I'm afraid that this conversation is going far afield from the original topic of the thread, but since it seems far gone anyway, I may as well continue. :-)

Jock, thanks for your post and please understand that I am in no way "hurt" or even "surprised" when someone makes a statement such as "a real kilt must have 8 yards." Maybe a bit surprised to read such a statement on X Marks, but in general, there is pretty much nothing anyone can say about the kilt that can surprise me.

I've heard all kinds of doozies, really just as often by native Scots as by Americans. I have been told by native Scots the following:
-the only shoes proper to wear with the kilt are high-laced ghillie brogues. Period. No exceptions.
-if your tartan has red in it, it means you come from a bastard family (this from a Scottish school teacher to her class of children).
-I was wearing my kilt incorrectly because the turn-over on my hose was about half an inch too long.
-that the Scottish government can fine you for wearing the "wrong" tartan.
-and the errors regarding the provenance of modern, ancient, dress and hunting tartans are too many to list!

I've heard just as many doozies from Americans, as well, so I'm by no means singling out native Scots. My point here is that my experience has taught me that just being born in Scotland does not make someone an expert on the kilt. In fact, nine times out of ten when I meet a kilted Scot here in the US, he'll admit to me that he never wore a kilt or gave it any interest at all until he came to the States!

Now, there is another class of folks who were born and raised in Scotland for whom kilt wearing was part of their regular life. They grew up wearing the kilt for various occasions, have memories of their fathers and grandfathers wearing the kilt, etc. These people (I'm assuming you are one of them, Jock!) are an invaluable resource to learn how the kilt is worn today and how it has been worn in living memory. But even then one must understand that there will of course be regional and even familial variations.

How the kilt is worn traditionally in the western Highlands and Isles will be different from how the kilt is worn traditionally in East Lothian, and this will differ from how the kilt is worn traditionally on Price Edward Isle!

You cannot say any of these variations are any more or less "correct" any more than you can say English spoken with an Alabama accent is more or less "correct" than spoken with a London accent.

I, personally, find learning about these subtle variations in fashion quite fascinating, and take pleasure in using them as inspirations in my own Highland wardrobe.