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Men in Tights

Sep 10th 2007Julia London
Julia LondonOn Writing!

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I just got back from Ireland which was absolutely wonderful. I love going over there (there being anywhere over the Atlantic). It always helps to fill my historical romance well. We hike through green hills, tour big stately mansions, and pick up obscure history and novels that you probably couldn’t find here. But one of my favorite things about it is the men in tights.
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Not real men in tights, but those on the walls of every hotel, stately mansion, or castle you enter. Men on horseback, men standing over a fallen stag, men posing in full courtly gear.  It reminds me of the men I love to write about and see in films and read about. There is something about a man in a coat and waistcoat and pristine neckcloth…and those tight trousers that just makes me swoon.
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Can’t you imagine these guys riding to your rescue or coming to court you, or better yet, watching you play the piano?
romblogalan.jpg What about you? Does a man in tights make your heart sing? Or do you prefer the pirate type–long haired, dirty, but not dirty enough to turn you off, and a little rough around the edges?

63 Comments »

63 Responses to “Men in Tights”

  1. Karen Hawkins on 10 Sep 2007 at 7:46 am #

    I looove the tight trousers! They say Beau Brummel had his knitted so they would cling to his well-shaped legs. Of course, i like legs a bit more masculine than that, but the idea of a man wearing tight pants — OH YES! Bring it ON!

    Of course, I also love the slightly unkempt pirate look, too! Oh, and a man in a fireman outfit–YUM! And a guy in an Italian suit looking like James Bond, oh my gosh YES! And a man who–

    You know. I think I’m seeing a pattern.

  2. darkshire007 on 10 Sep 2007 at 7:49 am #

    I like men not in REAL tights but in the clothes of another time. Men seemed to dress with the need to impress the women and the other men. Their clothes seemed to say, “Look at me. My tailor is better than yours and my clothes are quality made.” Todays men seem to be okay with jeans and a shirt; who cares if the ladies or the other guys are impressed? I sometimes wonder how long it took a man to get dressed before the turn of the century? How long does it really take to tie a cravat? And most importantly, how long did it really take to get it all off if you were entertaining a lady friend? LOL!

  3. Karen H in NC on 10 Sep 2007 at 7:51 am #

    OMG…I have to choose between Mr. Darcy and Captain Jack? Can’t I have one that is a little both?

    Then there is the Sunday post with pix of Christian Bale…a little rough around the edges but he sure cleans up nice.

  4. Lisa H on 10 Sep 2007 at 8:10 am #

    Well, as you all probably know by now, Captain Jack does it for me, but why must I choose….?

    If given a choice, I prefer men with no pants…Johnny Depp being top on my list!

  5. Karen Rose on 10 Sep 2007 at 8:36 am #

    I love the old Errol Flynn ROBIN HOOD where he’s in tights swordfighting with the evil Basil Rathbone - very dashing. Of course there are many benefits to those tights:

    I recently saw a documentary on Errol Flynn where Olivia deHavilland was being interviewed. SHe’s about 90 now, and looks absolutely fabulous. In the movie she was Maid Marion and was a breathtaking beauty. O said that during the filming of Robin Hood, the womanizing Errol had declared his love for her and had said he was leaving his wife for her. A good woman, O told him to formally settle things with his wife and then come back and see her.

    A little later, Errol’s wife came to visit him on the set and it was quite clear their marriage was far from over. Furious, O decided to get even. There’s a scene where Robin and Maid M must kiss, long and intense. Olivia said she deliberately flubbed up the scene seven times, forcing Errol to kiss her again and again.

    cont…

  6. Karen Rose on 10 Sep 2007 at 8:39 am #

    In her demure and dignified way, Olivia said, “Errol developed a little trouble with his tights.”

    I busted out laughing. Good for Olivia. THe tights must have made Errol feel even worse.

    But he still looked dashing.

    Colin Firth as Darcy - completely dashing in tights. Now I must go see my P&P series again as well as LW so I can see Christian Bale. Do you think someday he’ll wear tights?

