wearing the great kilt

[findyourinsanity]

so for casual wear is it possible to wear the great kilt down or is there too much material that gets in the way or what?

[Hamish]

so for casual wear is it possible to wear the great kilt down or is there too much material that gets in the way or what?

Well, let me put it this way: the Great Kilt is not a practical garment in this day and age (unless you are going to be sleeping rough on open mountain sides ). That is why the small kilt came into being.

I suppose it all boils down to what you intend doing whilst 'casually' dressed. Standing around looking gorgeous is one thing, but getting on with life is another!

Really, I am sorry if I am appearing to be somewhat blunt, but I just cannot identify with your passion for the Great Kilt, since I am not involved with historical re-enactments or theatrical performances.

[findyourinsanity]

ah dont worry ur not being mean or anything and im not either by saying i dont have a passsion with them, i just find them interesting. but trust me ive changed my mind to wanting a small kilt but i just dont think i can afford one, ill get $200 soon and i dont know anywhere u can get a good kilt that cheap. thanks.

[bubba]

Add $30, give or take, to that $200 and call Rocky at USAKilts

[findyourinsanity]

USAkilts doesnt have any of my family's tartans.

[bubba]

Check with Rocky. The tartan gallery isn't all the tartans they have. If you don't see it in the gallery or in the drop down list for the particular model kilt just ask. They might be able to get the one you want.

[Woodsheal]

What's ironic is that after the introduction of the little kilt, the great kilt was considered the more formal of the two garments. In 18th C. Highland regiments, the great kilt was the dress uniform item. Little kilts were for fatigue and field use. And look at formal potraiture of those times and try to find a Highjland subject in a wee kilt!

The belted plaid can be a very formal and stately garment, as much today as in the 1700's....

[Thistle Stop]

Dear findyourinsanity,

Matt Newsome (M. A. C. Newsome) is a real expert on Scottish dress through the ages -- a scholar in fact, and a museum curator. You can rely on what he tells you on this subject.

I would advise that you stay away from teh kilt companies, since they're in the business to sell what they have.

I can understand why Jimmy would say this about kiltmakers per se, but I have to defend retail merchants at least to the extent of saying that at our shop -- which is all I can vouch for with any real authority -- we don't just try to sell what we have. We have sources for pretty much anything you might want in terms of Scottish attire, modern or historical, and our aim is to get you what you want. We do advise our customers about what's considered 'proper' in Highland attire, and are prepared to guide them in selecting the right accessories, etc., but not with the motive of selling them what we have in the shop or what we can make the most money on. We want our customers to look their best and feel happy with their purchases. Honestly!

The Great Kilt can indeed be worn as a very formal garment -- with the right sort of doublet and accessories, which when you add them all up make it a very expensive outfit to put together. And it can also be worn as a much more casual outfit, with the sort of shirt usually referred to as a Jacobite shirt -- full sleeves, thongs or strings lacing the neck opening together -- and this will cost you a lot less.

What the philamore (féileadh mór [or mhor] -- literally 'great [i.e., big] kilt', AKA 'breacan féile', i.e. 'belted plaid') is not so good for is the sort of day wear that would be the equivalent of wearing a suit -- like at church, for example. Even at a dressy affair like a wedding, if you go the fully formal route with a Great Kilt, you risk outshining the bride, which would be bad form! You always run the risk of looking like you've just escaped from the set of an historical film. Like any sort of flamboyant clothing, it takes a certain attitude and élan to carry off the look.

All things considered, the philabeg (féileadh beag, 'small kilt'), which is the typical tailored kilt we see today, is a more versatile garment. It can be worn for anything from hoeing the garden to attending a formal ball, depending upon the rest of your ensemble. By the time you buy enough double-width tartan (4 to 5 yards) to make a Great Kilt -- assuming the tartan you want is in production in double-width worsted wool twill of a suitable weight -- you may find it's hardly any more expensive to buy a tailored kilt. Sometimes it's even cheaper, because when you buy tartan fabric at retail it's very expensive. The kiltmaker is not charging you retail price for the material that goes into the kilt.

Dressing in 'authentic' Highland attire (most of which is Victorian in origin) in a way that's considered proper and stylish in modern society is not cheap. If you want to save money and still have an outfit that will pass muster for most sorts of occasions, I'd say get an economy type of tailored kilt like the USA Kilts 'Traditional'. Then start saving money for the 8-yard, 16-oz. kilt in the tartan of your choice that will be the staple of your kilt wardrobe for the rest of your life!

[Andrew Breecher]

What's ironic is that after the introduction of the little kilt, the great kilt was considered the more formal of the two garments. In 18th C. Highland regiments, the great kilt was the dress uniform item. Little kilts were for fatigue and field use.

This may be true, but times change. In the 18th century it was also formal to wear powdered wigs, tricorn hats, lots of brocade, and silk stockings. As has been mentioned (was it this thread or another?), kilts have evolved -- along with the rest of clothing. Fashion changes, and what used to be considered normal (or formal) now looks outmoded. Try wearing a bowler derby around town and people are going to look at you...well, as if you were wearing a kilt. Yet one hundred years ago every man wore a bowler. It was the height of fashion back in the days when it was considered uncouth for men to walk about with their heads uncovered. In days where men had to wear hats, it was considered proper -- and indeed, necessary -- to wear a top hat with a tuxedo (of course when the tuxedo was first introduced it was an informal piece of clothing because the jacket has short tails). Now to wear a top hat is considered more of a statement or a bit of fancy dress. You'd never seriously wear a top hat to a formal function.

My point is, a great kilt is a throwback to another time. Yes, of course it's still a valid piece of clothing, just as the tricorn hat is, but to wear it focuses more attention on its anachronism, rather than honouring its tradition.

Andrew.

[macwilkin]

This may be true, but times change. In the 18th century it was also formal to wear powdered wigs, tricorn hats, lots of brocade, and silk stockings. As has been mentioned (was it this thread or another?), kilts have evolved -- along with the rest of clothing. Fashion changes, and what used to be considered normal (or formal) now looks outmoded. Try wearing a bowler derby around town and people are going to look at you...well, as if you were wearing a kilt. Yet one hundred years ago every man wore a bowler. It was the height of fashion back in the days when it was considered uncouth for men to walk about with their heads uncovered. In days where men had to wear hats, it was considered proper -- and indeed, necessary -- to wear a top hat with a tuxedo (of course when the tuxedo was first introduced it was an informal piece of clothing because the jacket has short tails). Now to wear a top hat is considered more of a statement or a bit of fancy dress. You'd never seriously wear a top hat to a formal function.

My point is, a great kilt is a throwback to another time. Yes, of course it's still a valid piece of clothing, just as the tricorn hat is, but to wear it focuses more attention on its anachronism, rather than honouring its tradition.

Andrew,

I've worn my bowler on several occasions, mostly to church, with my suit, and to be quite honest, I've never gotten any comments, save positive ones. I know another gent who wears a top hat with his formal attire, and again, no one, to my knowledge has ever said anything negative to him. A lot of people comment that it's nice to see someone practicing the "old ways". Personally, I like to see gents wearing hats such as bowlers these days. Hear the words of the poem "The Little Red God":

Wear the garments he likes to wear, never dreaming that people stare.

Just my twa bob's...

Cheers,

Todd