Men’s Fall 2014/Spring 2015 Trend Report: In Praise of the Man Skirt

Images of Hood by Air fall 2014 and N. Hoolywood fall 2014 courtesy of style.com

Do real men wear skirts? Well, apparently so if you are a trendsetter and aligned with what was flaunted at the men’s shows for fall 2014 and spring 2015. From Y-3 and Rick Owns to General Idea and Skingraft to Comme des Garcons and Alexander McQueen, the man skirt/apron trend has re-emerged in a more masculine incarnation. So, the question of real men wearing skits should be rethought and re-examined to if consumers are confident enough in their masculinity to wear this trend?

If the male consumer is to follow Hollywood’s lead when it comes to fashion then the man skirt should be par for the course. In 2014 alone, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Jerod Leto, Omar Epps, Justin Bieber, and James McAvoy put aside trousers and donned a man skirt on stage or for a red-carpet appearance. Sean Combs flaunted a man skirt on stage in 2012, fashion designer extraordinaire Marc Jacobs has been spotted wearing Prada pencil man skirts as far back as 2011. And action adventure celeb Vin Diesel was slaughtered in the press for wearing a man skirt in 2003.

Images clockwise: Marc Jacobs, Vin Diesel, Kanye West, Sean Combs, James McAvoy

Still, this re-emergence of man skirts/aprons is quite different than its trending kilt counterpart of several years back. For fall 2014 and spring/summer 2015 the man skirt/apron goes beyond its kilting predecessor. This recent incarnation is not for shock value or middle-finger rebellion. With men’s fashion gathering momentum globally, many menswear designers now have the support and latitude to stretch the boundaries of design which includes incorporating a wider range of cultural influences and embracing a wider variety of silhouettes that were once considered taboo.

New elements and trends in menswear take a while to catch on for the average male consumers. For decades men have become accustomed to silhouettes that are more tailored and streamlined. However, the past couple of decades have produced more relaxed silhouettes, evidenced in baggy pants, oversized shirts and extended crouch pants; younger male consumers are accustomed to a more expansive choice in design aesthetics.

Kayne West wore a man skirt in 2012, and though he was met with support and detractors in March of 2014 West announced that he would include a man’s skirt line as a part of his burgeoning fashion empire. “Men wearing skirts goes back hundreds of years, but never caught on in America. We have been brainwashed into thinking this is some sort of feminine act. One of the most masculine things you can do is put on a skirt. I believe this will soon be the norm … I am the trend. You watch how quickly this spreads and remember who started it,” detailed Kanye West.

Australian menswear designer Brent Wilson begs to differ in a recent Sydney Morning Herald article. “I’m an advocate for people embracing their own sense of style, but I’m also quite old-fashioned … unless it’s part of your heritage or religion, leave this one to the ladies. [It’s] another fad that has come and gone and been on the runways and celebrities many times before.”

Images of Skingraft fall 2014 courtesy of Ken Jones, Genera Idea fall 2014 images courtesy of Presley Slack

For fall 2014 LA–based Skingraft, Duckie Brown, Hood by Air, and Korean menswear brand General Idea included man skirts/aprons in their collections. Unlike previous incarnations of the man skirt, Skingraft, Duckie Brown, and General Idea ingeniously paired skirts with long pants—Skingraft’s oeuvre was incorporating short pants sewn into the skirt/apron. (No more crossing of the legs or keeping your knees together in sake of modesty.)

Skingraft and General Idea’s skateboarder meets urban road warrior motif with skirts in quilted and textured leather added a masculine patina to this re-emerging trend. While, Duckie Brown and Hood by Air’s foray plays more with re-thinking masculine silhouettes, Brown, in particular, has played with skirts and aprons as a form of layering and introducing different fabrications in one ensemble.

Rick Owen spring 2015 images courtesy of style.com

For his menswear spring 2015 collection, Rick Owens was inspired by Nijinsky in the ballet L’Apres Midi D’un Faune. The androgyny of the faune in the ballet is one of the centerpieces of the work, and Owens encapsulated that androgyny, as well as the mix of masculine and feminine in garments that paired oversized trench and double-breasted coats and graphic shirts over knee-length man skirts.

Comme des Garcon and Alexander McQueen fall 2014 images courtesy of style.com

Comme des Garcon married graphic tees with culottes and man skirts. While Alexander McQueen’s more masculine pairing of graphic shirts with leather man skirts is a bit more commercially viable for the trending fashionisto, Comme des Garcon’s man skirt combinations are forward thinking and ideal for that male consumer who has a penchant for shock and awe.

Just a warning, when wearing a man skirt  knobby knees just want do. Knobby knees and underdeveloped legs just don’t cut the mustard if you dare to wear a man skirt/apron. Man skirts work best on men that have a great pair of calves and defined thighs.

Physical attributes aside, are you man enough to wear a man skirt? Of course, you are!!

—William S. Gooch