  7. gannon on 10 Sep 2007 at 8:49 am #

    Men in period clothing, oh, yes! The tight trousers, clinging to muscular thighs…..mmm mmm! Of course, there’s something to be said for a pirate a la Jack Sparrow, too! Hot men in any type of clothing…or none at all! Bring ‘em on, baby!

  8. Julia London on 10 Sep 2007 at 8:54 am #

    Karen R, that story is priceless! I saw a sculpture of an early 19th century man. He made sure nothing was left to the imagination. It looked like he could hardly walk as it was, and if he had a few libidinous thoughts…

  9. Karen Rose on 10 Sep 2007 at 9:05 am #

    Julia, LOL. Have you ever seen the armor owned by King Henry VIII? When I saw it, it was on display in the Tower of London. Not sure where it is now.

    Henry was a BIG man. A really BIG man. And he really wanted to protect those family jewels. I’ll leave it at that.

  10. Freshechelle on 10 Sep 2007 at 9:06 am #

    Julia’s remarks bring to mind codpieces. What were they thinking? Such a Glamour DON’T.

  11. Julia London on 10 Sep 2007 at 9:08 am #

    Hahaha, Karen, I have indeed seen Henry’s armor! Freshechelle, talk about a cod piece!

  12. RevMelinda on 10 Sep 2007 at 9:08 am #

    I grew up in Virginia, and owing to repeated exposure to Colonial Williamsburg at at impressionable age, I, too, have a thing about Men In Tights. Have any of you seen that Ancient Film they used to show at Williamsburg “back in the day” that features a young Jack Lord in tights? And I just visited Fort Clatsop here in Oregon this summer and some of those rangers made buckskins look pretty good, too.

  13. DebMarlowe on 10 Sep 2007 at 9:12 am #

    For me it’s the *boots* that really make my heart sing. Why? No idea. I just love a man in boots, whether he be a pirate, a rake in Hessians, or a Jedi with boots up to *here* under his robes.

    Boots. Yum.

    And no, this strange preference of mine does not extend to a foot fetish. :-)

  14. Freshechelle on 10 Sep 2007 at 9:38 am #

    RevMelinda - ah my favorite movie - Williamsburg: The Story of Patriot. It’s an old family joke. Someone even gave it to me on video. Jack Lord’s hair at it’s biggest!

  15. Karen Rose on 10 Sep 2007 at 9:42 am #

    Melinda - I do indeed remember that ancient film with Jack Lord in tights. Hello. One of my first books had a hero who was Jack Lord in my mind. And a young Jack Lord? Book ‘em, Dano.

    Deb, boots are very sexy. They give a man solidity and stature. I even feel taller when I wear boots. Well, I am taller when I wear boots, LOL. Still, the height is more in the mind. And that’s what I’m sticking to.

    Must get to work now and get my mind away from Jack Lord and booted men in clingy trousers.

  16. gannon on 10 Sep 2007 at 9:43 am #

    Karen Rose, I’ve seen Henry’s armor, too. It is LARGE!! Ha ha–takes the meaning of codpiece to a whole new level!

  17. Sherri Erwin on 10 Sep 2007 at 10:04 am #

    Oh my. I really can’t choose. Men in tights. Men in kilts. Men in boots. Men in dirty pirate gear… It’s raining men. I didn’t get it in the seventies but at last I know what the Weather Girls were thinking.

  18. Claudia Dain on 10 Sep 2007 at 10:12 am #

    What were you talking about, Julia??? I can’t really be bothered to READ your post with all those adorable photos of delicious men staring me in the face!

    Love men in tights, tight pants, boots, linen shirts, etc, etc, the whole deal. Who can explain it? Do we have to TRY? I’m going to just accept the inevitable. Men in tights are yummy.

