Media : INFO Haute-Vienne (n° 1025) of april 12th, 2005

and INFO Puy-de-Dôme (n° 1047) of may 2nd, 2005  (Newspapers)

Title : Men in skirt, the coming back

Author : Corinne MERIGAUD

Interviewed : Jérôme Salomé

Married with 2 children, Jerome, about 30 years old, is an adept of the skirt. If he still refuses to wear this clothe at work, he doesn't hesitate to go outside dressed with his preferred clothe. Here it is a meeting with a precursor who dares talking about a taboo subject.

Info : Is it more interesting to wear a skirt rather than trousers ?

Jerome : The skirt is comfortable and adapted to the masculine morphology. Trousers, bermudas or shorts offer less space to our anatomy. Tousers are, as well, the cause of a too important heating which can lead to the destruction of spermatozoas and to sterility. The skirt offers variety for men. A skirt, when well chosen, would give a better appearance than  trousers...

Info : What is your style ?

Jerome : Often, straights skirts because they suit me, with pockets and a zip to be at ease in urinals. My skirts have nothing of woman; no flowers, no laces, no ribbons. I, sometimes, find what I want in women's clothing shop, for a lack of men's clothing shop selling skirts. Some skirts from fashion designers exist, but it costs about 150 euros for the cheapest one...

DREAM OF A CHILD...

Info : Where does it come from this willing of wearing a skirt ?

Jerome : As a lot of children, I tried my first skirt to disguise myself, for carnival. We see that they are comfortable contrary to trousers,  during summer. I wore some, at home, hiding, because of the social pressure, as if it was a taboo, an ashamed thing... I go out wearing skirts not for so long. I am shy, that's thanks to a forum on Internet, talking about men in skirt, and above all, thanks to my wife's encouragements, that I can face people and their prejudices. I am not the only one who wants to wear skirts. It doen't mean a link with a sexual tendency. I do not want looking as a woman.

Info : Does your family approve your choice ?

Jerome : My wife met, few years ago, a man wearing a skirt. She found him very beautiful and she hoped that it would be fashion one day. She is very pleased to be with me. She is very proud to have a man who is courageous, in opposition to those who are afraid of what people will think about them. My friends and family don't know about it. This article will make me talk to them about it. My neighbours didn't reject me. People who saw me wearing a skirt didn't say anything. When I go out wearing a skirt, I always go with my wife and / or my children, in order to limit the invention of homosexuality...

  Info : Are you afraid that your friends reject you ?

Jerome : I would answer you by a question : do you think that friends who like you and then reject you for your clothing style are really friends ? Intelligent people will try to know my motivations without limit themselves to prejudices. To reject someone for his appearance is a form of racism...

INCOGNITO...

Info : Are people's reactions sometimes hard ?

Jerome : Women said I was bisexual, young girls I was homosexual, men are more discreet...People often mix between homosexual, travs, man with feminine clothes. One is not necessary the other. I didn't have many negatives reactions among thousand people I met. I must recomfort those who would like to wear a skirt but who don't dare. I have more neutrals reactions than negatives, or they look at me without astonishment or they don't look at me !....

Info : A woman wearing trousers doesn't disturb anymore but the first who dared had to face laughs !...

Jerome : Less than a century ago, it was unthinkable that women wore trousers as men did. It was said that they were lesbians, travs or originals. Coco Chanel began to make it acceptable in the twenties. it took years for trousers to enter women's wardrobe. Nowadays, the same prejudices are given to men who wear skirts. Often, the firsts who dare changing the masculine fashion are the gays. They are more courageous than heterosexuals. I am proud to elevate the level of heterosexuals !...

Info : You don't loose your virility ?

Jerome : Absolutely not. But, some people thik that a skirt is not valorating for a man. What annoys them is not the fact that i wear a skirt, but that I wear a skirt as women. If it's devalorating to do as a woman, so these people still think that women are men's inferiors...

SECULAR USES

Info : You didn't bring this fashion in the country ?

Jerome : Long time ago, men wore skirts, tights, laces, and they wore make-up, without being considered as women. That's the case in Ancient Egypt with the port of the Schenti. The masculine suit evoluted towards skirt in 2040- 1640 before J-C. In Crete, men wore short skirts and in Antic greece, Shiton or tunics, which was a mix clothe. Romans wore tunics..

Info : French clothing History proves that men wore skirts ?

jerome : In the Middle- Age, the principal clothe is a long tunic, with a large dress. In the 16th century, men adopted the shirt with laces. With louis XIV, men's clothes are creations of broccarts, laces in gold or silver. At the end of the XVIIth century, the persian clothe came, composed of a coat, vest and pants. It would be the basis of the suit of the modern man. The man of the XVIII th century wore pants and vest.After the french Revolution, the sober suit approached the modern style. At the XIXth and the XXth it was the Dandy's fashion, with white shirt, horse- boots and haut - de - Forme hat. With the industrialization, between 1820 and 1840, tightly panties and trousers appeared. Decorating clothes, in opposition to functionnal ones, are banned from men's wardrobe. They had to work wearing adapted clothes...

SARI, KILT AND PAREO...

Info : Some men still resist ?

Jerome : In some civilizations, the wearing of a skirt is a normal thing, sari in Indonesia, kilt in Scotland, fustanella in Greece, kimono in Japan, jellabah in Arabic Countries, pareo in Islands, duk- duk in Papouasia- New-Guinea. In develloped countries, except suits linked to a function as the barrister dress or clergyman, men fashion is trousers, bermudas and shorts. It's a bit reducing taking the variety of clothes worn by men in account.

Info ; You still hope to see prejudices fall...?

Jerome : Nothing avoidskirts to come back into men's wardrobe except the fear of facing unjustified prejudices. Prejudices will stop if more men wear skirts in public areas. So men, don't wait anymore to put at your ease ! After a day wearing a skirt when it's very hot, you will hesitate to put  back your trousers on..

Click on picture :