Military patches for rank on kilt?

[Teffer]

Newbie here with a specific question:

My stepdad, a retired Army Ranger, saw a man at the Alma, MI Highland Festival last year wearing what he recalls as a ultikilt with his rank badges sewn on his right thigh. We are attempting to remake this for him in secret for a Christmas present. I ordered a black kilt as per his preference, but I can't find pictures online anywhere of something like this to help me with attaching them to the kilt. Sadly, I didn't see that gentleman, so I'm trying to recreate it from hints plucked from his memory. Can the X-markers help me find pictures or give me some guidance? My Google-Fu has failed me.

[BobsYourUncle]

There is no "standard", or "rules" for what you suggest, if it looked good, go for it.

However, in Scottish regiments of the British Army, basic rank insignia have never been worn on the kilt itself, they are worn on whatever clothing covers the body or head, the tunic, or doublet, shell jacket, shirt, etc. The only rank insignia worn on the kilt itself are rosettes as in the Black Watch Officers, Senior NCOs or Pipers, or as in the former Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, embroidered kilt panel in front and two rosettes on a back pleat, again for Officers, Senior NCOs and Pipers. See the attached photos of the Argylls Kilt Panel and Rosettes, also the attached photo of Pipe Majors in India show the Black Watch PM on the far right, also showing the kilt Rosettes on his kilt. Pipers in some other regiments also wore Rosettes on the front kilt panel, but that was about all in the way of Rank insignia.

[ASinclair]

Hello, Teffer!



The only thing I have ever seen attached to the kilt is a kilt pin.

[Hawk]

I'd like to comment on this, but only as a Vet, here in the States. Is this something that he might wear only a few times a year, during Veterans ceremonies, or holidays?
I'm at work now and will comment more later today....

Hawk

[Downunder Kilt]

You are talking modern utikikilt style here, Most of those type kilts have a narrower apron than a a traditional style kilt. One has to decide whether you want the rank badges sewn on the right edge of the apron or a little further around to the right onto one of the pleats. Depending on the number of badges you are talking about, you could start about 3" from the bottom of the kilt and just go up in a vertical line from there. BobsYourUncle pics show where a line of badges would go on a traditionally made kilt

[ratspike]

Since it's a black kilt in what I'm assuming is a modern/cargo/utilikilt style, you might also consider a some velcro loop sewn on the kilt, then the patches or tabs could be stuck to it. Same idea as what you see on uniforms and tactical gear. On my camo kilts I sew a good sized piece of loop down in the bottom right corner of the apron, roughly where a kilt pin would go, but you could put it anywhere.

[Carl]

I've seen this done before by a paintball team here in Oregon a few years back that played in kilts. They sewed on patches (A team patch, event patches, name tapes and rank, etc.) to the front apron of their tartan kilts. I thought they looked rather good playing paintball in kilts but I just couldn't bring myself to sacrifice a kilt to do the same.
As a veteran I've gotta say I have never thought about doing something like this personally. But to each their own.

[Nathan]

This may be a difference between the Canadian and American military culture. Many of the people on this forum are ex military. In the Canadian Forces, there is a strong, strong, admonition against mixing civilian and military kit. I'm not a veteran but I am ex military.
As far as I know, like other ex soldiers, Canadian veterans are not permitted to wear their uniforms, in whole or in part, once they retire from the forces. They may wear some form of Legion or association uniform that consists of a blazer, often with a regimental patch sewn on, and trousers. Even Highland veterans don't wear kilts on Remembrance Day once they retire. They are, however permitted to wear the Legion or Vets association headdress which is a beret or Glengarry for the Army. They are also permitted to wear medals.

Any exceptions to the above such as special rules for veterans of a particular regiment, would still be subject to that association's own rules and wouldn't really be a free for all.

Even serving soldiers aren't allowed to wear their uniform or mess kit to their wedding or a black tie function without obtaining consent in writing from their unit via the chain of command.

I see American veterans on this forum incorporating elements of their former uniform such as unit badges etc...into their civie attire. Most military folks up here would frown upon this quite strenuously.

Obviously, if you were in a Kilted Regiment that wore the black watch tartan, there's nothing to stop you buying a civilian kilt in the same generic tartan.

Since you're American, Teffer, none of this Canuck stuff really concerns you too much. I just brought it up so I might learn if there is any parallel sentiment there. If your dad has no qualms about putting military rank insignia on his civilian attire, get creative. Lay it out in some kind of organized fashion and go to town.

[OC Richard]

Yes no badges or patches are worn on Scottish military kilts (save for the panels shown above worn by the former Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders).

And obviously Utilikilts are a recent purely civilian invention.

So, there is no tradition or protocol to guide you, and you can do it any way you wish, any way you think looks good.

Personally I don't care for the mixing of military and civilian dress, but who am I to say? I never was in the military... perhaps if I had been I would think about it differently.

[Truitt]

If there is a difference in the culture it is in how much people care to stick to the rules. With a few very specific exceptions, mixing military items with civilian wear is forbidden by all branches of the U.S. military unless the rules have changed in recent years. And veterans are restricted from wearing their uniforms except under very specific circumstances. Allowance is made for veterans to be able to wear their decorations with civilian attire on appropriate occasions.

Certain veterans' associations, such as the Scottish American Military Society (SAMS), have their own uniform guidelines.

As a U.S. veteran I would never mix military items with my civilian attire, and I personally believe it is bad form to do so.