Not putting it on properly

[David]

I hope this is posted in the right place, and that I don't upset anyone.

I know we are not the kilt police here on Xmarks but I’m pretty sure the vast majority of us could agree on a few basics when it comes to putting it on properly:

• The top of the kilt is worn roughly mid-way between the hip bone and bottom of you rib cage,
• The bottom of your kilt finishes about the top of your knee.
• The sporran is worn about a hands breadth below the top of the kilt.
• The hose (if they are not scrunched down) are worn so that the top of them are a wee bit below the bottom of the knee – I was taught it was the width of the index and forefinger below the bottom of the knee cap.
• The flashes are worn between 2 o’clock and 3 o’clock (12 o’clock being the front of the shin) and they show about an inch below the bottom edge of the turned over hose.
• If you are wearing ghillie brogues, you wrap the laces a couple of times round the ankle and tie a bow.

All simple and straightforward stuff, and it looks good, it looks right.

But over the past couple of years I have noticed (at formal events) a change in how the kilt is worn and accessorized. I don’t see there is anything wrong with this on an individual basis, each to their own and all that. If you want to wear a ruche tie fine, if you are wearing your kilt below the knee fine, just don’t do both of them.

Recently I was at a wedding and it is accurate to say that the number of us wearing a kilt that met what I would consider the basics was about 6 or 7 out of the 40 or so kilt wearers. I wish I could say that the other 90ish percent had made changes that improved on the basics of wearing a kilt, but I can’t. Collectively (and individually) it just looked bad. I seriously don’t think the guys wearing the kilts were any the wiser. I believe it’s down to how they have been shown either directly by the companies hiring /selling them their kilts (almost all were wearing hire kilts) or via other “influencers”; wedding planners, the bride, the wife, the Mother-in-Law, etc.

In my opinion our national dress is being devalued and hijacked by the wedding industry. I say that because it’s the only common denominator I can see. To me its reaching the point of being a parody.

The 90% had at least two of the following going on:

1. Kilt hem covering the knee, even in some cases when the waist was right
2. Kilt waist worn on the hips exposing the shirt between it and the waistcoat, again, some guys were still showing some knee
3. Kilt pin hanging off the bottom corner of the apron. In one case this only accentuated the fact that hem of the over apron was running out of line with the under apron so that at the point where the hem met the fringed edge, the corner was about an inch and a half below the under apron. This was not an isolated instance, I have seen it before.
4. Flashes worn at about 4 o’clock
5. Showing (much) more than 2 inches of flashes
6. Wearing a ruche tie (a personal dislike of the first order)
7. Wearing flashes that match the ruche tie
8. Ghillie brogue laces wound up to mid-shin
9. Ghillie brogue laces wound up the leg and tied off under the turnover of the hose, tassels showing or covered (this was a first for me)
10. As 9) but laces tied off on top of hose turnover
11. Laces wound up the leg as in 9) or 10) and wound over or under flashes
12. Low slung sporrans. In one extreme case the top of the sporran was a good 8 inches to 10 inches below the bottom of the waistcoat. The guy must have had to bend over to reach the change at the bottom of his sporran

[Tarheel]

It would feel like a daunting task to get the entire wedding industry to consult this forum for a proper presentation of kilting during ceremonies. Your short list is as good a start as anyone could ask. Photos of each point to demonstrate would be even more helpful. Those photos are available often here. I think more folks will seek out the wisdom offered here for their events. They may choose to ignore the advice.

[Tobus]

In my opinion our national dress is being devalued and hijacked by the wedding industry. I say that because it’s the only common denominator I can see. To me its reaching the point of being a parody.

Yes, I think this is the biggest factor in the recent odd changes that are happening in the way kilts are worn in Scotland. I'm only seeing it from afar, based on photos and articles on the internet. But it seems to me that what was considered proper and traditional is dying off, and is being replaced by fads and fashion, driven by the kilt hire industry. Understandably, they are in competition for business, and will want to give customers a look that "takes it up a notch". But some of these fads have become quite bizarre to the eyes of traditional kilt wearers.

