"Thank you for wearing a kilt"

[Monkey@Arms]

I've had a few particularly pleasant interactions during my current vacation period. To start, my brother-in-law, a rather straight-laced police officer from Florida came to visit. I explained that I'd taken to wearing kilts, and he expressed some interest. I wore my UK out with him and the family one night shopping and to the movies, and he said he thought it looked good, and not much different then wearing shorts. The last night he tried on my SWK, and said he might pick one up some day.

I wore the aforementioned SWK to a my wife's manager's Holiday party, with all the bells and whistles, and her manager raved about it and thanked me profusely for wearing it to her party! An English woman there asked if it was a heritage thing and reminisced about Scotland and kilted skirts.

I'm currently at a hotel in Carlsbad, CA taking the family to Legoland. Wore my new brown UK Workman today, and a woman came up to me at a dinner to thank me for wearing a kilt, and talked about her recent trip to Scotland! In the hotel parking lot a man with his family said the kilt was "awesome" and the he wished he could wear something like that to work. (I told him that some of you did.) Lastly, a middle aged Hispanic woman with her husband said she liked it and asked were I had purchased it, so I passed along a UK card. Nary a discouraging word has been heard (although there were some startled glances )

I'll post some pics when I get home, and let you all know if there's any more interesting encounters.

Best regards,

Jake

[Alan H]

Sounds good to me. You'll have to start signing your cards 'Ambassador".

[Warlock]

I go to a festival once a year. about 5 years ago, I wore my Fraser tartan as a great kilt and got rave comments. I've worn one ever since. Last year {2005}we had about 450 people there for the feast Saturday night. I was in the kitchen alone, cooking the meal. I had the divider open between the kitchen and dining hall. Several women would make trips past the kitchen just to see me in a kilt. { and I ain't much to look at!} But most women LOVE kilts! I have never had a disparaging remark either, from anyone! This year I was told that I WOULD be in the kitchen again, and I was NOT ALLOWED to wear anything BUT MY KILT! Ahh the sacrifices we have to make! Keep wearin' them kilts!

[Andrew Green]

3 times in about 5 days I have been asked heritage questions by kind folk... most of them were a number of years older than I am. But the conversation is never unwelcome. The other day when randomly running around Fred Meyer's I had an older gentleman approach me, and comment "That looks like a Gordon!", which of course it was, he then tells me that he is a bit of a tartan nut. Of course, I had to tell him that he wasn't the only one. He said his name was Sullivan, which I am guessing is an Irish name? I haven't heard it in reference to any Scottish families or Clans one way or the other. Either way, it was a pleasant conversation, with someone who recognized the kilt for what it was. Another guy approached me at the mall, wondering what tartan I was wearing, and whether it was one of "mine" or just one I liked. I think he said he was a MacIntosh, and had a brief chit chat. The other was a lady who was using the library where I work, and had a very similar conversation to the rest. All in all, pleasant people, who obviously shared an interest, at least on the most base level in Scottish heritage/genealogy.
It's always good times when that happens.

[Scotexan21]

I walked into a local shopping store one day and had a rather Irish looking fellow glance over at me in my kilt and ask me if I was Scottish or Irish, I said I was Scottish. He said I looked very good in it, and asked where my bagpipes were. I said they we're at home (which they really are!) I said I had tried taking up the bagpipes at one point in time. He said he liked the bagpipes but never tried to play.

JH

[cessna152towser]

Excellent. Wearing the kilt is a great ice breaker. I live in a town of about 17,000 population, small enough to be a kent face when I am out and about.
(Kent Face - from the Scots word Ken = Know - a kent face is somebody you recognise as living in the same town as yourself but don't know any more about them, somebody you would normally only talk to if you encountered them away from your locality. Litterally a known face, but you know the face only and not the person. I find there are many kent faces on the street here who will smile or say hello when I am kilted but who pass by without acknowledgement if I'm wearing trousers.

[thescot]

In my own experience kilted (about 10 years or better), I can only remember one wise guy who made a negative comment about my kilt. I had a very reasoned comment about how someone who wasn't man enough to wear one probably shouldn't . . . or words to that effect. His wife intervened and commmented on how much SHE liked it. Ha!

I have had ladies--and some very lovely ones--come up to me surreptitiously when the wife was in the bathroom to talk about my kilt. And some will come when their husbands leave for the same reason.

While on a cruise ship, a rather inebriated fellow asked very loudly "what's under the kilt?" as I passed by. I simply answered, "You're wife's lipstick" and continued to march.

He said, "I guess I had that coming" with a smile.

I responded, smiling, "Yeah, I guess you did." His wife laughed and agreed that he had it coming for being "rude." She smiled at me, too.

[McMurdo]

I rarely get negative comments anymore. I think it alll comes down to confidence.When I first started wearing the kilt about 4 yrs ago now, a gentleman in my appartment building said
"I like your skirt."
My responce
"It's not a skirt, its a kilt."
Then he says something like "Well its a nice skirt, what's under it."
My responce this time
"It's not a skirt, its a kilt, but if you want to get your @$$ kicked by a guy in a skirt keep talking"
He has kept quiet since, funny thing is the same day I had a number of women say how much they liked seeing it, I also had an older Scottish gentleman ask me if I was entertaning at a pub, and I have had people ask if I was at a wedding.
It seems people think it has to be a special occasion to don a kilt. For the most part people are harmless and they say the first thingthat enters their heads, once they get used to seeing you in a kilt they really like it.

[PaulX608]

I've not had any really negative response but my older daughter, who's 14, seems kinda creeped out by it. I've tried to get her over it, but she is still pretty resistant. To put it into proper perspective, though, she also says she doesn't like riding in my '93 400E because it's green.

We went to the movies yesterday, and I had a fellow ask me 'what's the occasion?' I said, 'I'm not at work!' That's all the occasion I need.

[McMurdo]

Your '93 400E is in great shape, and at least it matches alot of tartans, that is a teenage girl for you my daughter is 14 as well and does not like to be seen with me when I wear my kilt.