Why men are now wearing skirts

[1]

Men have largely stuck to a defined dress code. They haven’t dared to go much beyond the pant-shirt and roomy T-shirt and shorts combo. But in recent times, male models in flowy skirts have sashayed down the runaway. And now actor Aamir Khan has got into a bright yellow skirt for his upcoming film Peekay. Is the modern man ready and keen to make room in his wardrobe for skirts?

While many feel that it’s difficult to predict if men will embrace the trend, others feel that man-skirts can inject the much needed novelty into a man’s wardrobe while redefining the notion of masculine dressing.
Designer Manish Tripathi says that men in skirts isn’t a new trend. He explains, “Over a long period of time, skirted garments like kilts, sarongs and dhoti have been teamed up with jackets, vests and long shirts by men. These ensembles look as chic as a tuxedo with a pair of crisp pants or a sherwani with a pair of churidaars. Who wears a skirted garment holds no relevance to the gender of that person, nor is it an indicator of the masculinity or femininity of a man/woman.”
Scots, Irish men wear skirts well and Indian men have also tried to emulate the trend. However, with Aamir wearing a skirt, it is like breaking barriers. “Even Marc Jacobs wears a skirt and looks iconic. Besides in India, men wear lungis. What is a skirt but a derivation of it? It’s really daring of Aamir to wear a skirt. He looks cool and international. There’ll be a lot of people trashing it, calling it a gimmick and some may even find it hilarious, but he will also inspire others to wear what they feel like,” says K Vaishnavi Naidu, a NIFT student.
Pick up old pictures of Indian maharajas or any Western prince in Egypt or Rome, and you’ll see men in skirt-like items of clothing. Designer Prasansha Saha says that the trend is like going back to our roots. She adds, “If women can wear pants, men should be allowed to wear skirts. Having said that, it’s going to take time to become a full-fledged trend. Recently I saw a friend who wore an embroidered skirt thing for a wedding. I thought it looked super cool on him but a few people looked at him with mocking disdain. The society has to open up and it will slowly adapt to this trend.”