Meet the heterosexual man who wears heels and skirts to the office, says his wardrobe is 50 per cent women's clothing and his wife "doesn't mind". Mark Bryan, 63, proudly dons skirts and heels to his day job and says the only time he's not wearing heels is "on the football pitch".
Originally from Dallas, Texas, US, Mark, who prides himself on his 'hybrid' style, now lives in Crailsheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. Mark's eclectic dress sense came about after he became "bored" with traditional male clothing in 2015.
He was supported by his wife who even helps him pick out outfits during weekend shopping trips. Mark, a robotics engineer, said: "I see clothes as genderless and I love the freedom I get from being able to wear both men's and women's clothes.
"I first started exploring with my style when shopping with my wife and she suggested 'why don't we look at dresses and skirts?' After 20 years of wearing a suit and tie, I'd gotten bored. June 2015, I started wearing high heels with pant suits into the office.
"I paired some red pumps with a red tie and never looked back. My colleagues joked 'one day Mark is going to wear a dress' but little did they know that I would in 2018.
"People are so ingrained that certain garments are for men and others are for women and when you cross that line, then you're gay. I'm a straight, cis man and how I dress has nothing to do with sexuality. I love wearing what I wear."
Mark and his wife have been happily married for 11 years and reside in Crailsheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, with their children. His wife - who did not want to be named - said: "Do I support Mark? Yes, of course.
"I think Mark would look amazing in anything, but he is my husband after all. He wears much higher heels than I do, but his legs look much better also."
Mark has been proudly donning women's skirts and heels to his day job for the last five years but says he's always been interested in exploring his style from when in college. The dad-of-three said: "I've always been fascinated by stilettos and high heels.
"I'd wear them in college with my girlfriend at the time who also loved heels. I'd never wear them out in public - we'd mainly both wear them and dance around in our rooms.
"I remember when I first tried a pair on at 21 years old and I was a natural, it wasn't a Bambi on ice moment at all. To me, high heels give the illusion of confidence which should be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of gender and sexual orientation."
He says brands like Christian Louboutin and Jimmy Choo are firm favourites and his style inspiration is Carrie Bradshaw from the hit franchise Sex And The City. The 6ft tall professional said: "I like a clean look of a shirt and blazer up top and then skirt and heels on the bottom.
"I tried on a dress once but I didn't like it because it was too feminine. When I'm going for a more relaxed look, I'll wear a denim skirt and three-inch heels. When I go into the city, I'll wear a block heel because of the cobble streets.
"The only time I'm not wearing heels is when I'm on the football pitch as I'm a keen player and coach. When I'm out and about, of course, people stare but most people will go on with their day after.
"If I sense someone is taking a longer look, I'll joke and say 'take a picture if you want' and it usually breaks up any tension. I live in a small town so I'm going to get some looks but they never bother me because I'm just happy in myself."
Growing up in Dallas, Texas, US, Mark says his style was influenced by the 70s music group Kiss - who would perform in heeled platform shoes. Mark said: "The band were really popular and I loved their look with heels.
"I never experimented with heels until college but I've always taken pride in my appearance. I'd wear a lot of polo shirts and I made sure that my jeans were always freshly starched.
"I think life is too short not to experiment with a personal style - even though it took me a few years, I'm so happy that I went for it. I'm the most comfortable I've been in myself and I think everyone deserves that."
Mark is no stranger to looks from the locals but this does not discourage him embracing his personal style. He said: "I'm at an age when I don't care what people think. If individuals want to have a good look at what I'm wearing- that's okay.
"A look just lasts a couple of minutes and then people will move on with their day. To me, how I dress is natural and I think most people just see that I'm comfortable and like what I'm wearing.
"I've received a bit of backlash from the LGBTQ+ community, accusing me of not standing with them. But how I dress is not about gender or sexuality.
"I'm not fighting for the community but equally, I'm in no way fighting against the community. I'm fighting for everyone to have the freedom to dress how they wish."
Since June 2020, Mark has been documenting his style online through his Instagram that now boasts 620k followers. His platform has seen him land exclusive photoshoots in Harper's Bazaar, Vogue and Interview Magazine.
"I never thought my online page would reach the amount of people I has but I feel extremely thankful," he said. "Of course, I get messages from people saying my style is calling me a freak or leaving tasteless emojis under my posts, but I don't pay too much attention to that.
"People are entitled to their own opinion and I'm not going to be able to please everyone. I know that my style is true to me and that's all that matters to me and my family."
Mark can be found in Instagram @markbryan911.
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