My brother made a comment a while back about liking the cut of my kilt jackets. He doesn't wear a kilt, but was wondering if this style of jacket is appropriate with trousers (not tartan trews, just regular dress pants or khakis). My answer at the time was no, I'm not aware of this style jacket being worn outside the kilt/trews context. They are, of course, tailored specifically for the higher waist of a kilt or traditional trews, with a cutaway for a sporran. They are specific to that purpose and would look out-of-place with a plain old "Saxon" outfit.

Indeed, the waistcoats on mine are way too short and would leave the back of my shirt exposed above my trouser waist. But the jackets themselves are certainly long enough to cover.

But it did make me wonder. Considering the historic economic conditions of Highlanders and their necessary thriftiness, has there ever been a tradition of wearing kilt jackets with plain trousers? It would seem unlikely that the average Highlander could afford to keep a second jacket that can only be worn with the kilt. One would think that a "do-it-all" jacket would make more economic sense. But I can't say that I've ever seen it done. Is there any such precedent in Highland culture?