  19. terrio on 10 Sep 2007 at 10:28 am #

    Just to let y’all know - they still show that film at Colonial Williamsburg. LOL! I just saw it about a month ago. I live about 45 mins from there but it was my first time visiting and I have to say if you go take the tour of Raleigh Tavern and hope Jack is working. That’s his character name anyway. I swear that boy is the love child of Will Turner and Jack Sparrow. I sooooo need to get back there soon. LOL!

    Other than the boots that come up over the knee - Prince Henry in Ever After anyone?! - the period clothes don’t do as much for me. Now, put a hot guy in the perfect jeans and a tight black t-shirt and we’re talking. Ooh la la…

  20. Freshechelle on 10 Sep 2007 at 10:39 am #

    terrio, I don’t know if it’s the clothes that don’t do it for me as much as the lack of washing machines and the frequent use of said appliances.

  21. ladydawgfan on 10 Sep 2007 at 10:59 am #

    For Terrio:

    How about either Jared Leto or Julian Fantechi?

    As for me, I much prefer a well dressed man, be he in period dress or modern dress, to the common affliction of baggy jeans showing underwear to all and sundry on the street. PULL ‘EM UP, FOR GAWDS SAKE!!!!

  22. Sabrina Jeffries on 10 Sep 2007 at 11:17 am #

    I love period clothes myself, but only in the Regency or Medieval periods. I’m not really keen on Georgian costumes. I like Restoration costumes somewhat, but not the gigantor periwigs (that’s one of the things I hate about Georgian costume–the wigs). But give me the boots anyday. I’m like Deb–I love a man in boots.

  23. colinfirthfan on 10 Sep 2007 at 11:18 am #

    No question about it - Darcy wins over Jack Sparrow every time.
    I love Jack Sparrow - but I absolutely can NOT imagine kissing him!!
    ;-)

  24. terrio on 10 Sep 2007 at 11:19 am #

    Fresh - I think I’m just too lazy to think about getting all those layers off. LOL! And I’m with you on the Georgian thing. There is just nothing attractive about a man in colorful heels and a big white wig. Nothing.

  25. Lisa H on 10 Sep 2007 at 11:33 am #

    What is a cod piece? And how about a man in a nice tight pair of Levi’s?

    Colinfirthfan - I can imagine Kissing Jack Sparrow and a whole lot more!

    I too love men in boots, I love those rakes in Hessians that you goddesses write so well about.

    I also bet those tights got to be see thru when the men were sweating it up during a sword fight or riding on hard hunt…hmmm….

  26. Julia London on 10 Sep 2007 at 11:46 am #

    I totally forgot to mention men in boots, men in kilts, and men in buckskins. I’m drooling…

    As for Jack Sparrow — I love that guy. But I don’t know if I could kiss him, either. I could do anything else, but I don’t think I could kiss him, not without some veneers and a good mouth wash.

  27. cail on 10 Sep 2007 at 11:54 am #

    can i have Errol Flynn in the Sea Hawk or Captain Blood? He’s my pirate in tights :-). that being said, i refuse to chose btwn Jack Sparrow and Mr. Darcy. ideally, my man in tights (a la mr. darcy) would moonlight as a pirate.

    there. problem solved.

    also, now i have the song men in tights from Robin hood: men in tights, stuck in my head. thanks a lot Julia :-)

  28. Dot C on 10 Sep 2007 at 11:59 am #

    I sit here thinking about these wonderful men of times gone by…wearing tight pants, or tights, or tights and a codpiece…and it’s all so wonderful. Then my mind goes to insert my lover of the current day into that role. OMG, it’s like a needle scratching abruptly over a vinyl record. STOP!!!
    LOL, my god I love the man, but even tho he does have a FINE behind, his physique with his slightly scrawny legs, bit of a belly….ewww. Not in tights.
    But OMG, he does look AMAZING in a pair of Dockers.
    OK, now that I’ve given myself the heebie jeebies…
    Captain Jack is eye candy. If you’ve never kissed a man with bad teeth and stale sour alcohol on their breath (hell with Captain Jack it’s probably still fresh tho, and the alcohol content alone would kill any bacteria in his mouth).
    Anywho, it’s just nasty, and the smell of unwashed body is not sexy. Not at all. I’ll gladly take a man in costume anyday. Especially if the face looks like Johnny Depp. But hold the tights, i think.

