women in kilts

[S.S.Muldoon]

I've never really noticed, and I'm surfing up what pics I can find, do the kilts on female pipers always open on the right (male side)? Has anybody here ever seen, or do any of our female members have kilts expressly made for females? I know this is rather a semantic argument, since most of us think of kilts as an expressly male garment...however does the gender of the wearer necessarily change the gender of the garment? For instance: RuPaul-technically male, wearing a sequined gown...you wouldn't say that its a male sequined gown, you'd say he's a transvestite...but you wouldn't say that a female piper in band uniform is practicing a form of transvestitism. Just a thought excersise...thoughts? Comments? Beuhler?...Beuhler?

[Bugbear]

I've never really noticed, and I'm surfing up what pics I can find, do the kilts on female pipers always open on the right (male side)? Has anybody here ever seen, or do any of our female members have kilts expressly made for females? I know this is rather a semantic argument, since most of us think of kilts as an expressly male garment... ...

A band member would most likely be wearing a traditional or near traditional kilt, so it would be fitted and tailored to the proper measurements of the person. wearing it: hopefully at least. I have seen posts saying that they do open to the right and so on. Ask Barb T. for the best answer.
Um, ...

[PiobBear]

Is it offensive for women to wear a mans kilt? I've never worn one and I do like what they have for women but the mens kilts are really cool. I mean you have all that great stuff to go with it and the women don't. Please understand I mean no disrespect I ask so I never offend the scottish custom.I really love kilts and hope to get my husband in one soon.

In my opinion it's no more offensive than a woman wearing trousers. I should think that society has evolved beyond that now.

[cessna152towser]

Ladies in pipe bands wearing proper ladies kilts, ie made to fit a lady's waist/hip ratio and with the fringe and kilt pin to their left can look quite smart and attractive. I have seen ladies wearing kilts which are fringed to the right and are obviously men's kilts and to me they can sometimes appear rather kinky, just as I'd still be surprised to see a man wearing a floral print dress which had been designed to be worn by a lady. Each to their own though and its not for me to criticise other people's clothing choice.
Some ladies can succeed in looking attractive and ladylike in a man's kilt, for example:-

[Barb T]

As I'm sure others in this forum will advise you, there have been kilts made that have been cut for women - mainly for band uniform purposes. Most women's hips tend to flare more than men's, so a regular-cut kilt won't look quite right. I can't describe exactly what happens or why - one of you kiltmakers, maybe? - but it just doesn't look quite right.

Kilted skirts are more appropriate as women's wear, and I don't believe you'd wear a sporran with it. A kilt pin, OK, but not a sporran.

When I make a kilt for a woman (piper or dancer), I make it exactly the same as I do for a man. Kilts are tailored garments and are tailored to fit the person. Just as any two men are different shapes, any two women are different shapes. The shaping is more pronounced on a kilt for a woman, typically, but the kilts are *made* exactly the same way as the kilts I make for men.

And for both pipers kilts and dancers kilts, the fringe is *always* on the right and never on the left for "the ladies".

[Mipi]

I agree with cessna. For me it's more important how you wear it. It must fit you right.

[Sir Robert]

Okay by me, I even got a youth kilt for her, all the eye sees is a plaid skirt. I had to help pull the baisting stiches out and show her how to buckle it.

While we are on the subject there are women's kilts, they are backwards from men's on the apron (two buckles on the wearer's left). I have also seen women's plaid skirts the wrong way too. Male wearers are pretty much stuck with knee leignth. females do have 10,000 more choices. Me if I did not have to wear a knee top kilt (because I'm a boy) then I would wear a much longer one.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Part of the issue here is not just the wearing of the kilt itself, but also of the various accessories that go with the typical male Highland outfit. I have seen at Highland Games women wearing men's kilts with sporran, kilt hose, garters, sgian dubh, even Argyle jacket, neck tie, and balmoral! In other words, it was a man's outfit and looked rather odd being worn by the woman.

