People have active imaginations

[Farmer Jones]

I don’t know about you, Jock, but if your mother was anything like mine then there was no way I was getting out of the house without the necessary underwear. It seems to be an opportunity to be a bit naughty nowadays though.

My mother gave me strict warnings as to how to deal with people who showed an interest in my undergarments. She also taught me that politeness and social awareness alone, can be sufficient circumstance to choose discretion over ones desire for bravado.

[Hirsty]

I remember a few songs sung by the lassies about a nice swinging kilt.

But in all seriousness, my friend has an old second hand kilt with an elasticated strip along the pleats this allows the kilt to flair out but come back relatively quickly without revealing too much. Excellent for ceilidhs

[Bad Monkey]

I remember a few songs sung by the lassies about a nice swinging kilt.

recall any names of tunes? We're always looking for old tunes about kilts to toss into rotation.

[tpa]

I really have no idea. It’s all so long ago and to be honest I don’t think it occurred to any of us to ask.

Now you have got me thinking, did we males in those times wear something under the kilt as a matter of course or were they just for special occasions? Was wearing something under the kilt general practice?

Well, I am really not sure, but the fact that the kilt makers used to provide “ briefs” as a matter of course suggests it was, at least to an extent. Where did this “ going commando” idea come from? I have no idea, but I think possibly from the military? I also think this “going commando “ thing is part of the kilt wearing bravado myth and a sales gimmick, that seems to prevail these days and that did not exist amongst the natural and dare I say it, traditional kilt wearers of my youth.

I think in my youth it was just considered to be no one else’s business what or even why we might choose to wear something under the kilt, or not and I really cannot even remember thinking about it and still don’t normally, but........it does pose accademic questions. Nevertheless in real life its just a non issue and none of anyone else’s business.

I have no recollection of it ever being an issue that was discussed and it certainly was not anyone else's business, any more than it is today.

For my sins, I was sent to a junior boarding school where a kilt was part of the uniform. The daily uniform, during the week, was lined shorts and no underwear was allowed, presumably to cut down on laundry. Only for kilt wear at weekends was underwear allowed and as the choice was basically sandpaper as Jock describes them, girls' knickers (coloured so as not to be mistaken for regular underwear and ceratinly not to be laundered by the school during term time), or nothing, I'll leave people to draw their own conclusions as to what was most popular.

[tpa]

I'm struggling a bit with Jock's professed naivety, but since the kilt's nether garments, whatever the source, were always referred to as "trews", maybe he genuinely didn't twig.
Alan

Trews to me have always registered as outer wear tartan trousers. It may be the case that the term also applied to tartan underwear, though like Jock, I cannot remember with any certainty.

[ThistleDown]

At school we wore 'pants' under our kilts. They were wool and, I suppose, moderately uncomfortable, although I don't recall. Away from school, and when we wore trousers, under garments were still called 'pants' but I think they were cotton. We never talked about such things in those days and I really don't understand the concentration and frequent discussion on them now.

[neloon]

Trews to me have always registered as outer wear tartan trousers. It may be the case that the term also applied to tartan underwear, though like Jock, I cannot remember with any certainty.

I think the term "trews" was used universally by mothers simply to camouflage the fact that they were girls' bloomers but, unless they had no sisters or female cousins, most boys were not deceived. Except for Jock. Wartime clothing rationing and the similarity to the green trews supplied by kiltmakers made the practice usual for boys and many men.
Alan

[Jock Scot]

I think the term "trews" was used universally by mothers simply to camouflage the fact that they were girls' bloomers but, unless they had no sisters or female cousins, most boys were not deceived. Except for Jock. Wartime clothing rationing and the similarity to the green trews supplied by kiltmakers made the practice usual for boys and many men.
Alan

You could be right Alan, I think I and my brother were probably completely unaware of minor clothing technicalities until later in life . Perhaps being brought up by my Grand parents whilst both mother and father were away at war may have something to do with the finer points of underwear and in fact clothes of any sort, were seemingly completely missed by us. As far as I recall, my brother and I got up, got dressed—— kilts,shorts, trousers, smart, not so smart, very smart mattered little, although how to behave was always an important issue——and we just got on with life and we were far more concerned about whether we had enough bullets to shoot rabbits with, or if the river had enough water in it to bring a fresh run of fish in. Those thoughts even today, I have to admit, still take priority over most things including clothes!

[neloon]

.... Those thoughts even today, I have to admit, still take priority over most things including clothes!

Though you are usually fairly stipulatory on kilted matters, Jock!

Alan

[Jock Scot]

Though you are usually fairly stipulatory on kilted matters, Jock!

Alan

Well, for me, shooting, fishing and hunting do take priority to clothes-------even kilts!. Although, to dress to best effect for any given event----including the ones mentioned---- one does need to understand what is required and sometimes even minor adjustments to those requirements will undo what you are trying to achieve. So yes " stipulatory" is a requirement on occasion when giving advice, whilst always recognising that those reading that advice may ignore it completely!