I'm with GMan on this. For me it also started with heritage but as I continued to wear the kilt I realized how comfortable and practical it really was.

But to answer the main question posed, I think the heritage has a lot to do with the reason we spend so much on at least one good kilt. If there is a clan connection then a tartan can mean something very special to one's self. Therefore, shelling out some cash for an authentic tartan kilt made in Scotland is no big deal because of what it represents to said person. Even if there isn't a clan connection, anyone who has fallen in love with the history and passion associated with Celtic culture, loves what that kilt represents.

Wearing a kilt out for the first time can be nerve racking but we subject outselves to it because what we're doing is saying to the world, "Hey, this is a part of who I am and I'm darn proud of it!"

Then there are the non-traditional kilts. They aren't as expensive but still no chump change. Once again wearing one of these states to the world, "I like comfort, this is different but also very 'cool'".

Summing it up we're telling others something about ourselves. Spending some hard earned money to do it is kind of just par for the course.

Just my humble opinion, of course.

80s