Since this isn't the traditional kilt forum, I expect that it's out of bounds to comment further on the rightness or wrongness of these new fads. But suffice it to say that they are fads, driven by an industry that is more interested in making money and being "fashion forward" than trying to preserve any semblance of traditional sartorial protocols.

Sadly, these kilt-hire companies are viewed as "the experts" by a large number of people. If they don't know any better, they will wear what the hire companies tell them to wear, and in the manner they are told to wear it. I'm not quite sure how these hire companies decide what's correct in terms of how to wear flashes, sporrans, etc. Maybe they just make it up as they go?

Kilts being too long or too short, or not quite fitting the customer is to be expected. Given that a well-fitted kilt is a custom job for each person's proportions, and the "standard sized" kilts really don't do a very good job of fitting well, it's no surprise that many hire kilts appear sloppy. Hire companies have to stock a range of sizes and different tartans, and cannot possibly keep every combination of size and tartan choice for every customer. I still think they routinely fit people for kilts that are too long, and don't give them correct instruction on wearing the kilt at the natural waist (or the customers ignore it because it feels weird to them).

[David]

I think what really set me off was that there was a large number of kilts being worn with so many (bad?) variations all in one place. If you have heard the phrase "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts", well in this case it was more a case of the whole being less than the sum of the parts. From the responses so far, I'm glad it appears that its not just me who thinks there is a disturbance in the kilt wearing force. Variation is good, I'm not against it, my kilt pin is four pin badges in a vertical line. They are the four symbols chosen by the members of Led Zeppelin. Its amazing how many people believe me when I say they are actually Pictish symbols

[Hipbilly]

Lets start with the basics...
#1: Aprons facing the rear of the kilt. Seriously. I've seen waaaay to much of that in my internet meanderings...

[Tarheel]

Lets start with the basics...
#1: Aprons facing the rear of the kilt. Seriously. I've seen waaaay to much of that in my internet meanderings...

As Hipbilly points out, kilts are NOT "Union Suits" that offer a flap in the back.

[CMcG]

... I'm glad it appears that its not just me who thinks there is a disturbance in the kilt wearing force. ...

I'm going to venture an educated guess, which is that the disturbance in the kilt wearing force is primarily created by ignorance.

Many guys who rent their kit are wearing the kilt for the first or perhaps second time, and they simply don't know about fit and finish. Of course the "average" size clothes of hire shops and off-the-rack options—rather than being custom tailored—don't help, but there are many simple adjustments that could be made to address the issues raised in the OP. The disturbance is probably exaggerated by an increased interest in, and availability of, kilts to rent or less expensive options for buying than there used to be.

I liken this to when guys who have never worn a suit or tuxedo put one on and nothing seems to fit right or sit well. Granted, they probably have more, and better, models to base their decisions on, but the devil is still in the details

There are probably many cases of people working at hire shops or retailers who are not themselves seasoned kilt wearers, so it is often a case of the blind leading the blind. This is where information sources like Xmarks come in handy. If anybody has the wherewithal to realize their own ignorance and start Googling Highland attire, this website shows up pretty quickly in the search results.

[Stitchwiz]

Kilts are not the only things that are worn incorrectly. Take a look around you when you attend any function where suits are worn - most of the younger men don't have a clue even how to tie a tie properly and the fit of the suit is terrible. If they bought the suit, the salesperson doesn't know enough to teach them how it should fit and they are often wearing the wrong size/length, etc. I see so many suits coming in to be hemmed and they are marked incorrectly at the store! And of course, because they are so uncomfortable, they take off as much as they can, as soon as they can, and end up looking even worse, if that's possible.

The greatest tragedy is when tuxedos are worn - the reason they are wearing a tux is to look their absolute best and yet they often look terrible - probably 99-100% are hired and they look it!

When a man cares enough to buy his own classic cut tuxedo from a tailor, just like a kilt from a kilt maker, it can last most of his life. There is nothing as handsome as a man in his best outfit, whether it is a tuxedo or a kilt.

At least when they are wearing a kilt, they aren't trying to take anything off before the end of the evening - perhaps they don't want to embarrass themselves in the process. Thank goodness for small mercies.

(Yes, Father Bill, I hear you )