Belt Loops on front of kilt?

[rdjmchris]

I was watching a rerun of Forged in Fire and the winner of this particular episode was wearing a kilt with belt loops on the front. I have never seen this on any kilt before and want to know if it is normal. Thoughts? Insight?

[Father Bill]

Not normal, but then, neither are many of the guys on Forged in Fire.

If it was a Utilikilt or knock off, some of them are extremely different from traditional or iconic kilts.

[Steve Ashton]

In general, kilts with a waistband, like trousers, may or may not have belt loops.

But belt loops designed for a belt are different than the large loops on the back of some kilts which are not belt loops but designed to keep a sporran from sliding off the hips.

[OC Richard]

I don't want loops on the front, or the back, of my kilts.

When a kiltmaker doesn't follow my instructions to leave them off, one of the first things I do when the kilt arrives is to remove them.

[KennethSime]

I don't want loops on the front, or the back, of my kilts.

When a kiltmaker doesn't follow my instructions to leave them off, one of the first things I do when the kilt arrives is to remove them.

Richard, do you wear a kilt belt with your kilts?

My 8-yard doesn't have belt loops, but I usually wear it sans-kilt belt. My Sport Kilt does, and I just started wearing it with a kilt belt.

[OC Richard]

Richard, do you wear a kilt belt with your kilts?

I rarely wear a belt.

Thing is, the concept of a "kilt belt" is recent.

Kilts hadn't had belts since the days of the great kilt/belted plaid/philamore that required a belt to stay on. When the small kilt/philabeg was invented the pleats were sewn and a belt wasn't required. This occurred some time before 1800.

What Highland Dress has always had was a "dirk belt" which was worn to support a dirk, and not otherwise. The dirk belt was worn over the jacket, or over the waistcoat.

I think this started to change when people not raised wearing kilts, here in the US, by false analogy believed that a dirk belt was equivalent to the belt that supports trousers, and began shoving the dirk belt through the loops in the back of the kilt which were only designed for the sporran strap.

Though the rise of the Kilt Hire Industry in the UK beginning around 1970 was a huge factor as well, as men were given belts to help ill-fitting kilts not fall down.

Also contributing were Pipe Bands who, like hire shops, had to get ill-fitting kilts to stay up. Nowadays the ghastly look of the wide piper's belts with huge chrome buckles worn under the waistcoats is nearly universal in pipe bands the world over.

In any case several years ago Utilikilts were invented in Seattle and they were designed to be supported by a belt from the get-go. It was the ultimate realisation of reimagining kilts along the lines of trousers, and it's been hugely successful.

Utilikilts and shoving dirk belts through sporran loops and wearing belts under waistcoats didn't exist when I started kilt-wearing, and they've not had time to grow on me, if they ever will.