Hello and Welcome to X Marks, the world's largest and most active on-line gathering place dedicated to the kilt.

May I suggest that for your first post you introduce yourself to our members here in our Newbie Section. I think you will find a warm reception awaiting you.

This forum is not just a search tool or information board. We are an active, vibrant and varied community . We have found that those who get the most out of X Marks are those who put the most into it. A willingness to share knowledge and experience with other members is the biggest strength of this forum. We hope you will be an active and participating part of that strength.

A good start would be to personalize your public profile with as much as you feel comfortable including. Just click on the menu bar in the upper left corner of any page to go to your User Control Panel (usercp). Listing your general location is a good way for our other members to know where you are from. As our member come from all around the world those in your area may like to welcome you and let you know that you are not alone. Many of our members like to get together for kilt nights, so knowing where you are from will allow them to invite you to meet other members in your area.

As a new member you may have many questions. The answers to many of those questions can be found in our Frequently Asked Questions. The FAQ's contain information on how to navigate around the site, how to add photos to your posts and how to use the Personal Message and Report a Post features.
If you have not found our FAQ's you can click here to to directly to them.

May I suggest that you take a moment to look over our forum rules. We pride ourselves on being "The Ladies and Gentlemen of X Marks". We strive to keep this forum a place we would be proud to suggest to our friends and family.
If you have not yet read our Forum Rules you can click here to go directly to them.

Please don't be alarmed if your first few posts don't appear on the forum immediately. In an effort to keep down spammers we direct all new member posts into a queue to be reviewed before being released to the open forum. This will end after you have made a few posts.
Until you have made your first post to the forum you will notice that you will be listed as "Has not yet posted". This will change as soon as you make your first post to the forum.

Please remember that if you experience any problems, or if there is anything the staff can do for you, we are just a Personal Message (PM) away.
If you would like to go directly to our staff roster please click here.

I hope you find the friendship and information you are looking for and enjoy your time in our little corner of the web.





Here is some useful and fun information you may enjoy.


The official name of this forum is xmarksthescot.com It can be abbreviated X Marks the Scot or X Marks.
This site was founded on January 22nd 2004 by Hank Hannah as a place on the internet to post photos of how some people dress at Highland Games. Today we may be the largest and most active on-line forum about the Kilt.

As we have grown we have found may ways for our members to feel a sense of pride in what we have built. Here are just some of them.


The X Marks the Scot Tartan



This Tartan was designed by member Matt Newsome (M.A.C. Newsome) who is Curator of the Scottish Tartans Museum. It is the the worlds first Internet Tartan. It is fully registered with the Scottish Tartans Authority as Internation Tartan Index no. 6679.

The X marks the Scot Tartan is also used as the wallpaper of the forum. You can see it around the edges of every page.

Here is what it looks like when made into kilts.







The X Marks Cap Badge

How do you find another member of the forum in the sea of kilts at your local Highland Games? Well, exactly how one Clansman finds another in Scotland. You look at his Cap Badge.



This badge was designed a few years ago by Steve Ashton and is now recognized the world over.
Here you can see how it is worn.








The X Marks Plant Badge: The Dandelion



Most people know that specific tartans were and are still used to identify members of a clan in Scotland. A far older tradition is the wearing of a sprig of a particular plant in one's bonnet to denote a clansman.

Our members voted and we chose the dandelion as the official plant badge of X Marks.

"The dandelion is hardy, flourishes everywhere, spreads, it is bright, easily obtained, it has many uses, it bears one of the colors of the X Marks the Scot tartan, it is a plant for the everyman instead of the elite, and shows perhaps best of all shows a light hearted spirit that typifies our forum’s membership."




The X Marks Quaich

A Quaich is a Scottish drinking vessel used to "Share a wee dram" among friends.

With members spanning the globe it is impossible for all of us to gather together. A few years ago a suggestion was put forth to create some symbol or token of the forum that could be shared by all our members.

We had a custom Quaich created and this cup was sent, along with a logbook on a quest to; "Share our love of the kilt with the world".



The Quest of the Quaich began on the 19th of March 2011 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. At the time of this writting the Quaich has travelled 3/4 of the way around the world. Her travels have been documented in a special thread.

To follow the Quest of the Quaich you can click here.


A Few Terms Used Here on X Marks

"Kilt Night"
From the very beginnings of the forum our members have enjoyed getting together, meeting other members and perhaps enjoying a meal or a drink. These are now called Kilt Nights and they have happened all over the world.

"Tank"
Often one will see the term "Tank" used to describe a kilt here on X Marks. This term was coined by X Marker Jimmy Carbomb a number of years ago. Basically a "Tank" refers to a hand sewn, heavy wool kilt (i.e. "built like a tank")

"Rabble"
Sometime ago the question arose on our forum "What do you call a group of kilted people?" After much discussion the term "A Rabble of Kilties" was decided on.

"Jonesing"
We use this on X Marks to describe the great anticipation we feel when awaiting the arrival of new kilt and/or accessory.

"A Hamish"
Hamish Bicknel of Storrington England is one of the most famous kilted men and has been a member here since its beginnings. Hamish is famous for his photos of his Kilt Kollection. Each new kilt is documented with a photo taken in Hamish's garden. Most recognizable is "The Hamish Pose"



Hamish also gave us the Pleat Shot which has become the required shot to show off your new kilt.



We hope you enjoy participating here as a member of xmarksthescot.com

Sincerely

The Owner and Staff of X Marks