Maybe I'm wrong, maybe the Kilt isn't 'just clothes'.

[English Bloke]

Sometimes I wonder, is it worth the hassle?...

I received an interesting comment today. I was in deepest Englandshire (in Yorkshire to be precise) and was dressed in a 16oz 8 yard hand sewn in a casual styleee.

As I pottered about with my family, I was approached by a kilting expert who informed me that I was NOT ALLOWED to wear a kilt unless I was Scottish. He also told me that he was Scottish and therefore knew this for a fact. Whereas I was English and didn't. I was also told that being English I'd probably be wearing underpants... True Scotsmen never wear underpants (apparently...) An Englishman would always wear pants though, because he is less manly than a... err... true Scotsman.

I'd have been interested to know how he knew I was English immediately. Perhaps my internet persona and picture catalogue precedes me. Perhaps it was an assumption based on geography, perhaps it was because I wasn't wearing the Kilt with a hired PC jacket, white hose and a nice rabbit 'dress sporran' on a bog chain.

Unfortunately he hurried away before I had the opportunity to engage in debate and I found it difficult to get my points across over the torrent of abuse he was hurling over his shoulder, although to be fair I did raise my voice ever-so slightly to enable him to hear better.

Couple of things...

I would have liked to have explored his definition of Scottish. I'd also have been interested to know the statutes upon which he based his assertion 'Not Allowed'. I've also never been able to get my head around this obsession with undercrackers, especially when coming from another Bloke and I would have liked him to elaborate on why he was so threatened by me that he felt the need to verbally attack me in front of my 4 year old daughter... Over a Kilt! I was actually quite disappointed when he scuttled away. I really would have liked to extend the conversation to a whole new level.

I was also quite disappointed as I didn't even get the chance to compliment him on the nice trousers he was wearing.

I suspect (although I possibly generalise) he'd be another weddings and hogmanay only kilt wearer who doesn't want anyone but a qualified scot to wear the kilt, yet with the same breath will be moaning that home-grown kilt makers are under threat. Failing to see the irony of "If you don't use 'em, you'll lose 'em". I wonder what he'd be saying in a decade's time if he went to buy a Kilt and all that was available we're £400+ imported PV's of the same poor quality that 10 years before were retailing on the Royal Mile for just £40. And all those wonderful British Woolen Mills and Scottish Kiltmakers were a distant memory. Put out of business by a lack of local demand.

Not that I should care... After all I'm English, why should it worry me??...

I'm seriously tempted to put my Kilts away. I can't really be bothered with fending off this kind of dullard bigotry!!