The Royal Mile

[creagdhubh]

I have no problem with kilts being worn with grubby socks and rugby jerseys.... I just wonder why all those fellows are also wearing their nice dress Prince Charlie sporrans at the same time! :-)

Seriously, that's what bothered me the most in a lot of those photos -- the mish-mash of casual and formal wear that makes it appear that the wearers really don't know all that much about kilt wearing.

Respecting the traditions of Highland dress does not mean always dressing formally, or even always dressing nicely! But it does mean a certain care is taken to wear with kilt within the broader context of fashion and tradition that it has developed in, and not wearing it as a costume.

Wearing a formal sporran with your rugby jersey and scrunched down hose, to my eye, makes the whole thing look like a costume. "This is my kilt outfit" it seems to say. It matters not that the elements of the outfit really don't all go together.

If the chrome-cantled fur sporrans were simply replaced with plain leather day sporrans in most of those photos, they'd be ok. (I'm not even touching on the subject of Neo-Jacobite shirts, or rainbow kilts in this post, mind you!)

Well said as always Matt! Thanks for contributing.

Aye,

[Lachlan09]

At the end of the day (I hate that phrase !!!), most Scots are kilt-virgins. They are not use to wearing one. I'm guessing, but I would suggest that 10% or less Scots own a kilt. The idea of a kilt resurgence is a recent phenomenon (since Braveheart engendered a sense of pride amongst even the most dull of Scots) and now you can't be a proper Scot (so it seems) if you don't don a kilt.

So artificial. I love how Gaelic is being brought to the fore nowadays but on the flip-side, it seems to be for political rather than genuine reasons. The whole Scottish "thing" seems a PR hype rather than genuine passion for varied Scottish cultures.

IMHO, Scots who are genuinely interested have always been so and many of those who don kilts in Scotland nowadays are Johnny-Come-Latelys who are jumping on the bandwagon.

The poster who saw 2 kilties in Edinburgh saw the reality. In my day (back in the 1980's) we used to smile and lament that the only people you would see wearing a kilt in Princes St would be tourists.

[McClef]

One thing that struck me about Edinburghkiltie's (excellent quality) photos is how it demonstrates the versatility of the kilt. Of course there will be different opinions about what works and what does not but what shines out to me at least is that the "models" are comfortable with their own choices of accessory clothes. It certainly beats the horrendous looks of "saggy" jeans that not only look like they could fall down at any moment but also denies any kind of human form underneath.

I suspect that Lachlan's estimate is somewhat pessimistic but there is still a big difference between ownership and use and perhaps many Scots still cannot think outside of the special occasion (and therefore formal) box. Of course one can cite occasions when kilts appear in a flood but outside of those, yes indeed a kilted sighting on Princes St or the Royal Mile, especially upon a weekday, is likely to be a tourist, even when they are worn the correct way around.

[Lallans]

If the kilt is restricted to formal wear or to a fashion set-piece some sort or another, as it has been until I guess Braveheart came out, it will become and remain a sort of artificial national costume, like that worn by pseudo Albanian shepherds at their national day celebrations here in the Americas- and of course the garb of pipe bands. I like the fact that the young folks in the photos and everywhere are wearing them around town with rugby garb and such, that is the only forward direction I see for the garment. And no 20-something year old should ever be forced to dress like a senior citizen- that leaves us of advancing and senior years a way to show our maturity and good judgement.

[Jock Scot]

If the kilt is restricted to formal wear or to a fashion set-piece some sort or another, as it has been until I guess Braveheart came out, it will become and remain a sort of artificial national costume, like that worn by pseudo Albanian shepherds at their national day celebrations here in the Americas- and of course the garb of pipe bands. I like the fact that the young folks in the photos and everywhere are wearing them around town with rugby garb and such, that is the only forward direction I see for the garment. And no 20-something year old should ever be forced to dress like a senior citizen- that leaves us of advancing and senior years a way to show our maturity and good judgement.

No 20 year old worth his salt should conform to anything much, that is true. Many, too many, years ago I well remember causing consternation amongst the senior members of my family by moving my kilt pin from the "mid thigh position" on the kilt, to the lower corner.I still wear it there today, some 50 years later.

What, if any, is the significance of the Rainbow tartan? I seem to have missed something here.

[Bugbear]

No 20 year old worth his salt should conform to anything much, that is true. Many, too many, years ago I well remember causing consternation amongst the senior members of my family by moving my kilt pin from the "mid thigh position" on the kilt, to the lower corner.I still wear it there today, some 50 years later.

What, if any, is the significance of the Rainbow tartan? I seem to have missed something here.

Oh, don't worry too much about that tartan, Jock.

It only took me a couple of years, and a few MacMillan of Rathdown posts, to start wearing a blanket pin, then move it from the corner of my apron to the "mid thigh ... Kind of scary, now that I think of it.

[creagdhubh]

Oh, don't worry too much about that tartan, Jock.

It only took me a couple of years, and a few MacMillan of Rathdown posts, to start wearing a blanket pin, then move it from the corner of my apron to the "mid thigh ... Kind of scary, now that I think of it.

Aye, I wear a sterling silver (also have one made of brass) blanket pin made by Hamilton and Inches of Edinburgh, at mid-thigh height. For evening wear I tend to wear a sterling silver kilt pin in the thistle motif with a cairngorm stone (which matches other parts of my evening attire-shoe buckles, sporran cantle, etc) made by H&I of Edinburgh. I also wear a clan crest kilt pin and/or grouse talon, both made by Art Pewter of Kilbride, on occassions. I may look into wearing something larger though, perhaps a brooch of some sort that is around the size of a clansman's cap badge. Any suggestions?

[Brian K]

No 20 year old worth his salt should conform to anything much, that is true. Many, too many, years ago I well remember causing consternation amongst the senior members of my family by moving my kilt pin from the "mid thigh position" on the kilt, to the lower corner.I still wear it there today, some 50 years later.

Wow! Who would have guessed that the guy who styles himself an "auld crabbit" is actually a rebel at heart?!?

[Jock Scot]

Wow! Who would have guessed that the guy who styles himself an "auld crabbit" is actually a rebel at heart?!?

I have had my moments and given a bit more time on this planet, I hope to have a few more yet!

[Lallans]

No 20 year old worth his salt should conform to anything much, that is true. Many, too many, years ago I well remember causing consternation amongst the senior members of my family by moving my kilt pin from the "mid thigh position" on the kilt, to the lower corner.I still wear it there today, some 50 years later.

What, if any, is the significance of the Rainbow tartan? I seem to have missed something here.

Googling 'rainbow tartan' yields a thread from this site circa 2006, and that seems to be about the only meaningful reference to the subject. Someone posted they'd found info saying it's "A bright and colourful design which has been adopted by the Gay community in Los Angeles." Then the thread got locked pretty quickly and without any more concrete information being brought forward.