I think, whether a lady is wearing a kilt-skirt, or a true kilt, she should accessorize it in a more feminine fashion. I think a nod towards traditional male Highland attire is not out of place, so long as it is not overdone. For instance, my wife sometimes will wear kilt hose and garters with her tartan skirt. These are, strictly speaking, part of the male Highland outfit, but they look rather cute on her. She wears them with Mary-jane style shoes, a nice blouse, and if it is cold, perhaps a sweater or a shawl. In other words, the rest of her outfit is feminine.

[Pleater]

The left/right closure thing is just cultural - all kimono close left side over right (unless you are dressing a corpse, when right over left is correct).

The zippers of casual jackets made for the US market are made with the traveller on the other side to those made for the European market - my son bought one when visiting his future father in law and at first thought it was a mistake. He always fumbles the closing of it.

At my age and weight my days of wearing a miniskirt are long past.

I started to wear kilts as I was losing weight and wanted to have a garment that would accomodate the gradual decrease in circumference. I settled on a kilt after shrinking out of two sizes of drawstring trousers.

I find that making them with a slightly narrow apron is ideal. In cold weather the layers of pleats keep my hip joints warm and that is important. I am not restricted either moving around in the house or outside on the heathland, and as I make a lot of them from cheap or recycled material it is not a disaster if I rip one beyond repair.

The choice of garments for overweight women is very limited if restricted to what is available in the shops. The usual options have been colourful tents called smocks, which are made of thin material which tends to develop static, so they actually cling unkindly to the body and restrict movement, or there are the Crimpeline tubes, usually navy blue, with an elbow or 3/4 length sleeve and a little naff decoration in white around the neck.

For female members of pipe bands it would be wrong for them to have the fastenings reversed, as they are wearing a uniform.

Having worn military surplus for a long time the garments made during WWII and in the decade after, where the cut and the item was adapted from a man's uniform, I found the fastenings were not reversed even if intended for female personnel. It was perhaps because the reversing was attributed to a woman not dressing herself and those doing the requisitioning reasoned that in the services a woman would be dressing herself and therefore the reversal was not proper to the design.

I have worn a kilt with a useful pouch, on my left hip. That is because I would wear a dirk on my right hip. Not that I do, it is sort of a case that I might. I clip my phone or i-thingy just to the right of my belt buckle so as to have room for if I ever put on a dirk.

Or an axe.

I maintain that the kilt is a very manly garment - particularly when dressed up and that there is an element of cross dressing in my wearing one, particularly with a wide black belt and a large shiny chrome buckle.

I would never wear one with a lacy top, though, nor a black jacket - just not right.

Dungarees are very manly too.

I wore kilts as a child - with a kilt pin, and they closed on the right - my mother always pinned it too low and I still remember how it hit my knee when I ran.

Of course there was a time when most garments were maily differentiated male or female by the length they were belted or pinned up to, and there was an element of social standing there too. A high class male or female would have longer garments than a lower class one, plus there were variations due to age, the season, time of day and necessity.

Anne the Pleater

[cloves]

I think confidence plays a big part of whether an outfit "looks" right or not too. When i'm wearing a pair of jeans that I know fit well, i think that confidence carries over and i'm perceived as "well dressed" even though it's just a pair of jeans.
Same thing goes with kilts. I work at a record store, and when I wear clothing that is a little more "rock n roll" I feel confident. I can't wear my trad kilts and my hose up, even though it's a good look, in that particular setting because I'd feel out of place, and that akwardness would show through.

here's an example....and be assured, I'm not your typical "girlie" girl, so maybe that makes a difference too.....i digress

first one is what i'd wear to my store, or out clubbing...as mentioned above, it's a more relaxed look.


the next one is what I wore at a conference I attended. Photo doesn't show it well, but my shirt and socks (up this time) were both navy blue to match the blue in my kilt.
I can wear each outfit, but not in the wrong setting.....does that make sense?