps=20

 

Lots of shoe possibilities (though I don't think the shoes worn by the model in the photo are the most flattering combination with the skirt). I'm thinking classic black patent courts are the most obvious choice, black suede peeptoe courts, black or white strappy sandals with pink nail polish, or for colder winter days some sharp-looking stiletto-heeled black knee boots.

[JeffB]

Hey there, SH! Love the new skirt! I'm seriously thinking about expanding my horizons by wearing printed skirts, the example you posted looks terrific, and I would love to wear something like that. I agree with you that the shoes worn by the model do nothing for me, standard pumps, slingbacks or knee boots would work better. Ahh, I'm getting great ideas from that picture! Thanks for the inspiration, my friend!

[SleekHeels]

There seem to be lots of floral pencil skirts around for this season after last year's Aztec/geometric theme (which I also really liked). I think some of the more traditional looking florals can look a bit dated but there are some really nice modern-looking prints too. That's what I liked about this one, the way the print has been broken up vertically gives it a contemporary edge and a very flattering effect with the long pencil-skirt shape. And most importantly, the look works with elegant heels.

Good luck finding one you like Jeff, I'll look forward to seeing what you come up with.

[JeffB]

There seem to be lots of floral pencil skirts around for this season after last year's Aztec/geometric theme (which I also really liked). I think some of the more traditional looking florals can look a bit dated but there are some really nice modern-looking prints too. That's what I liked about this one, the way the print has been broken up vertically gives it a contemporary edge and a very flattering effect with the long pencil-skirt shape. And most importantly, the look works with elegant heels.

Good luck finding one you like Jeff, I'll look forward to seeing what you come up with.

 

Well, I bought a couple of nice printed skirts at Sears (one yesterday, the other last week) which I've matched with two sweaters, perfect for fall current conditions which are too cool for short sleeves but too warm for jackets. Both skirts are dressy, so that gives me a reason to wear them with hosiery and classic pumps for a stylish, elegant look. As much as I enjoy my casual look on my jaunts, I also want to pull out the stops every now and then (or more often than that) and really dress up. And yes, I'll show you what I've bought.

[JeffB]

Yesterday, I broke out my fall and winter skirts, a dozen in total for the upcoming season. Longer (most around 36 inches), flowing (most are A-lines) and a little thicker, they all go great with my knee high boots and lend a delightful fashion flare that I like because they look terrific on me, and will keep me nice and warm as the mercury takes it's inevitable downward turn. Now, that doesn't mean I've consigned my shorter skirts to the closet until spring, on certain days that aren't too overly frigid, I can certainly work in one of my 20 inch denim skirts with tights (or leggings) and knee boots on a jaunt and still stay warm when out and about. Bring on the cold weather! I'm ready for it!

[SkirtDude]

As folks here who follow my thread well know, I've had, for lack of a better term, a fetish for wearing long skirts this summer. I've come to love how they look on me, how they swish about my ankles and calves as I walk, and how feminine they make me feel. So, when I saw a nice long print skirt at Burlington Coat Factory on Thursday for all of $19.99, I just had to have it.  But when I got back home and put it on, I honestly had no idea the damn thing had the wingspan of an NBA center! I'm not kidding, as you can see in the pic below, this skirt is ridiculously voluminous, spanning close to seven feet across.... and I LOVED it! This is perhaps the most incredible skirt I've ever worn, and I can't wait to take it out for a spin!

Absolutely beautiful skirt you've got there Jeff!

Here are a couple of my recent skirt purchases:

 

floralskirt1.jpg

This floral skirt is from Oasis in their current sale:

http://www.oasis-stores.com/the-ellie-mini/skirts/oasis/fcp-product/3440100200

 

 

 

I was so pleased to find the denim skirt in the sale that I also bought a cute pair of flats to go with it:

denimskirt3.jpg

Loving the floral skirt! I looked on Oasis' site, and it looked a little too short for me but how did you find a longer one? The denim one is cute as well

[SleekHeels]

Loving the floral skirt! I looked on Oasis' site, and it looked a little too short for me but how did you find a longer one? The denim one is cute as well

 

I guess my legs are way shorter that the model on the web-site and she might be wearing the skirt higher up on the waist. I found that my usual size 12UK sits nicely on my hips and with my shorter legs the hem of the skirt comes nicely a couple of inches above the knee, a perfect length with my just-below-the-knee boots. The skirt length is 17" and my inside leg down to the knee is 12". That's the nice thing with skirts, you have some margin for wearing them higher or lower on the waist/hips, although I think it can look rather odd going too low or too high.

