Could you as a man wear a skirt?

1. The existence of utility kilts with their non-defined designs is already part of the answer, so YES, under circumstances you can. And why should a kilt or kind of kilt be the only possibility? 

In fact, the first Utilikilt, the Original Standard, was technically a skirt, even if called a kilt. It didn't have a front apron, but was closed by means of a zipper on the front, like jeans, and was pleated all way round. A hybrid, you might call it, of a kilt and a pleated skirt. A little later they launched the Utilikilt New Original, but for some years you had a choice between the “skirt” and the “kilt”.

2. You can find numerous pictures on Pinterest, showing men wearing skirts in an absolutely manly way. And even more should do, no doubt, and more often, were they just men enough. You can tell from men-in-skirts forums in English, German, French, and other languages. Kilts are not to everybody’s taste. Instead they will wear a skirt, but for the same reasons. There are also kilt wearers who on otherwise strict kilt forums have revealed that they will sometimes wear a skirt, either for variety, or because of it being is better for certain tasks or in certain situations, like on a very hot day.

3. Men in skirts are per se not contrary to nature. Men have earlier been wearing skirted garments, without being accused of being or appearing femme. In some parts of the world they still do.
Jesus never wore trousers, Socrates didn’t. When Emperor Augustus declared that the “World” should be counted, Roman men and boys were wearing mini-skirt looking tunics or long dress-like togas. The Roman Empire was built by men in skirts. Trousers were not invented with the purpose of having men look more masculine but because trousers were more practical for a lot of tasks, those being fewer in today’s world.

 

4. Fashion designers have for years been positive regarding skirts for men. Jean-Paul Gaultier, Marc Jacobs, Vivienne Westwood, Givenchy, Yamamato, Dries van Noten, Kenzo and you name it. Every season men in skirts and sometimes dresses are presented on the catwalk.

So far, however, without the fashion industry having been seriously convinced to give skirts a try.

H&M and Zara

Exceptions are H&M and Zara. Both of them have between 2000 and 2018 a few times and for a short period of time been selling man skirts. Rather half-heartedly it was and with designs hardly able to persuading men into them. With one exception; the ZARA 2018 skirt was very nice and appropriate for a man to wear, but it was only available in two (small) sizes, in very few outlets. and in no time it was sold out, which is promising.

Adidas

In October 2022 Adidas internationally launched a gender neutral skirt, called ADICOLOR CONTEMPO TAILORED SKIRT (GENDER NEUTRAL).

Launching a short skirt in the autumn does not look like being the cleverest thing to do, especially not when it, as a matter of fact it is, has disappeared in April 2023.








However, the Adidas gender neutral skirt was nowhere to find in outlets; it was an online business, only.

Hopefully, sales has proven that successful that Adidas shall soon give man skirts or unisex skirts another try.

Just imagine how the fashion and clothing industry should be booming, could an entirely new product market suddenly come into existence, comprising half the population, like 60 years ago when women were offered trousers - and embraced them.

To make it happen, a critical mass of men demanding manly skirts and them brave enough to buy and wear them is needed.

The really big obstacle is that men might be afraid of sacrificing their manliness, should they wear a skirt. Well, women did not lose their attractiveness by wearing trousers. Why should it be different if a man was wearing a skirt? It all depends on the man and the skirt.

 

I think that we that we kilt wearers should benefit, if just (more) men would wear skirted garments whatsoever - provided they would wear them as MEN and in a strictly MASCULINE way - thereby contributing to break down the conception that a man cannot wear anything but trousers.

 

Man skirts are to buy

Man skirts, sometimes called male skirts, are to buy. A few enterprises are making and marketing them.

Le Jupes des Hommes

The company is situated in Nantes. And many skirt styles are available.

SkirtCraft

In 2015 American SkirtCeaft launched a skirt. It started out to be a man skirt, but eventually the company decided to position it as a unisex thing.

Man skirts can be tailored to your wishes

If you have an idea about how you should like a kilt or a man’s skirt - your skirt - to look like, you could also go to a tailor and have one made.

Actually, I have three such skirts which are basically kilt designs, but with pleats only at the sides, none at the rear, they probably are skirts rather than kilts. Or they are kilt variants.

