Women and Kilt Wearing

[RockyR]

I personally think that women look better in minis or kilted skirts (mid calf to ankle), although I don't MIND if they wear knee length kilts. I just think it looks a tad "off", like a woman wearing a men's cut work shirt or something. It's not quite as "feminine".

Sporrans... Men's sized sporrans look a bit BIG on women (since women are typically a little smaller than men). Kelly wanted to wear a sporran so she bought a KIDS Semi Dress sporran and it looks GREAT with her mini kilts! Not the LITTLE BABY sporran or the infant's sporran, but the boy's sporran (about 5.5" wide by 6.5" tall). We actually have a Pink Rabbit sporran (same size as above) on order from one of our suppliers for her.

[Hamish]

Surely the ladies have sufficient choices as it is with their apparel? Why on earth do they need to take our kilts as well? I so dislike to see women in men's kilts, just as I so dislike to see men in women's kilted skirts. It is just unnecessary and, above all, they do not look good.

As for sporrans.............please don't ask!

[calmac]

Why O why did I click on that Link?

OK, how man of you haven't visited that link now?

[Manu]

Ill admit that I am a little jealous when it comes to this subject. I mean, the kilt is on of those few things left that is extremely masculine, a male trademark, and it kinda sucks that women are adapting it too. Thats why there are mini-skirts and kilted skirts, right?

[Shay]

OKay- what if it's a kilted skirt with the opening on the other side? Is that different?

[Manu]

The opening on the other side and the pleats facing the other way? Then it is not a kilt, its a kilted skirt made for a woman.

[Blu (Ontario)]

Regarless of whether the lot of us think it's right or wrong, westernized women have collectively decided that they have the right to dress in whatever clothing or fashion they they wish... So they do. Westernized men have not done the same. I do not see any signs of the situation changing. Where the kilt is concerned, the question is moot. Its configuration places it easily within the general style of clothing that women have long been used to and comfortable with. I believe the problem is not women with wearing kilts, the problem is that men don't collectively wear kilts enough! We have nobody to blame but ourselves.

blu

[Pleater]

I looked up the kilt making instructions on the web, and looked at all sorts of kilt information, then I made some kilts.

OK the exotic print ones would look rather odd on most men, but the shape is very little different.

Most of my kilts could be worn by a man with similar waist size - I make them 24inches long, and probably the only adaption would be a pressing or maybe the redoing of a few sewn down pleats if there is stitching on the fell.

The basic kilt shape is a tube falling from a cone, so simple and a relief after doing made to measure everyday garments for so long.

I can't see any point in reversing the aprons and pleats to comply with some local convention - kimonos are always closed left over right except for corpses of either sex, and the right over left for women's garments is suposed to be convenient for the servants dressing them. As very few women are dressed by maids these days I can't justify making garments always wrap right over left for women.

I wear skirts ankle length, or not at all, and not with high heels and tights. I just don't do the femenine stuff. However, kilts with either a tunic or tee shirt and kilt liner seem to be helping me grow old disgracefully enough for my purposes.

[Robin]

Women wearing kilts?...uhmm...well...dunno.

It might look very sexy on some...and terrible on others...same with men I guess

I've no problems with it

[Space Moose]

I find the notion that a kilt becomes a skirt when a woman puts it on more than slightly humourous.

By that logic, wouldn't a woman's skirt become a kilt when a man puts it on? Does the name of the exact same item change depending on the gender of the wearer? Does it only happen when it's a kilt (and only in one direction man->woman)?

Do we define a kilt by what it is, or who wears it? I suppose there's an opinion that a kilt is defined generally by how its made and the fact that it's worn by a man, but I can't think of anything else out there which its name changes when a different gender or culture wears it. I'm not talking about similar items, but the identical piece of clothing.

I don't see though how a piece of clothing could jump from one major branch of the clothing organization tree (if you're interested I can draw an analogy to the organizational tree of life Kingdom/Phylum/Class/etc) to another simply due to the gender of the wearer.

I don't mean to offend, but it seems there's a few statements in this thread that are backed less with logic than with some form of mild chauvanism. The notion that women 'shouldn't' do, it's 'wrong' for them to do, or it's 'just not right' for them to do something, because it's 'for men', is a little outdated, methinks.

Personally, I'm all for wearing whatever you're comfortable in. I can't see fit to call any style of dress "wrong". Personal taste and right and wrong just don't seem to jive.

Craig