As a bit of a companion piece to my last post, I’d like to submit for your enjoyment His Black Dress, the blog of Mr. Spookshow, a fella who enjoys pushing the boundaries of what men are “allowed” to wear, from the perspective of everyday fashion. He rocks a variety of looks, from the merely kilted:
To full-on ladies’ wear:
It’s interesting to see a man writing about clothing in the same way female fashion bloggers do. I realized, reading his work, that women’s outfits are fundamentally assembled differently than men’s. The wider range of options and possibilities in women’s clothing create a complex mix-and-match in which multiple good possibilities exist. This seems like the classic problem of “Well, I didn’t believe it when women said it, but now that a man does, I think there’s something to it!”, but I think it’s actually a little subtler. There’s a lot of things, like the assembly of female-gendered outfits, that are easy to take for granted and not really examine. When our expectations and perspectives are shaken up, as by this high-testosterone fellow, we often see things more clearly.
So yes, male outfits simply aren’t assembled in the same way, from the same range of possibilities. When men are getting dressed up, that generally means a suit, which means the pants and jacket are inseparable, which in turn narrows the possibilities down to shirt and tie, and those have to fall within a pretty small range. Yes, other looks exist, but there’s no comparison in terms of allowable potential combinations. I really admire Mr. Spookshow for stepping outside the boundaries of what’s supposed to be possible, and frankly I’d like to see more men do the same.
Also, I bet you folding money that a significant percentage of the women reading this are squeeing themselves blind over this guy right now. So, y’know, that’s a factor too.
The endless array of possibilities in “female” clothing is part of what I don’t like about it. For me at least. The amount of options is too overwhelming for everyday decisions! I like ties and collared shirts precisely because they give me creativity within a limited paradigm! But that is me and my desires when I dress in the morning. And I love it when anyone crossing those arbitrary lines; it is sexy. It’s all about how you wear something, wear it with confidence and your inherent awesomeness, and you will rock it. Another reason I prefer “men’s” clothing is… Read more »
I will never be able to get used to this. I don’t even know why it disturbs me, but it does.
Guess I’m part of the generation which has to die off first before the cliches can die.
Leaving aside a few items directly related to anatomy, what exactly are men’s and women’s clothes anyway? The arbitrary division of style and fabric along binary gender grounds strikes me more and more as being complete nonsense. The following quote (from Graham Holmes) sums things up pretty well:
I still think that male “fashion” (so-called) is the height of lazy thinking (or of a complete lack of thinking) – it remains endless variations on a sleeved collared shirt and a bifurcated leg garment, the basic form of which has remained unchanged for centuries.
Quite so.
I have gone out only a few times dressed in heels, skirt, etc. as a man. I would consider myself a crossdresser who does not feel the need to pass myself off as a woman. I wonder how many “Fashion Freedom” guys are actually like me (or vice versa). In any case, when i have gone out dressed like this, I have been treated decently by the public. I get a lot of looks, but people go on about their business. It feels very nice to dress how I want to and just do normal things. I sound like my… Read more »
oh, and took off the corset…forget that part
^^^ This…I was having a conversation about this with a friend of mine. About kilts, and togas, and high heeled shoes being worn by men and women throughout history. About lace cuffs, and wigs and frilly cravats. About what makes something ‘women’s’ clothes and ‘men’s’ clothes is mostly cultural and that its about time to just start calling them just clothes.
and then I took off my stockings and heels and put on my jeans.
Zeitgeist!
Also, I question the appelation “ladies’ wear” above. M. Spookshow is male-identified. A lot of the clothes he wears are custom made for him. What he’s doing is as much about pushing the boundaries of what constitutes “men’s” clothes as it is about cross-gender dressing.
You have me pegged, buddy. Totally squeeing myself blind. ^^;
This guy, and indeed, every guy who sticks the middle finger to arbitrary fashion labels and wears whatever the hell he wants, is FANTASTIC.
🙂
Love the pics….. but why do the “squee” posts annoy me?
Another nice find. Like Jack Skellington and Mr Spookshow, I too often wear items of female (or simply “feminine”) clothing on a regular basis, and have never really seen what the big deal about doing so is. I generally don’t attempt to pass as a woman while doing so either, for while I understand that that’s important for many people who wear clothing of the opposite sex, I don’t think I’d be able to pull it off myself (as pretty as a lot of people have told me I am!), and I’m generally content to be a “man in a… Read more »
Being of largely Celtic heritage, I have always considered kilts and robes and draped scarves quite normal for menswear. Oh, well, see how weird this ol’ lady is!
Been reading the blog here for a few months now, but I finally have to comment on a post. I’ve been doing this for years! My absolute favorite parts of my wardrobe would be my skirts, dresses and heels (along with their respective accessories). At some point, after much time decrying the lack of choice in men’s clothing, I decided to just dress in what I felt looks good and is comfortable. After all, other than general style, exactly what is the difference between “men’s” and “women’s” clothing, other than a completely arbitrary label?
Boy George is wearing a tunic with trousers, not a dress. Mr. Spookshow is advocating wearing dresses, skirts and heels as everyday attire. Yay! Go him! I teach eight year-old children and tell them regularly that, by the time they are my age, men and women will just be wearing clothes and not thinking about sex or gender when they make their choice of what to wear. They snigger. But I tell them that when I was at school we were only allowed to wear trousers on Saturdays and only as long as we didn’t go into the town (people… Read more »
Reblogged this on Jockey Full of Bourbon and commented:
too awesome not to share.
It’s not new, 30 years ago, one of the most popular male singer was Boy George :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nXGPZaTKik
I liked the Dandy Portraits post, this doesn’t do anything for me. If wearing a t-shirt and kilt is a fashion statement, then why not just take ‘smart casual’ to the next level and wear formal pants with a t-shirt, or a formal shirt with shorts, or cargo pants.
And if wearing a dress is really a ‘statement’ that suggests a ‘new fashion revolution’, then I am completely nonplussed. I just don’t feel it really brings anything to the table. Now I wouldn’t mind seeing the return of robes, capes, or other ye olde-time male fashions.
brb, squeeing myself blind…
j_m:
I woulnd’t say “completely” different. But he IS leaning on a wall in the first pic, and standing up in a pair of boots with a hint of heels in the second.
Also, the facial expression, neutral in the first and something of a smile in the second. Lighting (outdoor vs. indoor) and a touch of make-up(?) in the second also adds to it.
So, ok, I agree with you. All is completely different. But it’s so much more than just the clothing that’s different.
Is it just me or does every thing change when he is in “women’s” clothes? His posture, stance, manner of pose, even his facial expressions. All completely different than when he is in the “masculine” clothing.
I love this one even more than the Dandy Portraits one! Yeah ok, I’m not a woman, but I am in fact “squeeing myself blind over this guy” right now. Cheers Noah!