Kilt Orientation Issues

[Tarheel]

"The Emperor's new clothes" a fable where
a misinformed valet advised his attire.
Here's hoping all will (turn around)
a favorable evening be found
and eliminate Robert Burn's frown.

It's the best I can offer at such short notice folks.

[MacCathmhaoil]

I've never understood the mixing of military uniform with civilian attire to try and create a connection where one does not exist. I could perhaps understand if the individual had been a member of a highland regiment, clearly this is not the case. I would ask why a regimental tie or a lapel pin would not suffice? Is there some compelling reason I am missing?
I won't even comment on the kilt being worn backwards........

[MacRobert's Reply]

Poor misguided chap - what an embarrassing picture. The day-wear sporran and long tie with what appears to be a formal doublet are insignificant compared to the kilt the wrong way round.

[The Wizard of BC]

I don't really blame guys for having strange ideas of how a kilt should be worn. All the average guy has to go on are old movies, and pictures gleaned off the internet of kilted military units and the occasional pipe band.

Do a simply google image search just like the average guy seeking information on wearing a kilt would do. What do you see?

A Drum Major in full kit. So much stuff hanging off them that you can't see the kilt.
A member of a kilted Regiment. Also with enough metal and bling to put an airline employee into fits.
Braveheart and Rob Roy look alikes and wannabe's.
Fetish wear, the Tartan Army, and Clan MacDrinkabeer
And of course the hundreds of cookie cutter outfits put forth by the big internet houses.

Is it no wonder that some guys end up looking like this?

If by some chance a guy ends up following a link to X Marks he is met by the likes of us. The kilted cognizati with our "Oh so proper wear" threads and our custom made expensive outfits.

There really are very few resources out there for the guy who has been invited to a Burns dinner for the first time or who wants to try a kilt while living in the average small town.

I really think we should ask ourselves what image are we putting forth to these guys? Are we not just as bad some times as those sites offering the package deals on Prince Charlies with Ruche ties and loud purple rabbit sporrans?

Do yourself a favor and google "traditional Scottish Burns dinner kilt outfit" and see what the first 20 images look like. Notice how many of them are from actual Scottish based websites. Scary is it not?

Then notice how far down you have to look to find a pic from X Marks. And we are supposed to be the world's experts.

If you really want to be a voice in the world that can honestly effect a change perhaps we need to take a close look at what we are offering.

[mookien]

I sent the Orlando Sentinel an email message informing them of the 180 degree wardrobe malfunction. I am curious as to whether they will reply.

[OC Richard]

Good points Steve. Being an American growing up where nothing Scottish was around, I too had to piece it all together bit by bit, back in the 70s when there was no internet. What saved me from this fellow's fate was careful observation.

I'd never seen a kilt in person, but my grandmother and I were able to figure out its basic form, and she made my first kilt. We may only have had a few photos in magazines, but it was clear that the pleats were in the back and that they were stitched about 1/3rd of the way down.

About wearing everything one is entitled to, all I can say (never having served myself) is that my grandfather, a WWI veteran, with a Silver Star, two Purple Hearts, Croix le Guerre, and so forth only wore, with the civilian attire he wore after he left the Army, a miniature of the Silver Star in his lapel.

[Taskr]

I googled just that. Image 6 was himself, the topic of this thread. the rest a mix of shops and celebrities and some individuals. Interesting exercise.

[WillowEstate]

I googled just that. Image 6 was himself, the topic of this thread. the rest a mix of shops and celebrities and some individuals. Interesting exercise.

He came out first in my search here in Australia - but then that's Google!

While I take Steve's points, I think there is enough information available at least to get the kilt the right way round. The rest of the outfit, much less so. Just looking at a kilt, the side with the pleats tends to be wider at the bottom of the fell, curving in to the waist, while the apron side hangs straight down. Looking at the average male anatomy sideways on, the front tends to be flat, whole the backside curves in from hip level to waist. A clue, perhaps?

In fact, if you've never worn a kilt before, a more useful Google search is "How to wear a kilt". My search turned up one of those rows of Google thumbnails as second result, all of which make it obvious which way round the kilt goes. The first is labelled and while some members will disagree with some of the labels, the kilt one is equivocal.

The text is "Kilt: Worn with the pleats at the rear and the fringes on the right hand side. It should be worn high on the waist so that it drops to the middle of the knee."

My attempted inclusion of the picture didn't work - I'll try later. correction, the picture did upload!

[Steve Ashton]

They are probably located way back in the old threads but I remember a time when quite a few members questioned which way the pleats were supposed to go.
Some saying that to their way of thinking it seemed to make more sense to have the flat parts in the back so you were not sitting on the pleats.
I remember one member who felt strong enough about it that he said that that is the way he always wore his kilt and always would.

Heck, even Richard Branson (of Virgin fame) wore his kilt backwards in a famous photo shoot. So, no, it's not intuitive and enough people are unsure enough about it that it is a re-occuring topic here.

[Rick Y]

About wearing everything one is entitled to, all I can say (never having served myself) is that my grandfather, a WWI veteran, with a Silver Star, two Purple Hearts, Croix le Guerre, and so forth only wore, with the civilian attire he wore after he left the Army, a miniature of the Silver Star in his lapel.

It is my understanding that a medal, such as the Silver Star, is earned by the individual and is his/hers to wear whenever they wish as opposed to those items issued by the military which should be worn only when in the proper uniform.