Why did you start wearing a kilt?

[MacBean]

There have to be some stories here. What is yours?

As a young lad in a Sussex boarding school, I had to go to church in grey corduroy shorts, grey shirt, and sandals. The two Scottish brothers wore their kilts. They also spoke a light Scots (wee and bonnie). I did not realize then that my good friends, M. Marr and S. Lean, were of Scottish heritage. I grew up thinking that Scots wore kilts to church and was quite disappointed to find 10 years ago that even on Skye this seems to be no longer true (though they do speak the Gaelic).

For me, the decision came reluctantly. My wife loves to see men in kilts
More importantly, attending the recent Clan Chattan Band of Union resigning in Inverness, I rather liked seeing many of the Clan in kilts over the four days of festivities, especially as quite a few Clan tartans were worn, as the confederation touched more than a few groups. In fact, I felt a little undressed not having a kilt. I'm not sure when I will ever wear it, perhaps at Christmas when my children return. Adopting Scottish attributes seems a bit affected, considering that my family left there around 260 years ago, and that I am surely a genetically mix. Only my name and my Y chromosomes are fairly Scottish. Foreigners, in their rush to adapt to new surroundings, are too quick to drop the customs of the old country, especially their festivals, stories, and songs.

[RockyR]

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/articles_id.php?id=7

Here's mine (written up a few years back).

[KFCarter]

Ah... well... I've been asked this often lately, the more I wear my kilt.

As long back as I remember, our Scottish ancestors were frequently mentioned... mainly on my mother's side. Both her parents had Scottish ancestry and were proud of it, though they didn't speak much about it. I was intrigued and always had more questions than they had patience to answer. When my grandparents moved to Dunedin, Florida, I became a regular visitor to the Scottish shop there, eventually driving my parents nuts until they agreed to buy me a practice chanter and some flashes, which I took to wearing with my soccer socks... much to the amusement of my coach who happened to be a Glaswegian. When I explained to him my desire to visit Scotland he'd just smile and say, "It's a beautiful place, but it's bldy cold! Why do you think I'm here in Atlanta?!" Needless to say, I was undeterred.

Certainly, I'm a mutt, like many Americans. I've got several strong Scottish threads in the family tapestry, but they entwine with Norman French, Dutch, German and even one Rodriquez. I don't know if I can explain why I was so driven to learn more about my Scottish ancestors in particular and Scotland in general, but it's simply been a passion since I was in knee-britches.

I've always wanted a kilt and not any kilt, but a Scottish-made, traditional kilt. My insistence on this as a boy was met with polite smiles and a pat on the head. Frankly, the demands of fatherhood and career did push the desire a bit onto the back burner, but two recent developments finally brought that old desire to the surface and set me on the road to kilt wearing. One was simply financial: I could finally afford not only a kilt, but the traditional accouterments as well. The other was reaching a place in life where the opinion of others, (i.e... "why is he wearing that? Isn't that a bit affected?") just don't really matter much to me any more.

What I didn't know until I began wearing the kilt, was how comfortable I would find it to be. And again, not just physical comfort, but a sense of "fit" that is hard to explain. My wife, at first dubious, took one look and said two things, "You were born to wear that," and "Damn, you better stay away from the ladies when you're in that kilt!" Needless to say, her response didn't dim my interest.

So now I wear a kilt for most special occasions, and formal wear situations. I wear a kilt to work once or twice a week, fairly often to church and, of course, to Highland Games and other family reunions. I certainly understand why some question it. I can understand why a native Scot my scratch his head over it a bit. Although, I have to say, I've encountered Scottish visitors to our city on several occasions now while kilted and each time they've been very complimentary and happy to see a "proper kilt" being worn.

The bottom line now: I wear the kilt with pride, comfort and a sense of tradition and connection to my family and heritage that I find to be very satisfying. And I've found a traditional kilt to be a flexible, durable and beautiful basis for a varied wardrobe. I now can't imagine ever setting kilts aside.

[thescot]

I became facinated with kilts and things Scottish back when I was a kid. The first man in a kilt I ever saw was on the Dewars bottle, but then there was that episode of My Three Sons where the dad, playd by Fred MacMurray, wsa kilted for some reason. My dad told me all about kilts and Scotland and how much he liked every Scot he'd ever known.

It was until I was about 40 that I attended the Stone Mountain Highland Games. My exwife is a Duncan, and what surprise we had to learn that Duncans and Robertson claim the same lineage, so we joined the Clan Donnachaidh Association, and I ordered my first kilt early the year after a good deal of agonizing, studying, getting swatches, and generally fretting over the decision. I don't even remember all the cheaper models back then, at least I didn't see any like I do now.