  29. Dot C on 10 Sep 2007 at 12:02 pm #

    OHH, the kilt tho…I just can’t get enough of a man in kilt. AND I could totally see my MR in one, even though he says he will never wear a “manskirt”. We had a running joke one year at halloween. So great was my desire to get him to wear a kilt, i told him i’d go as his sheep if he did it. Well, he still didn’t go for it, but another couple of our acquaintance did, and I’m so glad he said no!!

  30. J Perry Stone on 10 Sep 2007 at 12:36 pm #

    SherriErwin said: “Oh my. I really can’t choose. Men in tights. Men in kilts. Men in boots. Men in dirty pirate gear… It’s raining men. I didn’t get it in the seventies but at last I know what the Weather Girls were thinking.”

    LOL, Sherri. My thoughts exactly, especially after reading this blog.

    Do you all notice how it’s the women talking about the men that get us all amped up?

    I’m just saying. I like a woman’s brain … talking about men in tights, kilts, boots, jeans, codpieces, pirate gear, etc.

    And let me add to that, the three piece suit guy who undoes his tie and lets it hang around his neck while he….. or how about the turtle-neck, jeans and sport’s jacket wearing guy with wire-rimmed glasses, and then he takes them off to look at you, REALLY LOOK AT YOU.

    I think I’m hot-flashing.

  31. colinfirthfan on 10 Sep 2007 at 12:36 pm #

    I don’t see myself getting anywhere near Jack Sparrow. A clean pirate (like James Mallory) - yes!

    I don’t particularly like the tights and codpieces. Definitely turned-off by the wigs and heels. I like the Darcy kinda “trousers” though. (OK so practically anything that Colin Firth wear I’d like….)

  32. gannon on 10 Sep 2007 at 12:41 pm #

    J. Perry, it’s definitely getting warm in here! ;)

  33. Karen Hawkins on 10 Sep 2007 at 12:43 pm #

    What a funny story about Olivie d’H and Errol The F! And what a classy woman. Now THAT’S revenge!

    Kilts … mmmm! You guys are right — kilts win it hands down (or should I say skirts up?)

    And no unwashed body is sexy. Ever. But that’s the beauty of fiction? We get the sexiness and no Ugly Reality.

  34. Julia London on 10 Sep 2007 at 12:47 pm #

    P.S…I may be misreading, but we’re all quite clear that the man with the gun up top is Horatio Hornblower, right?

    Alas, Jack Sparrow was not included in this picture gallery.

    But Horatio…now there is a seaman!

  35. Freshechelle on 10 Sep 2007 at 12:54 pm #

    J - thanks for placing HH. I recognized the face and the pose but couldn’t recall.

  36. J Perry Stone on 10 Sep 2007 at 12:54 pm #

    Julia, did you mean for everything you just wrote up above to sound saucy, or was that unintentional?

  37. Karen Rose on 10 Sep 2007 at 1:00 pm #

    J Perry - there is something about a man who takes off his glasses to look at you. My DH has these big beautiful grey/blue eyes with lashes so long he sometimes has to clip them or they brush against his glasses. Sometimes he takes off his glasses and I still sigh.

    There’s a scene in Paradise by Judith McNaught (my FIRST McN book I ever read). Anyway, Matt has manipulated Meredith into spending a quiet evening with him by the fire. He puts on these wire framed glasses and I just melted.

    Oh, man, must go read that book again!

  38. Julia London on 10 Sep 2007 at 1:18 pm #

    There might have been a little intentional sauciness creeping in there :-)

  39. Karen Hawkins on 10 Sep 2007 at 1:26 pm #

    Julia London? SAUCY? Perish the thought, J Perry! Our beloved Julia is pure as a gentle summer breeze and soft as dandelion fuzz. She doesn’t even know what ’saucy’ means!

