Do they just want to talk to you?

[wildrover]

The sweetest hours that e'er I spend,
Are spent among the lasses, O.

I'll drink to that!

Being kilted invites a LOT of feminine attention.

Also generally respect from one's own gender.

When asked "why are you wearing a kilt," lately I've been saying "just wearing the family colors," because I am. Mostly to places where I'd have a bit of a reason to be dressed up anyway, generally...

[Mark Stephenson]

A few weeks ago I was wearing my tank for the very first time. My wife and I were on our way to a Scottish reception that was a black tie event, so I also had on my Prince Charlie. We were staying at a hotel several miles from the event, and I was the only one in the lobby wearing a kilt. We were waiting for our friends, and a woman walked past, slowed down, turned around, looked me up and down and said, " love it!". She smiled, and walked on. The best part is that my lovely wife was not too far away, and she chimed in, Me too!

[BriarCub]

I've not been wearing my kilts for a terribly long time, but I've been pleasantly surprised by the reactions I've gotten out here in the cornfields, in the office, or the classroom. I've actually had quite a few folks ask me where I got mine, whether I'm stopping for gas at the local Huck's, running to the post office, and taking a few laps around the building over lunch, although I do get 'the question' fairly often ;-) The day I see another kilt here at the office or wandering around campus, I'll know my efforts haven't been wasted :-D

Two out of the last three weeks have been fairly chilly, though, and I'm thinking it's my socks that get most of the attention, but that's another topic altogether ;-)

One reaction I do remember getting at my very first Ren Faire a few months ago was from the professional wandering insulter, who yelled out 'So what clan did *you* come from--MacLevi?' The denim Utilikilt was probably not the best choice, but it's all good, no? :-)

[BEEDEE]

Today I got asked "You must be Scottish Rite?" I don;t think she knew how to respond to "No. I just wear the kilt."

Brian

[kiltedRTR]

I get mixed repsonses also. I had a stranger tell me I should be "free-ballin'" the other day and i decided to just walk on and not tell him its called regimental. I ended up carrying on a good conversation with an older lady who did not once mention my kilt, in fact, I was the one who started the conversation.
And the best reactions came from the sorority girls and drunk law students in the homecoming parade.

[MacMillans son]

I spent the weekend kilted in South Lake Tahoe and received the typical questions. "What's the occasion"? "Are you Scottish"? etc. It seems most of the comments I get come from older females (60s-70s) who are usually just complimentary. "You look smashing", "Very nice" or stories about when they or their son or their neighbor went to Scotland or to a wedding where all of the involved parties were kilted etc. I don't get "the question" too often, the last time was a couple of weeks ago visiting RiverKilt in Arizona. The guy first asked Ron, then asked me. My response? "That's an unusual question for a man to ask another man" He walked away without saying anything and looking kind of like this

[M. A. C. Newsome]

i need to spend more time with a more mature crowd, almost every time i wear my kilt i'm asked the question, when i'm not kilted but with friends who know i wear a kilt they have a tendancy to mention it and then i get asked the question then, i've been thinking of getting a tshirt and a tie with answers to common kilt questions printed on them.....

You mean a t-shirt like this?


Or perhaps more to the point, like this?


(Both available here).

[JerseyLawyer]

Do you have a version that says, "Yes, I do play the bagpipes"?

[troxel87]

It does seem that here in Maryland, I'm not asked much about wearing it, just looks and nods... I did have a younger lady at the grocery store ask me where I got "those CUTE socks with the tassels sewn in to them", referring to the wool hose and garter ties. I had to explain to her how they work and why they're there.

It might be too risque, but I'll risk it:

I do get "the question" relatively often, and most times it goes either "On a good day, lipstick." Or "For a dollar I'll tell ya, for five I'll show ya, and for ten you can find out for yourself!" Most just walk away or smile uncomfortably.

[Stratherrick]

Whenever I'm north of the border, I don my kilt, as does my youngest son. Usually, this is for day trips to the capital, or longer trips to visit family in the Highlands.

Without exception we are both asked about our kilt every trip. As a youngster, he's now 14, my son used to ask for a Coke if asked for a photo in a bar, or 50p, and sometimes got given both!

Most folks I've chatted with, be it a brief word or a longer chin wag, feel they're identifying with you, seeing their heritage in your willingness to put on such a symbol of modern Scottishness.

Mind, one time, I had a bloke run across The Mile to me to shake my hand. He said he'd just moved to Edinburgh after a lifetime of deciding if he should be a part of the Scots diaspora coming home. Seeing my kilt confirmed his decision, a sort of road to Damascus moment for him. I told him I was very privileged to share in his joy!

Slainte

Bruce