Any suggestions for wearing a kilt in public for the first time?

**tpa** · 11th July 16, 04:29 PM

Originally Posted by KiltedMan

Well, at the moment, I'm contemplating whether I should go commando or not . . . never gone commando before, even with pants.

You just do what you are comfortable doing. When you have more experience, by all means experiment, but don't worry about what is supposedly right or wrong, whatever you do is right for you, no-one should know and you should never admit to anything.

**trebor** · 12th July 16, 08:20 AM

I have not worn a kilt yet, but ordered a Mountain Hardwear today, and it is supposed to be very thin in front, so we will see what I end up doing as per underwear.

**trebor** · 12th July 16, 11:07 AM

It came. I am in a hotel room in NYC and just put it on. It is the same color as the shorts I were wearing, so my kids have not even noticed that I changed. Have not worn it outside yet. I will say that my concerns are not about walking outside (there are topless women walking around Times Square so the city won't care) so much as how my kids will react. I will just act like it is normal and maybe that will make them think it is normal, even though I am sure they have never seen anything like it. I am also concerned about my wife's and parent's reaction.

**Tarheel** · 12th July 16, 12:21 PM

Originally Posted by trebor

BTW, I have not worn a kilt yet, but ordered a Mountain Hardwear today, and it is supposed to be very thin in front, so we will see what I end up doing.

Well met new friend. Let us know how the new kilt feels when you get it. I don't know the type you mention but am interested in all brands and styles (though I have a preference). As I'm sure you have read, the under garments are going to be better with a kilt due to the coarseness of the fabric touching the "sensitive areas". Glad to have you aboard.

**trebor** · 12th July 16, 12:24 PM

It is a very casual and lightweight hiking kilt.

**tpa** · 12th July 16, 02:33 PM

Originally Posted by trebor

It came. I am in a hotel room in NYC and just put it on. It is the same color as the shorts I were wearing, so my kids have not even noticed that I changed. Have not worn it outside yet. I will say that my concerns are not about walking outside (there are topless women walking around Times Square so the city won't care) so much as how my kids will react. I will just act like it is normal and maybe that will make them think it is normal, even though I am sure they have never seen anything like it. I am also concerned about my wife's and parent's reaction.

Have you reversed the picture? It looks like the opening is on your LHS instead of the RHS.

**slothead** · 12th July 16, 02:36 PM

I assume that he took the photo in a mirror which would have reversed the image.

**kilted firefighter** · 12th July 16, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by trebor

It came. I am in a hotel room in NYC and just put it on. It is the same color as the shorts I were wearing, so my kids have not even noticed that I changed. Have not worn it outside yet. I will say that my concerns are not about walking outside (there are topless women walking around Times Square so the city won't care) so much as how my kids will react. I will just act like it is normal and maybe that will make them think it is normal, even though I am sure they have never seen anything like it. I am also concerned about my wife's and parent's reaction.

Love the vibrams! I just ran an obstacle race this weekend in a cargo kilt and my vibrams.(non commando...walls climbs and the like)

**trebor** · 12th July 16, 02:56 PM

It is in a mirror.

So I just wore it for 3.5 hours with my kids and wife and only after 3.5 hours did one of them notice.

My 12-year old son said "What are you wearing?" Then my other kids looked, and my nine-year old son said "Daddy's wearing a dress."

I replied "This is called a Kilt. It is not a dress. A dress goes up to your shoulders. This is more like a skirt, but designed for men."

Then they didn't say anything and went back to playing. My wife was out of the room when they said this, so she evidently didn't notice.

My only complaint is that the front of it could use an apron-panel of some sort to make it look one step less like a skirt and also to for more coverage.

This seems good for being active in hot weather, but I will probably also get a Stumptown for something that is nicer and more structured and less likely to be confused with a female skirt.

**Knight** · 13th July 16, 08:08 AM

I "debuted" for lack of better words my kilt to my friend/D&D group back in October. Until then, I'd only ever worn it around the house in front of my wife. She seemed to be into it, so the phobia of "being seen in the kilt," or impostoritis, or whatever it is one suffers when changing styles was mitigated pretty quickly. My friends laughed at first, but we were all inebriated (3 hours of D&D does that to a body). I took a seat, as the DM, and then proceeded to punish the party with a cripplingly difficult fight, which, if they connected to the ribalding, no one ever commented on. The next week they asked me to wear the kilt--and my ranger/barbarian combo player asked to borrow a sport kilt. So we wound up duo-kilted. Within a month, he showed up in a cargo kilt from UT Kilts, and now it's the norm for hot days and D&D nights. Weird how, from a very private mode of dress, almost pajama like, the kilt became a social event and semi-expectation from my friends.

It was definitely weird at first, like trying to ice skate, but after the first few "outings" you learn to ignore the curious stares or remarks, and, perhaps because of the confidence, you get compliments, which is nice. So my suggestion is to just do it, get on the ice, take your lumps, and soon it'll be reflexive.

Addendum: I'm hearing impaired, and I have a querrelous relationship with my hearing aids. My particular breed of hearing loss is very difficult to correct for, and since it's nerve damage, amplification is the only current option on my menu. The amplification often fails to amplify the sounds I need/want to hear, but still generally amplifies everything. In the classroom, this is helpful, because I can hear discussions. In public, it's a bit stressful, because everyone is loud. So I often don't wear them unless I know I'll need them. As a result of me not wearing my hearing aids, I often fail to hear questions/compliments/comments, and only learn about them after the fact from my wife. So it's possible I'm attracting negative attention and not realizing it, but frankly, I don't care. Too busy being comfortable to bother with potential negative nerberts.