The New Traditionalists (Traditional kilts, Modern looks)

[Lime]

I fancy I fall into this category: everything is "proper" and "traditional" but with an unmistakeable modern edge.



I know the kilt looks very short in this picture but it is just the angle of the kilt/leg/camera. Also the shirt sleeves are too long... I had to get the shirt last minute on the day because of an ironing disaster with the one I brought with me (what is it about weddings, white shirts and irons - now I always pack a minimum of two!).

[Paul Henry]

Thank you Jamie for the mention, I'm honoured.
I think confidence has so much to so with whatever we wear , kilted or not, it's neither about breaking rules nor is it being completely anarchist.I want to feel comfortable whatever I'm wearing, and in whatever situation,there are times that people do comment on my choices, and sometimes they don't work as well as I had hoped but I'm always willing to learn and give it a go!


Two different kilts, with two different ways of wearing them

Heavyweight striped black and grey denim



20 oz Italian green tweed

[Geoff Withnell]

I fancy I fall into this category: everything is "proper" and "traditional" but with an unmistakeable modern edge.



I know the kilt looks very short in this picture but it is just the angle of the kilt/leg/camera. Also the shirt sleeves are too long... I had to get the shirt last minute on the day because of an ironing disaster with the one I brought with me (what is it about weddings, white shirts and irons - now I always pack a minimum of two!).

You look very well put together. And with the best of all kilt accessories, traditional or modern on your arm!

[kilted bear]

Here's what I think...

Great look... I also have a very non-traditional/modern take on kilt wearing. I really like a traditional kilt with blazer, sweater look. I reallywant to travel to scotland a get a GREAT kilt... but hubby has put a cabash on that due to multi-thousand dollar that quote that I got from the maker!!!

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Here's what I think...

99% of the time when I see a normal sportcoat or suit jacket worn with a kilt, it looks horrible.... You can just tell he garment was not meant to be worn with the kilt and it makes the outfit look sloppy. So I would not normally recommend it.

Then there is the 1% that proves that it is possible for a standard sportcoat to work with the kilt on occasion. And this outfit is in that 1%.

I'm not sure what makes this look alright to me, but I honestly think it might be the striped scarf!

[thecompaqguy]

Thank you Jamie for the mention, I'm honoured.
I think confidence has so much to so with whatever we wear , kilted or not, it's neither about breaking rules nor is it being completely anarchist.I want to feel comfortable whatever I'm wearing, and in whatever situation,there are times that people do comment on my choices, and sometimes they don't work as well as I had hoped but I'm always willing to learn and give it a go!



Heavyweight striped black and grey denim

Paul, to use a much-hated Twitter US phrase - you KILT IT, lol

I've been looking for a Denim kilt for ages, but sadly they're out of stock at Scotweb... I'd need to re-mortgage for a 21st Century Kilt in denim... how much do you sell Denim ones for?

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I'll throw my hat into the ring. A lot of modern-day kilt wearers live in decidedly non-Scottish climates. Not only are the average temps much warmer than in Scotland, but a lot of events we would like to wear the kilt to, such as Highland Games, are scheduled during the heat of the summer.

How do you keep a fairly traditional look, but adapted to a warmer clime?

Here is how you may find me typically dressed in the warm months.

The kilt is a four yard box pleated kilt, which itself is a throw-back to the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, but revived as a lighter weight, cooler wearing alternative. I'm wearing it with a simple short-sleeved button shirt, simple sporran, simple self-colored hose and garter ties. No waist belt (which I also finds keeps me cooler).

Now if I wanted to get dressed up a bit more in the summer months, I'd wear one of the STM's linen kilt jackets.

Like Steve's jacket, this one is made with an eye more towards modern fashion. No gauntlet cuffs, no epaulettes, three-button closures. Same simple sporran, self-colored hose, etc. Even with the addition of the patterned tie and pocket square, the outfit is still pretty simple and clean.

What about in the colder months? Well, I most often wear a tweed kilt jacket, but if I want to go with a slightly different look, I might put on this Harris Tweed shooting jacket, specially cut for a kilt.


Or, more likely, a nice sweater, hand knit by my wife!

[Brett]

99% of the time when I see a normal sportcoat or suit jacket worn with a kilt, it looks horrible.... You can just tell he garment was not meant to be worn with the kilt and it makes the outfit look sloppy. So I would not normally recommend it.

Then there is the 1% that proves that it is possible for a standard sportcoat to work with the kilt on occasion. And this outfit is in that 1%.

I'm not sure what makes this look alright to me, but I honestly think it might be the striped scarf!

I wonder if it also has to do with height. It seems a taller man looks better than a shorter fellow with a standard length sprotcoat and kilt together. I'm only about 5'9 with a long torso and shorter legs and anytime I've put on a standard length sportcoat with my kilt, just to see how it looks, it looks ridiculous.

However, I completely agree with you that the gentleman in the picture posted looks really sharp

[creagdhubh]

Traditional highland fashion is absolutely wonderful and I greatly appreciate it and enjoy wearing it. But sometimes it seems that there is an assumption that everyone who owns a traditional handmade quality wool kilt is automatically an old fogey or a kilt snob.

Now I like tweed and a good G&T as much as the next fellow (all right, all right... in truth I probably like tweed and a good G&T significantly more than the next fellow )...However I, like most people, have all sorts of sides and I thought it would be fun to explore traditional kilts worn with modern flair. On the whole we tend to think of Modern=Casual. But XMTS' own Paul Henry often shows us his looks using his own traditionally made kilts in decidely modern ways that are not casually worn.

So I thought I would share my attempt at a modern kilt look that I would feel happy wearing to a reasonably nice restaurant or event and hope others will do the same.

The tartan is the beautiful Heatherfield, and the kilt was made by the lady who (literally!) wrote the book on traditional kilts Dr. Barb Tewksbury. The look (with a little help from Jerry V. at Stillwater with the jacket and sporran) is throughly modern*








Any other "New Tradionalists" out there?

Cheers

Jamie

* The shoes are 80's retro swordfish skin Zodiacs for all you hipsters out there

Hahaha! You look great, Jamie! I love the leather and the shades - very cool indeed!

Well done, as always, mate!

Cheers,

[carlb]

I wonder if it also has to do with height. It seems a taller man looks better than a shorter fellow with a standard length sprotcoat and kilt together. I'm only about 5'9 with a long torso and shorter legs and anytime I've put on a standard length sportcoat with my kilt, just to see how it looks, it looks ridiculous.

However, I completely agree with you that the gentleman in the picture posted looks really sharp

I agree with your agreement with Matt.

I think it might be that, in this case, the jacket looks like it's functioning more like a coat than a jacket (if that makes any sense at all; it does in my head). Leaving it unbuttoned is the key; buttoned and it would look all kinds of strange and weird.

And, yes, I suspect having a tall, slender frame goes a long way toward making that kind of look successful.

I suppose the photo below counts toward this thread; I had just bought my first kilt, and didn't have much in the way of "proper" kilt accessories to wear with it, but my leather jacket is somewhat high-waisted, and I think it does the trick (it also helps that I had the most important accessory of all ):