Will the man-skirt ever be accepted?

Marc Jacobs proving that the man-skirt can be very chic

Clearly, it's the connotations of a skirt that holds so many men back from wearing them - the fear of being labelled transexual, gay or being ridiculed by friends for dressing like a girl. Whilst I think, that these are stupid reasons, the stigma is undeniable.

But at the end of the day, is a skirt really that offensive on a man? Sure, I will be the first to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of the man-skirt - but with the right choice of fabric, length etc... They can look really great - see Marc Jacobs or Kanye West as an example.

And there's also the other issue - that has always baffled me - kilts on the whole are culturally acceptable, being a key part of Scottish heritage. However, as soon as you shy away from the tartan print - switch it for say even a safe black - it becomes considered too feminine or even inappropriate for a man to wear.  Personally I think Marc Jacobs, someone who is never afraid of challenging men's fashion in his day to day life (e.g his pink dress) looks very chic and not to mention hot in this outfit, but then I think Marc Jacobs looks hot in about everything.



Then there's also the fact that in history men have worn skirts before - think gladiators for example. And in a lot of countries, like India, it is perfectly accepted that men wear skirts or skirt like garments. And yet in so many Western countries, you'd find it hard to be a man and wear a skirt without getting some pretty judgemental looks.

Alexander McQueen and Sarah Jessica Parker 

Personally I think it's sad that women's fashion has come so far, and yet mainstream men's fashion continues to be restrained - daring to break away from the accepted norm. If a woman can be accepted in a trouser suit, why can't a man wear a skirt, or even a dress? I'm sure that any woman reading this would be appalled if a man told her she couldn't wear trousers or shorts because they're too masculine, so why the double standard? Fashion should be about innovation - trying new styles and not being afraid of what people think. What strikes me is that this is more than just about clothes - the issue here is what it means to be a man, and how we still continue to define masculinity.

This all reminds me of a story my friend told me about how one of the boys at her school decided that instead of wearing trousers to school, he decided to prove a point by wearing the school skirt. Now there was actually nothing in the school rules that said that a boy couldn't wear the school uniform skirt, but as soon as he was seen in school, he caused chaos. This school obviously didn't want a boy wearing a skirt at their school - so of course they changed the rules so that boys could no longer wear skirts.

Kanye West

So what do you think, should men wear skirts or is it a step too far over the fashion gender boundaries?