Men have worn skirts for as long as there have been clothes. And yet, American gender preconceptions have essentially killed the concept in the public, segregating pleated minis and swooshing maxis into the womenswear area.
It’s shocking to know that Men Are Shopping For Skirts. Even Jean-Paul Gaultier’s spring 2002 tie skirt—a near-perfect synthesis of masculine and feminine tropes—did not ignite the movement in broader popular culture. However, skirts have gained popularity on male runways since the spring 2018 season, and no one is more responsible for this than Thom Browne.
Men Are Shopping For Skirts, since then, the kilt-obsessed designer has faithfully included a man in a miniskirt on the most, if not all, of his runways. It is beginning to bear fruit. According to today’s Lyst analysis on the trendiest goods for the second quarter of 2021, Browne’s menswear skirt comes among the top ten. This is the first occasion in Lyst history that a skirt has cracked the menswear top ten.
You should not be taken aback. Men Are Shopping For Skirts and Menswear connoisseurs have already embraced skirts of many sorts, and Browne’s loyal followers have fully embraced his vision. “I believe skirts have always been a ‘fashion,’ but seeing people purchase them and have alternatives is a positive step,” my colleague Christian Allaire, a historian of the movement, tells me. Or, as Chris Black, the guy-about-town — and the subject of the photo above — who is a TB skirt lover, puts it: “It was definitely a step outside my typical boundaries, but one I would make again.” It’s elegant, understated, and comfortable—and I’m not opposed to the attention.”
Read more about Highlights From The Menswear Presentations During Paris Fashion Week