Flag Kilts

[Livingston]

I have mixed feelings about them. They look great and the planning to get them to come out correctly must be much harder than on a standard tartan. That being said, I don't like the idea of sitting on any national flag. It seems too disrespectful even tho the intentions are not.

[Panache]

Apparently when a character in the 60's movie "Easy Rider" wore a US Flag on the back of his jacket it was considered disrespectful, now days that would be considered patriotic. So this is an issue that goes beyond just kilts.

To me it isn't so much should a flag be worn or not on a kilt (or any other type of clothing for that matter) but HOW it is worn. Is the flag presented in a positve manner? Is it clean? Is it tasteful? Is the wearer wearing it with pride?

I think if one is to wear a representation of a flag as part of one's attire the answer to the above questions must be YES!

Cheers

[auld argonian]

The wearing the flag thing has been controversial to say the least. Abbie Hoffman appeared on the Tonight Show some time back wearing an American Flag shirt...the NBC censors found a way to blur his shirt out when the show aired to sidestep any controversy that might have occured. Years later it seems that wearing the American Flag somehow became socially acceptable...all manner of clothing with stars and stripes motifs became available. The message seemed to be that if you were wearing the Flag as a sign of protest or sarcastically it was a bad thing but if you were wearing it patriotically it was acceptable. Trouble is how do you tell the difference? Too many mixed messages involved for there to be an easy answer. When in doubt, err on the side of caution. Nobody really knows where the lines are and when they are being crossed.

I think that it is relatively easy, no matter how cool we think an article of clothing that portrays anyones flag is, to refrain from wearing it. There are lots of shirts and jerseys that portray various national colors...those generally seem, to me, to be pretty acceptable. The problem comes up when the flag is depicted on the bottom half of the outfit...particularly on the area that is "sat upon", so to speak...then, it seems, folks can get a little testy. I remember in the days of my youth that some of the more radical types sewed American Flag patches on the seats of their jeans so that they could demonstrate their disdain for the country...in retrospect it seems like a very adolescent and pointless form of protest, doesn't it? I'm sure that some who see these flag kilts look at it the other way around, as a gesture of support or patriotism but it still seems like there are better ways to demonstrate that.

The Confederate Flag thing is just one of those controversies that may never get resolved...just too much baggage attached to it, just too much unsettled ill feelings. I'm sure, though, that if you announced that you were wearing a CSA tartan kilt you would still have people who would challenge it just because of those old associations. Pity that there seems to be no way to find peace and resolution to a conflict that happened so long ago...I wish that there was...takes a lot of empathy for and among all parties involved.

Best

AA

[Livingston]

Apparently when a character in the 60's movie "Easy Rider" wore a US Flag on the back of his jacket it was considered disrespectful, now days that would be considered patriotic. So this is an issue that goes beyond just kilts.

To me it isn't so much should a flag be worn or not on a kilt (or any other type of clothing for that matter) but HOW it is worn. Is the flag presented in a positve manner? Is it clean? Is it tasteful? Is the wearer wearing it with pride?

I think if one is to wear a representation of a flag as part of one's attire the answer to the above questions must be YES!

Cheers

For me, a country flag on the back/front of a shirt or jacket would be considered patriotic/supportive of that country. The wearing of a representation of a flag under the waist would not. Just my feeling on it and my wife says I can be stubborn at times

[Panache]

There is a recent fashion I have observed where young ladies wear tight fitting low cut sweat pants with their school name or team sport across the seat of the pants. Apparently this is to show school spirit and to draw the gaze to these girl's posteriors. On a mature level I really don't think it is a good fashion statement and is not really appropriate at all, on another level...


Where was I? Oh yeah...

I think that the Saltire kilt Hamish was modelling on this thread
http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=18768
was in good taste (as if Hamish could wear something untastefully). The idea of the woven threads that when pleated just right create the Saltire is amazing to me. With the care taken to create this garment it obviously is being worn to celebrate Scotland. This isn't a flag, it is a kilt that has a flag representation on it. Like the Union Kilts Saltire model http://unionkilts.com/product_info.p...02ed16aae88c30 . If one was to wrap a flag around one's backside and sit on it that would be disrespectful. But a flag inspired kilt is a different beast. I think that makes a big difference.

Cheers

[Riverkilt]

Hey, another flag junkie!

I've worn iron on flag patches on my Utilikilt workmans and Survival II pockets.

Irish flag on the caramel workmans...sort of a saffron. Have also worn Scottish flag patch and Arizona flag patches on my solid color kilt pockets.

Sort of a compromise...gets the flag on there, but with sort of a uniform look.

My only "flag" kilt is the Arizona flag tricolor kilt, but it only has the colors of the Arizona State flag rather than a representation of the flag itself.

Here's our State flag.



Here's the tri color kilt Jeff of Pittsburgh Kilts sewed up for me.




So, though Jeff isn't sewing up tricolor kilts anymore...there was another way of doing "flag" kilts.

We did add a small Arizona State flag patch to the rear pocket flap, and a shoulder patch size Arizona State flag to the kilt pin area of the apron, just to help clarify this was an Arizona State flag kilt rather than an announcement that the circus was in town.

Ron

[pbpersson]

We did add a small Arizona State flag patch to the rear pocket flap, and a shoulder patch size Arizona State flag to the kilt pin area of the apron, just to help clarify this was an Arizona State flag kilt rather than an announcement that the circus was in town.

Ron

Since I will probably be spending the rest of my life in the AZ desert I had thought about that kilt but I thought it looked too colorful for me.

That is I think part of my disdain for "flag" kilts also. The colors are just too bright and vivid. I like to blend in and not be noticed.....as though that was possible when wearing a kilt.

[Riverkilt]

Bright it is...only wore in in parades, to highland games, and hiking a few times before I "outgrew" it.

Ron

[A Hay]

I've been living in Germany and working on an American military base most of the last 21 years. The American Flag is a big deal among the soldiers. I see a lot of representations on shirts, jackets, hats, etc. It's one of the symbols that draws the men and women together. However, I don't think I would dare to wear it across the posterior of pants, shorts, nor kilts. Not on post!

Nor would I personally want to.

Living off base, in a German town, I'm respectful also of my Host Nation. I could not imagine wearing a representation of a German Flag and sitting on it, either.

So the Saltire Kilt, while technically interesting, doesn't appeal to me at all.
In the spirit of this forum, however, I would not object if others wanted to wear it.
Tom

[AllenJ]

I think that for me the idea is WHY is it being worn? For people who buy kilts that have flag representations on them, its usually because they share a loyalty or an affinity for that country/state/region/district...etc. When done in praise like that I really dont have a problem. If the kilt was made out of bits of flags themselves, that might be called into question. There are lots of bits of clothing that represent flags. I saw a pair of those really tall Doc Martens the other day that were done up like a Union Jack. Is that disrespectful because you are "walking" on them? What about shirts and jackets as have been mentioned. What about bumper stickers and earrings and countless accesories. Where does patriotism end and disrespect begin? I feel in the intent. If it were cheaper I'd be tempted to pick up one of the Saltaire kilts.