First Day in a Kilt... It's a whole new world!

**Earl D** · 2nd November 09, 04:08 PM

David, my wife is also allergic to wool but so far my 8 yarder hasn't given her any problems. If she handles any wool item and then touches her face with out washing her hands she'll break out in hives and her eyelids swell up.

Looking forward to seeing the pics.

**auld argonian** · 2nd November 09, 04:50 PM

It is a blast, isn't it?

I have to agree with the other fellas: you sound like a man who's in the market for a USAK semi-trad. I have a casual and that's been really serviceable and a semi-trad is on my "want" list. Till then...well...I guess that you'd better avoid your wife...nah...just kidding...

Best

AA

**SteveB** · 2nd November 09, 05:36 PM

Welcome to the kilted clan. As mentioned by others, a Semi-traditional from Rocky should fill the ticket for a out and about kilt. Although it never hurts to show off the Wool TANK. My Alba Wool, Alba Hand Sewn (Tank) survives just fine attending school, playing at the Highland Games, attending events from super casual to full black tie formal. I serve as an elections warden in my community, the Tank will be on at 04:00 until 23:00, while I supervise and work at the polls. (City Elections). BTW, I wear a kilt every day that ends with a "y". I usually wear the USAK Semi-trad to Punk Rock concerts, and as it is wash and wear, it does not faze me to have beer splashed on it by a fan or two that has been well lubricated.

Kilt on, trousers off.

Slainte

**Alan H** · 2nd November 09, 09:10 PM

Ah, it begins with one.....

**pdcorlis** · 2nd November 09, 09:13 PM

One is too many - a thousand not enough...

**Perldog007** · 2nd November 09, 11:48 PM

Congratulations! My first time was to the mall in Dover Delaware. A very old lady who was leading the senior center mall walk ( and walking those young seventy year old punks into the linoleum btw..) Told me how her Robert wore one in the "service" .

Delaware is a whole different climate, but I own a UK, an FK, and four I made myself. For warm weather casual wear the FK is my favorite. Never tried a USAK but they certainly look serviceable.

If you do your part taking measurements Steve will do his in making sure that your FK is the best fitting garment you own.

Good luck and welcome to the addiction.

**Lachlan09** · 4th November 09, 06:31 AM

My first kilt “moment” happened in early 1968.

I had just turned 15 and my dad, brother and I had formed a wee band called the Hamish Gow Scottish Ceilidh Group (snappy title !) a few months before. When we started in 1967, we wore a sedate outfit of black lambswool v-neck over a white shirt (my mum was a wizard at getting them so white), Gow tartan tie and black trousers and shoes. We played at ceilidhs in our town, then we started to get invites to play at ceilidhs in Edinburgh. We were amateurs at the time, just playing for petrol money and such. Then one day in early 1968, my dad decided the time had come for us to get kitted out in Highland dress. He knew a chap who had worked years before for a well-known, royally-appointed Edinburgh kiltmaker / outfitter and his claim to fame was that he had tailored a kilt for the late King George VI. (Did you know King George VI had a flat bum and all his kilts needed padding to make the pleats sit right and to make him look like he had a kiltie’s round rear-end ?).

When the kilts came back ready, they were in lightweight wool, using the “full colour” Gow tartan in red/dark blue/black. I wore a greenish woolly-tweedy kilt jacket with a brown sporran, belt and brogue shoes. We took to the stage in our new apparel. Now as all kilt-wearers know, there are no formal etiquette classes in how to sit, stand, move around etc in your kilt. So there we were, sitting at one side of the small hall, near the stage in our new Highland dress, white shirts now fully on show, with new clan-crest ties, waiting our turn to perform. On the opposite side of the hall were a few audience members. Opposite me was a girl about my own age, with long, auburn-red hair. I was looking at her and just thinking that I really fancied her and she was looking back at me, when I saw her face suddenly start to go bright red. Yet she still kept looking, before she averted her eyes. I wondered what had happened. Was it my face, my expression ? Had I smiled too much and put her off ? Then I realized the awful truth ! I was sitting with my legs wide open, kilt aprons stretched across and she could see right up my Highland glen and view my wee bearded crofter sitting on his wool-sack (except he wasn’t sitting anymore) ! I quickly punched down the apron (and what was behind it too) to dip it between my legs and also started to go red in the face. I did want to speak to her later but now felt too shy – I mean, what do you say ? “I really like you” and she replies “Yes, I know !”. Mind you, she would have seen I wasn’t lying ! Ahhhh – my first love !