 

 

I did try the skirt on beforehand in the store's changing rooms before deciding I was happy with it, I got a slightly apprehensive but forgiveable reaction from the young attendant, but a much warmer reaction from the more experienced (but still young) cash desk assistant. The skirt is not the stretchy bodycon kind (which tends to be more accommodating for different body shapes), but the fit works well for me, and it's nicely made and with a lining. Even the sale price was a bit more expensive than my usual price point, but worth it and I'm very pleased with my purchase. I think it works well with different styles of heels, boots for an autumn look but also court shoes, slingbacks or sandals for a spring/summer look too.

[JeffB]

I guess my legs are way shorter that the model on the web-site and she might be wearing the skirt higher up on the waist. I found that my usual size 12UK sits nicely on my hips and with my shorter legs the hem of the skirt comes nicely a couple of inches above the knee, a perfect length with my just-below-the-knee boots. The skirt length is 17" and my inside leg down to the knee is 12". That's the nice thing with skirts, you have some margin for wearing them higher or lower on the waist/hips, although I think it can look rather odd going too low or too high.

 

 

One skirt can look markedly different on different people, depending on the person's height which I think is a major consideration. At six-foot-two with long legs, a 17 inch skirt would be rather short on me, barely falling to mid-thigh, and a 15 incher would be borderline scandalous. Heh! Meanwhile, a 40 inch maxi that would be floor length on the average woman falls just below my shins. Taking all of that into account, it's crucial to find a skirt you're sure will fit well and look good on your given your height and body shape.

[LovesHiHeels]

Agree with JeffB. I,m about 6 foot and mini skirts can be a bit short but can be fun, even more fun when wearing thigh high boots. 

[JeffB]

Agree with JeffB. I,m about 6 foot and mini skirts can be a bit short but can be fun, even more fun when wearing thigh high boots.

Quite right. Short skirts and thigh boots makes for an exciting combination. One I certainly enjoy!

[freestyle75]

Something I haven't shared here... one of my hobbies is sewing stuff.

I recently discovered the following picture of a gray neoprene bonded wool-skirt. The neoprene results in the skirt flaring out a bit more when worn:

 

 

It's by J.W. Anderson and sold out everywhere (and was quite expensive at around 800 USD). As I had bought some neoprene fabric in London a few weeks ago (in black), I thought that this might be a fun skirt to put together.

Here's the result:

 

Front:

 

Back:

 

For a full ensemble, I also built a top from the same material:

 

Back:

 

Combined with suede wedge boots and a regular men's shirt it really looks quite cool

 

 

[beepy]

Wow Freestyle!  Awesome job on that outfit. 

[quidam]

Something I haven't shared here... one of my hobbies is sewing stuff.

I recently discovered the following picture of a gray neoprene bonded wool-skirt. The neoprene results in the skirt flaring out a bit more when worn:

 

 

It's by J.W. Anderson and sold out everywhere (and was quite expensive at around 800 USD). As I had bought some neoprene fabric in London a few weeks ago (in black), I thought that this might be a fun skirt to put together.

Here's the result:

 

Front:

 

Back:

 

For a full ensemble, I also built a top from the same material:

 

Back:

 

Combined with suede wedge boots and a regular men's shirt it really looks quite cool

 

ME WANTZ!!!

[LovesHiHeels]

Bought  another mini skirt and a long skirt. The long skirt cost me £1  from a local charity shop.  There is a local boutique which sales vintage and second hand women's clothes and shoes.  Had a sale on where all skirts were a £5  but  had none in my size.

[JeffB]

Bought  another mini skirt and a long skirt. The long skirt cost me £1  from a local charity shop.  There is a local boutique which sales vintage and second hand women's clothes and shoes.  Had a sale on where all skirts were a £5  but  had none in my size.

 

That reminds me of a consignment store downtown that I've meant to visit for the longest time but never got around to doing. Perhaps I will, just to see what they have to offer.

[SleekHeels]

I was wearing one of my favourite skirts, black and white aztec pattern bodycon 4" above the knee, with a black turtleneck top, plain black opaque tights and black patent courts. A young lady walked up to me and asked me where I bought the skirt, I told her (and mentioned that's it's from last year's range and not available any more), she said "it's really nice!" and I thanked her. It was so nice just to have a normal conversation with someone who likes fashion.

[JeffB]

I was wearing one of my favourite skirts, black and white aztec pattern bodycon 4" above the knee, with a black turtleneck top, plain black opaque tights and black patent courts. A young lady walked up to me and asked me where I bought the skirt, I told her (and mentioned that's it's from last year's range and not available any more), she said "it's really nice!" and I thanked her. It was so nice just to have a normal conversation with someone who likes fashion.

