New English kilt wearer advice

[Sharkman]

Welcome ruggerjocks!

It matters not one way or the other if you're Scot, wear the kilt to please yourself.

I joined the rabble last year and I'm glad that I did. I live in America and I'm English on both sides of my family and have Scots and everybody else mixed in there too.

I wear the kilt to celebrate my individuality and as an acknowledgement of my Scottish heritage. The Clan here will help you figure out what works and what doesn't, but ultimately it is up to you how, where and when you wear your kilts. I made that plural because you will be buying more of them. I'm saving for my next one now!

[RAF]

You know you're ahead of the game when people ask you why you're NOT wearing a Kilt. Seems to be a typical response around me now anyway.

So true. I wear my kilts at least two times a week to work, as well as when just out and about. It's come to a point where customers where I work will now often ask me why I am NOT wearing a kilt on any given day. Enjoy the experience. Like many things it gets easier and "more natural" with practice. Welcome!

[Piipriker]

welcome from Germany

[GG]

Being not Scottish I feel free to wear a kilt whenever I feel like it. Special occasions are too seldom.

[guardsman]

So your gay, going to be shouted at in the street, if they dont know already,your outed. Always think of a kilt as a very masculine item , so hope your a forward LOL. Hope you get a proper tartan kilt under tutelage of your mate and remeber the history attached. good luck, I smile at the thought of all those women that will be broken hearted LOL. Best wishes and good luck

[Mikilt]

Ruggerjocks,
I am not a Scot, but I wear the kilt where and when I wish. If you want to wear the kilt, wear it for yourself. Don't do it for someone you fancy.

Just my opinion.

~M

By the way, you might have realized by now that if you ask for advice on this site, you will get it.

[CMcG]

... I recently went to a wedding in England and my mate said I should wear my kilt but I wimped out - I feel like unless I am at a Scottish event I will just come across as the 'English guy in a skirt' which will ruin the experience. It's a real shame because I want to be able to wear my kilt more than just once or twice a year but don't want it to bring negative attention.

OK, so there's two issues here with wanting to wear the kilt more often: national/ethnic identity and not wanting to get negative attention.

One doesn't have to be Scottish to wear the kilt. That being said, it is probably the most comfortable connection and as Chas has mentioned, you might be able to find a bit of Scottish heritage in your family tree if you do some digging. It doesn't matter how tenuous because no-one is going to ask for DNA records and a complete lineage Some other members of the Celtic nations (Ireland, Wales, Cornwall in particular) have also adopted the kilt, though that connection is sometimes contested on Xmarks.

I personally reserve my public kilt wearing to special occasions as this helps in avoiding negative attention. Of course a broad definition of "special" can lead to all sorts of excuses for wearing the kilt The wedding you mentioned, for example, would have been a good occasion though it is usually wise to consult with the host of an event about their wishes in regards to the guests' attire. In my experience many people appreciate the effort expressed by wearing special clothing for a special event.

I also often wear an inexpensive kilt around the house for comfort's sake There is also strength in numbers, so you can continue to kilt up to watch rugby with your buddy and perhaps try to find some local Xmarkers for kilt nights.

[chrisupyonder]

Welcome from the far north of Scotland.

We moved up here from Manchester 15 years ago but I only started wearing a kilt just over a year ago. I started just wearing it a weekends and special occasions but that did not last long and I bought 3 more kilts during the first few months. I now wear a kilt nearly all the time. Kilts are not seen much in Scotland during the day for every day wear so I do stand out a bit when shopping etc. But I do not care. I have never had any negative comments but do get asked quite often what my tartan is.
My brother still lives in Manchester and he has seen the odd kilted gentlemen wandering the streets of the rainy city.
Once you get used to wearing a kilt, pants seem so clingy and I feel warmer in one of my 16oz 8yd tanks than I do in trousers.

As far as I know, I do not have any Scottish family but my surname is one of the MacLaren clan names so I applied to join the clan society and was accepted.
Put you surname in here after clicking on the Tartan Ferret, you may be surprised. http://www.tartansauthority.com/

Enjoy your kilt, it's great fun and addictive.

Edit: Forgot to ask, what sort of area in Englandshire are you from?

Chris.

[Salvianus]

Welcome to you, John

I do have Scottish family, but I was born and have always lived in England and I know what people mean about feeling self conscious about being an Englishman in a kilt. Aside from the ribbing you get the world over for looking different, (which I've always thought is a good reason to do it, if you're feeling up to it), I would be lying if I didn't say that some kilted Scots I know have been a little put out to see Highland dress 'affected' by someone who seems to be a Saxon, just too civil to say it. The best way to get over that is to wear it until it's natural, not an affectation.

I actually bought my first kilt in a bid to honour a Scottish mate who was coming to my English town as a halfway point to get married to a southern lass, and giving up a big Scottish wedding to do it, but I bottled at the last minute when I couldn't get the whole traditional kit together in time, as I didn't want to cause offence by bastardising it at a formal event. As it happens, I would have been the only one kilted & though I know the bride & groom wouldn't have blinked if I turned up in a tutu, I was relieved to remain a bit more low key when meeting his family for the first time, to be honest. These days I have a nice kit & I tend to go to anything formal in it (except when it will draw attention from the important people on the occasion).

I enjoyed the whole of my last proper holiday kilted in Skye, with nothing but good to say: it's at home on the hills. I do find myself choosing to leave my kilts behind when I'm going to the lowlands, just to avoid making a challenging event more complicated. I find my modern denim kilt with pockets most comfortable for practical wear, though I do wear it with a sporran. Most of my English male friends my age associate them with being worn by the gay community or by metal fans, whereas they’ll just assume a traditional kilt means you have Scots blood. Younger, more cosmopolitan folk just see it as a fashion choice. My wife & my female friends just like men in kilts, especially my female friends who happen to be gay etc. Tear down the walls.

I have only once been torn into by a deeply offended Scot for insulting her personally by appropriating the national dress, despite being surrounded by people in actual fancy dress where I was more worried by the girl in a Hitler Youth outfit. However, as even my close family being Scottish wasn't enough to mollify her, and her being well in her cups, I think it was just the English accent that was the red rag to the bull: there's a deep hurt there for some Scots and I think the best you can do is avoid the obvious places where you risk a thumping, perhaps be a little more respectful of tradition and certainly be a decent bloke.

I have found the spirit of X-Marks of great encouragement as well as practical advice and EnglishBloke has been quite an inspiration, just getting on with wearing the kilt a lot. I think that there are two very different motivations at work in X-Markers (usually both): the love of the kilt as a way of dressing and the love of Scotland whether born & bred, from a family connection however slight, or simply for the love of the place.

The genes show most 'English' folk are indistinguishable from most of the rest of the ‘Celtic’ inhabitants of the British Isles (and the closest part of western Europe, not just our friends in Brittany). We were one population for thousands of years before our modern nations were hammered out by the top few landowners.

But I don't think it barriers should be put up depending on where your parents were living when you were born or where your grandparents were born or what colour your skin is. We're all cousins, some of our connections are just a little further back. With such positive outcomes from national Parliament and such popular support for and realistic prospect of independence, I hope that it can help us all remain amicable if people who don't happen to have the vote in Scotland can still show they love the place. There’s a lot more supporters than can play in the team.

[English Bloke]

... I have found the spirit of X-Marks of great encouragement as well as practical advice and English Bloke has been quite an inspiration, just getting on with wearing the kilt a lot.

I'd just drop a thanks in here for that kind remark.

Your other points regarding Scotland and the English, including our mutual mongrel identity are also very valid. Cheers!