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  Flirt with the skirt

Flirt with the skirt

Published : Dec 7, 2015, 9:09 pm IST
Updated : Dec 7, 2015, 9:09 pm IST

The man skirt is redefining the metrosexual male with its quirky edge and shock value, courtesy many Indian and international celebrities

Ranveer Singh and Jared Leto
 Ranveer Singh and Jared Leto

The man skirt is redefining the metrosexual male with its quirky edge and shock value, courtesy many Indian and international celebrities

From sporting florals, animal prints, crop tops, saris, laces and satins to now skirts — bold and ‘beautiful’ men on and off the ramp have recently been spotted carrying off these unusual fashion statements with great élan. Actor Ranveer Singh was recently seen at different red carpet events in designer skirts while sporting a beard, man sandals and killer confidence!

“Androgynous fashion has nothing to do with machismo. Look at the Spartans, the Mughals and the Samurai warriors and you would not think twice before admiring the beauty and royalty of skirts. Earlier, spotting a man in a skirt or a sari would create some Paris Hilton-esque controversy and he’d be looked upon as being effeminate, but with changing times this is no longer the case. Men are getting increasingly experimental and trying to break fashion stereotypes with trends like man skirts, glitter beards, floral pants and so on,” says city-based amateur musician and photographer Gaurav Kapur.

Androgyny has always existed in India since times immemorial. Fashion stylist Bhavya Chawla elaborates, “From farmers to the royals, men in India have adorned the dhoti, lungi, jewellery etc. If a political leader or a farmer steps out in a dhoti, nobody notices but if a fashionable young man steps out wearing the same, it becomes androgynous. When a Ranveer Singh wears a man skirt, it is still totally acceptable, given the fact that he is an actor with a certain fashion sense and a personality to carry off such ensembles. It’s about the appropriateness of attire being worn during an occasion. Personally speaking, I’m not a big fan of this emerging trend. It is a fad that may grow on very limited men, but not the masses. Most Indian men are yet to embrace coloured pants, forget about man skirts!”

The trend is breaking the norms of men’s styling and opening up the image of the metrosexual male in a sexier avatar. Artist Julius Macwan, who is often spotted at social gatherings in floor-length skirts, believes, “I am expressing myself all the time in everything I do. I try to wear what I’ll feel and look good in.”

He adds, “I have been told that I look amazing in skirts. I think very few men do.”If you are open to trying this androgynous trend, there are a few do’s and don’ts to keep in mind. Bhavya cautions, “Do not ape fashion blindly. Always keep in mind your body shape, your personality type and the occasion before adopting this bold emerging trend. Wear it with a circle of people who will appreciate it, not ridicule it. And don’t overdo it with accessories in the rest of your ensemble.”

Agreeing with Bhavya, another celebrity stylist Sachi Singh who has styled several international DJs, singers and Bollywood celebrities, adds, “Man skirts are a tricky trend that suits only a particular body frame — tall and lean. While adopting this trend, carefully plan the rest of your ensemble: jacket, shirt, shoes etc. and ensure that they don’t take away the attention from the skirt. Let the skirt be the focal point, keep the colours subtle and opt for a solid piece rather than a quirkily printed or patterned one. Stand tall and walk confidently as eventually it is all about the attitude.”

While some are welcoming the trend, there are others like Brendan Sullivan, a suit enthusiast and Lady Gaga’s former DJ, who see no future to it. In an interview, he says, “They’re like harem pants. Might look cool in a silhouette, but the idea of getting measured and getting a bespoke skirt made seems too far out of reach to be practical.”

In a similar vein, stylist Sarang Patil of heisgotthestyle.in asserts, “According to the trends from the 2015-2016 Fall and Spring Fashion Week, the new man skirt is certainly having its moment in the spotlight. Several national and international designers like Arjun Saluja, Rick Owens and Rohit Bal have introduced some new ‘hemlines’ for men too, but the chances of seeing a guy wearing a skirt while walking at a mall are pretty slim.”

It may well be a fashion statement, but Turkish men took it a notch higher when they decided to wear skirts to fight for women’s rights recently too. Sarang concludes, “These skirts are now starting to pop up in television shows, sitcoms and people against ‘manspreading’ are starting to become more popular too. (Manspreading is the practice of sitting in public transportation with legs wide apart, thereby covering more than one seat.) Think about it, if more men started wearing skirts, ‘manspreading’ would have to stop!” What started as pants with dropped crotches led to men in skorts and has now come to men wearing an actual skirt on the runway. Maybe to help ease men into the idea of wearing a skirt, they should start with something called the Utilikilt. This is a rugged cotton version of the Scottish heritage item with Carhartt-style pockets for your tools.”