    Teehee!

  40. Julia London on 10 Sep 2007 at 1:39 pm #

    Oh yeah, that is me to a T, KH. Soft and gentle and delicate. Don’t forget delicate.

  41. Karen Hawkins on 10 Sep 2007 at 1:45 pm #

    I said dandelion fuzz. What more do ya want?

  42. Julia London on 10 Sep 2007 at 1:47 pm #

    I want delicate and fine-boned!

  43. gannon on 10 Sep 2007 at 2:14 pm #

    LOL! Let Julia have what she wants, Karen.

  44. Suzanne Enoch on 10 Sep 2007 at 2:50 pm #

    Snarff. I’m surprised Julia could even post those pic, for all the blushing and fainting she must have been doing.

    And I, too, have seen Henry VIII’s codpiece. The biggest man in the realm, indeed.

  45. terrio on 10 Sep 2007 at 2:56 pm #

    I didn’t even know dandelions had fuzz….lol.

  46. Jami Alden on 10 Sep 2007 at 3:01 pm #

    This discussion makes me think of a line from Spinal Tap: “We wear tight trousers, and we’ve got like, armadillos in our trousers. It’s quite frightening really. The women run screaming.”

    Personally, I’m all for men in jeans, fitted, but not too tight. I’m in wyoming right now visiting family, and i have to say there’s something about a nice tight cowboy butt in a well worn pair of wranglers.

  47. Julia London on 10 Sep 2007 at 3:07 pm #

    Fortunately, Suzanne, a kind gentleman had some smelling salts and revived me.

    Jami, I have to agree. Cowboy butts are very nice to look at!

  48. J Perry Stone on 10 Sep 2007 at 3:24 pm #

    Karen Rose, great minds and all. There’s just something about the intense intellectual who has to take off his outer facade. And I am so getting that book you suggested.

    But that sentence about your hubby having to clip his lashes made me mad.

    Why is it the guys that get blessed with thick lashes?

    Seriuosly. I have two kids, one of each, and my boy looks like Bambi. My girl is adorable, but she’ll need mascara … like her mama.

    Oh delicate, fine-boned, dandelion fuzz Lady London…here’s wishing you a lot of seaman–from your Hornblower to your Sparrow. ;)

    Karen Hawkins, where do I go to gush about To Scotland with Love? I just loved that book, and dog-earred several pages where your writing knocked my socks off.

    We’re going to need cold showers soon, Gannon, eh?

  49. Karen Rose on 10 Sep 2007 at 3:52 pm #

    Delicate and fine-boned????

    Y’all are killin’ me here.

    The fact that men have Bambi lashes is just one more of those little practical jokes that Zeus likes to throw around. You know - like having pimples AND wrinkles. And hot flashes AND pms. So not fair.

  50. Ellen on 10 Sep 2007 at 5:03 pm #

    I got a strange one. I think men are sexy in thermal underwear. All that dimpled fabric covering their bodies from head to toe is quite enticing. (At least I think, it’s the fabric that’s dimpled!)

  51. Ellen on 10 Sep 2007 at 5:14 pm #

    I most definitely fall down on the side of men in chaps. Now hold on…I don’t mean guys like the “Village People” singing YMCA in chaps…I mean real cowboys who say Ma’am and stuff.

    My favorite camera angle in any western, is the shoot out at noon. While everyone else is checking out the close up of the twitching hand, getting ready to draw, I am checking out…um…shall we say the fit of his chaps?

  52. Lisa H on 10 Sep 2007 at 5:49 pm #

    Hi Ellen - I I couldn’t agree more. And please forgive my ignorance, but who is the hot guy in this posting firing the gun at the bottom?

