Contemporary vs Traditional

[Alan H]

That question is pretty much impossible to answer.

Personally, what drew me to the idea of wearing a kilt was seeing the fiddler in the Celtic rock band, "Tempest" wearing a black Utilikilt. However, what I bought, first was a Stillwater Standard in Black Watch. That is by no means traditional, but it IS tartan, and to the uninitiated, it certainly looks like a traditional kilt. I think each person is different, so I didn't vote.

[JelicoCat]

I also started with UK's. So I voted for contemporary. I did so because no sporran, hose, etc are required. Also if you are not familiar with true waist clothing, a UK is going to initially feel more comfortable. I'm not saying a contemporary is better to start with. For me it was easier. Either way is great.

[The Barry]

It seems as though I'm in the majority on this one. I like both contemporary and traditional kilts, but every kilt wearer should have at least one trad kilt, making it the best option for the first one.

[sdc]

I think if you want to be able to actually WEAR it to any great extent, you should probably get a contemporary, because they're so much easier to clean. My UKs have essentially replaced my jeans.

[lethearen]

I'm not going to vote on this, because I think it depends too much on the person. If they're a little wary of acceptance, go for a tartan traditional; it just screams "I'm a kilt, darn it, not a skirt!". If money is more concerning, maybe a contemporary would be better just to get the hang of it. Of course, personal taste might sway the decision one way or the other, anyway...

For me personally, traditional is the way to go. I probably won't ever own a contemporary (barring perhaps a knockabout SportKilt for lounging at home). I can appreciate UtiliKilts, et al., but they're just not for me. I prefer my kilts in tartan; I think they just look better and are more visually interesting/attractive. But someone else might think differently

[GDub]

I voted "Contemporary" not because of a personal preference, but because most of my friends really like the UK look. Could be a regional thing...?? But hey... If I had to start over, the first kilt I'd wear out the door would be a contemporary. After the first time, it's open season!

[The Wizard of BC]

I think the problem with this particular poll is that the topic is far too broad.

While there is only one Traditional Kilt the other side of the coin is very diverse.

If I may suggest; If the article I wrote and that is posted here.

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=43530

were used as a starting point lumping a UK together with a USA Kilt would be a gross injustice to both.

I like the term Casual Style Kilt when talking about Rocky's Casual and Semi-Trad Models. Both are made from a non-Wool fabric. Both are machine sewn without stabilizers and interfacing.

But then we get into a further Gray area if we bring a Stillwater into the mix. Yes, it's non-Wool, machine sewn without interfacing so it should be in the Casual Style Kilt catagory. But the difference between a Stillwater and a USA Kilt Semi-Trad is like night and day.

I like the term MUG when referring to a UK. This is the term coined by Steven V. himself to describe his product.

A Contemporary Style Kilt is one which may use Wool or Non-Wool fabrics. But will have the interfacings that take the stress and strain off the pleats.


So maybe the categories of this poll are just too broad.

[MacKay71]

I voted contemporary just for the sake of cost if you're not sure about jumping in with both feet. My first kilt was a black UK that I got on sale.

[Monkey@Arms]

I think the problem with this particular poll is that the topic is far too broad.

While there is only one Traditional Kilt the other side of the coin is very diverse.

SNIP

So maybe the categories of this poll are just too broad.

Definitions are indeed hard to agree on. From my perspective anything that looks like a tradtional kilt, regardless of the material and quality of manufacturer is categorized as a "traditionally-styled" kilt. Not because its made in the traditional manner, or necessarily of like quality, but rather because to the outside non-Xmarks world, its perceived as a tradionally-styled Scottish kilt. Everything else is some type of modern kilt varient. Thus Steve, I put many of yours and Rocky's kilts in the traditional side of my personal catalog, even if you don't.

Best regards,

Jake

[Roderick]

You may be opening up a can of worms here because there are any number of people on this board who seem to have difficulty rationally discussing contemporary vs. "traditional" kilts (which are actually modern kilts, but that's a whole other can of worms). I can only speak from my own experience, and I would point out that my first kilt was a contemporary/MUG-type garment.

I'm glad to have done it that way. It's something a little like jeans and a little not, and I found that eased my transition from wearing jeans all the time to thinking about jeans none of the time. If that makes sense. Without the contemporary kilt in there, I don't know that I could have conceived of myself wandering about the city (and country, and forest, and mountains, and backroads, and...) in a full-on tartan kilt and sporran.

Again, this is only my experience.

I think Steve's got a couple of pretty good points up there in his posts. ^^