BY CHRISTIAN ALLAIRE July 8, 2021
When Billy Porter wore a Christian Siriano gown to the Oscars in 2019, it more than an epic fashion moment: It was a bold display of queer pride. The headline-making moment certainly got people talking. “You don’t have to understand or even agree with other people’s authenticity or truths, but we must all respect each other,” Porter told Vogue in 2019. “People are going to be really uncomfortable with my Black ass in a ball gown—but it’s not anybody’s business but mine.”
Two years later, and it’s clear that Porter was onto something. This year, we’ve seen all sorts of men’s skirts from Thom Browne (who has long perfected the kilt skirt for him and her), to Louis Vuitton, Chopova Lowena, and more. Men’s skirts are certainly not a new idea. Designers like Jean Paul Gaultier were showing men’s skirts back in the ’90s, and many traditional men’s skirts have existed for centuries, such as the Scottish tartan kilt and the floor-length Indian mundu. However, the sheer abundance and availability of men’s skirts in fashion now is definitely noteworthy. Frankly, it’s about time.
Quin Lewis, who is a Washington-based foreign-affairs official by day, is a regular skirt wearer and street style fixture at the menswear shows. “I feel really badass when I’m wearing a skirt,” says Lewis. “There is the sense that I’m doing something that’s going against the grain and skirting the rules on what would traditionally be thought of as acceptable attire for men.” Fish Fiorucci, a nonbinary model, adds that they’ve always worn skirts and views them as a piece that shouldn’t be gendered. “I’ve never understood why skirts were labeled for women: Skirts are genderless to me, and also ageless,” says Fiorucci. “They allow me to live in different eras depending on the length, type of fabric, and fit.”
It can be daunting to shop for a skirt for the first time. So for those who are intrigued, Vogue asked five skirt lovers who don’t identify as women where they most feel safe and comfortable shopping for them. Whether it’s luxury designer boutiques or smaller thrift shops, these street style stars shared their favorite spots to shop for skirts—where the fashion isn’t necessarily gendered and the experience is guaranteed to be both welcoming and free. So what are you waiting for?
Victor Vegas:
I wear a skirt because I want to. It’s a big fuck you to all the people who think it’s a big deal for a guy to wear one. It feels right for me because I make it what I want it to be. I see it like any other article of clothing. It has no gender or sexuality, it’s a piece of fabric brought together to create a unique silhouette. I shop for my skirts at 10ft Single by Stella Dallas in Brooklyn. That place is pretty relaxed. Also, the L Train Vintage off Morgan Avenue [in Brooklyn] has some good skirts. I don’t often shop for skirts online since I need to see and feel how the skirt falls in order to decide whether or not I like it. But on the rare occasion I do, it’s always secondhand sites like eBay or Depop. I also really love the Vaquera skirts. I feel like they embody the kind of skirt I love to wear: unapologetically brash, with a pretty attitude.
I'm glad to see there are men confident enough to do this and begin breaking down the gender identity of clothing.
ReplyDeleteI'm not at that point. Of course, if I did wear a skirt, I would also want to wear pantyhose, and then I would want to wear panties and heels, a pretty top...