vintage kilt with drawers on Ebay

[neloon]

Tartan undertrews were not just common, they were almost universal, two pairs being automatically supplied by kiltmakers prior to the Second War. Of course, they were not comfortable but people didn't expect clothing to be all that comfortable in those days. They originated in the army.

[Leoghan]

i might even think the trews under the kilt was a very common thing even in the early days of the kilt. many of the descriptions giving of the 16th century scots do mention trews and there long cloak witch could be neatly tucked up in belt for travel. or simply says the simplest of covering for there lower then goes on to describe shirt and cloak/brat/kilt.
for a while i have thought that going regimental was a rather new thing.
but im sure there is better historians here who can say more.

[neloon]

"even in the early days of the kilt. "
Oh, indeed, when the kilt was invented around 1580, Highlanders were wearing "femoralia simplicissima" = shorts of the simplest kind. The kilt was an OVERgarment and went on top of these so that they became "undertrews" though, of course, they were not underwear. It was still quite common in my young day for boys and men to remove their kilts in public when circumstances warranted since there was nothing embarassing about what was underneath.

[auld argonian]

I remember reading the Playboy Advisor column in Playboy Magazine sometime back in the 60's and seeing that one of the entries addressed the question of what is worn under the kilt. The response went on pretty much as you might guess but at the end of it, they quoted someone from an established kilt making firm in the UK as saying something to the effect that he couldn't outright TELL the interviewer what men wore under the kilt but he would say that his firm frequently sold a matching pair of Bermuda Shorts along with a kilt. So...

Actually, on a cool note, I met the guy who was the main author of those Playboy Advisor columns during that time period as he was a regular in a bar up on Rush Street that I hung out in....one of the most interesting people ever.

Best

AA

[Tobus]

Tartan undertrews were not just common, they were almost universal, two pairs being automatically supplied by kiltmakers prior to the Second War. Of course, they were not comfortable but people didn't expect clothing to be all that comfortable in those days. They originated in the army.

I thought the army required the kilt to be worn 'regimental' style? I guess I don't understand how tartan undergarments would have originated in the army if they weren't allowed to be worn. Or is the whole military 'regimental' requirement just a myth?

I could see them being used for formal affairs like military balls where ladies might be present, though, so that could explain it...

[neloon]

The so-called "regimental" tradition applied only to private soldiers (i.e. the lowest rank - not the officers and pipers) and only on active service to reduce the difficulties of drying laundry round a camp fire. But in the freezing trenches pf the First War, even private soldiers (my father was one) were issued with woollen undertrews to be worn on the say-so of the medical officer.* The kilt has not been worn on active service since 1940 and for ceremonial duties nowadays there is no "regimental" requirement - it would probably be regarded as an infringment of a soldier's human rights!!

*I believe that, in uniform lists, they were called "drawers, short".
Pictures show them being worn behind the lines while kilts were being de-loused and my father said they were always worn when travelling home on leave.

[RogerWS76]

I am reminded of the line in the 1955 movie Geordie about a Scottish Hammer thrower turned Olympian.

His mother was sending him off to throw the hammer in the olympics and her last words to him as she saw him off in a crowd at the train station in his father's Black Watch kilt were:

"Geordie, remember not to wear your underwear if it gets too hot!"

[Bjarg Jonsson]

Now this has been an interesting thread! Thank you for the input neloon.

Cheers,

Bjarg Jonsson

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I find it odd that some people claim these were "common", yet no one can explain how they work or how they're worn!

And when I try to work it out in my own head, I can't help but think it's like a tartan version of this:

As a youngster my "wee trews" were held up with a pair of narrow white braces that were worn over my t-shirt and under my dress shirt. This provided a bit of bulk around my hips and helped keep my kilt cinched in place. My younger cousin had bodice that buttoned up the front attached to his wee trews; this was worn under his shirt instead of a t-shirt. When my Mother's uncle passed away I had to sort through his things, amongst which was a kilt in McBain tartan with matching trews lined with chamois to guard against chaffing.

I suspect "wee trews" are a mystery to most North Americans of Scottish ancestry because they have come to kilt wearing rather recently-- since the 1960s at any rate-- and their local kilt shops probably didn't bother to supply their customers with any sort of tartan underpinnings.