Kilt Do's and Don'ts

[Iolaus]

[....] and unless you're wearing it as a uniform, or as a re-enactor, its a clothing, not costume.

Just thought that should be reiterated...

...again...

[....] and unless you're wearing it as a uniform, or as a re-enactor, its a clothing, not costume.

...and again...

[....] and unless you're wearing it as a uniform, or as a re-enactor, its a clothing, not costume.

...and again.

[....] and unless you're wearing it as a uniform, or as a re-enactor, its a clothing, not costume.

[macwilkin]

I would add that a kilt (and Highland attire in general) is an article of clothing that is also symbolic to some of their heritage.

Personally, if someone wants to wear a kilt only for the fact that it is a practical, comfortable garment, then I can respect that. All I ask is that the same respect be returned to those of us who value the history and heritage behind Highland attire.

Respectfully,

Todd

[Tommy Hunt]

I would argue that it is all fashion. As you point out the big hairy sporran used to be de rigeur, to wear a plainer one would probably have been condidered a "don't" in its day. Indeed the kilt as we all know, came into vogue as a result of King George IV visit to Scotland, and was quite unfashionable before that time, and existed as a tradition only in Highlands.

Sure we now have expectations about how a "traditional" kilt is "traditionally" worn, such as where a kilt pin goes if one wears one, and what style of jacket goes with what, but as you have given many examples, these customs have changed with the times.

Kilt wearing evolves, some changes take, others fall by the wayside, and unless you're wearing it as a uniform, or as a re-enactor, its a clothing, not costume.

Best regards,

Jake

I like tradition. It connects me to my past - to my tribe. People could go naked wearing only tartan turbans for all I care but other than a bizarre exhibition of self expression it won't mean anything.

[DWFII]

I agree that, generally speaking, fashion is fleeting and passes with the fashionable. Hmmmm...of course, it became "fashionable" for non-military men to wear the PC to somewhat match (or at least compete on the same level with) their military counterparts. And the PC stuck and is now considered traditional. To support our argument, however, there's the 19C fashion of the great hairy sporran. Fortunately that one eventually passed. At least it did in Scotland; has it in North America?

I almost hesitate to bring this up because the the several times I have raised this point here, I have gotten such massive (reactionary?) disapproval I know that, even with a more thoughtful explanation, it will not sit well with some.

But the fact is that from a sociologist's, or perhaps even an anthropologist's point to view, all clothing is costume. Indeed, my handy desktop dictionary (Mirriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary) defines "costume" as "the prevailing fashion in coiffure, jewelry, and apparel of a period, country or class." Costume is, has been, or can be a statement of personal philosophy, of unity, and/or national identity. I have always maintained that the ubiquitous three piece suit with obligatory red tie was an almost global costume and no mistake.

In the sense that you or your countrymen regard the kilt (especially on an American ?) as a costume; or in the sense that people mean when they speak of a "Halloween costume," one could easily infer that there is an element of deceit or pretense involved...or perhaps just of projecting an image that is at odds with reality. And I would not disagree... that's certainly one of the (legitimate?) functions of costume when we regard it in a certain (broader?) context. Again, I think the three piece business suit is a prime example. Some use it for camouflage, some for image inflation but every single wearer changes into something else as soon as leisure and relaxation permits.

In a broader sense, all clothing is a projection of those elements of ourselves that we wish to share with the world. It is always a statement (not necessarily genuine) about our beliefs and our values while, at the same time, walling off the inner lives from which those values spring.

In that sense...who needs a dictionary or a sociologist...all clothing is costume. Whether it be a pair of jeans and a T-shirt with "Nike" on the front; or a a pair of trousers that are so loose only a prayer (and not necessarily by the wearer) keeps them from revealing more than the fissures of the gluteus maximus; or a dashiki; or even a military uniform.

And having come that far, it's maybe more surprising that native Scots have so little regard (I am operating on supposition here...by no means am I certain that all Scots feel this way) for the kilt than the appreciation that those scattered multitudes of Scots ancestry have come to have for it.

As for the great honking hairy sporrans (rolling my "r's") , I think they are just not available like they were then. Surely they were a fashion that never became a tradition in the most fundamental sense of the word. By contrast, look at the Rob Roy sporran...it never went out of fashion with kilties.

Yes. As I said in an earlier post: common use and common beliefs over time. So we cannot say, until it has passed, whether a fashion will become tradition, or not, I suppose. Tradition does not lead to fashion, for sure, but I think you will agree that sometimes tradition becomes fashionable

Well, this is what I meant earlier...for me at least, tradition has never gone out of fashion. Even when I was a young man thumbing my nose at my father and his generation....and everything remotely connected with authority and paternal preeminence.

