What to wear with a casual kilt and a tight budget

[johnnyboyw]

I'm buying my first kilt in the next few weeks (USA Casual, thanks for the suggetions ) I am wondering if it is okay to wear a t-shirt and sneakers/trainers/boots with a kilt. and also what accessorys would i absolutely need to have. Thank you all!

Vero Nihil Verius (Nothing Truer Than)

[BCAC]

I'm buying my first kilt in the next few weeks (USA Casual, thanks for the suggetions ) I am wondering if it is okay to wear a t-shirt and sneakers/trainers/boots with a kilt. and also what accessorys would i absolutely need to have. Thank you all!

Vero Nihil Verius (Nothing Truer Than)

Just a suggestion here, but perhaps you should try using the excellent search feature we have on this site? Your questions are questions that are asked regularly and you should be able to find the answers easily enough.

[GG]

I see no reason why I should not answer your questions here. Of course you can wear the kilt with the items you suggest. In addition to that I should recommend a day wear sporran and kilt hose. For casual wear it is all you need. Good luck!

Otherwise, see my web page: www.dress2kilt.eu

[Downunder Kilt]

What you have in mind for a casual look is fine from the photos I have I have seen of some casual wear in the USA. Don't be afraid to trawl through the OP shops (I think you call the Thrift shops over there) for things like tattersall shirts and waistcoats. One thing you certainly need is a sporran, just a cheap plain leather one to get you started and a kilt belt (something at least 2" wide). It doesn't have to be a kilt belt with a big buckle plate, just a 2" wide, say with a roller buckle. If you are going to wear boots try to wear long socks with them that you can scrunch down. To my eyes boots with short socks that finish just above the top of the boot just don't look right. All the best with your kilting adventure

[MizzouScotsman]

This is me in my USA Kilts causal kilt at the St. Louis Tartan Day festival. I am wearing my Clan Donald t-shirt, black kilt hose, and black tennis shoes. A nice sporran that my lovely Mrs got for me and my sgian dubh. The causal kilt wears nice for me when working a clan tent, especially in the summer time in Missouri.

motartanday11.jpg

[kiltedrennie]

I often wear a black t-shirt, a very simple and inexpensive black leather sporran, black lace up boots or black casual shoes (something just above a sneaker and below a dress shoe), black cotton kilt socks (folded just under the knee on cold days and scrunched down if warmer), and an old beat up leather jacket if needed. Sometimes I wear a polo shirt or near-black oxford.

Now that I think of it, that's a lot of black. ;-)

But my tartan is MacQueen which is predominantly black and dark red. My polo shirt is yellow to match the yellow line in the tartan. I should see if I can find a complementary colored red shirt.

Oh, and I sometimes wear a wide black o-ring belt from the local renaissance festival. It has a single o-ring, so I hang the tail end of the belt along the front side toward the right. It helps hold down the kilt on windy days.

[Wil]

Seeing asa how we do not have Kilt Police it is really up to you and what you can afford. For me 1. A Kilt 2.Kilt Hose are a must along with Flashes 3. Sporran, it's up to you on what you can afford and as sporrans can be $ to $$$. 4. Sgian Dubh (a cheap one, you will never use it). Just to get you up and rolling I think this is all you need because you might just want to break in slowly and upgrade throughout the year on to bigger and better items. Good Luck

[CMcG]

I'm buying my first kilt in the next few weeks (USA Casual, thanks for the suggetions ) I am wondering if it is okay to wear a t-shirt and sneakers/trainers/boots with a kilt. and also what accessorys would i absolutely need to have. Thank you all!

Vero Nihil Verius (Nothing Truer Than)

It is OK to wear a kilt, t-shirt, and sneakers or boots, though not at all traditional. For such a casual look, at a bare minimum, you should get a plain leather sporran to hold your stuff and make the outfit look more recognizably "kilty." Leave the tee shirt untucked, throw on some sneakers, and give'r! If you're going to wear boots, it would balance their look against your legs if you got some kilt hose or even tall wool army surplus socks and scrunched them down.

That being said, a kilt is very amenable to being dressed up and when I wear a kilt, I tend to put in an extra bit of effort. I don't wear a kilt everyday, so when I do, I like to look nice. You could up the look by wearing a polo/golf shirt, tucked in, and getting a wide leather belt, at least 2". In this case, I would pull the hose up and you can save a few pennies by just using elastics to hold them there instead of garter ties or flashes. Bonus points if you already own a pair of leather shoes that you can use, rather than sneakers or boots, but if you need to buy some, get ones that you could also wear with pants, rather than specialty "kilt shoes" like ghillie brogues.

[johnnyboyw]

Thank you all for your advice. I just met with Rocky today to order my casual in Pa tartan. I'm excited to be joining the Great Rabble in the next few weeks!!!

[BCAC]

Thank you all for your advice. I just met with Rocky today to order my casual in Pa tartan. I'm excited to be joining the Great Rabble in the next few weeks!!!

I take it that, for the uninitiated (and non american members) Pa is Pennsylvania (and not the opposite of Ma)?