How hard do you have to look to tell a trad from a semi-trad?

[ronstew]

I am a civilian. If I wore a semi-trad USAK at a military event (say a Seaforth Highlanders parade) would all of the knowledgeable kilt-wearers immediately recognise an imposter?

[Silverlake_Punk]

Imposter? USAK's are imposters?

I wear my USAK's everywhere (except to job interviews. Sorry, Rocky n' Kelly), and I've never had anyone suggest that they weren't "real." In fact, just a few hours ago, a kind Scottish woman walking down the street greeted me with a huge smile and complimented me on my USAK McKay. She said that she was once a highland dancer and that seeing my kilt brought back warm memories.

Imposter? Anyone who suggests such a thing should be told to kiss your bee-hind.

Wait. You mean you're the imposter because you're a civilian kilted at a military parade? Who cares? Again, bee-hind kissing is in order.

[ronstew]

Well, I would not wear a polyester suit to an event where everybody else would be wearing wool or silk. I would stick out like a sore thumb. I am talking about a situation where there would be fifty or a hundred military kilts and people who have been wearing them for forty years. Very traditional minded people at that.

So the question remains, how hard is it to tell the difference?

[auld argonian]

The USAK semi-trads look pretty good to me....I would think that the material would be much more compatible with summer weather...

Who needs people who act like kilt snobs? Shouldn't the fact that you're wearing a well made kilt be taken as a compliment to these folks and not some kind of nebulous insult? Are you expecting someone to sneer because, essentially, they spent more $ on theirs than you did? Sca-rew 'em! Among the members of this forum there seems to be a reasonably liberal attitude toward kilt wearing...tune it up and try to look acceptably decent (advice given here free!) but better you should be wearing A kilt than NO kilt.

Get in there and don't feel like you're doing any less to hold up the side than anybody else.

Best

AA

[Riverkilt]

But, to your question, yes, it would be noticeable. A 16 ounce hand sewn wool kilt is just that.

Kind of like a hand sewn wool suit vs. a polyester suit off the rack. Nothing wrong with the later, but you'd certainly see the difference.

Its not just in construction, number of pleats, and swish...its things like the depth of the color of wool...wool tartans seem to absorb more light and reflect less than poly.

The question was, would folks notice. The answer is yes.

Is that bad? No. Kilts, like all garments, come in a wide range of materials.

Would anyone care? Don't think so. The more kilts the merrier.

Buy what you like/want and what you can afford then enjoy it.

If you have the bucks then everyone should own at least one hand sewn kilt...preferably in a meaningful tartan for you.

Ron

[Blu (Ontario)]

... Who cares?...

That's my take.

A kilt is a nice bit of tradition worn by you for personal reasons.



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[RockyR]

Sorry in advance if this post sounds "aggressive"... I didn't intend that. I just am trying to clarify things and shed some light on other things.


I'd like to clarify something...

Poly Viscose Vs. Wool kilt is NOT like "Saturday Night Fever" Poly suit compared to an Armani. PV is "not your daddy's Polyesther".

I've done lots of research and compared several dozen kinds of material to wool. From wool blends to cotton blends to straight cotton to blah blah blah. Bottom line... EXPENSIVE wool is expensive wool and there's no EXACT substitute. That being said... PV, IN MY OPINION is as CLOSE as you're going to get without dropping the big bucks.

We've done kilts for weddings with guys who had the same fears you had... There were going to be several (if not dozens) of kilted Scots in attendance and they didn't want to look "out of place", especially being the groom and his men! Every wedding party (that has come back to the shop after the wedding) was VERY happy to report nothing but positive comments about the Semi Trads.

COULD someone ask you if it IS a wool kilt or another material? Yes.

Would they insult you for wearing it? MORE THAN LIKELY not.

Does it matter what someone else says about you? If you had the guts to wear a kilt in the first place, I'd be surprised if this was even a question.

[RockyR]

one more point to clarify...

Could you tell that one of our CASUALS is not a wool kilt? Yes. They're built with wider pleats and sit lower on the hips. They're not TRYING to look like "traditional kilts"... they're trying to be exactly what they're titled to be... Casual Kilts.

Our Semi Trads are made to look much more like a "Traditional Scottish Kilt". Hence the name, "SEMI Traditional".

Does this help to put it in perspective a bit?

[ronstew]

Rocky, I didn't take your response as agressive, and I hope you didn't find my question that way. I think your Saturday Night Fever / Armani illustration answered my question nicely.

Some people wear a kilt to be different. At the occasion I have in mind, I would be the centre of attention for a few seconds, and I would not want to look different. Since the event is only about 20% likely to happen, I don't want to say what it is. Sadly, the low likelihood of the event occurring is preventing me from ordering.

I am looking forward to that casual I ordered from you. And I'll get you the remaining info you need real soon!

[Macman]

ronstew, I think you've gotten lots of input on the kilts themselves. I can maybe give you some perspective from the other side, since I was a member of a kilted reserve regiment like the Seaforths, only in Victoria, and many years ago. From my experience, your average kilted reservist does not share anywhere near the same interest in or knowledge of kilts that you see in the people on this board. To me, at that time, it was just a cool piece of uniform. I didn't know or see any difference in kilt weight, style or anything else. I remember visiting the mess after leaving the regiment wearing my clan tartan kilt, and most of the guys thought I'd joined a different regiment because my kilt was mostly red instead of green!

Anyway, my guess is that most people wouldn't notice, some might notice a difference, but not be able to place what it was, and nobody would really care one way or another, but just think it's neat that there was another civilian in a kilt.