Isle of Lewis

[glengall1]

The language and the dress don't always go together and I would be surprised if the kilts came out any more regularly than they do on the mainland.

I

I suspect that you are quite right here. It is almost like saying that if you have a Texan accent (and I really love Texas, have fond memories of watching the Aggies play Ohio State and eating a humoungous pretzel and drinking Bud Lite) that you should be wearing jeans and a cowboy hat.

As you can all obviously see where I am from this forum has NEARLY convinced me to wera a kilt a lot more of the time but it would lead to weird looks and people thinking I am some sort of eegit. If I walked down the high street weraing the kilt I would get funny looks. It appears that the rest of the world is more tolerant of kilt wearing than we are ourselves.

There is a Glaswegian celebrity designer that wears one alot of the time, John Amabile. He tends though to wear the Dark Island variety but it is still high profile kilt wearing.

[McClef]

As you can all obviously see where I am from this forum has NEARLY convinced me to wera a kilt a lot more of the time but it would lead to weird looks and people thinking I am some sort of eegit. If I walked down the high street weraing the kilt I would get funny looks. It appears that the rest of the world is more tolerant of kilt wearing than we are ourselves.

It isn't always easy to get over the looks, especially when you are local and not a tourist and the local culture sees kilt-wearing only in defined circumstances.

I am always kilted now when visiting Scotland and I guess they probably think "another tourist" and the ones who get most excited are other tourists who have been scouring for a kilt in vain

I guess it comes down to enthusiasm and self-confidence and the first time is always the worst in terms of what you anticipate the reaction would be. I wore my new kilt when out shopping here in Wales and found most people took the sight very well and a couple of people even struck up conversations.

I then found it easier to do it again the next time and so on. Looking at some of the sartorial offerings of others made me feel that I am looking smart in comparison. If anyone has a problem it is theirs not mine and the more often they see me in it the less it bothers them.

Sure it's a way of challenging assumptions but I also look upon it as a bold witness to others to try for themselves and to take up the wearing of the kilt on a more regular basis.

Each of us has to decide for ourselves about when and where we wear a kilt when it's not been decided for us by work etc. Toleration begins with visibility.

[Graham]

Yes McClef, I am sure that would have been cheaper, but we were committed to a hire car and didn't want to leave it sitting around for a time.

Next time, next time!