How were you introduced to kiltdom?

[78_Celt]

I have been interested in my Irish/Scottish heritage since I was about 10 or so, and have wanted a kilt for about that long. At that time, I didn't know where to even look for a kilt. Once I started messing around on the internet a few years later, the only kilts I could find ran around $900-$1200, a little out of my price range. Then, about a year and a half ago, like some of the rest of you, through music and band websites I stumbled across USA Kilts. Soon after that, I ordered a casual kilt. Now I am constantly shopping for accessories and trying to save for another USAK, this time a wool one!

[GreenMan]

I was actually watching a documentary on PBS about flea markets. They did a piece about the then new, Utilikilts. Ever since I saw that show, I thought about how much freedom the kilts seemed to provide. Plus they just looked cool. Finally after a few years I had enough free money to buy one.

[bikercelt1]

I had a brother, now deceased, who was in a Scottish Dance troup and he made his own kilt. I always said that if I had a kilt I'd wear it, regularly not just once in a while, but I never did anything about it. I had no idea where to start and there wasn't any "Xmarks" at that time. A friend of mine heard about Utilikilts and told me about them, so I ordered one and wore it to work for several days in a row. My *@#& manager couldn't take it and informed me that I was not to wear it anymore. I haven't worn a pair of long pants since. Is obstinancy a Celtic trait? I wear Carhart shorts at work (a Harley dealership) and put on my Kilt as soon as I get home. I also wear a Balmoral at work since there's no company policy against headware. I now longer have that control freak as a manager but he established a policy that I'm not having much luck changing. I do get to wear a Kilt to work on St. Patricks day, St. Andrews day, and National Tartan day. My legs haven't been covered by anything other than my riding over-pants in going on four years now. Did I mention that I think obstinancy might be a Celtic trait?

Jamie

[jacked up pt]

My Wife said I would look good in a kilt.

[O'Neille]

I'd worn kilts that belonged to relatives and friends in the past. When I wrecked my knee playing hockey, I wore full time because I couldn't put pants on over my knee brace. Then due to inactivity I grew out of it, that was about 16 years ago. Then, I was invited to a wedding that required Highland Dress and I wore my trews and wondered If I had miraculously gotten in good enough shape to wear my kilt too. It fit perfectly maybe even better than it did almost two decades earlier. Without the internet revolution I would probably still have that one kilt and wear it on occasion. But, thank goodness, I now have an outlet for my kilt loving self. I wear suits quite often and have found them to be very prone to becomming outdated quickly. Luckily, the Kilt and regalia are seldom out of style and only require slight tweaks to keep up with trends. I also like to wear the kilt for formal occasions because wearing a suit really doesn't seem like getting dressed for a special occasion. The Kilt fits that bill perfectly. O'Neille

[sirdaniel1975]

I was always interested in my Scottish heritage in my teen years. In 1998 (between colleges) I was extremely fortunate to work with Matthew Newsome at the Scottish Tartans Museum. Matt and I are about the same age, so we got along great. I'm a trumpet player, and was asked to play the Star Spangled Banner at a Formal Scottish Dinner. Well, I did not yet own a kilt. Matt came walking out of the office with an 8yard Fraser Hunting in his hand and said, "I think this might fit you!" Well it fit great! I always wanted to wear a kilt(s), but in all honesty, Matthew Newsomes got me to wear one.

Thanks again Matt!

http://kiltedtrumpeter.bravehost.com

[Tattoo Bradley]

My story is like most others. I'd always wanted to wear a kilt. I'd always been proud of my Scots/ Irish heritage. So, I guess I just needed an excuse to fork over the cost of a real wool kilt. A few months ago I ordered my 5 yd. Henderson (ancient) for my wedding in July. A lot of people thought I was crazy. I joked that they'd be likely to find me wearing it at the market. So, that got me thinking... WHY THE F. NOT?? I went surfing the internet for gents who did just that. And, here I am now . Five kilts in the closet, and no end in sight....

Thanks for the ride so far!

[michael steinrok]

30 years ago I saw a couple of movies Tunes of Glory and Something about the Kilted ladies of Hell. I'm like Dad those guys are wearing dresses,how come?. Told me they were kilts. 8 or 9 years ago I joined my clan and the rest is history.

[Andrew Green]

You know, my introduction to kilt wearing is relatively new, but my interest is definitely not. I have been interested in my heritage since I was about 12 years old or so. At that time, I didn't have my own budget. I got my first job at 17, and that paid gas, and that was about all while I was in school. After that, I spent a good amount of time making enough money to get from payday to payday, sometimes just barely enough to actually get by, lets not include the fact that I had credit cards and a handful of other bills at the time. When I had moved out, my finances had to become tighter, and they were still barely sufficient. Only recently have I had enough money to actually purchase my own, which partially came about due to having some nice high speed internet. When I was living with my parents, I didn't have much money, and the internet connection was pretty lame, and it was hard to seriously surf the web. Now, I make enough, and have access to enough information, and product sources, that I can purchase these sorts of things. I have kind of went a little ape on it... but as I like to say, it's making up for lost time.

[Sciuropterus]

I was introduced to kilts thru the writings of Robert Heinlein. In my case, kilts do not really factor into my cultural or ethnic identity. I just like them.