Setting up false expectations

[Nighthawk]

I have to say, I agree with you, Matt. When I started wearing kilts casually, I got on this board and got a little discouraged- at first- with all the expensive formal acoutrements that everyone else seemed to have. And then I realized that:

A) I didn't need 10 nice formal outfits- just one.

B) That I have always done things my own d**ned way, so why should casual kilt wearing be any different?

The way I see things, not everyone is fiercely independent as I, so yes, it could be a little discouraging for new kilt wearers. This is a good thread and should be a sticky I think. Mods?

[tyger]

Heck, most of the cost of the kilt is the material, think about what the kiltmaker contributes in relationship to what they get for what they do!

Amen.


And some days, when my fingers are sore, and the sweat is dripping off my nose onto the piece of metal that I have burned myself on twice, I can stop, and wonder. But, when you see that picture: it looks good, really makes one feel good, and you know it is one-of-a-kind, and it is the kind of thing that will last and last......and somebody will be wearing it long after I have stopped posting on this forum.

In some cases, I am exchanging my metalwork for other peoples needlework. That exchange and barter system is as old as the hills, and in that way I will obtain my first hand-stitched kilt.

[Marshal Moroni]

This is a great post and a tribute to the variety of good folks on our forum and the versatility of the Kilt!

I like tartan kilts (keep thinking about a solid, soon as I loos some more weight we'll see...) and I like variety. All of my kilts (8) are of the less expensive variety (FC and SWK). Would I like a Tank, of course. But, lose weight, save money, etc. For now its important, to me, that I'm comfortable, which means keeping out of trousers as much as possible.

We need to to be welcoming and encouraging to all potential kilt wearers. Something I think that we are as a group.

This is a great forum, I sure am glad to have found it!

Cheers to all,

Marshal Moroni

[Rob Wright]

Great post.

After I retired and went back to school my income fell drastically. I spent two and a half years saving up the money for a new Kathy Lare hand sewn and the accessories I've purchased over the last several months. Patience does indeed help, though looking at pics on this board can be a bit maddening at times.

In this day and age of on demand gratification, the concept of waiting is a bit hard to get a handle on sometimes.

Rob

[Bugbear]

Matt,

I'm real glad you brought this subject up. It is something I have been trying to put into words for quite a while now.

When I first started to make Kilts it was my concept to create something that could be worn in the place of trousers with whatever was already in the closet.

But I wanted my product to look like a Kilt.

If you look back at almost all of the photos of my you see that I wear regular shirts, regular shoes, and for the most part nothing that it is normally assumed that must be worn with a Kilt.

I'm going to think about this subject for a while and then perhaps suggest to the Mods that along with our Traditional Highland Dress section and our Historical Highland Attire section that we add a modern/contemporary/dressing on a budget section. (don't yet know what a good name would be).

I'm also going to try to come up with my own version of the 10 ways to dress pictorial based on normal everyday things that most will already have in their closet.

Because I advocate the wearing of the Kilt as everyday wear I have tried to tell my customers and friends to "Wear what you already have". It has always been my guiding principal that the Kilt is just another piece of clothing. Accessories like hose or a belt, although specific to a Kilt, shouldn't have to be expensive.

To keep from being driven crazy, I have to think of traditional kilts as being Highland attire, and contemporary kilts (except for the contemporaries that look just like a traditional) as not Highland attire. It isn't easy because tartan tends to pull things back over into the Highland attire category; useing a regular leather, three tassle sporran tends to pull things over into the Highland attire category. I suppose the reverse, such as not wearing a sporran, causes the same issues in the other direction.

In the end, I guess you just live with what you have and the way you see the world.

[slohairt]

Good points raised by everyone. I should also point out that those of us who sell these items still have to save up for our own purchases as well. You would be surprised at how little mark-up there is on some accessories!

Like many things, wearing a kilt and it's related accessories is as expensive or inexpensive as you want it to be. It depends on your individual tastes, how and where you intend to wear it, and also your means. Though any desired purchase becomes affordable if you save long enough for it. I think in this age of instant gratification, it's sometimes nice to save for something as you will cherish it more in the long run.

[sathor]

I made a comment when I joined here back in September that I enjoy this forum better than the ones for coin collecting.

If you think for a moment that anyone here flaunts what they have, check out the coin collectors. It sickened me as they talked about the error silver eagles last year, and that they were maxing out CCs to buy as many as possible, and flipping them, and it really gets ugly, and if you are not part of the eloite 20k spending at a time on a gamble to make money, you feel like you don't really belong.

I havn't even looked at my coin registry in over a year now.

[vipermcgee]

This doesn't apply in just kilt wearing... I have been camping for some 20+ years. I have lots of camping equipment. More than I will ever use again-i.e. 4 working propane lanterns. That enabled me to give a working lantern to a young couple last weekend. They were on their first camping trip together and in the campsite next to mine, and I had an extra lantern with me.

Now kilt-wearing, on the other hand, I just started last week. Thus I have only one, with one pair of hose, one sporran, and a casual shirt. In 20+ years, who knows? (same story with fly fishing, but I have been doing that for over a year and still just one fly rod- spent the money for #2 on a kilt!)

No real point here, other than be realistic! It took me some time to learn that.

[dfmacliam]

This forum has given me many low cost options for quality items.. and suggestions from others on how to get something made to save money.. Conversations with forum members on low cost options on high quality hose... shooting socks/country socks vice kilt hose, finding wingtips/brogues at Goodwill over buying brand new.. I have found our own kilt makers who make quality kilts for less than other places.. the deals/ the DIY ideas/ the suggestions on low cost options.. I feel I am able to present myself in a well dressed manner all from the suggestions passed about freely in this forum..

[sathor]

Good points raised by everyone. I should also point out that those of us who sell these items still have to save up for our own purchases as well.

I buy my own hot sauces from myself. I even make myself pay retail, I don't give myself a discount. I have about 8 bottles in the fridge for me to use, some I got before I went into the biz, some I bought after. If I gave up on the biz and absorbed my stock, I'd have around 200 bottles or so, which would be dang impressive as a collection, but to go through all that.....

in irony though, my mom like mild sauce from Taco bell. She chewed me out the other day because I didn't remember she needed it when I got tacos, though she had a few spare packets in her fridge. So I went to Walmart and got a bottle of it for her yesterday, though I still need to take it over to her. I can't order that one wholesale, but it's only $1.07 from Walmart for a 5 ounce bottle. (And if you know anything about HS, that tells you alot about the quality of Taco Bell's hot sauce.