1 Great Kilt, 10 Looks: A Visual Guide to Modern Great Kilting

[Sir Didymous]

This thread is an attempt to show that the great kilt can be used in a modern context. That is not to say that it is in any way a traditional (by the current meaning of the word) garment. Nor is this to be taken that the belted plaid is appropriate as a substitute for p@nts. But rather, this thread is to show that the great kilt can be worn in a manner that is respectable enough to fit in with the modern or traditional kilt in most (not all) situations. Many here maintain that the great kilt is an anachronism and has no business being included as an option to the modern or traditional kilt. That is their right. This is for the rest of us.

Now that that's out there: Thus begins the looks.

Very Casual:


A button down shirt, leather sporran, hose, and canvas sneakers. The shirt stretches the boundaries of "very" casual, but I'm not the T-shirt type (only wearing them for work). In fact, I would have been wearing loafers in this image had they not been left at the church following a quick change that I had to do. Also, the kilt is brooched plaid to plaid to prevent putting holes in the shirt and to stop it from riding back and choking me.

Sporty:


Here I have on basically what I wear to work, the exception being the great kilt. The fly section of it is considered a safety hazard in the distribution center I work in. This look includes a T-shirt with a sweat shirt over it, a leather sporran, hose, and canvas sneakers. I have the top portion brooched to the sweat shirt using a yin/yang button (inspired by the Coca-Cola belt plate in another thread). I normally wouldn't wear this "look" as most of my sports involve armor and rule 11 violations.

Here is the same look with the top arranged to be more suitable for active participation in sporting events.



Renfair:


Yes, I know that this thread is for modern attire. However, as almost anyone that has ever been to a renfair can tell you, they aren't really historical. The accuracy issues with this look make my brain cry. It is a modern look for a historically themed festival. This is why I didn't include my 17th century reenactment kit. This is the look that enters into the mind of most people when you say great kilt. This is a ruffled shirt, a black lace-up doublet, moggans with garter ties, a leather sporran, dirk, and the kilt is arranged in the "toga" manner that keeps traditionalist awake at night. It is pinned with a bone bodkin.

Daywear:


This is how I look most of the time I wear a great kilt. It is just a standard shirt and tie with a waistcoat, leather sporran, two-toned hose, and loafers. the kilt is brooched at the shoulder to the waistcoat. This is my idea of a walking outfit. The top comes in handy for a surprise bought of rain (since that's what Ohio is all about these days).

Smart daywear:


This is an all white flannel shirt with button down collar (also not traditional kilt attire), a woven wool tie, bottle green jacket, leather sporran, two-tone hose, and loafers. My hair is back and my bonnet has been included. This is what I would wear to a street festival that I was going to be at all day. The jacket and white shirt (though it's a casual shirt) spiffys up the whole look. The leather sporran, wool tie, and lack of brooch helps keep it down to earth. The brooch has been omitted in favor of using a lapel pin to attach the fly portion to the jacket. Note that with heavier tartan, a safety pin on the inside of the jacket puts less strain on the cloth.

Dressy:


For weddings and such (the ones I'm attending, not officiating), I like to include the dressier brooch and use a tasseled and metal cantled sporran with the more dignified one color hose and garter ties. Also an embroidered tie adds a nice touch, as do the monk strap shoes. Note: The shorter-than-normal cut on the jacket keeps it from bunching in back. Also, that isn't a mushroom on my shoulder, it's a part of the farm equipment in the background photo-bombing me.

Suit:


This is where one really starts to push the envelope of where and when a great kilt is acceptable. I have had business meetings in this outfit and have also done a couple of pastoral hospital visits in attire similar to this (the people around town call me the kilt wearing preacher). The matching pocket square and tie pair with the red of the garter ties. The grey jacket (cut short enough to button with the belted plaid) and brown hose help keep it within the color range appropriate for business. The top of the kilt is pinned with a cross and crown of thorns lapel pin. The brass cantled calf skin sporran plays nicely off of the rest of the kit. The white broad cloth shirt with collar stays also lends a dressier touch to it. I wouldn't wear it to a funeral, but I still see it as being quite dignified.

Semi-formal:


Though this term takes on many different meanings around this forum, this is my take on it. It is a step above suit, but not quite black tie. The shell jacket is worn here with the top buttoned back in the fashion of small lapels to let the tie show. It is worn over the kilt so that it can be unbuttoned through the course of the night. The kilt is pulled through the epaulet (function epaulets are very nice when wearing the great kilt) and brooched at the shoulder. Keeping with traditional rules, the hose are still solid colored with garter ties. I also use a tie knot called "the Merovingian" to help modernize the look as well as fancy it up a bit.

[Sir Didymous]

Black tie:


For black tie I added a modern waistcoat made of a color on color brocade and a black silk tie (also in the Merovingian knot). The lapels of my jacket are fully buttoned back and I switched out to black/red diced hose with garter ties, high polish "tuxedo" shoes of a modern style, and a hair sporran (one that's being replaced as soon as money permits). Here's a shot to let you see the pattern of the vest and knot of the tie.



White tie:


In my humble opinion, this is where the great kilt can shine. The top of the kilt is arranged over the bottom of the jacket (which is fully buttoned), pulled through the epaulet and brooched plaid to plaid (using a medal awarded by the Chivalry for Children organization). A jabot replaces the tie and the garters are tied on the outside of the hose. A dirk is also included, but not to be discussed as part of this thread.

