Fashion men’s skirt

(CNN) – When Brad Pitt arrived at the premiere of his new movie “Bullet Train” last month, his linen suit made headlines everywhere, or at least some of them. The actor, known for his hyper-masculine roles in films like “Fight Club” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” completed his pink and brown ensemble with an eye-catching touch: a skirt.

“I don’t know!” Pete later told the magazine diverse About the inspiration behind her wardrobe selection. “We’re all going to die, so let’s make a mess.”

Pitt has joined a growing list of stars who have recently been photographed in gender-neutral skirts, from Oscar Isaac’s pleated kilt just below the knee at the “Moon Knight” premiere to Lil Nas X’s metallic pink skirt. Actor Billy Porter, “Schitt’s Creek” star Dan Levy, basketball player Russell Westbrook, and rapper A$AP Rocky have also embraced the trend.

Outside of Hollywood, the phenomenon has been gaining momentum for years, according to Carl R. Friend, Manager (aka “Master Barista”) Tanoura Cafe Online forum dedicated to men’s skirts. Although he believes that ‘unjustified’ attention is being paid to celebrities who wear skirts, he welcomes the increased visibility.

“That’s what it is,” Friend, whose interest in skirts dates back to the ’80s, said via email. “And if that creates an acceptance of skirts in boys, I think it’s for the better.”

Fustanelas, skirts and more

Although skirts are now associated with women’s clothing, they were worn by men at various times in history. The folded festilla, for example, can be seen on ancient Greek and Roman statues, while more contemporary versions have since been worn in Balkan countries such as Albania, which consider it a national costume. Tartan shirts have remained an element of Scotland’s national pride since they were first introduced in the 16th century, although today they are often reserved for special occasions.

However, in many parts of the world, men’s skirt-like clothing is a part of the everyday wardrobe. The sarong, a colorfully patterned wraparound skirt, is worn by men in the cultures of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Pacific Islands. Sarongs such as ‘solo’, a coiled style worn in both formal and informal settings in Fiji, and ‘lungi’, worn in South and Southeast Asia, remain popular styles for men of all ages. .

Football star David Beckham was photographed wearing a plaid cloak in 1998 (the media mocked him at the time, though he later said in an interview: “It’s something I never regret, because I thought it looked great and I still wear it now”). But Friend said that in much of the Western world, tastes moved away from baggy menswear in the 18th century.

“We continue to work under the dictates of the Industrial Revolution: Long flowing clothes and high-speed machines don’t mix well,” he said, referring to the impact of the French Revolution that deserted the taste of the country. For flexible and luxurious fabrics in favor of national colors and Practical and tight clothes.

Friend adds: “The French Revolution … was a huge reduction in men’s clothing compared to, say, the Renaissance.”

new wave

In recent years, evolving conversations about gender and identity have stimulated a collective account about what it means to dress a man. Generation Z and millennials like Harry Styles and Lil Nas X regularly add feminine elements to their wardrobes, and retailers are taking note. Online stores such as ASOS, Mr Porter, Cettire and SSENSE are among the stores that now carry men’s skirts, many of which would be indistinguishable from women’s designs were it not for men’s models.

Basketball player Russell Westbrook wears a skirt at the entrance to the Tom Brown show at the Spring-Summer 2022 edition of New York Fashion Week. Credit: Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images

Meanwhile, the hashtag #boysinskirts on TikTok has been viewed more than 240 million times, with male users sharing their outfits and style tips.

on your Instagram account theguyinaskirt, Fashion blogger Shivam Bhardwaj shares hilarious videos and photos of him wearing skirts, in all colors and styles, with his audience of 22,000+. She says that while much of the media attention around the trend has focused on straight male stars, members of the LGBTQ community have long been wearing skirts, and even ostracized for it. In 2020, American presenter Wendy Williams will play I apologize after appealing to gay men to “stop wearing skirts and heels” on his show, while this year a gay man wore a skirt You are supposed to be attacked In the United Kingdom after attending a concert of singer Yungblud, an artist known for his gender fluid style.

“People don’t celebrate men in skirts as much as creators or celebrities do,” Bhardwaj said by email. “It saddens me a bit that people don’t realize that men in the (LGBTQ) community have been wearing skirts for so many decades, and we’ve played a big role in shattering this stereotype.”

An attendee at the Dries Van Noten Spring/Summer 2023 fashion show wearing a beige pleated skirt. Credit: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

The fashion world has also helped normalize men’s skirts, with designers like Dries Van Noten and Raf Simons sending men to their runways in recent years. Thom Browne’s gray pleated skirt (the aforementioned design worn by Oscar Isaac, Dan Levy and “The Hobbit”” Lee Pace, among others) has become a celebrity favourite, as the American designer turns traditional men’s tailoring upside down with the unexpected. imagination.

“Skirts or any clothing that does not describe your gender,” says Bhardwaj. “Clothes are made to express your feelings to people in the world.”

Gradual admission

A friend, who is married to a woman, hopes to refute the idea that skirts are associated with specific gender identities or sexual orientations, saying “many people make false assumptions about it.” He added that Tanoura cafe-goers constituted a “society that is unwilling to give up its masculinity” by simply wearing skirts.

Online forum members tend to wear basic skirts, Friend explained, with denim and mini skirts being the most popular. Users also share style tips and their new favorites, while the site also hosts a list of men’s skirt brands. Among the most recent recommendations are winter skirts With Virginia fleece from The Mouse Works and a bunny kilt from Scottish workwear brand Blaklader: a black design by strong cotton With all kinds of pockets for hammers, screwdrivers and other tools.

Lil Nas X in a metallic pink skirt during prom. Credit: Jason Corner/Getty Images

However, gender stigma makes wearing skirts in public a frightening prospect for many men, and those who do are still a minority. A friend’s fascination with such clothes began in the mid-1980s, when he saw a man on a train wearing a long white skirt. For a long time, she was reluctant to incorporate skirts into her everyday wardrobe due to her work in a “high visibility, customer-oriented niche.” Finally, he dared to take the initiative in 2002, when he made his own miniskirt with some leftover fabric from his wife.

“The first time I dared to go outside, I loved the idea because it was the first time I had the breeze on my legs in decades,” he recalls. “I said (to my wife), ‘I’ve been cheated on all these years.’ Not only did she accept it, she embraced it, because all of a sudden I started caring about my appearance.”

Wearing skirts is becoming more socially acceptable, Bhardwaj said, adding that the response to her account has been “very overwhelming” and she has received “a lot of love from all over the world”. The fashion blogger, who already owns over 100 skirts, comes from what he describes as a “lower middle class” Indian family that often questioned his style choices. Her interest in skirts came to light when she bought one for a friend and decided to try it on before posting a video of her wearing the skirt on social media.

Billy Porter at the 2020 Oscars in a puffy skirt. Credit: Santiago Felipe/Getty Images

“That skirt literally changed my life and helped me express myself in the best possible way,” she said. While Bhardwaj said Indian society has a “very long way to go” when it comes to accepting men in Western-style skirts, he has received compliments on the street where he lives, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, India. He is happy to wear his style in everyday life, not just on social media.

“I literally thought no one would kiss me in skirts, but people proved me wrong and kissed me with open arms,” ​​she said.