Inappropriate times to wear a kilt?

[MonRiver]

I never thought about putting a roof on the barn!

Willie T.

I'm a piper too. I never thought about asking the family if they want me in a kilt for a funeral or wedding. But, since I've only been playing for 4 years, I've only played a few funerals for relatives and a friends father. However, I will start asking for future events!

Taskr,

That's great advice! Not just about choice of clothing, but for life in general. "When in doubt, don't."

[The Q]

Echoing others replies,
Never working on the roof or up high of any of my buildings,
Never using any of my garden Machinery,

Then also.
Never on my Motorscooter, I'll stick to my protective suit..
Never when I am Sailing ( racing), but I might on a gentle cruise.
Never when running the Rescue boat at the sailing club.
Never when working on any machinery because I don't want oil on my kilts...
Not at Funerals in England, as too many people associate Kilts only with weddings... it's not the time to correct them..
And as a personnal preferance not when driving the 400 miles from here to my parents in Scotland, to much crushing of the kilt and a bit uncomfortable if worn the right way round.

[Randy McIntosh]

I recently was asked by a second cousin once-removed on the McIntosh side of my family to play the Mackintosh Lament on the bagpipes for his father's funeral. Even though most people usually expect a piper to be kilted, I still asked him if that is what his family would want. The family said absolutely but I'm glad that I asked. In the last couple of weeks an old acquaintance of mine asked if I would play the pipes for his wedding. I wasn't able to attend his wedding but I did recommend another piper. If I had been able to attend, I still would have made sure that he wanted me kilted. I would never wear a kilt to a wedding or funeral (in the U.S.) if I wasn't piping unless the family reached out to me and specifically asked me to.

I too am a piper. When my brother asked me to play at his wife's funeral I wore no kilt as it didn't fit in. When I piped at my father's funeral I wore the kilt...it fit.

I am soon of to my cousin's sons wedding...my sister wants me kilted out yet I am not going to. Not my place to out do the bride and groom. If they want me kilted it would be different. I have done gone to other wedding kilted and not as a piper but most not kilted.

[Tobus]

What situations do you find the kilt to be inappropriate?

I've given this a lot of thought over the years. I've probably gone the opposite direction from many of our members here. Rather than being open to wearing the kilt everywhere except where it's inappropriate, I am only open to wearing the kilt where it's appropriate. One may think this is just a game of semantics, but I think there's a big difference.

These days, I find myself only wearing the kilt in situations where one would expect to see a kilt, or at the very least not be surprised to see one. Like Highland Games, weddings, certain parties or gatherings with friends, etc. That's where a kilt is appropriate. I'm sure I could wear the kilt to the grocery, or the local home improvement store, or to the local Mexican food restaurant. But would it be appropriate there? Not really. This isn't to say that it would be inappropriate in the sense that it would be a social taboo. But it would just be out of place, and out of context, leaving it somewhere between appropriate and inappropriate. This is the grey area that a lot of folks seem to want to explore with their kilt-wearing enthusiasm, and some will try to convince themselves to keep shifting the line of inappropriate further and further. In their zeal, they lose touch with what the rest of society thinks of as appropriate versus inappropriate.

So, in my mind, there are three categories of kilt-wearing appropriateness:

1. Appropriate. Others at the event will think to themselves, "I'm sure glad he wore that kilt."
2. Grey area. Others will be thinking, "Why is that guy wearing a kilt here?"
3. Inappropriate. Others will be thinking, "I can't believe that guy had the gall to wear a kilt to this."

[MonRiver]

So, in my mind, there are three categories of kilt-wearing appropriateness:

1. Appropriate. Others at the event will think to themselves, "I'm sure glad he wore that kilt."
2. Grey area. Others will be thinking, "Why is that guy wearing a kilt here?"
3. Inappropriate. Others will be thinking, "I can't believe that guy had the gall to wear a kilt to this."

That's a very good explanation. I struggle with the grey area, probably the reason it's grey and not black and white. I, like most, feel very comfortable in my kilt; however, no matter how much I want to wear a kilt shopping or to dinner, I normally don't because it calls attention and is out of place. My wife thinks I need to get over that feeling, but she doesn't care what I'm wearing.

My wife and I show dogs, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, and a friend keeps asking me to wear a kilt while I show. If I was showing a Scottish breed, I might. But it's not really appropriate to show an American breed wearing a Scottish outfit.

