Are you a romantic?

[Graham]

Yesterday, a pastor who we have been staying with in denver, a man I respect for his wisdom and insight, and one of my dearest friends said to me "I've figured you out, I think you are a romantic"

I thought for a moment and said yes, I am, and wearing a kilt for me, arises out of a love for those romantic periods of history that I feel kilts relate to.
I thought of the celts, the renaissance, and other times when men were not confined to gray suits or puritanical plain clothing.

Sure, in many ways they were violent times, but so are the days we live in. (just remember NY and London).

Yes I am a romantic, I long to reproduce in my own life those times that reflect mans' greatest attributes and periods of creativity, and the kilt is to me an important of that experience, and who i am.
So bring back the gay clothing, the colour and finery, bring back the kilt and all it's heritage, the link to former times, the freedom from normalcy and the comfort and beauty of the world's most impressive clothing!

Are you a romantic?

[jfellrath]

Excellent post, Graham - this goes right to the question of "who wears the kilt?"

I think that most people who wear the kilt have a splash of the sentimental in their glass. One can talk all day about how much it makes sense for testicular health, or the comfort issue, the ventilation issue, etc. But there are a lot of different options out there for legless garments (I hate the term MUG) - sarongs, kimonos, etc., that would address those issues. And you can't deny that to wear the kilt properly requires a good deal of research, questioning, and financial outlay.

So why wear the kilt? Because there's something that calls to us to wear it. The history of the kilt is one of bravery, honor, romance, individualism, and perseverance. It's one of which I like to think that I am a descendant. If wearing the kilt is a way to recapture some of the feelings of those lost years, then by god, I'm recapturing it as best I can.

[Dreadbelly]

I have been told I am hopelessly romantic.

Meh.

[davedove]

I think your pastor friend has it. I believe most of us probably do have more that a bit of romance in our soul. Perhaps we hear the moors calling in the wind. Maybe we feel the highlands boiling in our blood. It could be that we all have a little bit of the rebel inside us, telling us to stand out from the crowd.

You know, that's probably why women like to see a man in a kilt. Sensitive creatures that they are, they can tell.

[Alan H]

Short answer, yes!

[bubba]

Absolutely I'm a romantic. It's so mundane and colorless to be too pragmatic.

[Tim Walker]

I'd say part of the appeal is that the traditional tartan kilt is grand in a way that no meer suit is.

(Particularly the Great Kilt, though I understand that is now a historical costume).

[bear]

Yesterday, a pastor who we have been staying with in denver, a man I respect for his wisdom and insight, and one of my dearest friends said to me "I've figured you out, I think you are a romantic"

That pastor sounds like a smart fella.
I think there is truth in the romantic ideal of a guy in a kilt.
I also think there is some 'real men' aspects of kilt wearing. Nowadays, men get so many crossed signals and the rules seem to change with every woman.
Wearing a kilt is a sign that some men have had enough and will simply wear what they want and do as they please, without permission.

[Tim Walker]

Perhaps enthusiasts could be described as romantic eccentrics?