My wife is not on board with the whole kilt thing.

[GreenDragon]

Fellows, I think we may be getting on dangerous ground with the ladies here (although I agree). ... ...

Yeah, that screams "Subject to Avoid" in my book.

[siva011]

No negative comments...just eye rolling, basically. I think the more I wear it the more she will accept it....I think. Coming down to me just wearing it and letting the chips fall wear they may.

And if you're confident as we know you will be then her attitiude towards this might really change!

Brian, buddy, you're thinking like a man. With respect to all the ladies, men's thought processes and women's seem to be different.

Maybe true, but that doesn't change the fact that he speaks the truth. It is a double standard.

[ThistleDown]

I'm entering this string a little late, but I live in two countries and the attitudes are decidedly different. In Scotland women generally just accept it if a man wears a kilt; men are a bit envious, perhaps, since they usually wear the kilt only at funerals and weddings. There are two key words, however, "traditional" (meaning tartan) and "how" (meaning appropriate). Outlandish and poorly worn is unacceptable to both. In Canada my life-long experience wearing a kilt is different. Men generally speaking find it peculiar if you wear a kilt on a daily basis and have to ask why. Even the urban-dwellers in cowboy boots! Women -- it depends on their cultural background and how threatened they feel in the competition for attention department -- but for many attention drawn to you is attention drawn to them and they don't want that, either.

[Jock Scot]

I'm entering this string a little late, but I live in two countries and the attitudes are decidedly different. In Scotland women generally just accept it if a man wears a kilt; men are a bit envious, perhaps, since they usually wear the kilt only at funerals and weddings. There are two key words, however, "traditional" (meaning tartan) and "how" (meaning appropriate). Outlandish and poorly worn is unacceptable to both. In Canada my life-long experience wearing a kilt is different. Men generally speaking find it peculiar if you wear a kilt on a daily basis and have to ask why. Even the urban-dwellers in cowboy boots! Women -- it depends on their cultural background and how threatened they feel in the competition for attention department -- but for many attention drawn to you is attention drawn to them and they don't want that, either.

I cannot speak for the rest of the world ,but I think you have got the Scots perception on traditional kilts, spot on. Particularly the " outlandish and poorly worn" bit.

[scottishMommy]

I support my husband in his wishes to wear his kilt. I actually think he looks damn good in it as well. My advice from a female is to talk to her about it and try to work something out and if she is being to stuborn to come to an agreement then start wearing the kilt when you are planning on going somewhere without her. Then you are not just leaving her at home and starting a disagreement, and you are wearing you kilt.
Good Luck, us women are stuborn to the bone.

[Tommie]

My next Kilt is gonna be more traditional...for sure.

I'm a Holmes so I can wear Kennedy or Ayrshire...or one of the more generic tartans. I rather like the Texas Bluebonnet Tartan. For now I want to stay semi traditional and not wear a solid colored kilt.

There you go: What I was saying way back in this thread.
Wear that Thrifty around the house until you receive that Trad,and when she sees you in it,she might just change her mind about you in a kilt.

[Riverkilt]

I've read through the thread so far and I'm with Tommie and Alan H. A sound decision to purchase a fine kilt if you can afford it. And even wives have no right to dress their husbands without their consent.

If she's into contempt prior to investigation you're fried. But if she is willing to investigate there are vast resources in books, movies, and the Internet to show her the current kilt fashion boom for men and the honorable history of the kilt.

You bring to mind a good friend who in his 40s wanted to buy a Harley and knew his wife would object. So, he began bringing home all sorts of books and catalogs about hang gliding. After he had sold his wife on the idea that he was focused on learning to hang glide and buy a hang glider he brought home a Harley catalog.

SHE encouraged him to buy a Harley. Then she began riding on the backseat. Now she owns her own Harley.

So, maybe if you started....well...you'll think of something...

Ron

[Alan H]

There's afine line between being agreeable, loving, caring and willing to compromise

and being a pushover.

I can't speak for others, but I know in my own relationship, if I let the Luminous Joan dictate things to me....and being the woman that she is, she will try to do that....she will very quickly lose respect for me. To be honest, a face-to-face, head-on "you don't run my life for me" confrontation is good in my relationship every now and then. I don't mean that I have to pick a fight every other week. Nor does it mean that I don't love my wife. Nor does it mean that I have to be an insensitive jerk and ram every idea I have down her throat. It doesn't mean that I can't be aware of times when I can compromise and do/see things her way. It just means that I have to decide on some lines that won't get crossed, and when she tries to cross them, she hears about it in no uncertain terms.

I'd say that we have an interaction like this, oh, maybe twice a year.

Look at it this way, she has no problem defining lines that I can't cross. I absolutely NO WAY....EVER get to even *suggest* what she might wear, or how to cut her hair or ANYTHING about her personal appearrance. Her job? Absolutely NO WAY do I get to say diddly about her job. It's HER job. If I make the tiniest suggestion I get read the riot act. OK, that's fair, it's not like she's not clear about it, it's not like I don't know.. However, if that's the case, if I let her dictate to me what my personal appearrance is like, or how to conduct myself in my profession, I'm being a pushover.

And in my experience, most women don't much like pushovers. Joan certainly doesn't.

Your relationship may differ from mine. However, I've learned through long and sad and heartbreaking experience that avoiding conflict in a relationship is a serious mistake. You HAVE to stand up for yourself, and zometimes that means headlong conflict. Only you know where the lines are.

[gilmore]

I cannot speak for the rest of the world ,but I think you have got the Scots perception on traditional kilts, spot on. Particularly the " outlandish and poorly worn" bit.

What do people in your circle and in your part of the world think of the Tartan Army and how they wear kilts and Scots attire?

I have never run into them in person but from the photos they seem to buy many of their kilts from Gold Brothers, wear pheasant feathers in their bonnets, flags as capes, and other disregard for the finer points of the orthodox way of wearing Scots dress.

I would guess that they are the greater consumers of Scots clothing. There is probably much more kilt wearing at football matches and other Tartan Army events than to weddings, funerals and formal events, I would think.

[Tommie]

To add a bit to what Alan said.
The last time someone told me what to wear,and I did because there was no other choice,I was in the service of my Country,and when I left the service no one has ever told me what I can wear.