Kilts seen as ONLY casual!!!

[MacWage]

My present situation on wearing my kilts:

I'm having a VERY odd problem.
My father, who is presently also my boss, is VERY against my wearing a kilt in anything except casual situations. He just doesn't think they are "APPROPRIATE" business attire (one reason I want him to meet Turpin) nor does he think they are "FORMAL" dress (and barely "semi-formal"). I know that this is TOTALLY AT ODDS with almost EVERYONE else who has worsted tartan kilts (MOST of my kilts are tartan wool), but that is my situation.

Screwy, ain't it!!!

[McMurdo]

Wow, sorry to hear that, funny I have always thought of a kilt as being a formal garment, it took me some time to wrap my head around wearing one casually. Can I ask what he thinks of a Prince Charlie outfit?

[Nervous Jock]

Or the Castle Guard!!

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Why not collect a variety of formal kilted pictures (weddings, Burns Nights, etc) and show them to your Father in law. See what he thinks...

Seems like there's a thread here on Formal kilted pics....

[cessna152towser]

I've always regarded kilts as formal wear, ie tartan, wool, kilts, with sporran, hose and garters and brogues. Its only in the last couple of years that I've begun to wear kilts for casual wear also, in the form of non-trad kilts with pockets instead of a sporran and with scrunched down hose & boots.

[Erisianmonkey]

I am at a loss for words. Perhaps show him a pic of HRH Prince Charles in a kilt, or one of Scotland's first ministers? Certainly a pic or two of Hamish. Other than that, wow, I'm having a really hard time believing it.

[MacWage]

WOW!!!! THAT is A LOT of responses QUICKLY!!!!

Father in law.

Actually, it's MY father and rather unexpected.

[cavscout]

That is a new one. Most people I know (most who don't get the kilt) think the kilt is too formal. Are you scrunching your socks down again in the office?

I'm wondering John, what he considers appropriate work attire and formal?

I work for a commercial construction company in the office. Most of the week people are in jeans or dockers. On casual Friday's everyone is either in jeans or dress shorts, some have even gone to nylon sweats in the winter but I'm in my kilt. The consensus is that I view Fridays as formal days as the outfit is often more "put-together" and organized than the jeans and NASCAR shirts or the improperly fitting dockers and golf shirts that find their way into the building the rest of the week. At least the kilt is tailored to fit.

[auld argonian]

See, this is one of the reasons that I'm a backer of nice plain jackets and vests that are cut for the kilt: the equivalent of the basic Navy blazer or the basic sport coat. No offense to those who love them but even Argyle Jackets look too formal for everyday wear. It'd go a long way toward making kilts more acceptable as just another dress option.

It's interesting what people consider "normal business attire". I worked for an insurance company and it was always interesting to attend meetings wherre all of the national divisions came together. We of the Midwest seemed to be dressing right down the middle...the East Coast lot dressed more conservatively...the guys from the Southern division tended to be more casual and leaned toward brighter colors...you all get the idea. If one of those guys from down South went to a sales meeting up in New England he would have looked totally out of place and it would have affected how the other attendees reacted to him. I get the catalog from that Duluth Trading Company and they're pushing these "manly-construction-guy-executive" blazers made out of the same material that your Carhart overalls are made out of...I guess the idea is that you're attending these meetings and leting everybody know that you're an "I'm on the job site" kind of guy. They have matching briefcases to go with this ensemble so you can match your luggage to your jacket...not that there's anything wrong with that...

It's kind of variable, isn't it? I'm finding that the best way to get kilt-acceptance hereabouts is to mix it up and wear it now and then and when I do I don't allow it to become a topic of discussion...I'm polite but I get off the subject as quickly as possible...just go on with business as usual.

Best

AA


...and just remember the quotable quote from "Zorro, the Gay Blade": "Remember, my friends, its is far better to be poor than to dress poorly!"

[davedove]

That is really strange. Most people, if they make a distinction, seem to think of kilts as formal wear, because they only see them at weddings and the like. I can understand someone not thinking of them as appropriate business attire, since kilts are not the most common thing a person sees in a business setting.