I think as I open up more, I will find myself wearing a kilt to more of the grey areas. But only time will tell.

[ctbuchanan]

I've given this a lot of thought over the years. I've probably gone the opposite direction from many of our members here.
1. Appropriate. Others at the event will think to themselves, "I'm sure glad he wore that kilt."
2. Grey area. Others will be thinking, "Why is that guy wearing a kilt here?"
3. Inappropriate. Others will be thinking, "I can't believe that guy had the gall to wear a kilt to this."

I have my own barometer to my kilt wearing - my Polish wife.
Whenever I venture in areas #2 or #3 I'll look at her and say something like "Maybe I'll wear my kilt tonight" "No"
And I don't. Works every time.

[Taskr]

I did not wear it in the 'stan
I did not wear it in the sand
I would not wear it on a bike
I would not wear where she don't like
I might not wear in minus 30
I might not wear where it'd get dirty

I do, I do like kilts, my man
and will, and will wear when I can

[thecompaqguy]

In very breezy football stands
Or changing oil on a van,
Youll really have to understand,
Kilts poorly made from Pakistan,
Will not be seen upon this man

[Jimmy]

In very breezy football stands
Or changing oil on a van,
Youll really have to understand,
Kilts poorly made from Pakistan,
Will not be seen upon this man

Like your little poem, nice and catchy, although I have worn the kilt often in breezy football grounds.
Always a dodgy place for the kiltwearer is climbing the stairs to board an aircraft, always a breezy ecperience

[tripleblessed]

I've given this a lot of thought over the years. I've probably gone the opposite direction from many of our members here. Rather than being open to wearing the kilt everywhere except where it's inappropriate, I am only open to wearing the kilt where it's appropriate. One may think this is just a game of semantics, but I think there's a big difference.

These days, I find myself only wearing the kilt in situations where one would expect to see a kilt, or at the very least not be surprised to see one. Like Highland Games, weddings, certain parties or gatherings with friends, etc. That's where a kilt is appropriate. I'm sure I could wear the kilt to the grocery, or the local home improvement store, or to the local Mexican food restaurant. But would it be appropriate there? Not really. This isn't to say that it would be inappropriate in the sense that it would be a social taboo. But it would just be out of place, and out of context, leaving it somewhere between appropriate and inappropriate. This is the grey area that a lot of folks seem to want to explore with their kilt-wearing enthusiasm, and some will try to convince themselves to keep shifting the line of inappropriate further and further. In their zeal, they lose touch with what the rest of society thinks of as appropriate versus inappropriate.

So, in my mind, there are three categories of kilt-wearing appropriateness:

1. Appropriate. Others at the event will think to themselves, "I'm sure glad he wore that kilt."
2. Grey area. Others will be thinking, "Why is that guy wearing a kilt here?"
3. Inappropriate. Others will be thinking, "I can't believe that guy had the gall to wear a kilt to this."

My experience of me over the last 70 years is that few have ever found me "appropriate". Too small, too poor, too likely to have
the highest test results, too likely to do stupid stuff, too weird, too outside "normal thinking", too unlike the norm to fit clothes manufactured
for that norm...................... I finally reached the point of some comfort with who I seem to be such that my perception of what governs
my choices is somewhat different. Relevant here is the growing diversity of the population in the Atlanta area. In daily travel about the city one encounters cultural dress in all venues and functions; no one seems to feel the need to challenge others about wearing the attire of their antecedents; why should they challenge mine? In conversation with a fairly broad selection of these wearers, I found a surprising perception that where their folk came from, they had a culture, but where my folk came from, there was no culture, only generic "white Europeans" (not my phrasing). Most were surprised learn that Europe was not a bland homogenized expanse, but filled with many tribes who had very divergent approaches to things. Faced with that and the lifelong knowledge of the presence of Scots in my DNA, my state history, and my national history, I chose to sally forth clad in kilts much of the time. I find the conversations thus generated rewarding and intellectually stimulating. Some here have said they don't; I do. I have long found that I can learn something from anyone and everyone, and I enjoy that. It may be that my carriage and person somehow encourage favorable response, but I almost never encounter negative reactions, while positive comments are virtually everywhere.

That said, there are many situations I choose other attire. And I fully agree with the choices of others being right for them. I agree there are grey areas
and inappropriate circumstances, just different parameters.