We're finally getting kilted!

[Flavia]

I was the one who wanted one for my husband even since before we were married. I was in my twenties before I discovered (by accident) that our Irish ancestry was also Scottish. The name of the woman who came off the boat 3 generations ago was "Dawson". That's a sept of Clan Davidson (forgive me, anyone who thinks I am talking down to you - please accept this as just a narrative of my thought process). And even if you go by the idea that you can only be a member of a clan if you have the last name, Clan Davidson doesn't (bless their hearts!). So I went looking for a Davidson kilt.

Ow.

They're not cheap. It's not like it's a popular tartan that gets reproduced at the drop of a Thermos (tm) or anything! So FWICS, you always have to get a special order, or you have to buy a "nice" kilt - wool, reputable company, all that stuff you should do when you get a kilt, but don't necessarily always do. But we don't have the sort of disposable income that would allow us to buy one of these just because I think my husband would look excellent in a kilt. And he was never too keen on it , so I just let the matter drop. As in "constant low-level background noise every time something even remotely Scottish came up in our lives" (heehee. You shoulda heard things around here when I discovered the Jewish kilt!! LOL!). He also vetoed a Utilikilt. Sigh. Which got exacerbated a couple years ago when our son reached an age where he realized that since Mommy was (part) Scots, he "got to wear one".

I realize this all might sound rather acrimonious - no, it's all been in good fun - teasing/joking agitation rather than whining & griping. The funniest bit was the "bargain" we made where my husband did "threaten" our son with a "murse (man-purse)", & I quickly said that "He'll get a murse when you get a kilt!" & the Hubby fell right into that one, agreeing, thinking that there was NO WAY our son was EVER going to carry anything even remotely resembling a purse. At which point my son said "Okay!" & asked for my old ROTC ammo bag... Needless to say, the Hubby elided the whole thing by ignoring it.

Until two months ago.

Friends of ours are getting married, and the request is "Victorian or Scottish Dress." & my son all but demanded a kilt. My husband, who has a beautiful frock coat & white pique vest (I used to work at an upscale fabric store, and we do LARPing), was rather complacent, & I said nothing to him. We are looking at a couple thousand in dental bills in the next few months, & the porch needs replacing; this was no time to demand that he get my family kilt and all the accoutrements, especially when he had a perfectly good and very fine looking outfit. But I did get on the 'net & start looking for cheap kilts for my son. He'll outgrow anything I buy in about a year or so, so, no, I'm not getting him anything that costs too much (& I did promise him, because he was going to "miss out" now, that, if he wanted, I would get him a real Davidson kilt when he stopped growing. He is such a good boy, he said that it didn't even matter, as long as I got him a nice-looking kilt).

But wait, it gets better!

I spoke to our friends last month, mentioning how excited my son was at wearing a kilt (We got him a budget "Irish Heritage" kilt - he flat-out refused to wear "Pride of Scotland", because it was purple! I tried to talk him into saffron, because it would have been distinctive & the color is great on him (He's an Autumn - 14% of the population!), but he positively hates it. Oh well!). The groom looked up. "Your son is actually going to wear a kilt!" "Of course!" "Heck, my own nephews refuse to! They say they don't want to wear skirts!" We commiserated on his ignorant nephews & the groom then said, "If your son will actually wear a kilt, I'll make him an usher." "& I'll buy him his kilt hose & flashes as a gift." Needless to say, my son solemnly accepted (he's such a little man!), and then I had to start looking for a coat & vest (more on that later). But it was in the middle on my online quest for something used (cheaper!) that my husband asked, "So, should I get a kilt?"



After twenty years! And, get this - he told me that he didn't hate them, just had no reason to wear one (He's lucky he's cute, or I think I might have killed him, then). But that's not the only punchline that was on me.

No sooner did I actually buy my husband a kilt (he decided he wanted Black Watch), when I found a Davidson kilt at a price we really could afford. For some reason I have yet to fathom, Atlanta Kilts has a "dress Davidson" tartan - whch I didn't know existed. I was all set to tell them they had made a mistake when a little voice told me to check first. & I did. I went to the Clan Davidson website - & there it was!! It was designed by a Stewart (ok...) for a wedding gown, & Clan Davidson has obviously okayed it - & it's registered, too.

Anyone wanna buy a cheap Black Watch kilt?

Sigh.

[Grizzly]

Welcome again Flavia, many of us start out with the black watch, because you can pick them up fairly cheaply in P/V or acrylic, it's a good way of discovering whether kilting is something you really want to do without spending a fortune. However once you start, there is no stopping, it becomes habit forming, more kilts, more sporrans, more hose and there's that nice jacket, oh and a sgian dubh. The list goes on and on.

Welcome to the madness!

[Godot]

Welcome, Flavia! Your luck sounds about like mine, you find something that looks good, then find something better and wish you wouldn't have bought the first one. There is a For Sale section down lower in the forum if you really want to sell the Black Watch. But if your husband discovers he really likes kilts, he may need more than one!

[Flavia]

Oh, yes! I allowed my son to pick what we all thought was a sgian dubh from online - the seller even called it one. But when it got here, it was so huge & so heavy, even my husband won't be able to fit it into his hose!

My only real problem is that my son point-blank refuses to wear a fur sporran (he's sensitive that way). So I am looking for a fancied up black one that will look good against the Irish National (yes, it is as bright as you've heard, if you haven't actually seen it).

[rmccool]

Unless it's really a financial burden, hang on to the Black Watch. If your husband enjoys being kilted, he'll end up needing more than one kilt. If he doesn't, there'll be time to sell it then.

[Flavia]

I could send it back; I'm...negotiating with my husband about it, now...

[TheOfficialBren]

*** to what has been said before. My first kilt was a Thrifty by Stillwater in (you guessed it) the Blackwatch tartan to test the waters. My next kilt was a P/V in the Holyrood tartan from USA Kilts. My next one will be in our clan's tartan in a nice wool. I would wager that more kilts have been purchased in Blackwatch tartan than any other tartan and that it has served as a gateway to pretty much every other kilt-wearer outwith (and a few within) Scotland.


Hang on to the Blackwatch. If you complimemt your husband enough he will wear the kilt more often. Every man wants to makw their partner happy. We just need the proper amount of praise, encouragement, and arm-twisting.

[rlh2]

I don't have much to add other than I really enjoyed the read. I'm happy for the fact that your husband came around to your way of thinking. Post their pics if they'll let you.

[Geoff Withnell]

Welcome to the Clan! Joined Davidson a couple or years ago, when I found out my father's mother, maiden name Davis or Davies (spelled both ways, sometimes on the same document) was from "up North" not Wales. Actually, there are several Davidson tartans available in wool at normal prices. And Freedom Kilts or USAKilts can make the Marton Mills Davidson PV kilts for very reasonable prices. I second the idea of keeping the BlackWatch, always nice to have a second kilt.

Contact Debbie Davidson, our DC area Clan leader. She is super nice, and will let you know what games/festivals the clan will be participating in locally.

Again, Welcome!

[Flavia]

rlh2: I fully intend to post pictures - & I am so glad you enjoyed my post; I tend to post in a conversational style, rather than an essay style.

TheOfficialBren: yes, he's noticed already how tickled I am by the whole thing, so, yeah, I think we may have turned a very important corner

Everyone: had a final talk with The Hubby today & he made an incredibly wise observation: he plans to lose weight, and so, yeah, I'll hold onto this one, & buy him the other kilt when he's at his better weight. YAY!