2 things learned last week. 1 good, 1 bad

[TheBlueCow]

An idea for your already-modified silk boxers - If I'm understanding this right, you've cut out the part the bifurcates them and it is now, for all intents and purposes, a short silk skirt. When you spread your legs to sit down, you are increasing your circumference and the silk has no devices to allow it to spread to that circumference (for instance, a kilt has pleats for this purpose), so it rides up in order to avoid ripping.

Try cutting straight down the middle of each side, so that when you spread your legs to sit down, your legs part the silk and you in essence get a "front apron" and a "rear apron" kind of deal. The silk front apron should fall between your legs when you spread them.

I haven't done this myself, so I don't know if it is a definite solution, but I got the idea from how women's skirts have a small slit on each side to fix a similar problem (the slits on their skirts are small because the circumference of the garment doesn't need to widen too much, but when you shorten the garment, and the fact that you would be spreading your legs quite wide when sitting down, the slit needs to be larger to account for this).

[Riverkilt]

For the longevity the J'Dez cotton underkilts (black) I bought some years ago have served me well. Sadly, there was a time when J'Dez was taking money and not delivering their underkilts in return. They kind of went away. Don't know if anyone has any recent experience buying from them. If I knew they were on the up and up again I might order up three more. I sew - I bleed.

Have used de-bifurcated cheap cotton tartan boxer shorts from WalMarche' too. Haven't noticed a problem with them...Maybe cotton doesn't dance around as much as silk.

Never ironed my UKs and didn't have much of a curl problem. Secret was to hang them after washing and attach weighted clips to the bottom of each pleat. The weight held the pleat in place while the fabric dried.

Made the weights from hanger clips with half ounce fishing weights duct taped to each side.

Ron

[Tribal]

This may be heresy, but I'm a fan of wearing athletic moisture-wicking undershorts beneath my kilt. As they're skin-tight, it feels almost like there's nothing else, yet the kilt stays pretty clean.

Also, I've discovered that "Under Armour" usually gets a surprised burst of laughter when folks ask The Question.

[ForresterModern]

I agree with Tribal on this one---nice wicking boxer briefs are available from a variety of manufacturers in several colors and still BREATHE, while keeping the inside of your kilt sanitary as desired. Also preserves modesty when kilt-checked by the nearest dog's cold nose, or when encountering the strong gust of wind or ( as I witnessed in Paris last week) you cross a subway train ventilator grate at the wrong moment (think Marilyn Monroe).

[Fit2BKilted]

Okay; so, what *exactly* is the problem that prompts so many of you to seek undergarments for your perfect garment?

Is it an excrement/hygiene problem or a wear&tear/comfort problem, or both?

Having eschewed undergarments long before taking up the kilt, I feel I've satisfactorily dealt with both these issues over the years, and I can't imagine how conquering them in a kilt would be harder than it was with bifurcated garments...

Solution #1: Use more TP, especially after urinating, blotting and swiping until there's no residue on the paper. Taking care of your digestive system with proper diet may contribute to making this habit easier on a daily basis. I've also personally found that the adage "if you keep it clean, it's likely to be licked more often" is true.

Solution #2: There's also wisdom in the classic answer to The Question: talcum powder. It also helps considerably if you've never had any unauthorized prepuce-reduction surgery. In bifurcated clothing, there is a considerable chafing issue that is virtually obviated by the kilt. Now, if your member is so coarse in texture and monstrous in proportion that it's by its very nature abrading the apron's tartan, perhaps you should consider naturism ;-)

Solution #3: If you really must, create some (launderable) patches of comfortable fabric and use hook&loop (Velcro (TM)) dots to secure them in strategic locations on the inside of your kilt. Cotton especially seems to be susceptible to rot merely from increased moisture (perspiration); but, I'm not a fibre expert or an organic chemist, I just know that the crotch seams of my jeans are always the first to go.

[CDNSushi]

Okay; so, what *exactly* is the problem that prompts so many of you to seek undergarments for your perfect garment?

Is it an excrement/hygiene problem or a wear&tear/comfort problem, or both?

Well, this goes back to the "each to their own" department and there are plenty of rabble who swear by going regimental no matter what. That's just fine. This thread was exploring a potential solution for those of us who do like to wear something underneath.

