Kilt Do's and Don'ts

[Freedomlover]

Then again I could be way off base and doomed to incur the wrath of many! LOL ;)

Not from me. I am right with you.

[Iolaus]

[....]
Then again I could be way off base and doomed to incur the wrath of many! LOL ;)

Join the club!

[macwilkin]

You can't be too regimented in your thinking about how a kilt is worn, or it does become a costume. It's just a piece of clothing; enjoy it!

What about those of us who enjoy the traditions and customs of Highland attire?

Horses for courses, gents...

Respectfully,

Todd

[Panache]

I'm a traditionalist and it's good to break rules from time to time. But like in painting it's important to know what the rules are first before you play around outside of them.

Well said!

There is a vast difference between knowing the rules and willingly pushing the edge of them (accepting possible consequences*), and ignorance of the rules and believing that what you are doing is just fine.

Most of the time I like traditional kilt outfits. But every now and then it is fun to show up to an event in my all black kilted outfit (black kilt, shirt, hose, flashes, and accessories with only chrome/silver accents to contrast).

Definitely not traditional, but I know this and am making a concious choice to go agaisnt the grain. I'll take the kudos and criticisms of such an outfit knowing that I am bending the rules here a little.

Cheers

Jamie

[Freedomlover]

It seems to me that we have a pretty big tent. There is lots of room for traditionalists and non traditionalists alike. One prefers one look, one prefers another, and some like both. Could differences of opinion that lead to hard fixed opinions really be nothing more than a tempest in a teapot? We, who want the freedom to dress as we please, ought, more than others, grant that freedom to each other.

[ThistleDown]

The point if there is one is that while knowing, observing and respecting traditions are very important we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that at one time everything we hold as revered tradition was to those at the start just a habit done by people who were likely breaking the rules to begin with.

Then again I could be way off base and doomed to incur the wrath of many! LOL ;)

Perhaps a subject for discussion in Victoria next week, Kiltedwolfman . It may be that in this thread we are talking of many things, sometimes at cross-purpose and perhaps with some little degree of misunderstanding. If the tradition we are referring to is "Scottish", then that is the tradition. If we are referring to Scottish-Canadian or Scottish-American, then we must accept these as the children of the Scottish parent and not the parent itself.

Scottish tradition is evolving, just as the others are, but the vast majority in this forum do not live in the culture that has produced that tradition. They live in other cultures with other pressures for change. That is as it should be, of course, and is certainly not "wrong". It is the child developing its own tradition, not to be confused with the parent's, except as a child is the product of its parent.

Perhaps, too, we often confuse "tradition" with "fashion". The latter may, if it persists for a long time and is not a trend, become the tradition, but what is fashionable and becomes traditional in one culture isn't necessarily fashionable and does not therefore become traditional in another.

For example, tartan. In Scotland it is neither traditional nor fashionable to wear a tartan with which you are not connected (one exception: kilt hire). That's how the "universal" tartans evolved: tartans for those who had no connection. Certainly there are those who deviate from this tradition. In North America -- perhaps because there are so many who want to wear tartan but have no connection -- it has become fashionable to wear any tartan if you like the sett and the colours. I suspect that that will become the tradition. But it is the tradition of the child, the Scottish-Canadian or the Scottish-American, and not the tradition of the parent.

It does no good to delve into history and look for a time when tartans were not connected to clans/families and based on that proof attempt to redefine the tradition of the parent. We just need to accept that on the western shores of the Atlantic new traditions are being developed and that although they are based on the traditions of Scotland they should not be confused and called "Scottish".

So maybe in this thread we should define whether we are talking about the living Scottish tradition, the new traditions that are Scottish-Canadian, Scottish-American or Scottish-Elsewhere and what is fashionable today in any one of these, but not necessarily common to all.

To paraphrase Kiltedwolfman, I have perhaps now opened myself up to the wrath of many.

[robthehiker]

It seems to me that we have a pretty big tent. There is lots of room for traditionalists and non traditionalists alike. One prefers one look, one prefers another, and some like both. Could differences of opinion that lead to hard fixed opinions really be nothing more than a tempest in a teapot? We, who want the freedom to dress as we please, ought, more than others, grant that freedom to each other.

Well said!

[Iolaus]

What about those of us who enjoy the traditions and customs of Highland attire?

Horses for courses, gents...

Respectfully,

Todd

You're free to honor those traditions and customs. My problem is with those that expect me to adhere as closely to tradition as they do, and who somehow think less of me because I chose not to.

When I first got into kilts, it was to express my individuality, and the Scottish connection through my Maternal grandfather validated it for me. I have since realized that needing a validation was simply a crutch for my self-confidence. The kilt is a d@mn fine garment in and of itself - convenient and practical - and I need no other validation other than the fact that I like it.

[mudd]

Holy smokes, guys. I just read this thread to see the funny pictures.

sheesh.

[SteveB]

This thread has plenty of pictures of various wearings of the kilt. Do be polite and gentle when criticizing a kilt "don't". There are also various stages to kilt wearing, which is highly visible at your local Highland Games.
At Loon Mountain this past weekend: The kilt newbies were in several groups. One class was the new to kilts - came in shorts, and soon was in a Utilikilt off the peg. Kilt hem wound up anywhere between a little below the knee to five inches above. Class two - came in shorts and purchased a GB Tat special "designed in Scotland" Acrylic off the peg. Not all men are the same size, and very few wearing their new purchase at all "traditionally." Class three - the gents were lined up at Geoffrey Tailor's tent to be measured for a properly fitted custom wool kilt, and willing to wait, even if they stayed in trousers for the whole of the games. Those of us who are confident in our kilts were questioned heavily by the newbies, who saw that we were fully comfortable in our "traditional" kit. Politely explaining the "traditional" approach to kilt wearing in a respectful manner made for many friends, and few arguments. I had a great time in conversation with many young lads. They were very appreciative on the instructions for sitting down in a kilt, without advertising the answer to The Question. Many of the UK crowd were also interested in the whole kit look.
Some will be looking at this website, and at this thread. I hope that the posts are read as being our humourous way of bringing out the best in all forms of kilt wearing.