Triangular Garments

Me in a Sixties Dress

The dress and skirt are very simple but versatile garments really, but both can look to be triangular to a more tube like shape. There is a fabulous range in styles, shapes, fits and textures.

Restroom Sign

It is really a great shame that both like are considered almost exclusively female garments, at least in modern western society. And we are reminded for this every time we pass a restroom sign that triangular skirt/dress sign for Women/Ladies and a stick figure for Men/Gents. Should it change?

I love many Eddie Izzard's remarks on Transvestism, including "Women wear what they want and so do I" from Unrepeatable.

Of course Wikipedia as article about Men's skirts my core examples are...

• Togas in Ancient Rome & Greece.
• Sarongs in much of South Asia and a few westerners like David Beckham and Arthur C Clarke.
• Gho, a robe like, garment that all men are required to wear in Bhutan
• In Scotland Tartan Kilts are used for weddings, miltary and other functions. 
• In Ireland: Tartan Kilts for Bagpipe bands and plain saffron kilts some official Army functions, see pictured below. 
• The Celtic link to Kilts means it's niche in the USA, but there are many Kilt boosters. Just see amerikilt.com, sportkilt.com, usakilts.com and utilikilts.com. St Patrick seems bring the breaded leather kilts wearers, while Bethlehem's Celtic Classic has kilts everywhere. (There is also kilts for work-wear elsewhere as here on Sweden's blaklader.com)

Irish Air Corps Band kilts. (photo by William Murphy)

Line Drawing version of myself

Shipping Packing

Skirt and Top in Shipping Plastic bags

The weird and wonderful world of online shopping means orders can come from far and wide. In the case of Macy's the same web order can be spilt up into different shipments are sent from different states by varying means.

My most recent order from Macy's was split into 3 shipments from sent from Tennessee, New Jersey and   Connecticut.

The first shipment Denim Skirt and Karen Scott: Top coming a white plastic package by UPS, pictured to above. 

    The Lauren: Clip-on Earrings were by US Postal Service in a small envelope. 

    And My Makeup, Bra, free samples were delivered by UPS in big box with a
    hand written notes from the packer.
    This all seems a bit wasteful. 

Macys delivery with note

Olympics

Recent Olympics are starting to get equality for women and men in the various sporting events. I found NBC's coverage of  Women's Athletics, Basketball, Boxing, Soccer, Swimming in particular to be great. 

As usual, Ireland holds out most hope to success with it's female athletes. This time Katie Taylor seems destined to Olympic Gold in boxing. According to Irish Times: Taylor marches on towards destiny.

Ireland’s Taylor and Russia's Sofya Ochigava in the women's lightweight boxing final

Although female Participation and interest in sport, must be continued to be supported, be continued to be supported outside the Olympics much more. For instance the attendance figures and media attention is hugely different for the men's and women's GAA All-Ireland Finals in Camogie/Hurling and Gaelic Football. It's unfair really as all 4 are equally great sports.

See http://www.irishsportscouncil.ie/Participation/Women_in_Sport/ for more.

Annalise Murphy, Irish Sailor

United States of Tara

Recently, my wife and myself  have being watching the Showtime series United States of Tara.

It's about Tara (my namesake, played by Toni Collette) who has Dissociative identity disorder (DID), also known as multiple personality disorder, most of the personalities are female but one is male. Leading my wife to think my Tara is a different personality to my male persona, but this is not true. My female and male sides are always there, it's just that one persona exists in the closet and online, my thoughts and many of my actions, but is somewhat suppressed much of most days. Have other people come across DID being used to rationalize transgender-ism by partners?

Note: The series is actually very good. Toni Collette's acting is superb as usual. I loved her in Muriel's wedding, Sixth Sense, Japanese Story and Little Miss Sunshine. I also love the fashion on the show.. both Tara and her sister have a good variety of denim skirts.