Help with a casual kilt outfit on a (teenagers) budget

[David Dalglish]

Looking good in your kilt--you should look on E-bay, all sorts of bargains turn up. Good luck

[mbhandy]

Here is a great place for socks. I have the wool and cotton socks and they are great.

http://www.hamiltondrygoods.com/sock.html

MrBill

[Panache]

alabama kiltie,

Welcome from San Jose California.

Handsome looking tartan you picked. Is that Garrison?

I agree with the Stillwater suggestion, You can pick up a reasonablly priced belt, hose, and sporran there. They are a great source for some starting out accessories.

I will note that as for a sporran, don't get the cheapest one. I would recomend one of the Buzz Kidder models. They are more, but they are very sturdy and much larger than the base model. The cheapest sporran may fit your budget but you will rapidly wish to replace it. Wait (or ask for one for Christmas) and get a sporran will last and you will still want to wear a year from now.

As for flashes, Stillwater has some inexpensive ones, or search the accessories forums for one of the "How to" threads, they are pretty easy to make.

Cheers

[alabama kiltie]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions guys.. It seems like Stillwater is going to be getting alot of business from me. I'm going to make my next kilt a black stweart tart from them, it seems my family has ties with the stewart clan. I also plan on purchasing thri night stalker sporran and some kilt hose to go with it. I'm pretty sure I can find some leather shoes to do for right now

[GreenDragon]

don't feel bad, dude. i have the same budget issues. as soon as i save up enough $ i'm buying either a Irish National or Black Watch SWK economy with the economy sporran.

[auld argonian]

...like I say, keep an eye on Stillwater and see what new products they introduce...there's always some suprises and their stuff is as reasonably priced as you're going to get...

Best

AA

[Raphael]

You have to ask yourself a question: Do you want to adapt to the tradtional kilt fashion or do you want to adapt the kilt to your sense of style?

[cavscout]

Here's my $.02 worth.

Shoes - $15 - $20 - Walmart or Payless should have a decent shoe (preferably a simple hiking shoe maybe mid-top) that will work for school and casual purposes.

Socks - $8 - Hamilton Dry Goods has great socks. or opt for a soccer sock from Dicks Sporting Goods for $3. Sometimes they have free delivery.

For cost purposes you can wait on the sporran and sporran strap since I expect you carry a back pack to school anyway. You can also forgo the flashes as they would be over doing it for school. Add these items later or when you need them for a less casual event.

Belt - $12 - Pick up a belt from Walmart, while buying the boots, that has a nice looking rustic but simple looking buckle. 1-3/4" minimum width.

Mix-n-Match a t-shirt or Polo shirt with the outfit and you're good to go for a grand total of about $40.00.

Spend only what you need to right now to define the outfit. Do the research and wait for the deals on the rest of it.

After this "start-up" phase, get the Buzz Kidder sporran. Your calves don't appear to be over-sized so you should be safe with some standard kilt socks to add a bit of detailing (if not picky about wool these are cheap and easy to find). Your sporran will most likely come with a chain strap but consider tossing that and finding a leather strap.

Once you have the casual outfit assembled you can then start looking in the thrift stores for a jacket that can be converted into a kilt jacket for a fraction of what a custom jacket would cost. Now you are ready for dressier events.

By the time Prom rolls around you can start looking at renting a PC kilt outfit or investing in a Dress Sporran and just renting the jacket and vest.

[ian]

To start with. SWK again has decent flash and hose from 7-11 dollars. Like a sporran, it's simple and very complementary to the kilt. F&H, or a simple sporran.

I'd guess in days of old, when men were bold and paper wasn't invented, Scots didn't have a closet of kilts and more than one sporran. Not all sporrans were ornate, expensive works of art only fit for Kings and Gentry. Most were simple, functional and didn't cost a hundred head of cattle and they need not be.

--Start Pontification--

I'd simply try to "respect the kilt" and dress somewhat conservatively, by this I mean no t-shirts and sneakers (Unless it's appropriate for the occasion, you'll know). Why? People will have a better impression of you and it's easier for them to accept the idea of the kilt and your choice for wearing them. It represents the choice of being kilted well. Now you are different, but in being so, show it's character in conjunction with yours, because the kilt is now a part of you.

I believe M. Newsome said you don't have to wear a Saltire t-shirt which screams "Scot/land/tish!" I'd say you don't have to go overboard with looking like "Major Piper" either.

People will ask, ridicule (silently mostly) stare, question and any combination thereof. Be respectful and learn about the kilt, it's wear and history. Even simple answers to questions will do:

You don't have to be Scottish.
It's a male garment.
You can wear any tartan.
This is my family tartan.
It's really comfortable.
I'm proud of my heritage (If Scottish)
I admire Scottish contributions to society (If not)
There are several different types of Kilts
They are also contemporary kilts (Utilikit, Amerikilt etc.)

Simple answers seem to work the best for those in general. For those lacking general cognitive abilities, nothing works in any realm they inhabit, let them be.

--End Pontification--

Budget? I think the majority of forum members have this issue. We often wait, budget, improvise, sew them and do the best we can with what we got.

Welcome to the virtual Kilted Clan fellow Alabamian.

[MacWage]

Budget? I think the majority of forum members have this issue. We often wait, budget, improvise, sew them and do the best we can with what we got.

I will second this . . .
The REASON I learned to make kilt, balmorals, sporrans, flashes and the like IS because of bugetary concerns.

I even learned to SEW to save a buck (which is a famous/infamous Scottish "trait"), but that is a well usable skill.

The CENTRAL factor in kilting on a budget is to be creative and search for solutions to bet what YOU have in mind, whether it be traditional, contemporary, or some combination thereof. In this search, the above (pre-me) is helpful, as are the search function and the "new thread" button.

Cavscout has some good advise. I can say that a Buzz Kidder sporran is about the best for bang-for-buck quality, as are the gorgeous (but more expensive Freelander ones).
Buzz Kidder ones (through a X Marks sponsor):
http://www.usakilts.com/sporrans.php
(the top 2)
OR:
http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/sporran.html

The rest is easily creatable.