Men In Skirts

Androgyny is very much IN. It’s the NOW.

In many cases, you’d think it’d be stylish for a woman to don a man’s kurta. I’m not denying it; it is rather empowering to do so, even. We see androgyny everywhere. Not just women, but men as well. Yes, men.

At first, it would be odd for anyone to imagine a man in a sari or anything that’s overtly feminine, but maybe that would be too far. What I mean to say is, fashion today is showing signs that men are also taking part in androgyny and are taking the ramp by storm.

When you look at it from an international perspective, we have men wearing kilts in Scotland. Yet even then, kilts are a symbol of masculinity. But did you know, men in South East Asian countries have been donning skirts since the 1800’s. In Burma, “longyis” are stretches of cotton/silk fabric that men drape around their waist, in a skirt like fashion. In India, we have traditional dhotis and lungis in the south.

MAN DONNING A LONGYI FROM THE LATE 1800’S (LEFT) AND SOUTH INDIAN MEN WEARING LUNGIS (RIGHT)

What you see here are examples of ethnic garb. It’s an identity cultivated. One wouldn’t really consider it as fashion, per se.

The Wedding Season seems to really showcase men in long draped kurtas that resemble skirts on the runway. This concept of dressing men in skirts It’s a fresh look and is most regal. In fact, it really reflects ancient royalty from that of the Mughal period. What started as a basic street trend is now a ground breaking phenomenon in Indian fashion.

ROHIT BAL’S LOOKS FOR INDIAN BRIDAL FASHION WEEK 2013

The man skirt is redefining the metrosexual male with its quirky edge and shock value. Still, many men are having mixed feelings on this so called trend. Here are some noted reactions of the men-in-skirts fad…

Ranveer Singh at the Premier of his movie, BajiRao Mastani

“Ranveer was able to pull it off well because he was confident and the garment has a shock value. It’s more of an experimental thing and I have seen musicians adorning these skirts with jackets in the West. Here it’s a new thing, Ranveer is making a historic film, it is necessary for him to catch people’s attention, make a statement.” – Raghavendra Rathore, Designer

“Although, its presence has been there for long, it just didn’t have a fashion language. Personally, I would love to experiment with the male skirt, but I need to work and prepare myself before that” – Narendra Kumar Ahmed, Designer at Amazon

“It’s good, because I think for too long we’ve been conforming to Western ideas such as shirts and trousers. So it’s good when someone like Ranveer can remind us so confidently about the possibility that Indian fashion has.” – Parmesh Shahani, head of Godrej India Culture Lab

Namit Khanna wearing Rohit Bal at the Indian Bridal Fashion Week 2015

Namit Khanna who has walked the ramp in a skirt for Rohit Bal at the India Bridal Fashion Week says, “I would never wear it otherwise, having grown up in an environment and being shown that it’s more of a feminine thing.”

“Outfits are all about comfort and if you are comfortable it doesn’t matter whether it’s a pair of jeans or a skirt. The more it trends, we will see more people wearing it.” – Rouallah Gazi, Model

Himanshu Verma wearing a Sari for the Genda Phool Project

“I wear more saris than skirts because I think they are the most androgynous forms of garments. I try to experiment with fluid garments and make them a part of men’s wardrobe.” – Himanshu Verma, Art Curator and Designer

Mind-blowing isn’t it? What do you think? Do Indian men have a shot at androgyny?