Trendforecast: men in skirts

Forecasts indicate that the presence of the men’s skirt or kilt will grow exponentially each season. Men wearing skirts is commonplace in certain countries including Fiji, Myanmar and Bhutan. In Greece, it’s an integral part of the military dress uniform. However, nowhere has a skirt been of more cultural significance than the Scottish kilt.  

A history of the Scottish kilt 

According to the Macgregor and Macduff blog, the first mention of kilts was in 1538. At that time, a kilt was a full-length garment called the féileadh mor or ‘the great kilt’. It was a five meter untailored piece of fabric that was wrapped around the waist, with the excess material draped over the shoulder. It wasn’t until the early 18th century that the knee length kilt we recognize today came about. Over time, different clans identified themselves with specific tartan plaids and colors. 

The modern era 

Jean Paul Gaultier is credited with the first designer to show skirts for men on the runway. They were first presented as part of his Et Dieu Créa l’Homme (And God Created Man) collection in 1985, wide-leg trousers with a wrap-over panel created the illusion of the skirt, “challenging masculinity and questioning clothing stereotypes”, according to his website. 

In Recent Seasons 

No doubt due to the blending of gender norms and the desire by many to be non-binary, in the past few seasons, skirts for men have been shown on many runways, Click on the link below to read the entire article on FashionUnited.

https://fashionunited.nl/nieuws/mode/in-het-spoor-van-een-trend-mannen-in-rokken/2022062053855

Written by Jayne Mountford, FashionUnited