Men in skirts are becoming increasingly common from fashion runways to Hollywood red carpet premiers, a CNN report Friday cooed, adding we better get used to it. Hemlines are now for him as much as her.
CNN points to Brad Pitt as an exemplar of excellence in the new fashion trend.
When Brad Pitt arrived at the premiere for new movie Bullet Train last month, his stylised linen outfit made headlines everywhere — or the part below his waistline did.
The actor who made a name and career out of playing masculine roles completed his blush pink-and-brown ensemble with an eye-catching twist: a skirt, CNN observed.
U.S. actor Brad Pitt attends the “Bullet Train” premiere at Zoo Palast on July 19, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. (Tristar Media/WireImage)
“I don’t know!” Pitt later told Variety magazine of the inspiration behind his very public wardrobe choice. “We’re all going to die, so let’s mess it up.”
Pitt mirrored Latin pop megastar and Bullet Train star Bad Bunny who earned praise of his own for wearing a dress on the recent cover of Harper’s Bazaar, as Breitbart News reported.
CNN clearly approves. It went to great lengths to cover the fashion trend and point to it becoming more not less as driven by Hollywood names. The report went on approvingly:
Pitt joined a growing roster of stars recently pictured wearing gender-neutral skirts, from Oscar Isaac’s below-the-knee pleated number at the “Moon Knight” premiere to Lil Nas X’s metallic pink miniskirt. Actor Billy Porter, “Schitt’s Creek” star Dan Levy, basketball player Russell Westbrook and rapper A$AP Rocky have also embraced the trend.
Outside Hollywood, the phenomenon has been gaining traction for years, according to Carl R. Friend, the administrator (and self-described “Master Barista”) of The Skirt Café, an online forum dedicated to men’s skirts. While he believes “undue” attention is being paid to skirt-wearing celebrities, he nonetheless welcomed the increased visibility.
CNN acknowledges ancient Greek and Roman monuments paid tribute to men in skirts, while more “contemporary versions have since been worn in Balkan countries like Albania, which considers them a national costume.”
Naturally the highlands of Scotland were famous for kilts after they debuted in the 16th century and moved into the general public sphere as well as military regiments like the famous Black Watch.
The sarong, a typically bright patterned wrapped skirt, is worn by men in cultures across Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Pacific islands, CNN is quick to point out.
Billy Porter arrives at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 09, 2020 in Hollywood, California. (Steve Granitz/WireImage)
Lil Nas X performs on stage during Audacy Beach Festival at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park on December 05, 2021 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Jason Koerner/Getty Images for Audacy)
Variations of the sarong such as the “sulu,” a wraparound style used in both casual and as formal settings in Fiji, and the “lungi,” are also well known.
Now the west in general and performers in particular are embracing hemlines for men and CNN couldn’t be happier.
It lists those who have taken the bold step of wearing a dress, with Gen Z leading the way and “younger millennial stars, such as Harry Styles and Lil Nas X, regularly bring elements of femininity into their wardrobes.”
CNN acknowledges “gendered stigma makes wearing skirts in public a daunting prospect for many men, and those who do remain in the minority,” a fact already evident in the wider community.
Still, it applauds the likes of fashion blogger Bhardwaj who told the outlet wearing skirts has become more socially accepted.
He added the response to his account had been “very overwhelming” and resulted in “so much love from all over the globe.”
“I literally thought that no one would ever accept me in my skirts, but people have proved me wrong and they have accepted (me) with open arms,” he told CNN.