How do you know men's lib is in full swing? When men start wearing skirts. On the street. In everyday life. The Sartorialist, Scott Schuman, snapped two men wearing skirts on the streets of Europe, and it caught us off guard — it's not like these guys were heading to a Scottish wedding in ritual dress. No, they evidently woke up that morning and decided that instead of putting their pants on one leg at a time, they'd slip a skirt over both legs. We thought we weren't ready for mirdles, but this is a whole new level.
Photo courtesy of The Sartorialist
We admit, we find the looks Schumann shot stylish. But we can't get past the fact that they're men wearing skirts, and something about that trend catching on just doesn't look or feel right. Don't get us wrong — we're all for equality of the sexes, and if Yves Saint Laurent can put women in pantsuits, there's no reason other designers can't put men in skirts. We expect to see them on the men's runways from time to time. And we find it delightful when we do, but in a non-serious way. But now that it may be getting serious, we're a bit unsettled. We don't know if America is ready for her men to be traipsing around the streets in skirts. And if they're just barely catching on in Europe now, how long before they're popular here? Five to ten years?
Commenters on the Sartorialist are smitten by these men in their skirts. One writes, "I'd do it myself (in ten years maybe)." Another writes, "There was a great Met Costume Institute show of men in skirts a few years ago — it took about 5 seconds inside to realize that the West has missed an opportunity for beautiful tailoring and sexy knees." And yet another writes, "I love both looks — I was struck by the usage of the belt on the guy with the tie — these looks are hot." Hot? As in, Damn, that outfit compels me to get that guy's number? Hm. Dunno. But that's not to say that in several years we won't find a hot man in a hot skirt to be the sexiest thing since Brangelina. For now, though, so long as they're off the runway, we can't help but prefer to see guys with that extra bit of fabric between their thighs. But maybe we're just behind. So we'll ask you: How do you feel about men in skirts? Is the world ready for it? Or do you think it will take another decade or so for the planet to prepare?
