Mid-September saw a short revival of summer weather here in southern Germany. It was blazing hot during the day and since I wear skirts almost everyday, I started thinking about the benefits and detriments of doing so in hot weather.
This is, of course, a very subjective topic. What is a benefit or detriment for me may not be for someone else, but since it was on my mind, I figured I would write up a quick post about it.
Benefits
I will just come out and say it blatantly: in most aspects, skirts are much more comfortable to wear in hot weather than shorts and certainly more comfortable than long pants.
First of all, they are cooler. The fact that skirts are open from below means more air can get through and keep you cool. The extra ventilation also means that you will be more “aired out” and therefore, presumably, less smelly.
Many summer skirts are made out of light materials which also contributes to their coolness. Certainly, there are also pants and shorts made out of light materials such as linen, but when you combine it with an open bottom and a flowing cut (such as with A-line skirts), you get a perfect trifecta that can be so cool, it feels like you’re hardly wearing anything at all. Stuffy shorts just can’t compare.
Detriments
After writing about the benefits of wearing a skirt on a hot day, I realized that my detriments list would only include a single point. I sat and thought about it for quite a while trying to come up with other detriments, but I couldn’t think of anything.
That just goes to show how perfectly suited for warm weather they are. If you can think of anything else, feel free to let me know down in the comments below because I really just couldn’t come up with anything else.
So, enough introduction, now on to the point.
I live in a humid climate which means when I wear a skirt on a hot day, my thighs often stick together if I am sitting for too long. Not only is this uncomfortable, but it actually means that my legs get hotter than they would if I were wearing shorts. This is especially true if I am wearing tighter skirts such as a pencil skirt.
The problem can be solved, however, by uncrossing or recrossing my legs or getting up to walk around for a little while. In that sense, maybe it’s not the worst thing since it reminds me to get up from my desk and move around a little bit throughout the day.
Conclusion
So, what was originally intended to be a comprehensive comparison of the benefits and detriments of wearing skirts on a hot day turned into a short post singing the skirt’s praises for warm weather. I am probably biased, but this article was never intended to be objective.
In any case, it goes without saying that I find skirts better than any other sort of legwear for hot weather and will continue to enjoy their benefits for many a hot day to come.
What are your experiences with wearing skirts in hot weather? Do you find them to be more comfortable than shorts? What do you think of the benefits and detriments I listed above? Can you come up with any more detriments? Let us know in the comments below!
Yep. That’s the truth. Thanks for saying so.
If I had to add any thing, it would only apply to shorter skirts, which are more likely to be worn in hot weather (aside: most of mine are 20-22 inches long and hit just above my knees, but I hav e a couple of 18-inchers…). These short skirts are, for all the reasons you note, just the berries for hot weather – and all the more so for being short. However, they can present a challenge when sitting, especially on metal or leather seats. The upper part of the thighs are then in direct contact with those seats, which can be a bit toasty if they’ve been in the sun, and a bit sticky even in the warm shade. I posted a while back in reddit’s r/menskirts about the perfect driving skirt: short enough to be cool, but long enough to minimize the hot-seat thigh issue (along with a few other positive attributes). In response to a question about my claim, asking what IS a driving skirt, I wrote, “Perhaps you are familiar with a Riding Skirt? Or a Tennis Skirt? Not that those are directly related, except in concept: a skirt that is fit to purpose. In this case: a length (a bit above the knee) that is long enough to be comfortable for sitting on leather seats (no thigh adhesion) but short enough for coolth when sitting there for hours. A high waist that doesn’t dig in. Pockets, deep pockets, for keys, wallet, etc. And a look that is sharp but not formal, suitable for gas stations and food stops. Oh, and a lightweight elasticized denim material that doesn’t bind and doesn’t wrinkle. That’s an ideal driving skirt.
See more (with pic) here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Menskirts/comments/143tg7o/my_favorite_driving_skirt/
Yeah, shorter skirts can be a bear when sitting on metal or leather seats. My wife laughed when I mentioned that to her and said that’s a constant problem with women’s summerwear… even with shorts that tend to be much shorter than men’s!
I love demin skirts like that! I bought my first demin skirts not too long ago and I will absoutely be getting more. They are extremely comfortable!
I agree to what you wrote; obviously need to consider windy weather sometimes and flared skirt might be a double-edged sword. Other than that, I think there’s not much to say. Sometimes when wearing pencil skirt I ‘elevate’ it a bit for a little more space around thighs in terms of movement, but that’s rather something to be careful with.
That is true! Windy weather is infamous for blowing up skirts!