On a forum it several years ago was debated, how a kilt, should it be redesigned or product developed should look like. Up came the idea of, for convenience, having no pleats at the rear. Following that track one member actually had three “neo-classic” kilts made for him, one being in tartan, made by a German kilt maker, the two others solid black, but in different fabrics and sewn by a dressmaker in Berlin. As he a couple of years ago would no longer wear them, he offered me them for free. I immediately accepted, of course.

They all are 4 yard, 24” long and the aprons are going from hip to hip like on a traditional kilt. The tartan version is closed by means of straps and buckles and has loops for a kilt belt. The black are closed by Velcro and have loops for men's normal belts. Further they are having a deep inside pocket with a vertical zipper.

In today’s world they make a lot of sense sense, whether they are kilts, kilt variants or male skirts. On the gallery pages I have placed the tartan design under tartan kilts, the black ones under skirts.

 

Design and make your own skirts?

It is not for every man to make his own skirts. He must have skills in designing and sewing techniques. But I have an example and a very good one. It's Dirk, a German, living in Rheinland-Westfalen. Looking at his often colourful skirts you feel that discussing whether they are masculine or feminine or for men or women makes no sense. They are not just unique, they are right.

Sarongs

Outside the western world we find the sarong which has its origin in Sri Lanka and is being worn by many men. It is also known under names like kikoy(South Africa), lamba (Madagascar), longyi (India), malong (Philippines), mundo (Maldives), and pah kao mah (Thailand, the version for men).

Basically the sarong is a big piece of cloth, worn around the waist as a wrap skirt. And often it is a very cheap garment to be primarily worn on the beach. However, Sri Lanka based Lovi Ceylon offers a wide range of more sophisticated sarongs which looks like being more universally wearable and therefore might better appeal to men in our part of the world. LOVI CEYLON.


 

Women's skirts

One thing might be a skirt made for men, but being not the guy wanting to wear a skirt because it is made for women, how about wearing one of their's?
On a really hot day a short skirt should feel more comfortable than a kilt, you might think. But could you? And would you?

So, following the Braveheart concept, you can under circumstances wear a skirt, designed for women. Also, a man wearing a skirt in an otherwise more and more tolerating world is by itself not problematic.

Twenty years ago it was not difficult to find a 'manly' skirt. Female fashion, or at least part of it, was rather masculine. For example, you had skirts in boyfriend look, meaning coarse fabrics, manly colours, and in fact often something looking like men’s shorts without an inseam.
But look at women’s fashion today. Light fabrics, floral patterns, combined with a most feminine style. In fact, to find women's fashion as feminine as it has been for the last 4-5 years, we shall be back to the time before Mary Quant launched the miniskirt. It was in 1964. This means less manly skirts; if any.
Further, women are hardly wearing skirts anymore. When not in trousers, they’ll wear a dress, meaning in general fewer skirts on the market.

What should take you, is therefore finding that appropriate skirt which to an otherwise extremely tolerant environment can signal that you are a man like 90% other men, just having replaced your jeans by a skirt for comfort or as a fashion statement; and not, because of your skirt, be put in some LGBTQ+ drawer.

My advice

Unless you really find that manly women’s skirt, leave women's skirts to the ones they are intended for - and to men, having to express themselves this way for feeling well. And welcome that they now can. A good example is a Czech couple, where he, Vlasta, as a natural thing wears skirts, dresses etc. with the obvious purpose of looking feminine and which seems fully accepted by his wife, Michaela. And by society.
Such example makes it much easier for you and me to wear a kilt, whatever kind, or even a skirt.

But focusing on a manly appearance, what is then for you to wear on that hot summer day?
You might wear shorts. Or you pay that more and buy a man skirt or utilize the possibilities related to made-to-measures kilts. A short solid Pakistani kilt in PV or denim, or a more expensive one made in Scotland or USA, should be great. Or go for an ultra-lightweight Sport Kilt.

The Sport Kilt you can also have in solid black, and should you want to go even further, it can be made as short as 18" (46 cm). This means 3.5" (11.5 cm) shorter than the Sport Kilt in the picture, making it a minikilt, comfort-wise beating any women's skirt - and perhaps then making it be regarded simply a skirt, a miniskirt?