Women’s wear

[Mike_Oettle]

Having noticed quite a bit of correspondence lately, and a whole lot more in the past, concerning garments specifically for women (aside from the kilts that many women do wear), may I suggest that X Marks introduce a special category for this type of inquiry or the sharing of such information?
That way women wanting skirts, sashes, dresses and other specifically female attire can discuss it there (although male members will certainly want to see the results, I am sure, and some would also be able to contribute tips).
Regards,
Mike

[James Hood]

What say the X Marks ladies?

[Elizabeth]

We've been through this before...

I like the idea of a ladies section but with rules... so it doesn't degrade to scantily clad women as examples of what men dream of and wolf whistling.

[tpa]

We've been through this before...

I like the idea of a ladies section but with rules... so it doesn't degrade to scantily clad women as examples of what men dream of and wolf whistling.

Who us? Perish the thought!

[Father Bill]

In which regard, the top right corner of the Scottish Tartans Authority website is a rather sad example. They do themselves, Scotland, and tartans no favour by including the more salacious images in their rotation. I wouldn't ever want that to happen here.

Please don't think that I'm either prudish or sanctimonious because I'm a member of the clergy - I love the look of a beautiful or sexy woman and I was a hot-blooded male long before my ordination, but this would not be the proper place for that. Nor think please, that I'm critical of the STA in general; I just can't respect that particular choice in that particular context.

[Stitchwiz]

Perish the though indeed, tpa! We can all have a chuckle here, because we are all very human.

However, I agree with Father Bill. I find I am often uncomfortable with images of women in the media today. I also feel that the STA does women no good service with the images that they have on their website. I am not a prude - I do like to dress to please my husband's eye, but I don't need to reveal a lot of skin, because I know that less is often more. The imagination is a wonderful thing!

Recently I came across a very large photo collection of men in kilts which I would not share in this forum because I felt that some crossed the line of what was acceptable, here or anywhere. They were for the most part very well done and many would appreciate the handsome men who were wearing their best and looked fabulous; but a few revealed a little too much skin. I would not want any man to feel uncomfortable looking at those photos. Father Bill, and many other men on this forum, would not want to see too much feminine skin here and by the same token we women don't want to see too much masculine skin. As I said before, imagination is a wonderful thing.

I like to be treated with respect and courtesy and MOST of the time I am. I worked in a male dominated field for years before I started my family, and never had a problem. I was never trying to take over a mans' job - I was a woman who was able to do a mans' job and I was hired to do it because I excelled at what I did; and I was paid a wage accordingly. My employer recognized that he needed to pay me on the same scale as anyone else doing the same job. He was a rare man and I enjoyed working there. About seven years after I left to start my family, I was headhunted for a position (which I had no desire to take, since I still had a babe in arms) because they were given an excellent reference by my previous employer. That same company contacted me regularly, for 2 more years, before they believed me when I said I had a full time job as a mother and I would not be taking another job until my kids were finished school. I know that my attitude regarding my role in the workplace played a major part in the reference that was given. Respect and courtesy go a long way in this world.

I dress appropriately for where I am going and what I will be doing. That is how I show my respect to everyone else who will be there. Excess attention drawn to one's sexuality is NEVER acceptable in any situation. No one, and most especially, no man, needs to be put in a position where he is uncomfortable around a woman because she is dressed inappropriately. Raging hormones have no place in the place of business, ever. No one should ever be subjected to another person creating an uncomfortable work place environment, for any reason. Being feminine is fine, as long as the courtesy and respect for oneself and others is present, always.

I believe that women and men are fundamentally different because we are meant to compliment each other. The difference is what makes everything special. And that is what we need to nurture, in an appropriate manner.

I feel very strongly that society is going down a road that is leading to a general lack of respect for many things and especially a lack of self-respect. It is reflected in the clothing of many young people today.

I'll get off my soap-box now...please forgive my running off on a tangent...

If I have a question regarding women's garments, I would just ask in the Misc section. And if I have any doubts, I would ask the Mods to move it to where it belongs.

If there are enough questions to warrant a ladies section, I would be fine with that. However, I wasn't aware that there were that many questions... I will pay more attention in the future.

[tpa]

In which regard, the top right corner of the Scottish Tartans Authority website is a rather sad example.

I have often wondered about that but put it down to them demonstrating tartan diversity and trying to show that they are in touch with trends from past to present, as it is a tartan as opposed to a kilt website. Maybe I'm being kind.

[CDNSushi]

We've been through this before...

I like the idea of a ladies section but with rules... so it doesn't degrade to scantily clad women as examples of what men dream of and wolf whistling.

Indeed. I'm also a member of several other forums (mainly motorcycle-related), and there is a very, very simple solution to it. There's a women's-only area. Men are not permitted, and anyone wishing entry must request access with the moderators. Seems to work very well. In the motorcycling world, many women are just as big gearheads as the men -- debating ideal sprocket size for the best top end final drive ratio, or which brand of ape hangers to get for a customized shovelhead electraglide, and they'd prefer to do it WITHOUT silly comments from the peanut gallery. I get it.

I wonder if the women here would be more open to the idea if it were an entry-by-request subsection here?

[Steve Ashton]

Ladies and Gentlemen of X Marks.

I have said this before and I will say it as long as I have a say. This is a kilt forum. Everyone is welcome. Welcome equally.

This is not a ladies fashion forum. There are literally thousands of ladies fashion forums. This one is about kilts.

We have always allowed and encouraged men and women to post about ladies attire and outfits to accompany kilted men. We have also allowed posts about ladies Tartan accessories be they kilts, skirts, or other Tartan accessories.

I would be in favor of a forum sub-section dedicated to ladies outfits to accompany their kilted men. Over the years there have been many threads dealing specifically with ladies outfits and accessories that have gotten lost among all the other kilt threads. Having a dedicated place that can be searched and easily referenced would be a good idea.
I personally would like to see a thread created by our experts to accompany each of outfits in the 1 kilt 10 looks thread.

I hope I don't need to point out that our first guiding principal is that we agree to conduct ourselves as the Ladies and Gentlemen of X Marks. We have always been a place where our members treat each other in a polite and respectful, open and honest manner at all times.
Ladies and Gentlemen try to refrain from posting for purely prurient reasons. Out of respect for each other. The same principal applies to every forum section.

The Forum Moderators are currently discussing this issue. If anyone would like to comment, in this thread, or to any of the Moderators via PM, I am sure that the Moderators would like to hear your thoughts.

I would like to thank Mike for his suggestion and there will be a follow on post once the Moderators have had sufficient time to read your comments and discuss the suggestion.

[Elizabeth]

Steve, thank you for addressing this (again).

At this point I don't have a kilted man to accompany but I'm working on him! I'm the kilt (and pleated skirt) wearer in the family.