I always wore skirts from when I was a little girl. I liked them, even though they were a requirement for school and work. I don't like the pencil skirts, especially the short ones--too uncomfortable when trying to sit on a stool. My favorite type is the full-circle or pleated skirt that I can tuck down so I can sit comfortably without everyone peeking at my underwear. When the school dress code was relaxed in the Ninth Grade, I still preferred to wear a skirt to class rather than slacks or jeans. I just felt more dressed up. I went to high school in the Seventies, and of course pantyhose were the order of the day. No girl in her right mind wore a garter belt--that was for moms like mine, who wore a girdle and stockings every day. Looking at that contraption, I often wondered how she could stand being so confined. When I got married I bought some naughty things for my honeymoon, including two garter belts, a white one and a black one. Since I had never worn garter stockings before, I asked my Mom, the garter expert, how to wear the belt. She showed me how to put it on, adjust the garter straps and where to put them--not over your butt, or they would stretch and snap--but along the sides of your hips. Then she explained how to hook up the stockings--raise your knee for the front garters, and bend over from the waist to button up the rear ones. Then it hit me! This was not uncomfortable at all. I was so tired of wrestling with my pantyhose, constantly pulling them up and smoothing them down, and, after walking around or a while, end up with the crotch around my knees. Garters held my stockings smooth and straight, and gave me such a secure feeling. Still and all, I wouldn't try the girdle. One day I decided to wear the garter belt to work with a pleated skirt and circle slip. The skirt was just above my knees, so even if I sat down my stocking-tops would not show. At lunch time I walked down Main Street to get a bite to eat. It was a beautiful Spring day--the sun was shining and all was right with the weather. I don't know where the wind came from. The weather people had not predicted any gales. But suddenly there it was--a strong gusty wind that went right for my hemline. Up went the accordion pleats. Since I wore a circle slip, rather than an A-line that would have stayed down, the little petti went right up too! There for all of Main Street to see at lunch hour was my white garter belt straining at my nylon stockings. Not to mention getting a good eyeful of my lace-edged panties! Oh God! Embarrassment personified! I shoved my skirt down in front, but as I did so the wind caught the back of it and blew it high above my pantied rear. Luckily I had been walking with another lady, who instinctively grabbed hold of my flapping skirt in back while I held it down in front. In this manner we minced carefully down the sidewalk to the safety of the fast-food place and out of the wind. I could hear the entire lunch hour crowd laughing at my predicament. My face must have been as red as my hair, and luckily that had been tied into a ponytail so at least it wouldn't be going anywhere. Back at work I took the elevator to my floor, and saw a male co-worker standing there grinning at me. "Some wind, huh?" he quipped. "So you saw me, huh?" I replied. "Don't worry," he laughed. "It's nothing no one hasn't seen before." I wonder if that included the garter belt? Never again, I vowed. No more garters and stockings to work. From now on, I will wear them privately for my husband, and not for the entire city to feast their eyes on. Skirts are great, and I love wearing them. But I always listen to the forecast to see which way the wind is blowing. Today, for instance, they predicted 30 to 40 mile-per-hour winds. Guess what I'm wearing today? My mom jeans.
I like the longer version (36-42 inches) "maxi" skirts for leisure wear. I get tired of always being in jeans all the time. Yeah... I know... It is what men are "suppose" to wear anyways! And our society requires men in jeans or trousers & shorts. I don't like or wear shorts! I've experiments with skirts in windy conditions and found that the ones that have just enough room to comfortably walk in without restrictions or are of a stretchy fabric are the best when worn in blustery windy weather. Such as column or a-line style. Like around 35 mph or higher. Skirts that have some gathers can be OK too, but under certain circumstances they can be poofy at times as well. And skirts with lots & lots of gathers, like a ballgown skirt or full circle skirt are most likely to being blown upward.
The long skirt is just ridiculously very roomy, very cool and superbly comfortable. No, I really don't need a strong wind to get me to wear a skirt. I like skirts any time, even in calm conditions. But being a weather observer I find that the long skirt can make an awesome tool for observing wind patterns around buildings, vehicles, shrubbery and elevated signage. Skirts can be fun to watch, hear and feel as the wind pulls or tugs on the fabric.
