Am I losing my love affair with kilts?!

[macwilkin]

Panache In Pants!!!!!!

Those are trousers...women wear pants, Father.

T.

[Morris at Heathfield]

The kilt (or the belted plaid) is a good choice of apparel if you spend much of your time traveling on foot through boggy terrain. So is the knee-length tunic—without trousers. On the other hand, if you spend a lot of time on horseback, trousers are a better choice. There's a reason Highland officers of the 17th and 18th centuries tended to wear trews rather than kilts or belted plaids.

I don't think it any dishonor to one's Scottish ancestors to dress in the way that is most practical for the occasion. The idea of the kilt as the Scottish national dress (indeed, the very idea of "national dress") is about as recent as the idea of clan tartans. I recall reading somewhere that there was a debate in the early 19th century about whether the kilt or the tartan trews should be regarded as the authentic Highland dress. The kilt won out, of course, but the trews also had their defenders.

Now, I'm not necessarily advocating the resurgence of tartan trews or trousers, or a return to the léine and the unbelted plaid. I'm just pointing out that the Scottish Highlanders have worn a variety of clothing styles over the centuries, and according to the circumstances in which they have found themselves.

There are plenty of circumstances these days in which the kilt is both appropriate and practical, but I think most people here would acknowledge that there are occasions where it is not really practical, and maybe even not appropriate. If you wish to honor your Scottish heritage on such an occasion, here's my suggestion: wear tartan.

Tartan may not be an exclusively Scottish art, but it does have a strong identification with Scotland these days, and the vast majority of registered tartans have some Scottish connection. (Of course, there are plenty of unregistered fashion tartans that have no real Scottish connection, apart from the general connection of tartan with Scotland.) As tartan is a design, rather than a style of clothing, it can be used in any article of clothing you might wish to wear.

There is one drawback with this idea that I see: registered tartans are commonly used in kilts, sashes, and neckties, but most other articles of clothing either only use a handful of the most common clan tartans or use unregistered fashion tartans. Compare that to the kiltmakers who often offer kilts in hundreds or even thousands of registered tartans. I'd like to find somewhere I could get a flannel plaid shirt in any registered tartan. When I'm wearing blue jeans, I might as well have an attractive tartan to wear above the waist. Tartan waistcoats in any registered tartan is another thing I'd like to see.

But, to bring things back to the topic, my own feelings on the matter, as a current 100% trouser wearer, is that, just as I don't look forward to wearing trousers all the time, I'm not convinced I would want to wear a kilt all the time either. Rather, I see the kilt as a welcome addition to my wardrobe.

These forums have got me thinking about a lot more than kilts. They've got me thinking about the whole idea of male fashion in general.