 

Pretty cool indeed. Good for you, SH!

[LovesHiHeels]

Should make the effort to post some new photos of my new skirts.

[JeffB]

Perhaps I might try a bodycon skirt next as I'm always eager to experiment with new and interesting things, and I've come to enjoy wearing close fitting/pencil skirts.

[freestyle75]

I really like this time of year. It gets dark very early, it's rainy and cold... so plenty of time to do some sewing on the weekends.

I just finished another skirt - one of my favorites that I wanted to do for a long time.

 

I stumbled upon the skirt type when I saw a video documentary on one of our company's management workshops. They had some footage on how great the meeting was and were also filming a couple of employees walking to one of the conference rooms...  and there it was: The perfect black & white skirt (some girl was wearing it, I don't know her). After seeing the video, I went online and tried to find a similar one. I was lucky, I think I even found the exact model (see here). Shipping from US to Europe is always a hassle (customs), and I also wasn't sure about the length of the skirt.

 

Here's the original:

 

 

So I first started looking for some black and white fabric in a couple of fabric stores. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find a fabric that would have some (as we say in Germany) "stand" to it, which means that the material is strong enough that it will flare out a little to the hem.

In the end, I used what I already had lying around - Neoprene fabric. I carefully sewed together bars of black and white fabric, developed an idea on where i would place pleats on the skirt...

 

 

... and finally put all of it together.

 

Front:

 

Back:

 

Top with an elastic fabric band:

 

Inside lined with non-static, light poly-something material, seam finished using the Hong Kong type binding method with a satin strip:

 

Now imagine this with knee high black boots, a black turtleneck sweater and an ivory check scarf (I bought that scarf in December) that fits the white of the skirt. Nice outfit

 

BTW, for those who wonder whether sewing this skirt was cheaper than buying the original... naaa, it wasn't. Zipper, Neoprene fabric, elastic band, satin binding strip, lining... this easily adds up to the same price as the original one. But it was fun to make and it fits perfectly

[SleekHeels]

That's a super skirt, great work freestyle75 !

[Shafted]

I'm most impressed with your work freestyle75. 

[JeffB]

Pretty darn cool there, freestyle! Bravo!

[LovesHiHeels]

Hottest day of the year and I,m wearing a mini skirt. Can be a little hit or miss when buying skirts on Ebay. Not so much the fit but I don't always like the style  when I,m wearing them. Like the mini skirt I,m wearing, goes will with the heels I,m wearing. Not able to ware this pair for long. Should do a photo.

 

Had to replace the zip on the £1 skirt, which cost more then I expected, should of just thrown the skirt away. Bought 2 skirts on Ebay last week which cost less the £5 each. Which I,m well pleased with.

[JeffB]

Hottest day of the year and I,m wearing a mini skirt. Can be a little hit or miss when buying skirts on Ebay. Not so much the fit but I don't always like the style  when I,m wearing them. Like the mini skirt I,m wearing, goes will with the heels I,m wearing. Not able to ware this pair for long. Should do a photo.

 

Had to replace the zip on the £1 skirt, which cost more then I expected, should of just thrown the skirt away. Bought 2 skirts on Ebay last week which cost less the £5 each. Which I,m well pleased with.

 

Well, it's definitely hot enough in my neck of the woods for short skirts and minis, and I plan to wear more of mine.

[LovesHiHeels]

If i could find my memory card I would take some photos. I do seem to like long skirt more then mini or short skirts.

[JeffB]

If i could find my memory card I would take some photos. I do seem to like long skirt more then mini or short skirts.

Maxi skirts have a certainly style that's hard to resist. I enjoy wearing them as well.

[JeffB]

Thanks to my watching what I eat and drinking lots of water, I've slimmed down a good bit, in fact, so much so that my size 14 skirts are a tad loose on me while the few size 12's I have that were once more snug than I liked fit looser on me now. I find that rather pleasant. And with summer in full, sizzling force, I figure on wearing more miniskirts to keep cool on jaunts in the weeks to come!

[Aly]

Here in the SF Bay area our days have been in the 90s with humidity to match recently - I've found the absolute best thing to wear to beat the heat is a nice sundress! Very light material makes it feel like you're wearing nothing at all, but covers you up modestly. Spaghetti straps leave your shoulders basically bare and the loose skirt gives plenty of air flow to keep you cool - I think if more men had the balls to try wearing a sundress on a hot day we'd start seeing them on the men's side of the store!