By Jocelyn J.
Let me start off by saying I love looking at a woman wearing a dress or a skirt. I think it makes them look beautiful. I also love wearing a skirt or dress. I guess I believe it might make me look beautiful.
Our sisterhood bemoans the fact that women wear dresses or skirts rarely these past number of decades. I think us “baby boomers” grew up in an era when the norm was for girls and women to wear a dress, or skirt and blouse, while out of the house. When I look at my high school year books from the 1960s, every girl was in a dress, or skirt and blouse.
A dress or skirt will show off the figure and legs of the individual so adorned, and express a provocative image.
I was perusing the encyclopedia Britannica, and in a very large dissertation on human costumes over the millennia was the following paragraph:
“Rebellion against the established or dominant fashion has been a constant theme in the history of costume. The reasons prompting such rebellion are various: to shock, to attract attention, to protest against the traditional social order, to avoid current trends and thereby avoid looks soon considered dated or outmoded. One of the earliest forms such rebellion has taken—and continues to take—has been that of women adopting male dress. By donning men’s clothing, women have been able to challenge the status quo and participate in activities or roles traditionally perceived as masculine.”
I can’t disagree with the concept of women challenging the status quo and changing our previous male dominated society. In North America women were only allowed to vote just over 100 years ago.
So, as much as many of us enjoy donning a dress or skirt, and seeing other women doing the same, our society is in flux. I, like many of you, now wear slacks or jeans in order to blend in with the females in our neighbourhood.
BUT, have hope. I was recently in Germany for a major world wide event. And my unscientific observations showed: 20% of the females wore a dress, 20% wore a skirt, 20% wore shorts, and 40% wore slacks.
The percentages indicate that in this part of Europe, and probably beyond, a great many ladies wear dresses and skirts. If you mainly wore a dress in Berlin, you would definitely blend in.
The included pictures of me show a dress, a skirt and leggings. I am most comfortable in a skirt, but to blend in while running errands I would have on the leggings.
What are your choices for different activities? It seems like the dress could be making a comeback. YAHOO!
Lots of love,
Jocelyn
20 Responses
Jocelyn, great post!
Of course, we could all rant about the unfairness of women being able to challenge the status quo by wearing what are traditionally male garments whereas guys trying to do the worst are just saddled with every negative label under the sun. But I guess we could all move to Scotland and wear a kilt every day if we really wanted to. Somehow, though, I don’t think it would have the same appeal!
For the CDer, there’s something deliciously satisfying about stepping into a skirt or dress. The whole experience seems to will us to adopt more ladylike poses – there’s no fun in ‘manspreading’ while wearing a skirt but the sensation of leg against leg, interrupted only by a layer of nylon (a most welcome interruption, I might add!), ensures that we conform!
And it’s funny that you should mention what seems to be a renaissance in skirt & dress wearing as only the other day, I was thinking the same thing. Some of the accompanying footwear is, perhaps, questionable – Dr Martens seem particularly popular (we used to call them ‘bovver boots’ in the 1970s) – but things definitely seem to be moving in the right direction.
Amanda,
Thank you for the comments and support.
O my, a layer of nylon. I rarely go out and not have on pantyhose or stay up stockings. Although the picture here of me in the blue denim dress shows no hose; it was a very hot day.
Funny you should mention kilts. At any formal affair I attend (which doesn’t happen often) there is usually a handful of men wearing kilts. It is quite acceptable in “The Canadas” to do that.
The renaissance of dresses and skirts is gaining traction, but heels maybe not so much. But, give it time!
Keep the new trend going.
Jocelyn
As an added note. After sending Kandi this post, I had an opportunity to dress and run a few errands around town.
As I state in the post, leggings are my choice for this activity. But I thought why not a skirt? So I had a great time stopping off at various places in a skirt, pantyhose and a light top. And wearing flats (come on, heels at the pharmacy)!
Jocelyn
Great little post Jocelyn! I always thought the same thing too. I honestly feel there is nothing better than being in a beautiful dress or skirt, so I often wonder why a woman who could wear one all the time would chose not to!! But maybe it’s because they have the freedom to wear anything they like. I’m glad to see more girls wearing dresses and skirts. I’m a big fan of maxi dresses and skirts more than ever now.
Chris,
Great to hear from you. Dresses and skirts are making a comeback.
Thank you for the compliment.
Jocelyn
You’re most welcome Jocelyn 🙂
Jocelyn,
I have noticed women in Europe wear skirts and dresses more than in the UK , perhaps they value their feminity more and you will often see lovely retail underwear shops .
