It’s been a while since I’ve shared one of my experiences of wearing a skirt in public. The experience I’m writing about today was a small encounter with an older, well-dressed couple who were going for a walk when they saw me wearing my red A-line skirt from Anna Field. It occurred last summer while our neighbors were on vacation.
Our neighbors had asked my wife and me to water their plants inside and outside while they were gone. On that particular day, it was my turn, so I walked over there in my skirt since it was what I was wearing and I wasn’t going to change just for a quick trip next door.
I didn’t run into anyone while walking over there, so I was extremely relaxed. I watered their plants inside, then I went out back to water the plants they have outside. They have a corner lot which means their backyard wraps around the house to the street in front.
As I was watering the plants on the side of their house not far from the street in front, an older couple walked by and looked at me. The man stopped dead in his tracks and stared for a moment while his wife continued walking.
He pointed at me and hollered loudly at his wife, “Look! There’s a man wearing a skirt!”. His wife stopped, looked at him, not me, and yelled back, “I know, I saw him! And it looks good on him, so leave him alone already!”
She then turned and kept walking while the man stared at me for a moment longer before turning and following his wife.
It was one of those random encounters that sticks with you because it was so odd. The man’s response only surprised me in that he reacted loudly in a way that was obviously not intended to hide his shock and disapproval from me, but the woman’s response surprised me entirely. She was completely nonchalant about it and acted like her husband was the biggest buffoon she’d ever encountered.
I still wonder if her reaction was because she was embarrassed by her husband’s loud reaction and was trying to make it up to me by acting like it was nothing and saying that I looked good in the skirt. It’s also possible that she genuinely meant it. I’ll never know for sure, but I like to think it was the latter.
Either way, I was highly amused by it. I enjoy it when I’m able to take someone’s worldview and flip it upside down.
And because people will ask, this is the skirt I was wearing on that day:
Wonderful story! I’ve noticed elderly people are either less disinhibited or are hard of hearing and their voice level increases to compensate. So probably a little of both led to his loud observation.
Either way, his wife’s response is priceless. I suspect it’s genuine. If she was nervous about her husband offending you, I suspect she’d commented on quieting him down. But she didn’t. She deliberately made a positive comment about your skirt wearing to him. To me, that’s just what she was thinking.
I wonder if they’ve seen you before or at least she has. Man in a skirt isn’t common and I’ve noticed reactions to my wardrobe tend to come from surprise. Like that game, “say the first thing that comes to mind.” I can feel their surprise which makes their positive comments better.
That is probably true. Although, the man stopping and obviously staring definitely made it clear that he didn’t really care.
His wife’s response was priceless. Compliments are always nice, especially when they are sincere. In this case, it was hard for me to really tell, but you are probably right in that she probably meant what she said even if she was surprised.
They may have seen me before. As you said, a man wearing a skirt tends to be rare and therefore remembered. Even if I have seen them before, I wouldn’t necessarily remember them whereas they would probably recgonize me as the man in a skirt.
I would guess that her reaction was genuine, based on the reactions that I get. Most woman seam to love seeing a man in a skirt. I don’t know whether its because they know how comfortable they are or maybe a man in a skirt isn’t as threatening. But I do think that for some reason most men, even if they don’t say anything, are a little uncomfortable seeing a man in a skirt. I don’t even think about it anymore as I haven’t worn pants, except when I am on my motorcycle safety first, in over 3 years. Maybe because I live in a collage town and the demographics are younger than some places nobody seams to care that I am in a skirt, even one of my flashy ones.
It probably was genuine thinking back to it. I’ve only ever gotten compliments from women, but then again men don’t compliment each other for much of anything fashion-related, even with normal men’s clothes. Living in a college town would certainly be advantagous since a lot of people tend to be more open-minded.
Heh, cherish these moments! In 10 years, a man in a skirt won’t elicit the same reactions.
I really hope that’s the case!
I definitely agree with the woman (it does look good on you) and the earlier commenters (very likely she was sincere).
I too had a sort-of positive but unexpected reaction, just last evening. Wife and I were out to a concert (celebration of 100th anniversary of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” by local symphony – marvelous). In the ingoing crush (full house in large theater, over 2,500 seats), Wife excused us for a near collision. Later, while exiting, we were followed up the stairs to the parking garage by the same woman we nearly bumped before. I was wearing a standing-collar embroidered shirt in a terra cotta color, with ribbed long socks (look just like ribbed tights) in the same color, with a dark forest green above-the knees skirt between (picked up the color in the embroidery). Woman says, “I really like your tights!” Not the embroidered shirt, not the skirt, the “tights.” OK, thanks, me too. People are as interesting, individual, and intriguing as we can hope to be ourselves.
Thank you!
I love the reaction the woman had. It just goes to show how different people pay attention to entirely different aspects of a person’s wardrobe. Of course, there’s no way she missed the skirt you were wearing if she was paying enough attention to notice the details on your socks (or “tights” according to her), but it seems like she wasn’t all that interested in it.
I cut my teeth wearing tights. I’m really happy she said that. I agree she likely saw the skirt but to pick out either is phenomenal