Englishmen in Kilts

[Hamish]

The following letter appeared in the Scottish paper, "The Sunday Post" this weekend - one week after the article featuring me and my kilts appeared in the same journal:

Kilts

Do you think it’s possible to get Englishmen to wear kilts? I reckon if some enterprising Scottish manufacturer were to sell kilts in bright colours with assorted designs of chess-board checks, polka dots, stripes, zig-zags, etc, complete with a bright red sporran, they could really catch on. Perhaps at first for wear in discos/nightclubs and then, as people became bolder, for everyday wear. It’s time to brighten up men’s fashion. Sassenach kilts could be the answer.

Ken Evans, Truro

If anyone wants to respond to this rather odd suggestion, they should write to:

readerspage@sundaypost.com

before Friday of this week.

[Rhino]

Mr Evans obviously has no idea of the evolution of kilts. As an Englishman, albeit of various heritages, I am often in a kilt but wouldn't be seen dead in polka dot or zig-zag kilt with or without a bright red sporran.
What is he saying the English are colour blind and have the dress sense of the average 5 yeqar old playing dress up.
As an aside talking to a guy in Edinburgh this weekend he was asking how often me and a couple of friends wore our kilts. I told him, his reply was 'bloody hell, you wear them more than we do'.
Cheers Rhino

[bubba]

That calls for no response beyond a puzzled look

[Graham]

That calls for no response beyond a puzzled look

I think the guy is taking the mickey. I'm an Englishman and I already wear kilts and have better sense that to wear such outlandish colours.

[Rob]

The following letter appeared in the Scottish paper, "The Sunday Post" this weekend - one week after the article featuring me and my kilts appeared in the same journal:

Kilts

Do you think it’s possible to get Englishmen to wear kilts? I reckon if some enterprising Scottish manufacturer were to sell kilts in bright colours with assorted designs of chess-board checks, polka dots, stripes, zig-zags, etc, complete with a bright red sporran, they could really catch on. Perhaps at first for wear in discos/nightclubs and then, as people became bolder, for everyday wear. It’s time to brighten up men’s fashion. Sassenach kilts could be the answer.

Ken Evans, Truro

Ham,

There could be more to this than meets the eye. The writer (Ken Evans) is from Truro in Cornwall, where certain elements within the population don’t consider themselves to be English. Cornwall is also one of only a few English counties, which have their own tartans, and where it is not uncommon to see men wearing kilts on Cornish nationalistic occasions. Ken also uses the word ‘Sassenach’, which although it is normally used by the Scots to refer to the English, is actually from a Gaelic word meaning ‘Saxon’ (in fact the Cornish have their own version of the word, ‘Sawsnek’). As no self respecting Cornishman would ever consider himself to be a Saxon, I am wandering if this is Ken’s way of having a disparaging dig at the ‘English’, by implying that the only way one would get an ‘Englishman’ into a kilt would be to turn it into some sort of pop-art disco-wear garment with bright colours, polka dots and zigzags.

Rob (a Devonian, who is always highly suspicious of Cornishmen’s motives)

[David E]

Well I'm living proof that its possible to get an Englishman into a kilt - and I don't need any stupid designs to get me into one!

Does anyone think this article is worth replying to?

Cheers
David.

[Hamish]

Hmmmn. Interesting responses.

I was keen to see what reactions this letter might have caused.

My immediate thought, on reading Mr.Evans' words, was that he is having a sly 'dig' at me following the article printed the previous week - especially, as the photo accompanying it shows me in a plain white kilt rather than a tartan one.

I propose writing to the paper later today, not rising to the bait, but simply pointing out that several kiltmakers in Scotland are already successfully retailing non-tartan kilts (eg: TFCK) which are being sold all over the world, including England!

[Graham]

Rob, very interesting and informative. I do know that Truro is in Cornwall, and of their celtic tradition (didn't know about the tartan) but i wrongly assumed that there was another Truro in Scotland.

thanks for that

[Rhino]

I'd agree to that Hamish, I don't see the letter itself as worth replying to but do feel it's worth pointing out that the 'idea' is already happening, and in a far more sensible way than suggested.
I also feel lads that we're reading far too much into this letter. I feel that it's just an attempt at a 'joke' at the expense of the English by someone as uninformed as he is lacking in style.
I vote that Scots and English and anyone who wants to join in invade Cornwall immediately and make Truro suffer for letting this idiot live there.