buckle on left?

[Bugbear]

Thank you for pointing this out about the painting, as well as your other information, MacMillan of Rathdown.

The kilt as we know it today owes virtually all of it's design to the military. In the 18th century officers and sergeants wore swords, and other ranks carried bayonets, all of which were worn on the left side. The direction of the wrap of the kilt has to do with the drawing of a sword-- from left to right. If the apron opened on the left, there would be a very real possibility that the sword would become tangled in the kilt, something to be avoided in a life or death situation.

The only instance of a "left handed kilt"-- that I am aware of-- is Richard Waitt's painting of the Laird of Grant's Piper (done in 1714) which clearly shows the apron of the kilt wrapped from right to left. Whether the piper was left handed or not can't really be determined from the painting. Although the pipes are under his right arm, both his sword and pistol are worn on his left side.

This is all very interesting. I guess this is like the male vs female buttons on shirts vs blouses... I'm not sure I fully understand why there is a difference, other than it just is that it is...