Whether it's Harry Styles, Kanye West, or Billy Porter, men's skirts have been popping up on red carpets and in fashion editorials recently. These men's skirts have been worn by celebrities from all walks of life, including those who are part of the LGBTQ community and those considered the archetypes of masculinity. Many people believe that all it takes to start a fashion trend is for a single item to appear on a runway, walk down a red carpet, and land on the back of a famous fashion icon .
According to this hypothetical timeline , it's been several decades since it was first suggested that the skirt should make its way into menswear. It's important to recognize that starting a trend isn't as easy as it seems. Why is it that the men's skirt never makes it into the closet of the average man on the street? Solving the mystery of what's stopping the juke from breaking gender norms and how to overcome this hump.
Not all skirts were worn by women
While the sight of a man in a skirt might seem novel and exotic to us in 2021, it would have been fairly commonplace seven hundred years ago .
The pants' underwear was a skirt
The space of a single second in human history . Since the 15th century, men have worn closed garments that can be considered the precursors of modern trousers. In the West, men began wrapping their legs in two pieces of cloth when the doublet appeared on the upper body , shorter than a dress.
Men's wardrobe wasn't quite what we recognize today, but they were already wearing what can be considered the precursors to today's trousers. Throughout human history, the skirt has been the most commonly worn item of clothing for men .
Also read: the best men's fashion store in Geneva
A garment that prioritized function over form
Although men haven't worn skirts in large numbers for centuries, the style has made a comeback from time to time in a less systematic way . There are a few clues you should remember to help you realize that it never really disappeared. Several architects and designers have considered bringing it back, mainly because of its usefulness.
What's new with skirts on men these days?
It's baffling that a garment that was once ubiquitous in menswear and has clearly been trying to make a comeback for the better part of a century has still failed to break into the mainstream. Even though the stereotype of the man in trousers is relatively new , it seems difficult to dismantle.
From time to time, and only by the most rebellious and openly hostile to gender norms, it is challenged. Most modern fashionistas, however non-conformist they may be, refuse to even consider these models as skirts, instead taking inspiration from the kilt, less provocative since it is traditionally considered a masculine garment . A psychological block typical of those who are afraid of being judged.
The male skirt blocked by the collective unconscious
Studies on the subject, notably by historian and anthropologist Nicole Pellegrin, have concluded that the skirt's ultimate taboo status has more to do with its open-shouldered shape than the silhouette it creates. According to Salomé Dudemaine, gender inequality is crystallized by the fact that men wear jackets while women wear blouses. Trousers give men the freedom to move around without worrying about being exposed. A woman's open clothing makes her body vulnerable to being seen and accessible at all times. Dressing a woman's body in a dress and skirt is a sign of public respect .
skirt disrupts social order
Louis XIII restricted access to the shipment of gold and silver embroidery to the royal family. Louis XIV instituted regulations for the use of heels and assigned color codes to courtiers based on their status. Later, throughout the 19th century, numerous laws assigned the wearing of certain garments based on gender and social status. The clothes we wear help define who we are as individuals and as members of society.
Ultimately, challenging the distribution of clothing means challenging the social order as a whole. In a society where women are identified by their skirts, a man who claims the right to wear one should be treated the same as if he claimed to be a woman. By rejecting this perspective, he challenges the notion of gender .