First Kilt?

[Jerry]

My first kilt was a Sportkilt in black Watch tartan. The first place I wore it was to the northern Va celtic festival in Lessburg Va. I did also wear it out to eat the first night I had it.

[Alan H]

I've had my first kilt for about three weeks, now. I got a Stillwater Standard Black Watch. I've worn it to work three times, to church once, and to my sailing association meetings twice.

Every single interaction I've had with the notable, but only occasional exception of the Mrs. has been positive. I'm getting asked at work "no kilt today?" on the days I wear pants. The undergraduate student employees we use hereabouts (I work at Stanford University) have a kilt thread going on on their chat/bulletin board. One of the language instructors, and a fine looking lass she was, too, gave me a thorough eye-over yesterday and told me "nice kilt". That's kind of a laugh for a 47-year old, starting-to-gray old fart like me.

I very much like the Stillwater kilt I bought. My only concern is that the front of the kilt is starting to fuzz out a little bit under the sporran. Aside from that one thing, which might be normal, it's great and I'd buy another one in a flash except that I ordered one from Bear already.

[Geoduck]

My wife picked me up from work last July on my birthday, as I opened the passanger door, there was an olive green original Utililt on the seat. I had been eyeing them since Folklife (in Seattle) and couldn't have been more surprised and delighted.

I'm glad she knows me so well, but I don't think that she knew what she was getting me into. I'm up to 3 kilts now, and eyeing quite a few others.

[Buddha]

my first kilt was a grey Amerikilt...infact it was one of the first Amerikilts ever made, 1 of 25 or something like that. I wore it right out of the box at the motorcycle shop I was working at at the time, and since then I have not voluntarily worn pants.

Hey Buddha, That was quite a sudden change. I'm curious... what kind of reaction did you receive from family, friends, co-workers?

well, co-workers had no problem whatsoever...they loved it. Family has always known I do my own thing, so while it raised some questions, its pretty much a non-event.

now for the wife. She loved it and hated it. she loved that I look DAMN GOOD in a kilt, but her objection was that I would get made fun of and she didnt want me to get hurt (like that would happen). she also didnt want any extra attention drawn to herself.

[Verlyn]

My first one (and currently only one) is an Amerikilt bought at the PA Celtic Fling in July 2004. Wore it all that day and for 81 miles worth of backpacking over the summer. I'll never wear anything except a kilt for backpacking again. With any luck, my wife will be able to make me a tartan sometime this year.

[Rigged]

My first kilt was a black Utilikilt workman's. When I got it I put it on and didn't take it off except to sleep or to wash it.

My brother doesn't get it. My father doesn't get it. My son gets it, but his mother (I've re-married and my son lives with her) hates them.

My neighbors seem disappointed if I'm not kilted, but none of them have made the leap to being kilted themselves, except for the Cantor of the church, who's wife is making a kilt for him based on the UK design. He wears a robe like the long outfit that Neo wears in "The Matrix". His wife made it.

I got mixed reactions from classmates at Jr. College; from some guy whispering, "AIDS" in my ear to a young woman running all the way across campus to tell me how sexy I looked. One of the football players made a negative comment only to be told by his quarterback that he had a UK on order.

When I started taking EMT classes, I couldn't wear kilts. People who knew I usually wear kilts seemed disappointed and some even said so. Still, after 3 years of wearing kilts on campus, I was the only one.

I now own six Utilikilts, I have a Bear Kilt on order and, to deal with my jonesing for the Bear Kilt, I've ordered Pittsburgh Kilt.

My wife has been wonderful in supporting my kilt addiction, but since I start a new job today, I'll be able to support my own habit.

[Casey]

My first kilt was a Bearkilt, Gordon modern tartan.

There was still snow on the ground when I wore it for the first time, to the grocery store and running errands. So, I had a lot of: Aren't your knees cold.

[philibeg]

Oh a traumatic tale!! I was in Germany doing a gig, and passed a secondhand punk shop with a rack of secondhand kilts on sale for only 10 euros!! I thought, what the hell, cheaper than this you will not find, tried one on and bought it. I asked the checkout girl if these were men's kilts or Catholic schoolgirl skirts, and she assured me they were the real thing. Once back home I went online and started ordering the accesories: Ghillies, different colored pairs of hose, sgian dubh, the works. I even figured I had saved to much on the kilt itself that I could splurge and get a really nice sporran. One by one my packages arrived, my excitement grew, and at last the long awaited moment finally came when I could get into complete Highland dress. So I went online to a first-time-kilt-advice site, to see how to put it all together and read there, to my shock and horror that the kilt always opens on the right. I looked down to be sure and...MINE OPENED ON THE LEFT!!! :x OH NO! I had bought a woman's skirt!! My great bargain turned out to be a hole in my bank account bigger than the Boston Dig!! I threw the skirt away in disgust, and had to pay for a new kilt on top of all the rest...I still to this day break out in hives just thinking of it!!
How foolish could I have been? NOBODY SELLS KILTS FOR 10 EUROS!!

[Big Paul]

My first and only kilt (so far) is a 9yd Strathmore traditional in the Murray of Atholl tartan. I'm very impatiently waiting till my wedding day to wear it!

[GG]

My first kilt actually was a ladies’ kilted skirt. I found it on a rack outside a women’s store. It opened to the right – contrary to most women’s skirts – and was made by Kinloch Anderson in Scotland. Even if lightweight definitely high quality and the closest I at that time had come to a kilt. It was a couple of inches too long and therefore I had the store shorten it.

Since then I have bought several “real” kilts, traditional tartan kilts as well as solid coloured Utilililts and Amerikilts.

GG