Contemporary Kilts -- a Visual guide....

[Alan H]

So, look at Mael Colums first picture. Ern, you look great, as usual! But is that "contemporary"? I mean, the whole focus on that look is the tartan, the sporran, the hose...it's all basically traditional Scottish stuff. OK, so the shirt isn't traditional. I suppose that's contemporary.

I just don't see the point of having us go on and on and on in infinite detail about whether adding a polo shirt on top of a tartan kilt makes it "contemporary". If you're dressed to the nines in tartan kilt, hose, sporran but have leather shoes on which aren't gillies in some form, then it's "contemporary"? Well, I suppose so.

Take Erns' next picture...t-shirt, sporran, tartan kilt, and sandals with no socks. Well, is that "traditional"? Not at all. But it's still nothing like wearing an Amerikilt, Freedom Kilt (non-tartan), Gryphon Kilt, Utilikilt or camouflage X-Kilt.

Now, the cold-hard truth of the matter is that I wonder how much discussion there will be, now about those kinds of kilt. The tendency for those lads is to buy the thing, strap it on and wear it. How much minutiae is there to discuss? I really don't have a lot to say about my X Kilt or my camouflage reverse kinguisse kilt that I wear backpacking or when I'm knockin' around. Put it on, wear it.

Tartan kilts, however, have endless interations of minutiae to discuss, from weavers to accessories to clans to color of hose that coordinates and so on. So the raw material is there to discuss for years. Obviously.

IN FACT if I were all for splitting things up even more, which I'm not, I'd say that "Contemporary Kilt Wear' and the associated forum is more along the lines of..."does wearing a polo shirt and trainers with my Clan MacWitless tartan kilt qualify as contemporary?" ... and ... "What do you think of these non-brogue-ey shoes with my MacWitless kilt?" ..... and "I'm thinking about wearing a second-hand Civil-War era reporduction military mess-dress jacket with my MacWitless kilt.."

For the Utilikilt wearers, Amerikilt wearers, Gryphon Kilt wearers, R Kilt wearers, X Kilt wearers, Freedom Kilt (non-tartan) wearers, there ought to be a totally different sub-forum. The only thing is, I think it'll get next to no traffic, at all.

[Alan H]

I guess my point is that the debate went on at great length about what exactly THCD is, and those lads had a grand time hashing out the details. That's great... they had fun, they defined something that was important to them, and they have a specific vision of it.

This term "contemporary kilts" spans such an enormous range of things from this:

Panache, wearing a Freedom Kilt which is defined as "contemporary" because it has pockets and topsewn pleats...



to this:

a "steampunk" kilt-skirt on a lass, which obviously bears little resemblance, if any to Panache, above.



Here's a similar kilt, just the kilt.

[Alan H]

PERSONALLY

I think that 99.99% of this forum is dedicated to the dicussion of tartan kilts to the point of delirium, and it would be nice if THIS forum were available to just discuss modern, non-tartan kilts. However, I know full well what will happen:

1. someone will post a picture of a modern, non-tartan kilt and then the next guy in the thread will go on about how that's not a kilt, and we have to beat that guy down AGAIN about how here on X Marks the Scot we refer to non-tartan, non-traditional kilts as KILTS, and get over it..

2.someone will post a picture of a modern, non-tartan kilt and then the next guy in the thread will go on about how he hates things like that, boy, it's the traditional kilt for HIM, by golly!

3. someone will post a picture of a modern, non-tartan kilt and then the next guy in the thread will go on about how great that picture is. Of course HE would never wear anything like that but you young guys with tattoo's and pierced navels and no morals, man, you go for it.

After a few months of this, guys will just stop posting in the forum. I mean, it's happened already, and we're back to debating whether adding a polo shirt to a 16 ounce strome 8 yard kilt makes it "contemporary". OK, fine. That's what people want, that's what they should get.

I just "wish" that there was someplace for guys who wear another type of kilt could post, you know?

[MinusHD]

I'm just hoping this thread doesn't get as drawn out as the TCHD (or THCD?) definition and "changing the forum names" threads.

I hope the "contemporary" discussions would be a little more inclusive and accepting of different styles than the discussions over the finer points of Traditional styles of dress. It's not the kilt, it's how you wear it... the look you're trying to achieve (or avoid). If you're not following the TCHD (or THCD?) guidelines and not one of our "historical/reenactment" style folks, congratulations! You're contemporary! Rather simplistic, I suppose. However, where TCHD (or THCD?) is fairly narrow and rigid, contemporary ideas for wearing a kilt of any kind are virtually endless - from steam punk modern extremes and beyond, to nearly traditional. Everyone doesn't have to be as contemporary as everyone else. There's room for it here. Lets enjoy it!

[Alan H]

[Alan H]

Anyway, that's a rant about the nature of this forum, and not really anything to do with trying to "Define Contemporary Kilts" -- which I honestly think is kind of a futile exercise as the breadth of the idea is extreme.

