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BBC News – Sweden male train drivers wear skirts after shorts row

A dozen male train drivers in Sweden have circumvented a ban on shorts by wearing skirts to work in hot weather.

The workers, who operate the Roslagsbanan line north of the capital Stockholm, have been wearing skirts to work for the past two weeks.

Employer Arriva banned the drivers from wearing shorts after taking over the running of the line in January.

But the company has given the men its blessing to wear skirts, according to local newspaper Mitti.”

Our thinking is that one should look decent and proper when representing Arriva and the present uniforms do that. If the man only wants [to wear] a skirt then that is OK,” Arriva communications manager Tomas Hedenius told the paper.

“To tell them to do something else would be discrimination.”

Driver Martin Akersten told the BBC he and his colleagues came up with the idea to wear skirts after they were informed of the new company dress code in the winter.

“We have always said that when summer comes, we will get some skirts and wear them. Its very warm weather here so we would like to wear shorts but if we cant then we have skirts for comfort”.

via BBC News – Sweden male train drivers wear skirts after shorts row.

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Skirts set to be ‘manliest’ accessory | FJORDE MAGAZINE

A man skirt can only be pulled off if teamed with chunky shoes, a dark top, and for those less adventurous, pants. The key is to keep it masculine and strong and not have the skirt as the outfit’s centerpiece.

It’s about time men threw off their fashion social shackles, took off their pants and put on a skirt! It’s much more liberating, and isn’t this precisely what we women fought for when we wanted to wear pants? Ironically, Paris revoked a 200-year-old law only three days ago, which stipulated women can’t wear pants in public unless given permission by authorities. This absurd law obviously wasn’t followed or enforced, but the symbolism of women’s rights not being supported in Parisian law was enough for the people to force a change.

In the same way, men wearing skirts isn’t about men adding to their wardrobe or being edgy, it’s about receiving the same freedoms as women enjoy in fashion. It’s certainly not about being constrained to socially approved, preconceived notions of what a man should look and dress like. Bottom line is if you want to wear a skirt in public, there shouldn’t be a single thing stopping you.

via Skirts set to be ‘manliest’ accessory | FJORDE MAGAZINE.

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Trend-spotting: Men In Skirts – Forbes

One of the more surprising trends to emerge from the Men’s Spring-Summer 2012 runway shows that just ended in Paris: skirts. Long, short, narrow, baggy, pleated, fringed — they came in all shapes and styles. Most seemed like a provocation or statement. Riccardo Tisci’s boxy skirts at Givenchy were printed with vaguely vaginal close-ups of bird-of-paradise flowers that made one think of Georgia O’Keeffe. Rei Kawakubo’s calf-length dresses at Comme des Garcons were a shocking Pepto-Bismol pink. Rick Owens’ hobble skirts were dour and monk-like — and looked like they would be very difficult to walk in.

Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto’s versions, however, were so appealing they could actually pose a threat to slacks’ dominance in menswear. The diverse cast of models — from beefy, bearded blokes to fresh-faced youth to small, wise-looking elders — looked supremely confident and comfortable in their baggy, samurai skirts and wide, pleated culottes that looked like skirts.

via Trend-spotting: Men In Skirts – Forbes.