Why don't people wear their kilts more?

[Wareyin]

Of course they can. There is no prohibition or otherwise apart from a few protected tartans. And, of course, anyone can pretend that they are Scottish or that they have an entitlement to some tartan or other. At the end of the day, however, the only people they are fooling is themselves and that is something they need to come to terms with. Provided they are happy to continue in some sort of “Walter Mitty” fantasy then who cares?
What is not acceptable, however, is the pretence that 16th century English people were happily wearing kilts. As Jock Scot has posted, if you happened to be a Scot in York at that time it was open season.

To chime in, Ren Fests or Faires are not in any way historical reenactments. I attend our local one at least once a year, and ours at least is supposed to be somewhat European, but mostly a fantasy. There are paid actors who pretend to be French. There are paid actors who pretend to be Ents (from Tolkein). There are paid actors who pretend to be pirates. There are paid actors who pretend to be gargoyles. There are also attendees who dress in kilts, or in suits of armor, or as fairies, or as pirates, or vikings, or priests, monks, or many other things. English being the language of the land, everyone speaks English, although the performers and other employees usually attempt British accents, mostly badly.

It is not meant to portray any real English or Scottish or French or Viking culture.

[Wareyin]

I agree completely with these sentiments, but be careful or you'll be accused of being the kilt police. Some folks here don't take kindly to being told what they should or shouldn't have to do in order to wear the kilt.

And when even a site such as this, meant to "learn about, discuss and share a love for the kilt," has prominent members (and occasionally even moderators) who often tell people that they shouldn't wear a kilt, why would it be surprising that people don't wear their kilts more?

[imbrius]

And when even a site such as this, meant to "learn about, discuss and share a love for the kilt," has prominent members (and occasionally even moderators) who often tell people that they shouldn't wear a kilt, why would it be surprising that people don't wear their kilts more?

I'll wade in. I think a point is being missed. There's no "should" or "shouldn't". There's "You're free to do whatever you want but in my opinion, wearing a kilt would be inadvisable/disrespectful/odd/etc. in this situation." Any other pronouncement or reading of advice given on this forum is likely a misunderstanding. There are no Kilt Kops. They don't exist.

I'd certainly want to know if what I set out to do was disrespectful or odd. It isn't my intention to give the world any sort of negative impression of kilt-wearers, nor to offend those whose ancestors invented the garment, despite the fact that, just like pizza morphed into a form that old Italian grandmothers would scarcely recognize, the kilt has become something entirely different from what it historically has been. Cultures have a way of doing that.

But just as it would be really ballsy to go to Bologna and ask an old lady where the nearest Domino's is, it's rather presumptuous to disdain the advice of the Highland Scots in matters of kilt-wearing. Ignore them if you wish as you're certainly free to do so when wearing the kilt outwith the Highlands, but as this is a forum for discussion, I feel that all advice is welcome, even advice on when not to wear the kilt.

[OC Richard]

I'm still convinced that the kilt will, in the not too distant future, experience a major Pop Culture/Youth Culture/"Fast Fashion"/"On Trend" discovery. I'm a bit surprised it hasn't happened already...

It's been happening here on the US West Coast for a while now. I don't know how "major" it is, but I see it almost daily.

It's a "fashion culture" usually consisting of a (black) Utilikilt, Doc Martens, black t-shirt, long hair (or shaved head) and tattoos. I must see hundreds of these guys for every gent I see in anything resembling Highland Dress.

A new kilt shop opened up here in Greater Los Angeles a year ago dedicated to this sort of fashion. I don't recall seeing a single traditional kilt in the shop.

[Wareyin]

I'll wade in. I think a point is being missed. There's no "should" or "shouldn't". There's "You're free to do whatever you want but in my opinion, wearing a kilt would be inadvisable/disrespectful/odd/etc. in this situation." Any other pronouncement or reading of advice given on this forum is likely a misunderstanding. There are no Kilt Kops. They don't exist.