A few things I have found about modern wearing of the great kilt is that one should include modern elements to prevent the dreaded "costume" look. That is why I don't wear buckled brogues with my formal kits and avoid the toga look for the most part. Additionally, shorter cut jackets don't bunch up as much and lighter weight tartans tend to lay nicer as they are less bulky. Further, there are ways to modernize the kilt itself (none of which I used for this thread), if you simply want the look. Sewing in the pleats, for example. Also, lower yardages work well as a way to cut back the bulk. The kilt in this thread is about 3.5 yards of 10oz wool. My heavy winter plaid is 4.5 yards of 16oz wool/acrylic blend.

[Liam]

Great job showing your impression of different levels of dress with the Great kilt! Thanks for the effort, which I can only presume was considerable.
I must admit that I prefer the renfaire looks the best as this is where I am most comfortable seeing the Great kilt. The others to my eye look like a mixture of fashion from different time periods.
You do pull it off well though.
Slainte!

[Dughlas mor]

Great job, Sir D. It is evident that you have put a lot of thought into all of your looks, and they all look pretty good to me. The only one that doesn`t do too much for me, funnily enough, is the Ren Faire look. Maybe because it`s been done to death. Otherwise, you really make the GK work. Thanks for taking the time to put your post together, who knows, maybe you will start something!

[Profane James]

All are great looks - both daywear looks resonate more for me - and WOW what a tie knot! Looking good.

[Taskr]

Admittedly not a style for me, nor would I think I could carry off something simply because I thought I could. You, though, carry that very well. Great pictorial of a fashion? Style? No matter the term, well done.

[Livonian]

Some thoughts:

1. Many of the folks on this forum, myself included, tend not to realize that our "traditional" is "historical" to much of the world. Your order of dress (GK excepted) is generally what most would consider "modern" Darker, more vibrant shirts, nonstandard tie knots, button-down collars at somewhat higher levels of dress than is "traditional", and (with some notable exceptions) use of clothes that one doesn't have to search high and low for. Which brings me to...

2. In my opinion, it is exactly the use of thoroughly modern attire throughout that affords you the use of the GK. It works as a sort of signal that the attempted level of dress is not historical costume, but attire for today with a piece of yesteryear at the center. If I were to wear my French-cuffed shirts, broad silk ties in a Four-in-Hand knot, mirror-shined brogues, collar pins, and tie bars, I'd look to most folks like I was re-living the (18)70's. Granted, I'd probably look positively magnificent in the process, but it would be so far over the top it's pathetic. Heck, I'll freely admit that my default mode of dress is sartorial overkill.

3. Your plaid is quite neatly arranged. It's the neatest I've seen outside of what was clearly a staged shoot to sell GKs. Heck, even a lot of store pics have the plaid across the chest like a toga, with the excess cloth left to bunch, hang, and look overall atrocious. If I remember, the particular plaid you used is south of four yards, which probably makes it easier to be neat.

4. Many of us get quite invested in the "traditional" and/or "Highland" way, myself included. Sometimes it's good to take a step back and realize that most of us do not live in the Highlands, and that none of us live (although some may have lived) in the era where these traditions were relevant in a practical way (their sartorial relevance is admittedly still worthy of consideration). While traditions form a solid basis for any pursuit with a traditional precedent, the end result is what matters. Case in point: At my brother's wedding reception, where I have been requested to appear in Highland Dress, I will be wearing a BBSBA. I know that it's technically daylight-hours formal wear, and not strictly proper for a "jacket and tie" dress code where most will be wearing a navy blazer probably with matching slacks, but: a) formal wear of any kind, much less daytime formal wear, is almost wholly dead where I live, and b) The BBSBA more closely resembles what everyone else will be wearing, which is most important. If I wore the tweed that is technically correct, I would be perceived as having under-dressed as the best man in my own brother's wedding. Back to the main point, you look perfectly normal, even despite a somewhat eccentric choice in lower-body garb. The overall effect is in many cases what matters.

Overall, this is a thread that I think will be interesting to watch, and was started off with a very well-made experiment in incorporating the Greak Kilt in a variety of modern orders of dress. Not a lot of folks would be willing to pull off those looks, but for reasons mentioned above, I think you did very well.

[Tenmiles]

I think the white tie version is outstanding. Very evocative of portraiture where great kilts were still often depicted.

[OC Richard]

This is great!

To me this photo best embodies my personal take on all this, the "what if?" question "what if the fillabeg had never appeared, and Highland dress evolved as it did, but with the fillamore? It's the classic traditional modern Highland Dress including the type of Evening Dress sporran that evolved in the early 20th century. (And BTW that's a fantastic necktie- I'm envious.)



Were you wearing Gordon tartan you would match in with that tractor quite nicely!

However what I think works against the theme "modern Great Kilting" is the use, in several photos, of an early style sporran. Then you get the thing happening where the viewer doesn't quite know what's going on: we have an 18th century kilt and an 18th century sporran, but wait, there are modern elements too. For "contemporary" fillabegging I would expect to see some modern sporran, particularly a fully modern one such as this nylon one



Or no sporran at all, which is quite common in "contemporary" kiltwearing.

Another "mixed message" photo features a number of 18th century items with a modern chrome-top horsehair sporran. I know kiltwearing is casual and fun, yet such mixing always looks odd to my eye.

[Frigid Scot]

Thanks for this thread. You have put together some pretty good looks. I especially like the dressier day wear and the white tie pictures.

I do have a question. When the GK is pinned to an unbuttoned jacket, is it prone to pull the jacket back? Wouldn't pinning the "extra" to itself (front to back) as in the white tie picture better prevent this occurrence? Also, have you tried the "toga style" pinning with the day wear and evening wear options?

Well done. And I greatly appreciate your work and passion!