And yes, I have worn some of my long skirts in winds of 50 to 60 mph. Watching how frantically chaotically & terribly windblown they are in winds that strong. Hearing the wind rustling the skirt like mad. Get those sharp gusts that hustle you off your feet and the skirt is whipping about violently. One would think the fabric with rip and tare apart. Especially with silk. Silk is actually an incredibly strong fabric given it's delicately soft, thin, fluid qualities. However, silk ruffles in a 30 mph wind like polyester or rayon is in a 60 mph wind.
I don't own a cape but I once used a knee length wide pleated skirt, I cut the front of it , wrapped it around me and tied the front around my next. I was alone in the night by my mothers house, it was quite windy so I put it on and went outside, nobody was around so I was enjoying the wind blowing it around as expected, I felt like a super hero, but all of a sudden an unexpected gust of wind came from nowhere and blew in an upward direction, my 'Cape' was completely blown over my head, the flapping sounds was awesome but it took me by
My ex-wife only wore dresses to church and always had a belt & hose under it. I learned that in 1988 when I watched her undress one Sunday afternoon. Most 19 year olds wouldn’t have even put forth the effort of pantyhose let along stockings/belt. She learned how to dress from her granny
Kaf--That sounds like the early militant Feminists, who used to ceremonially burn their bras and girdles in bonfires. I go without the stockings in hot summer, but I am 38D and without a bra I would give myself a couple of black eyes if I broke into a trot. Remember, the garter belt was not really an item of my daily wear, but when I finally bought one I found it surprisingly comfortable.
Specialgurl, my Mom taught me how to adjust the garter straps to fit my stockings. You're right--low-slung garters look slovenly. Recently I saw a girl at the market who was wearing a double-slit skirt, and a pair of stockings that she had folded over several times because her garter straps were too long. First, you don't wear garter-stockings with slit skirts, and second, you have to learn to adjust your straps!
Well, I wouldn't call myself well-dressed, usually just a simple skirt and blouse outfit with flat penny loafers, and pantyhose in cooler weather.I don't usually wear heels unless I'm really dressed up. Our Mom always dressed me and my sisters in skirts and dresses, and of course when I went to school skirts were required anyway, so I was used to them. Nowadays I just prefer them because I feel more "dressed-up" in a skirt. I don't wear dresses because I have an insulin pump that I can't hook onto a dress, so I clip it to my skirt band.
Specialgurl, I was not always in the habit of wearing garter stockings. When I was in school no girl in her right mind wore garters--that was for my Mom's generation. But since I knew guys generally liked garter belts I bought two of them for my honeymoon. Other than that, I used to buy my slips to match my panties when possible, but nowadays most girls do not wear half-slips, so the variety has gone down. So I make do with what I have. When i was a girl I remember the special "Petticoat 'n' Panty" sets that were easily obtained at department stores, but they are gone as well.
@BadPam: True. With the vast majority of the entire population wearing pants and shorts, dresses and skirts may be going the way of the whale bone corset and the "Petticoat 'n' Panty" sets of long ago unless men and women alike embrace skirts and dresses as being comfortable, viable garments and begin to wear them rather than pants or shorts. I don't really see that happening. Sad.
Firmhand, actually I do. On special occasions, like church and other functions that have me dress in longer skirts, I will wear my garter belt and nylons. But for the most part I wear pantyhose, even though I never really liked them, especially when I was in high school.
There is something so classy about a garter. Since the skirt woulda blown up with either undergarment, I'd be more 'impressed' by the garter & stockings. My two cwnts. :)
@specialgurl: Yeah, but I don't have as much money as the Princess! My wardrobe consists of simple skirts and blouses, with of course accessories like underwear and stockings. In fact i buy most of my panties at the Dollar Store.
Sludgefeast, maybe to the crowds that were on Church Street at lunch time it was sexy, but I guess the sight of a young woman struggling with her skirts against the wind was undoubtedly sexy and amusing. As I was the focal point, it was embarrassing. I hate to show my underwear in public!
