Steve Ashton has described the evolutionary history of modern and contemporary kilts elsewhere:

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...56/#post767747

Some of them seem to have evolved more naturally from traditional kilts (like Howie Nicholsby's 21st Century Kilts) while others are really MUGS that came to be associated with kilts as an afterthought (Utilikilts).

I think it is interesting to note how that evolution seems to have happened in multiple locations around the same time: mid 1980s to early 1990s. The results are rather different in different places, but it would be interesting to consider what social, economic, or technological conditions facilitated their occurrence.

In the early 21st century, it appears that the rate of change has slowed down again, perhaps because there are only so many things one can do with a kilt. Time will tell which characteristics will be selected as the most fit to continue...