I need you advice on 1st belt color

[jordanjm]

I think that you should go with black to start. It can be day or formal.

[turpin]

just read what Matt Newsome had to say about putting on your kilt,
i had not realized just how involved just putting on a kilt could be.
now I'm a bit concerned.
as I've said in another post, i only have the use of one arm because of a Motorcycle crash i was in back in 1988.
so now I'm wondering if I'll actually be able to put a kilt on by myself;
uh... single handed so to speak.

anyone have any thoughts on this?

or might this just be another one of those things I'll just have to work out for myself.

for example:
tie your shoes with only one hand,
wash your right under arm with out using your left arm,
try making a sandwich with one hand,
if it's anything other than PB&J try eating a sandwich with one hand!

it's amazing just how integrated the functioning of your 2 hands really are.

Well, it will be a challenge, but the good thing about the kilt is that you can rotate it on your torso. If you can get the left side buckled on the side with your arm, you can rotate the kilt to bring the right-side buckles around for buckling, then rotate again till the aprons are to the front. Just what I'd try.

[LK-13]

what i was actually thinking may work,
it to adjust the straps before putting the kilt on so that they are
fastened correctly but as loose as they can go with the belt in the loops but unfastened,
then either stepping into the kilt or pulling it over my head as one would do with a sweater.
this would aid in keeping the shirt tucked in correctly,
and once the kilt is in place tighten the straps for a correct fit and secure the belt.

it may sound unorthodox but I'll bet I'm at least close to what I'll have to do.
funny thing,
I'm a DRUMMER!!been playing since i was age 6,
and boy are my arms tired.. buh dump bump!

i do actually have partial function in my left arm, but it's not very strong and
the movement is not... uh... natural.
it took 15 major surgeries spread over 6 years then another 5 years therapy to get it to where i can really function on my own.

[Chef]

HERETIC! STONE HIM!!! OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!!

Hmmm... of course you're right. Just as with anything that has come into common acceptance through the years - like foul language in public, sex and violence on television, bad manners in schools, answering cell phones in restaurants, wearing white after Labor Day, yada, yada, yada. Anything that is wide-spread is by definition acceptable in society, even if it is not acceptable to a portion of that society.

We can decide to accept and embrace it, or shudder and revile it - or even ignore it. But in any case, it's done and here to stay.

Unfortunately we accept far to much, far too easily these days.

However just because something is accepted doesn't make it correct. I always think it looks a little odd to see a t-shirt and trainers with a formal belt but most kilt suppliers don't sell other options.

On the other hand I rank it right up there with wearing a white tie shirt for black tie, I know it's wrong but I don't really care. On the other hand is it any worse than seeing someone in a PC jacket at the games. Probably wearing it because he owns it and can't find anyplace else to wear it.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Here is my advice on the belt.

If you think this is going to be your one and only kilt belt for a while, go with a fairly simple black leather belt. Because it is block, you can dress it up for formal wear if you need to, and by keeping it simple in design, you can also wear it for casual wear.

However, if it is within your wardrobe budget, I really reccomend eventually getting both a black and brown leather belt (and of course sporrans to match) because it really adds versatility to your wardrobe.

M

[cavscout]

I agree with Matt. Visually I think the main thing that takes the belt to a formal belt is the large shiney waist plate usually found on kilt belts. If you put a less ornate buckle on the same belt it looks so much less formal. That's where the other buckles I'm carrying come in.

The decision maker for me is how often will I wear a formal rig. More times than not, if I am dressing up I will be wearing a waist coat so I won't wear a belt anyway.

[Matthew J. Greene]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I think for my first belt I will purchase black.

[sjrapid]

just read what Matt Newsome had to say about putting on your kilt,
i had not realized just how involved just putting on a kilt could be.
now I'm a bit concerned.

OK, I just tried this to see how difficult it would be. I kept my right hand on the top of my head throughout.

I'm too 'generously built' (cough cough!) to even think about the head-pull or step-in method. So here's what I ended up doing:

Having put my shirt on, I opened the kilt up nearly flat, on the bed, sat on the bed edge and lay backward on the kilt, but I set the kilt far from the bed edge so that the waistband was level with my ribs. I positioned myself too far to one site so that the underapron buckle was far closer to front centre than it should be. I flopped the under-apron up over my torso and grabbed the over apron and pulled it over a bit, so that I could therad the LH strap through the buttonhole and secure to the usual tighness.

Next, I stood up, grabbed the half-buckled kilt and pulled it round the torso but *not* downwards until the RH buckle was within reach of the left hand, and then buckled it - a real fiddle, but do-able.

I then pulled the whole kilt round but not down again until the front arpron stripe was more-or-less centred in a mirror. Several small round-and-down tugs (kind of zig-zags) brought the kilt down to the correct position at the waist, and kept it centred. The bonus of this technique is that the downward motion keeps the shirt well tucked in.

Conclusion - boy, it's a challenge with one hand, but it can be done.

Best regards

[cavscout]

Your method of keeping the kilt loosely fastened could work. And in conjunction with a pair of suspenders to hold the kilt up while you straighten the shirt and tighten the straps would allow you maximum use of both hands. Then just unclip the suspenders.

When you work this challenge out you should post a How-To on the forum for anyone who may need it in the future.

[sarge]

When I stated assemblig my outfit I was unhappy with the quality of belts and buckles I was finding for any reasonable price, so I looked for the widest plain black western belt I could find (1 3/4") and bought a very good quality western buckle, all for about $50.00