Now, if you were to ask me my reasons for insisting on wearing something under my kilt, I would tell you that there's a good reason why people invented undergarments. Just because someone (or someones) decided that it's traditional to go au naturel when wearing a kilt many years ago, doesn't mean we all have to fall into that mold. It doesn't even mean it was a good idea to begin with! Just like when I was growing up, when I said, "Aw, but mom, all the kids are doing it" and as my momma always used to answer (and everyone else's momma probably did too):

"If Billy across the street went and jumped off the bridge, would you do it too?"

It all boils down to the fact that no matter how carefully you wipe, how many times you shower, how much talcum you use, at the end of the day, I don't want to be smelling the business end of a human's bottom, be they wearing pants or kilts. No matter how careful you are, I still don't see it as very hygienic. I do like your idea about velcro-ing a swatch of fabric on the inside of the apron, however. That makes a lot of sense.

Honestly, my wool kilt feels great but there's also a reason why people generally don't wear wool underwear. That'd be mighty uncomfortable. Hence, when I'm going to spend a good part of my day seated, where either my bare bottom or bare bits are going to be rubbing against wool, I'd rather be rubbing them against silk, thank you very much...

Again, that's getting into the "each to their own" department and there have been many threads about what to/what not to wear under the kilt. Until further notice, I'm going to stick to (un-mutilated) silk boxers... That is, until I have the inspiration to try something new.

Cheers,

Jim

[Tribal]

Reasons for wearing underwear:

1. Modesty. A skirt can reveal things that pants won't and shorts have a much harder time of doing. Respectable ladies don't go without panties, and at least on the East Coast it's considered appalling to wear pants without underwear.

2. Hygiene. Sometimes "stuff" just happens, no matter how well you cleaned earlier. Underwear helps prevent that from affecting the kilt. Realistically, it's the same reason why you wear a shirt underneath a suit, and in today's culture, a t-shirt under your collared shirt. I suspect that very few of us want to smell like a highlander from centuries past.

3. Comfort. On one hand the freedom of going regimental can be very nice, but on the other there's definitely chafing that can occur. You want the padding to be tight to the parts you're trying to protect; that's why socks are made to constrict around the foot rather than sitting loose in the shoe.

Under Armour (and even better, Nike Fit) solves all three of these with only minimal harm to open-air freedom. Besides, it also makes your butt look better if you get kilt-checked from behind. Everyone wins!

[Fit2BKilted]

I was just curious... I *personally* find the constriction and chafing of undergarments infinitely more disconcerting than the enhanced hygiene and other practises I employ to compensate for their absence.

Perhaps I'm just fortunate to be possessed of a body chemistry that isn't particularly hospitable toward malodorous fecal bacteria; although, I have to be even more diligent in managing under-arm musk---it's a 'wash' I suppose ;-)

Modesty hasn't been a particular issue for a long while, having broken free of a hyper-conservative inhibition imposed by grandparents when I was young; which perhaps blossomed into somewhat of an over-compensation embodied in a growing Naturist sympathy.

Nonetheless, I now have a better understanding of how the-other-half wear their kilts, and for that I am thankful for your responses to my posting. :-D

Still, I speculate that the driving forces behind the invention of undergarments were bifurcated clothing, and women's menstruation.

I have made my decision to be 'regimental-at-all-times' for myself, like a salmon swimming up-river; and, I can't really fault anyone for doing otherwise... Like choosing a tartan: it's a matter of personal taste. I respect all of your decisions to do what you do in equal measure to the tolerance I enjoy.

I still think the Velcro dots and patches innovation to be an excellent middle-ground; and, if at some point in the future I choose to reevaluate my position on undergarments, that's probably where I would start ;-)

Cheers!

Romani ite domum!

[DWFII]

Frankly, I don't know about anyone else but I find this quasi-clinical "potty" talk degrading and more disturbing than all the wrangling about flat caps and white hose and traditional vs. contemporary or even political talk.

I think it's unseemly and unsavory esp. for a "family oriented" forum.

[Fit2BKilted]

I regret that you have been offended DWFII; but, it was a practical issue. Fortunately, for both of us, I have now said all I care to on the subject.