That started a real passion in me that inlcuded a study of history, geneology, etc. When I used to work in Scotland some, I found that I knew more than many of the Scots I worked with. Fancy that. And the ladies all loved that I actually had and wore a kilt on occassion.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

[Richard]

When my niece got married she asked all the men to wear kilts, and I said no, there was no way I was going out in a skirt, sorry I meant a kilt. At the wedding I was the odd one out, I must admit they all looked very smart. A few weeks later while surfing the net I looked up my tartan which is Anderson it looked very nice, and when I saw the price that was the end of that story, but a few months later I bought the whole set up, when I put it on it was WoW I just loved it and still do sum 20 years later.

[cessna152towser]

I absolutely refused to wear a kilt in my younger days, been married twice while wearing trousers as a bridegroom. Second wife (Ann) eventually persuaded me at age of 41 to get a kilt for Scottish Country Dancing, which we regularly did together. I bought a second hand Black Watch kilt from a thrift shop, wore it a few times and sort of liked it but it was not a good fit so I donated it back to the thrift shop and replaced it with a made to measure Black Watch kilt. However it was only worn as "costume" for special occasions. Then I dabbled with bagpipes for a short time during which I bought a second kilt in my family tartan (Cunningham) in 1994 to match the red corduroy of the bag cover. Fast forward eight years to Christmas 2002 and the wife gives me kilt #3 for Christmas, an all black heavyweight wool kilt. Three weeks later I tore leg ligaments and had to hobble around on crutches for weeks. I couldn't get into trousers so I wore the black kilt to work with my black Argyle jacket and black hose as a business suit. This was so well received by co-workers and customers and was so much more comfortable than the pinstripe trouser suit that I continued to wear the kilt regularly to work after my leg healed. Now seven years and another forty kilts later, the rest we may say is history and now it is probably fair to say I only wear trousers one or two days per month and am almost a full-time kiltie.

[Tobus]

I had known growing up that my mother's side of the family originated from Scotland but didn't think much of it. Then for some reason, in college in the early 1990s, I developed a passion for all things Scottish. But I could not afford a kilt. This will sound laughable (and indeed was for all my college buddies) but my twin brother and I made ourselves a crude loom and were weaving ourselves things in the family tartan. It was woven with yarn, so the items were very thick and the tartan pattern was huge. But we didn't care. We would sit for hours, listening to bagpipe music on the cassette player and weaving, talking about the coolness of Scottish history (which is fascinating for many Americans, who have very little history). I still have those items today, one of which is a nice throw for the foot of the bed.

I moved on to other interests after college, but in the last few years felt it coming back. Which led me to the kilt, studying family history (which I've only just begun), etc.

Now I'm to the point that others of you are. I can afford it and I'm comfortable in a kilt. I'm no longer terrified of not fitting in with the rest of a crowd.

[Nighthawk]

Well, let's see... Personally, I have had a kilt since I can remember. I have strong MacLeod ties on my fathers side. We've always had pride in our heritage and culture, but my kilt was always reserved for the most special of occasions. And then back in 2007, I got married- kilted, of course. I no longer had a kilt that would fit and I didn't want a rental, so I started researching internet resources for a new kilt. I discovered the wonderful world of casual and contemporary kilts, kilts that wouldn't cost me $800 a pop. I bought a black Amerikilt to get married in, and wore it my entire honeymoon to Florida. We got home and my wife told me how much she loved it, her grandmother told me before we left Naples how much she also loved it, and the rest, as Sesna said, is history. I do have to say that my dad loves it and uses me as an excuse to wear his more often, my mom is a fairly strict traditionalist and hates the modern kilts, and my wife... well, she's getting me a whole new contempo outfit for Christmas that includes a new camo Flamingo kilt.

[Howard Clark]

I first wore a kilt to work in my forge shop making blades. Primarily comfort and utility. I am a mutt, with only a tiny bit of Scot ancestry, but do prefer the tartan kilts for wear in public, unless I am working in the forge, or at home, then non-tartan kilts are fine. I mainly favor the four yard box pleat style, but if my first kilt had been the Barb T. eight yarder I own, I might have stopped at one. Doubtful, but maybe.

I do not pretend to be anything I am not, but I do like the style of more traditional highland wear, and like to think I look good when out in public. Most seem to agree. I enjoy being different as well. (as if bladesmith isn't different enough on it's own).

[Stratherrick]

The last time I saw my father alive, as he was dying of Motor Neurone Disease, he asked me if I'd wear a kilt at his funeral.

I granted his wish.

Slainte

Bruce