  53. twolilhahas on 10 Sep 2007 at 7:19 pm #

    I really like a guy in Civil War attire. I don’t know what it is, but I love that time period and the clothes they wore. So romantic.

    Kilts are awesome, too. I love the Gerard Butler pics in that leather kilt and pink shirt. SIGH!

  54. Julia London on 10 Sep 2007 at 7:21 pm #

    Ion Gruffyd (not sure of hte spelling) — a Welsh guy who played Horatio Hornblower. He is extremely HOT

  55. RevMelinda on 10 Sep 2007 at 7:42 pm #

    I’m not sure if this adds to this discussion or detracts from it, but I visited a gay bar some years ago on costume nite and there was a guy there wearing chaps.

    And nothing else.

    It was quite a nice look from behind, LOL.

    (OK, I was there at the gay bar to get a check the guys were donating to a charity I worked for. . .they’d had a drag beauty contest and donated entry fees to the charity. . .it was a couple thousand dollars, pretty nice of them.)

  56. darkshire007 on 10 Sep 2007 at 8:06 pm #

    Lisa this is Websters for Cod piece: a flap or bag concealing an opening in the font of men’s breeches esp. in the 15th and 16th centuries. All the codpiece’s I’ve ever see look rather large; like there is something large to cover. If that is the case, how come guys in jeans today aren’t more obvious? And yes, I look. LMAO!!!

  57. Julia London on 10 Sep 2007 at 8:21 pm #

    RevMelinda, I’m not sure if that adds or detracts, either, but I am intrigued!

    And darkshire, I look, too!

  58. Sabrina Jeffries on 10 Sep 2007 at 9:08 pm #

    There used to be a site on the internet dedicated to the codpiece (rather tongue in cheek, I think), but I thought it was great. When it disappeared, I was dreadfully disappointed. After all, it had pictures. :-)

    I did find, however, a one-page history of the codpiece, complete with pictures, at http://www.thehendricks.net/codpiece_history.htm . It’s not as extensive as the other site, but you’ll definitely get a good idea of what they looked like.

    Enjoy!

  59. Sabrina Jeffries on 10 Sep 2007 at 9:12 pm #

    I should add that while this description is also a bit tongue-in-cheek, the pictures at the bottom are pretty accurate. If you don’t believe me, just go look up codpiece on Wikipedia. You can get a lovely image of Henry VIII in HIS!

  60. Karen Hawkins on 11 Sep 2007 at 7:19 am #

    Only Sabrina would have a site dedicated to codpieces bookmarked on her computer! But oh, what a GREAT site! Thanks, Sabrina!

    And J Perry, thank you for the comments about To Scotland With Love. You made my day! :)

    Julia L, FINE, then. You’re delicate AND fine boned. There! I thought dandelion fluff said it all, but nooooo!!!

  61. Sabrina Jeffries on 11 Sep 2007 at 12:44 pm #

    Yeah, I’m definitely not the “delicate and fine-boned” sort myself. I gave up on that dream years ago. :-)

  62. julie H on 30 Nov 2007 at 10:34 am #

    Yeah, i got a major men in tights fetish, big time. Boots kilts, do nothing for me, but tights on a guy drive me bananas….
    i remember being 13 and watching the trapeze artists at the big apple circus and thinking something strange was going on down yonder…… heres a present for everyone. I stumbled on this guys halloween pics yesterday… (i do a lot of men in tights searches). not too many guys pull them off, but this is exactly the kind of guy that SHOULD wear them…

    http://www.bubbleshare.com/album/257995.8111ab091db/overview#9536700

    god. if only I ruled the male fashion world. Life would be sweet!!!

  63. julie H on 30 Nov 2007 at 10:37 am #

    sorry. no tights in that pic. damnit.. i’ll get this cut and pste thing down sooner or later…
    this is the pic i meant to link. i think its the same guy, but he’s dressed as a wrestler and wearing the sexiest tights.

    http://www.bubbleshare.com/album/257995.8111ab091db/overview#9310811