[DWFII]

Thisledown,

I thought I would add just as a passing remark...and in no sense wishing to be confrontative or even argumentative...that I'm gonna l wear my 19th century charcoal tweed, square bottom, notch lapel vest with my matching Argyll jacket and my stand up collars and my (next acquisition) kilt matching Argyll hose and my 18th century buckle shoes...and fashion be damned!

AND!! I say this with a confidence borne of having done this kind of thing before...I''m gonna look terrific (and traditional) doing it.

[GDub]

Is this conversation in the running for "World's Longest Thread" status?

[ThistleDown]

I would argue that it is all fashion. As you point out the big hairy sporran used to be de rigeur, to wear a plainer one would probably have been condidered a "don't" in its day. Indeed the kilt as we all know, came into vogue as a result of King George IV visit to Scotland, and was quite unfashionable before that time, and existed as a tradition only in Highlands.

Sure we now have expectations about how a "traditional" kilt is "traditionally" worn, such as where a kilt pin goes if one wears one, and what style of jacket goes with what, but as you have given many examples, these customs have changed with the times.

Kilt wearing evolves, some changes take, others fall by the wayside, and unless you're wearing it as a uniform, or as a re-enactor, its a clothing, not costume.

Exactly. As a uniform it must be "uniform". But it is not a uniform, it is (first) a national dress and (second) a fashionable and very personal garment. I am a traditionalist and have worn a kilt almost every day for (I just worked it out) 43 years (I was in Ireland for five more and sure didn't wear a kilt then!) But I have a personal style that has evolved over all those years -- my fashion. For example, I often use hangers for a sporran now; that's not traditional and is, therefore a fashion that may never become a tradition. Still, I defy anyone to criticise my wearing of them!

Tradition is not a set of inflexible rules. It bends this way and that -- according to perceptions and personal wishes -- and slowly finds its way forward to a new level.

In the culture in which it exists.

We have a cross-culture tradition, whether we like it or not, and this makes our task virtually impossible if we set out to critique the minutae of kilt-wearing. What has become "traditional" in the US is thought of as a "fashion" in Scotland; what is "traditional" in Scotland is "old-fashioned" in the US.

Want yet another example? Attend a Highland Games in Scotland and you will never see a kilted local except that he is wearing a jacket and tie. That is Scottish tradition. Attend a Games in the US and the vast majority of kilted locals are t-shirted. Will the latter fashion last long enough to become a tradition? I, for one, suspect that it will. In the US.

If and when it does, will those in the kilt-and-t-shirt culture have a right to tell those in the jacket-and-tie culture that they are not adhering to the "rules" of tradition? Or the reverse? Surely not. They have evolved from the same root, but they are different.

[ThistleDown]

Thisledown,

I thought I would add just as a passing remark...and in no sense wishing to be confrontative or even argumentative...that I'm gonna l wear my 19th century charcoal tweed, square bottom, notch lapel vest with my matching Argyll jacket and my stand up collars and my (next acquisition) kilt matching Argyll hose and my 18th century buckle shoes...and fashion be damned!

AND!! I say this with a confidence borne of having done this kind of thing before...I''m gonna look terrific (and traditional) doing it.

Go for it!

[greenguzzi]

Exactly. As a uniform it must be "uniform". But it is not a uniform, it is (first) a national dress and (second) a fashionable and very personal garment.

Well, as a kilted newbie what you say makes the most sense. I have Celtic blood, but that's not why I (sometimes) wear a kilt. I wear it because I like to wear it (a very personal garment). I am very interested in learning about the history and traditions of kilted folk. But in the end I wear what I wear in the way that I wear it because I am comfortable and enjoy doing so.

However, I do agree that it's important to know what taboos one is breaking.

I also have long hair, a mustache and a beard. I'm often told that it's not fashionable to do so. I'm grateful for the information, it makes it all the more fun being hairy!

(I'm typing this in Australia; wearing an Irish tartan kilt, a non-hairy sporran, and an American T-shirt. )

[ThistleDown]

Well, as a kilted newbie what you say makes the most sense. I have Celtic blood, but that's not why I (sometimes) wear a kilt. I wear it because I like to wear it (a very personal garment). I am very interested in learning about the history and traditions of kilted folk. But in the end I wear what I wear in the way that I wear it because I am comfortable and enjoy doing so.

However, I do agree that it's important to know what taboos one is breaking.

I also have long hair, a mustache and a beard. I'm often told that it's not fashionable to do so. I'm grateful for the information, it makes it all the more fun being hairy!

(I'm typing this in Australia; wearing an Irish tartan kilt, a non-hairy sporran, and an American T-shirt. )

Good on ya Green! "Traditionalist" that I am, I am wearing a grey shirt, a grey Freedom kilt, dark grey hose, black slip-on brogues, a grey beard, long(ish) greying hair and no sporran. Oh, and I am writing right now in Vancouver.