My out of town store always has plenty of dresses for sale , I see women buying them but I wonder when they wear them .
Personally I’ve had to bite the bullet and accept the trend , I vowed never to wear a pair of trousers again but women are practical and sometimes it makes sense . I have some lovely tops which possibly look better with smart trousers and wedges .
Yesterday afternoon I attended a cinema performance of Oppenheimer , it was a reasonably warm but with a chance of showers , so I decided to wear a skirt and Tshirt with my lightweight raincoat slipped on . I felt comfortable enough in the cinema and as I was early I could people watch while others arrived , I was the only one wearing a skirt . By the end of the three hour film I was shivering because the aircon was too cold , no wonder the other women were wearing trousers and lightweight sweaters !
Teresa,
I think England will catch on with the rest of Europe regarding dresses and skirts. I don’t think North America ever will.
Despite being coolish, I bet you just felt great wearing a skirt.
Thanks for the comments.
Jocelyn
Hi Jocelyn,
I’m with you all the way girl. I love wearing dresses and skirts, especially because legs are my favourite.part of the female body 😋. The town I live in you would be hard pressed to find any women wearing any thing but jeans and a T-shirt. Maybe if all us CDs continue to wear skirts and dresses there partners will start saying “ why don’t you wear skirts anymore? Look how nice she looks. We’ll become the fashionistas. What do you think?
Trish
Trish,
Don’t you just love talking about skirts and dresses. And it cannot get any better than wearing one. I love it. Let’s start the skirt wearing revolution in Canada.
If I remember correctly you are in Kamloops? How are you making out with the fires?
Jocelyn
Hi Jocelyn,
Sounds like a good idea. We have a few fires close to town but they’re under control but the number of fires in the north east and west is unbelievable. This year the province is burning everywhere including Vancouver Island which is really unusual. It seem to becoming the norm now in the summer months 😞.
Trish,
Thank you for the news regarding the fires. Good to hear you are OK.
Let’s keep each other updated as we create the Canadian skirt revolution.
Jocelyn
Working in a big city (Boston), I see many dresses and skirts on women in and out of the office. However, I only rarely see heels of any kind – most women are in sneakers, flats, or flat sandals. Wearing heels in the city is impractical for the most part! I’m sure some change into heels at their offices.
In the spring and summer, almost no one wears hosiery of any kind, and the opaque tights and boots come out in full force for the fall and winter months. Our appreciation for that fashion style is showing our age! However, I will still keep my pantyhose as long as I have the opportunity to wear them with my dresses and heels.
Tina,
Thank you very much for the comments.
As our friends at Kandi Land say “we prefer dresses and skirts” so let our community set the new trend.
I agree with you that heels are a hard “sell” for long term wearing.
But keep putting on pantyhose. They really make a woman’s legs look fantastic.
Jocelyn
I always wear dresses and skirts. I have 2 pairs of woman’s pants, one a boot-cut jean and the other a black casual pair. I have worn each one exactly once about a year ago and they now sit untouched in the back of my closet. In the winter I wear leggings but almost always under a casual skirt.
Fiona,
You go girl; keep those dresses and skirts coming. Whenever I am in a skirt I never hear a negative comment.
And I love your skirt over leggings. It certainly adds a touch of femininity.
Thanks Fiona,
Jocelyn
While I have very few dresses, the closet is full of skirts and tops. Wearing an is something I have always felt was the single most enjoyable thing in dressing female. Wearing pants or trousers is something I can do any other day of the week. I have to confess there are times when I go out as her, I do go the route of blending in and wear pants. The pants wearing at those times is at least offset by nicer materials perhaps, hair and makeup… so it is not just another humdrum wardrobe.
Lee,
Thank you for your comments.
I too love putting on a skirt. I’ll stand in front of the mirror and watch it swish from side to side. That is so enjoyable.
And your point about pants is true. Nothing special about pants that a guy doesn’t wear every day. It is the dress or skirt that makes the outfit feminine.
What length of skirt do you wear while out: maxi, midi or mini?
Jocelyn
Don’t really have any minis, guess I am always feeling like I need to pull them down to cover up an overexposed leg! Mid length around the knee is my favorite as well as longer on occasions. I like the look on mini skirts and many ladies look good in them, I just don’t think they are good for me.
Lee
Thanks Lee. I suspected midis were your thing. They are my choice too.
I did have a pleated mid calf skirt which I wore a few times, but I really prefer showing a little more leg.
I would also like a long skirt to give the casual, cool, breezy look; combined with a pair of colourful running shoes.
Jocelyn