I'd certainly want to know if what I set out to do was disrespectful or odd. It isn't my intention to give the world any sort of negative impression of kilt-wearers, nor to offend those whose ancestors invented the garment, despite the fact that, just like pizza morphed into a form that old Italian grandmothers would scarcely recognize, the kilt has become something entirely different from what it historically has been. Cultures have a way of doing that.

But just as it would be really ballsy to go to Bologna and ask an old lady where the nearest Domino's is, it's rather presumptuous to disdain the advice of the Highland Scots in matters of kilt-wearing. Ignore them if you wish as you're certainly free to do so when wearing the kilt outwith the Highlands, but as this is a forum for discussion, I feel that all advice is welcome, even advice on when not to wear the kilt.

Members have told a new poster here not to wear the kilt out for a Friday night on the town in America lest it get back to his boss and cause him to lose his job. This is despite the poster's comment that his boss was supportive and encouraged him to wear the kilt. I know some, if not all of those members are American and Canadian.

I've seen comments to the effect that even wondering if one should wear a kilt to a job interview means one is automatically disqualified from holding that job. Not actually wearing a kilt, mind you, merely wondering about it.

Both of the posters who started those threads have not posted on this site since they began those threads, to my knowledge. Those attitudes from those of us who love the kilt have a chilling effect on other people's desire to wear their own kilt, I would think.

[jthk]

English being the language of the land, everyone speaks English, although the performers and other employees usually attempt British accents, mostly badly.

That's an aspect of renaissance fair culture that befuddles me: for those folks who aren't speaking with their native accents, most of the time a pseudo-English accent is chosen. I dunno why! It's so odd.

[imbrius]

Both of the posters who started those threads have not posted on this site since they began those threads, to my knowledge. Those attitudes from those of us who love the kilt have a chilling effect on other people's desire to wear their own kilt, I would think.

That's entirely possible. From this perspective, I can see how that might be a concern. I'm honestly not sure how one would go about addressing that.

[kingandrew]

Renaissance Faires may have had some pretense of education in some far distant time, but today they are festivals of fantasy cosplay, not unlike Comic-Con, but with a more outdoorsy bent and more emphasis on historical rather than science fiction/superhero looks. Most I have attended had a king or queen of the fair, with a court that perhaps attempted to all mimic the same time frame (generally Tudor England) and there were some appropriate sporting events (jousting, archery, falconry). However, fair-goers tend to wear all sorts of get-ups, with many men wearing kilts. I myself bought my first kilt at such an event, although I soon upgraded to a quality wool version when I could afford to, since I'd decided I liked wearing it.

I don't think anyone is showing disrespect for the clothes they are wearing. Quite the contrary, they are living out their fantasies, showing off aspects of their personalities that are often hidden in daily life.

Most Ren Faires I have attended included not only many kilted visitors and vendors selling kilts, but also Scottish/Celtic musical performances, often featuring bagpipes. One of the more popular bands on the Ren Faire circuit for many years was a sort of pipe band with a punk rock attitude called "Tartanic." Their music alternates between silly (bagpipe renditions of Twisted Sister or the can-can) and really rousing traditional jigs, marches, and such--all with a pounding drumbeat.

Andrew

[Jock Scot]

I cannot escape the feeling in regards to the matter of Ren Fairs, that I am glad that there are a couple of thousand miles of water between me and them!

[jthk]

I cannot escape the feeling in regards to the matter of Ren Fairs, that I am glad that there are a couple of thousand miles of water between me and them!

Jock, I used to think similarly but then after being paid to play some music there (a schoolteacher's paycheck could always use a bit more cash), I started to have a bit of fun. The thing that allowed me to enjoy myself was suspending my preconceptions and realise that everyone was simply out to have a good time and I needed to let that happen.

That said, not everyone likes milk with their tea! (Or there are those who don't like tea!)

Best,
Jonathan