Anyone's spouse/significant other vehemently opposed to you kilting?

[seanachie]

Huh?

Late night synapses stop firing as well, meant to say "she points out so many things that existed in China well before they were introduced inthe west"

Thanks for catching my mistake.

[O'Searcaigh]

Well, back to the main question: I probably wouldn't be wearing kilts at all had it not been for my wife who encouraged me to buy one at a highlands games over ten years ago. Now I have several kilts, sporrans, balmorals, jackets, shoes... all with her encouragement. She also encouraged me to buy a set of pipes which I am learning to play, and NEVER discourages me -- quite the contrary -- from wearing a kilt whenever and wherever. Now my ex-wife, not so much.... Hmmm, I wonder if there's a connection there?

[TheBrus]

It would seem probable that tartan could have been "invented" in many places either simultaneously or at different times with no cultural interaction. But isn't it interesting to think that in spite of outwardly different cultures that in so many places people are having the same ideas? Facetiously, I'd say that tartan might possibly have been invented by God and given to humans. No one can say when the idea to make little box-shaped patterns was spawned, but it must have been on the second or third day after the first person wove cloth.

[TheBrus]

Do you think some of it's the bareknees part? Maybe the combination of tall socks with the bare knees? Highland dress is somewhat reminiscent of Bermuda shorts as they're worn in Bermuda. I'm not knocking Bermuda, its national dress, or Highland dress... I'm just trying to get into "her" skin.

[wepollard]

My wife doesn't like the kilt but has learned to tolerate them. The only time she vehemently opposed my wearing one was when our grandson recently got married. I gave in and wore a suit which no longer fit me (couldn't botton the pants waist and couldn't button the jacket) and suffered throught the cerimony. I then refused to wear anything but a kilt to the reception. We were there only a few minutes when a young man came up to me and complemented my kilt and said if he had known someone would be wearing one he would have worn his. That kept the wife from making any further comments about my kilt.

[Grizzly]

Recently on holiday in Scotland, which was my first time going out kilted my OH did say that I looked ok in it. We did have a bit of a joke that I would walk 5 paces behind her if we met anybody but it never happened. I think that she got a little bit peed off with the amount of tourists that wanted my picture but she took it all in good spirit and didnt really mind. She also kept apologising for calling it a skirt. Now when I mention additions to the collections I think that she just tolerates my yearnings but then she is pretty relaxed about anything. I think that I can get away with pretty much any new additions although not sure what she would think if I insisted on wearing it around locally if it wasnt for a special occasion.

regards

[Mark Stephenson]

So I will throw it to the crowd to weigh in as to whether I should wear the kilt at all, and if so which of the tartans I mention above am I "entitled" to wear in a kilt. Not that anybody else's opinion really matters to me, thank you.


Jeff -
Holy cow! In a nutshell, the answer to your question is, YES! Which kilt you choose to wear is totally your choice. In my opinion, you can feel good about wearing any and all of them. You have a wonderful, rich family history that you can justifiably be proud of. Wearing the kilt will undoubtedly open the door to many fascinating conversations about your family history.

On a separate note, my wife has been following this thread with some interest. She happens to be a research psychologist. She opined that some of the folks who face opposition (or worse) from their spouse need to guard against becoming classically conditioned to avoid kilt wearing situations.

Jeff - the Cincinnati Caledonian Society has some great activities, e.g., a St. Andrew's Ball and Burns night dinners that are second to none. You are always welcome to join carol and me - of course, your wife is also welcome to join us is she wishes.

[ForresterModern]

So I will throw it to the crowd to weigh in as to whether I should wear the kilt at all, and if so which of the tartans I mention above am I "entitled" to wear in a kilt. Not that anybody else's opinion really matters to me, thank you.


Jeff -
Holy cow! In a nutshell, the answer to your question is, YES! Which kilt you choose to wear is totally your choice. In my opinion, you can feel good about wearing any and all of them. You have a wonderful, rich family history that you can justifiably be proud of. Wearing the kilt will undoubtedly open the door to many fascinating conversations about your family history.

On a separate note, my wife has been following this thread with some interest. She happens to be a research psychologist. She opined that some of the folks who face opposition (or worse) from their spouse need to guard against becoming classically conditioned to avoid kilt wearing situations.

Jeff - the Cincinnati Caledonian Society has some great activities, e.g., a St. Andrew's Ball and Burns night dinners that are second to none. You are always welcome to join carol and me - of course, your wife is also welcome to join us is she wishes.

Thanks for the support and invitations Mark. My wife's name is Caroll (yes spelled with 2 Ls) too so there might be a little conversational confusion but I think I might enjoy it. I actually know/knew Cincinnati well as I spent 14 years there during college, med school, and 3 additional training periods---left for good in 1991. Long before my current wife and even longer before my kilted days. But I just might take you up on it sometime, seeing as we are only an hour or two away.

I will not shy away from wearing the kilt when I choose to---golfing, work, evening events, even black tie balls. Once I insist generally my wife nowadays knows to not put up too big a fight or else we just will not go, and if it something she does not want to go to anyway I will tell her I will just go alone, which usually stimulates enough "concern" that she changes her mindd and joins me. But she continues with the cry "now why are you wearing a kilt today" if it is not a planned event. Most times I decide to wear one I have my reasons. Sometimes I accede, most times she accedes. Compromise is the key to a lasting relationship.

jeff

[Jock Scot]

" In my experience in the Highlands the kilt is male territory and females if they dare, including brides to be, tread very carefully should they venture there."

I wrote this in another thread yesterday and I quote it here as it illustrates a very different thought process in much of Scotland. Now a large part of this comes from "I am a Scot and I am a "MacOnion", so I wear the "MacOnion" kilt if I want to." Any female Scot has grown up with that and "Her Man" is what he is, he wears the kilt if he wants to and he wears HIS tartan and that is that.

I read the posts on this thread with absolute dismay that the kilt should cause such division and not a little upset in the home, but frankly that is what happens when you wear a garment ---the kilt---outwith its natural surroundings. How you get round it I really don't know, but it is plain to see that compromise is the best course.

[crboltz]

My spouse loves me in kilts, and I love him in kilts. At the moment he wants me to buy a new one for myself and build a new one for him. Unfortunately buying isn't in the budget, but I might have enough material laying around to build him a new one.
-Cheers
Chris