I figure we ought to just carry on, drop some pictures in here now and then, be tolerant of other ideas and intolerant of those who have no acceptance of the fact that not everybody HAS to dress in 16 ounce tartan and call it good.

[MinusHD]

Alan - I currently have a Sport Kilt and a 13 ounce 8 yard tartan... not worn like the traditional guys. I've been itching to make an X-Kilt (based on the assumption that my mom's old sewing machine is still floating around somewhere in my attic), but after reading your manual a couple times I'm still to chicken to get everything together and take the plunge. Be ready for questions when I do. Thanks for making that kind of endeavor accessible to the common person.

[Alan H]

Miinus HD, just buy the stuff and do it. What do you have to lose? I mean, seriously what do you have to lose? Some time...OK, you might spend 10 hours of your time and not get a kilt out the back end. But is that a WASTE of your time? Did you learn something from the process? I guarantee that you will.

AND...odds are very good that you'll produce a kilt.

I didn't write that manual for people to READ IT. I wrote it to be printed out, set on the table or the floor alongside a mess of cloth, and get USED. It's not a piece of literature!

[kiltedrennie]

If you're not following the TCHD (or THCD?) guidelines and not one of our "historical/reenactment" style folks, congratulations! You're contemporary!

Sounds like a great definition to me.

Honestly, I just want to wear my kilt and see how other's wear their kilts.

I just purchased a PV/hip riddin'/hanging just below the knee/cargo pocket festooned kilt. To me it's non-traditional even if it's a tartan, given the combination of features described. Sure, I'll wear a balmoral bonnet, kilt hose, knit garter ties, sporran, and maybe even a vest with my traditional kilt once in a great while. Is that THCD? Maybe. But I'm sure someone could point out a dozen details that are "incorrect". Most of the time it's t-shirt, boots, scrunched down socks, and a leather jacket.

If someone finds a cool pair of boots, a non-traditional awesome sporran, or something else I'd like to see them.

[CMcG]

...

Take Erns' next picture...t-shirt, sporran, tartan kilt, and sandals with no socks. Well, is that "traditional"? Not at all. But it's still nothing like wearing an Amerikilt, Freedom Kilt (non-tartan), Gryphon Kilt, Utilikilt or camouflage X-Kilt.

Now, the cold-hard truth of the matter is that I wonder how much discussion there will be, now about those kinds of kilt. The tendency for those lads is to buy the thing, strap it on and wear it. How much minutiae is there to discuss? I really don't have a lot to say about my X Kilt or my camouflage reverse kinguisse kilt that I wear backpacking or when I'm knockin' around. Put it on, wear it.

...

You've nailed the crux of the matter with modern cargo/utility kilts. I have a Utilikilt and I wear it a lot. Over the last while I've been wearing it almost everyday because I've been home writing my dissertation and don't have to dress nicely to go to work (I wouldn't wear cargo shorts to teach at a university either). I've got very little to say about my Utilikilt, however, except that I really like it. I snap it on when I get up in the morning, put on a tee-shirt and some socks, throw my phone in the side pocket, and get on with it. Neither the outfit nor the scenery are really worthy of a photo and there's not much to discuss that hasn't already been covered on Xmarks.

Perhaps if I wore my Utilikilt as everyday, out-and-about clothing I might have more to say about it. I suppose there are also probably some people who are into modern kilts as a fashion statement or lifestyle garment and might have more to say about wearing them, but I doubt a tartan festooned website called X Marks the Scot would be their first port of call...

Thus we get this Contemporary sub-forum where modern kilts and tartan kilts worn in modern ways get lumped together. I'm starting to agree with you though, Alan, that they don't really belong in the same discussion. I wonder, however, if separating them would drive enough traffic to justify it

I'm just hoping this thread doesn't get as drawn out as the TCHD (or THCD?) definition and "changing the forum names" threads.

I hope the "contemporary" discussions would be a little more inclusive and accepting of different styles than the discussions over the finer points of Traditional styles of dress. It's not the kilt, it's how you wear it... the look you're trying to achieve (or avoid). If you're not following the TCHD (or THCD?) guidelines and not one of our "historical/reenactment" style folks, congratulations! You're contemporary! Rather simplistic, I suppose. However, where TCHD (or THCD?) is fairly narrow and rigid, contemporary ideas for wearing a kilt of any kind are virtually endless - from steam punk modern extremes and beyond, to nearly traditional. Everyone doesn't have to be as contemporary as everyone else. There's room for it here. Lets enjoy it!

It's THCD.

...

If someone finds a cool pair of boots, a non-traditional awesome sporran, or something else I'd like to see them.

Have you seen the stuff from Sporran Nation? They have some pretty cool, non-traditional designs that still maintain the basic parameters:

http://sporran-nation.co.uk/