Two Telling comments? The Answer Perhaps?

[Ron Abbott]

Does there need to be an explanation?

Maybe so for those outside the country to understand.....

I for one wouldn't wear a kilt daily because I find wearing it for a lot of activities, to be damned uncomfortable.
A suit or a jacket and slacks are far more comfortable. Ditto that for jeans and jersey or whatever.
Then there's all the hassle with sporrans, hose, belts etc. etc. I couldn't be arsed with all that each day!

Maybe many of you will disagree with that and fair on you if you do. It's just a personal opinion.

I suppose adopting the 'Duncan look' (Monarch of the Glen) wouldn't be too bad, at least he wasn't covered in clan this, clan that and clan bloody everything else!

One thing that may relate to me personally but not to the majority is that I think I've overdone it in the past. I used to play in two pipe bands at the same time, also played solo....I was hardly ever out the kilt.

Then there's the fact that I don't want to look like a tourist.
Think tourist in Paris with a red beret on head.
In fact, I actually saw some last year when there.....which is why I specifically mentioned that. By their accents almost certainly from one of the southern states of the USA. I gather they had some sort of French ancestry and were trying to blend in, but all they really did was look very stupid and touristy.

Maybe you should also be asking if there any national groups in particular who like to try and adopt what they think or perceive is the dress that belongs in some way to their ancestors?

I've seen people from all over, China and Japan included wearing the kilt, but the 'loudest dressed' and most frequently clad in outfits sporting 'clan bloody everything' were Americans. Sorry if that offends but it happens to be true.

Then maybe there is the whole 'northern Britons' thing. It's seen as quaint but should really only be brought out on occasions when some sort of national 'costume' is acceptable. And that in itself says something. The word 'costume' rather than 'national dress'.

To Scots is that an issue?

The majority of Scots in our past have lived not in the highlands but in what today is termed as the Central belt or lowlands. Is that part of the issue.....some remnant of seeing the highlands and its culture as being not quite as civilised?

Could it be that for some, the whole kilt and highland thing, clans and all....is seen as just a big invention?

The brigadoonery factor has to be in there somewhere as well. Or maybe that's related to the touristy thing?

However there are people in Scotland who wear the kilt almost every day if not actually every day and they do it out of choice.

My (late) godfather was one. He was a well known Edinburgh icon.

Another was my former boss....whom I don't think actually owned any trousers.

[Cyd]

In Blairgowrie there used to be a couple of older fellas that wore kilts regularly, but that was it. For us, and I think most Scots, a kilt is a substitute for a suit, but even then only on particular occasions. Growing up we used to wear kilts at times to International rugby matches, but that was more tongue in cheek than anything else. Some would paint their faces too in a big St. Andrews cross, but that wouldn't be recommended for everyday garb either.

There definitely is a "I don't want to be mistaken for a tourist" as well as a distinct cultural difference. You don't see many Scots running around in white trainers and sweat pants either, which is frequently the dress that preceded the tourist kilt. I think some of the push back comming from some in this forum when I point out traditionally, you don't dress to show up your host is part of that. Generally the British are much less comfortable loudly dressed and presenting themselves as the center of attention. Being the center of attention is not always a good thing, and wearing a kilt daily is certainly unconventional and likely to attract attention.

If your goal is to make daily kilt-wearing a norm, I wish you luck. I suspect however you will have to be happy being benign form of exhibitionist, which is absolutely fine. Just recognize it for what it is. Especially in Scotland.

[Grouse Claw]

"If your goal is to make daily kilt-wearing a norm, I wish you luck. I suspect however you will have to be happy being benign form of exhibitionist, which is absolutely fine. Just recognize it for what it is. Especially in Scotland."

And there it is, gentlemen, guys, or whatever you like, on the nose, you/we are a collection of eccentric exhibitionists. I think Cyd is right. So we can take down this site.

[Cyd]

"If your goal is to make daily kilt-wearing a norm, I wish you luck. I suspect however you will have to be happy being benign form of exhibitionist, which is absolutely fine. Just recognize it for what it is. Especially in Scotland."

And there it is, gentlemen, guys, or whatever you like, on the nose, you/we are a collection of eccentric exhibitionists. I think Cyd is right. So we can take down this site.

NO, NO! If that is your take, your logic differs considerably from mine. It is precisely the reason this site should exist!!

If you don't recognize that what we are doing is unusual and wearing a kilt every day in the 21st century a way of attracting attention, you are being delusional. There is nothing wrong with eccentricity, and if it turns out to be a good idea it will eventually be adopted as the norm. It is also however a swim upstream. In the meantime enjoy life and be happy.

I am beginning to think some of you guys see this forum more as a refuge of like-minded people seeking comfort from a cruel world, rather than a place to share ideas about highland dress, kilt construction, and everything else that goes with it. There seems to be a tendency to try to quash anything that doesn't fit into your view.

I think maybe I will just move on. Frankly, a lot of you are guilty of the very things you complain about.