Tartan or self-colour for everyday wear

[cessna152towser]

When I was younger and wore a kilt for piping or Scottish Country dancing it was always tartan, and I had all but stopped wearing kilts by 2002 when my wife bought me the black heavyweight kilt. I find that I now wear the black kilt on average one day a week whereas I rarely wear tartan nowadays. My two remaining tartan kilts, Black Watch, and Cunningham each had a single outing at Xmas/New Year but probably only get worn once or twice a year and indeed if I thought I could recoup the dry cleaning costs I'd get the Black Watch kilt cleaned and sell it on e-bay as it is no longer a good fit. Now that I wear a kilt for everyday wear rather than for piping and dancing I find that I am not self conscious of wearing the kilt, if in black, as the black draws less attention. Black can be worn as business wear with black jacket, kilt hose and tie or as casual wear with rugby socks and tee shirt or fleece. Indeed I like wearing a black kilt so much that I've now bought the lightweight Mercy kilt in black for casual summer wear. Not wanting to lose my Scottish tradition, but do others feel more at ease stepping out in a dark self colour in preference to a tartan kilt?

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

I don't know about darker solids vs. tartans, as I am an equal oportunity kilt wearer and mix it up. I wear either tartan or solids depending on how I feel in the morning when I wake up, and how late I am running. If I am running late, I almost always grab a contemporary kilt because the pockets eliminate the need to put on a sporran and I usually do not wear flashes with a contemporary. I do agree however that a darker color does seem more versatile. My heather grey UK Mocker can be worn with anything, formal or casual, but I don't think I could make my tan UK original work as anything other than a casual, or business casual, kilt.

Just my 2 cents!

[RockyR]

Not as much now, but when I first started wearing them, I switched back and forth between solids and tartans. I had 3 solids and 3 tartans. I went through a month or two preferring solids. Then I went through a few months of just wearing tartans.

Now, I wear mostly ALL tartans with the exception of my FK's which I wear once every other week or so. So many options!

[MACKAY]

I too own a solid black H/W and think it is quite stylish and have worn it many a time. However, I don't agree that wearing a 'contemporary kilt' such as a UK, a solid color, or for that matter a traditional tartan, has any impact what-so-ever on my Scottish heritage or traditions.

Brian Mackay-
Scottish 100% of the time regardless of what I am or am not wearing.

[Hamish]

I agree with KCW - whether I wear tartan or plain colour kilts depends upon my mood at the time of dressing, the weather, where I am going (or what I am doing). Having said that, when I take delivery of a new kilt, I often find myself wearing it all day and even on consecutive days too - that's from someone who usually has at least one change of kilt during the day, and who normally tries not to wear the same kilt two days running.

As for feeling more at ease in one rather than the other: that does not come into my equation since I am totally at ease in any kilt I possess!

[James Martin]

I wear tartan kilts most of the time, mainly because they look nice, but also because the general public know what to make of it -- "it's Scottish, so he must be Scottish" -- whereas some people feel ill at ease with a man wearing something less easily identifiable.

On the other hand, once the warm weather arrives, I'm happy to put on my plain light-coloured home-mades. If there were any really light-coloured tartans that did not remind me of dishcloths, I'd get one, but there does not seem to be anything available.

But black? No, not on my wish list. I have no black clothes at all.

Martin S,
Grenoble, France.

[Tartan Hiker]

But we're all missing the vital point here....

Cessna said he'd like to unload the Black Watch...

If it's my size, heck, you won't even have to dry clean it!!!

[NewKilt]

If find that I'm equally at ease whether I'm wearing a solid or tartan, traditional or contemporary. Tartans do tend to draw more attention, but it's just a matter of getting used to it. That is, you know people are looking at you, but it doesn't bother you. I've worn a Black Stewart with a red polo, red hose, and black flashes - now that gets some attention! It also, IMHO, looks very sharp - lots of compliments from men and women. My collection is 1/3 tartans and 2/3 solids, 2/3 traditional and 1/3 contemporary. I never wear the same kilt two days in a row, and I like to mix it up during the week. It's just a matter of gaining confidence.

I do have traditional style, solid kilts in black, navy blue, and forrest green when the mood strikes me to look conservative.

Darrell