Why don't we see more men wearing kilts?

[thecompaqguy]

I am very new to kilt wearing (only 2 weeks in), but so far, all my experiences have been nothing but positive. I live in London and yesterday I was down by Waterloo and found that if people noticed they didn't care (or just held their feelings in check). I have worn my kilt to a club where I DJ and had nothing but compliments from girls in the crowd. There were a few wisecracks from the doorman (only in jest as they're a goo bunch) but other than that I just do my thing and wear the kilt with pride and confidence. If people notice, cool.

I have already ordered my second one, which will be arriving on Tuesday, and have my eye on my 3rd one as well as having a traditional one made. I shall definitely be wearing them on a regular basis while the weather is good (might even be brave and wear them when the weather goes a bit colder). As for why you don't see more men wearing them, maybe it's because they think only Scottish/Celtic people can wear them; maybe they're scared of standing out in a crowd; or maybe they're scared of being laughed at. As someone else on this thread mentioned, the only way to change attitudes is for more men to start wearing them, with confidence and pride

I think its the fear of being laughed at that worried me - and a little bit still feels that. Saying that you attract what you fear, but as long as you dress confidently
you have nothing to worry about. You will get double-takes, and at the worst a remark from a teenager trying to look hard when with his mates I have over 20 kilts, the latest addition being a plain bottle green kilt (the Mrs likes that tartan ones more than any plain or pinstriped ones)... Wore it to a family gathering in West London, after the initial teasing and 'skirt' remarks - which was all of 3 minutes, things moved onto other matters. What part of London are you in? I'm from Wood Green

[t_challa]

"you have nothing to worry about. You will get double-takes, and at the worst a remark from a teenager trying to look hard when with his mates What part of London are you in? I'm from Wood Green "

I'm in Stoke Newington, so just down the road from you.

[HuggyBear]

Testing ones confidence? Try riding a Harley while wearing a kilt!!! That got me some looks!! I found the experience rather liberating!! p.s. The show was all G rated, I can assure you!! LOL

[OC Richard]

Well, I have a few friends that attend Scottish Country Dancing. They are happy to wear the kilt for their get-together but have a difficulty wearing the kilt in public regularly. There is no amount of convincing that I can do to persuade them to wear the kilt outside set, scheduled small, limited community situations.

This is the exact attitude of the vast majority of pipers.

It's an odd thing, because most experienced pipers regard themselves as experts in kilt-wearing. Bands take great care when choosing band kit, and pipers in higher-level solos, and piping judges, take care and pride in putting together their "solo" kit. It's common for experienced pipers to be something of tartan fashionistas: at a competition, in the audience you'll hear little groups of pipers from bands who have already played making comments (positive or negative) about the dress of the other bands.

Yet at the same time there's an attitude amongst most serious pipers that wearing the kilt is something of an obligation, a chore, an annoyance, and these guys only wear their kit when actually performing on the pipes. Even at a Games they will show up in ordinary clothes, throw on their uniform five minutes before the band plays, and change back right after the band plays. To avoid this some bands require their members to stay in full uniform all day.

Mind you, they also do not have decently fitting kilts. Usually the ultra casual cheaper kilts.

Well how things have changed in Country Dancing! I was an avid Country Dancer in the early 1980s and I don't recall ever seeing a dancer in anything other than a traditional kilt (wool handsewn 8-yard kilt). In fact I can't remember there being "casual kilts" then... the only decisions when ordering a kilt then were "medium weight or heavy weight?" and "what tartan?" (Almost everybody got their kilts pleated to the sett then, except in the Army.)

[Woodsman]

...It is possible that men do not wear kilts, because they do not want to make the extra effort to think how they are going to wear the kilt: what type of top, color.... Men have got used to spend only 5 minutes dressing up in the morning, they just need to pick a tie!

A very interesting self-assessment for us men folk. And one that I hadn't thought about much before even though I do find myself putting in this extra time and effort each and every time I wear a kilt. Good post jeanfor!

[Nathan]

So I am one of five brothers. Three of us are regular kilt wearers and of those three, one is a kilt maker, (Xmarks' own xman).

I spoke to one of the two brothers who doesn't regularly wear his kilt about this last night to get his perspective. He owns a kilt and was married in it, but wears it very infrequently otherwise.

He said that his Scottishness is just something that he is and not something he has to take pains to dress up and be. He also said that kilt wearing outside of certain appropriate contexts was a type of dandyism. In his view, it is an eccentricity that is motivated by the desire to stand out and be noticed or make a statement.

Although he is a confident guy, he is more reserved fashion-wise. He seeks to blend in rather than stand out.

The three of us who do wear kilts regularly are musicians and xman is also a classically trained actor. As such, we all have pursued crafts that put us in front of crowds and where we get to be the centre of attention from time to time. Being artists, we approach dressing with a similar artistic perspective.

So there you have it. Some people choose their outfits with a view to not having their clothes be noticed. Some men choose to dress neat, clean and forgettably. I have detected from guys like this a view that those men who pay a lot of attention to their sartorial choices (kilted or otherwise) are vain or showing off or overcompensating etc... I'm not saying I agree with the view, but it's my reasoned opinion that it is one of the explanations for why some men don't wear kilts more often.

[OC Richard]

It is possible that men do not wear kilts, because they do not want to make the extra effort to think how they are going to wear the kilt: what type of top, color...

That's usually not an issue to me. I have my go-to kilt, sporran, hose, ghillies, shirts, and ties and I usually just grab "the usual" and head out the door. I have a couple pairs of hose and a number of shirts and ties all of which are interchangeable.

[OC Richard]

I don't wear my kilts to church services, simply because I don't want to be a distraction to people whose attention should be focused on worship.

Amen Brother!

[seanachie]

Amen Brother!

I respect everyone's opinion but this, to my mind, is overstated. I wear a kilt to Church every Sunday, I think it would cause more of a stir if I was not kilted as for more than 4 years I have been doing it and people are accustomed to it. That said I do not wear the kilt ostentatiously and with all the kit I own. I also am not so egotistic that I would try and be the center of attention, I know why I am there and it is not about me. on special feast days ie Christmas and Easter I dress up a bit more but then so do most of the parishioners.

[GrainReaper]

It is possible that men do not wear kilts, because they do not want to make the extra effort to think how they are going to wear the kilt: what type of top, color.... Men have got used to spend only 5 minutes dressing up in the morning, they just need to pick a tie!

Being colorblind, the kilt was a Godsend of sorts, when I go out I was always worrying about mismatching my shirt and pants, cap and shirt, or similar situation.....

Too often I got the "you aren't wearing that shirt with those pants are you?" From my wife.

Now I can grab some hose, what color? Sometimes I honestly don't know, could be lovat blue or bottle green I have a tough time telling the difference between many of my hose.

Shirt? Yes I wear one, but is it all matchy matchy? I doubt it!

Flashes are fun too I just pick a pair and go with it.

Now when I think I matched the "yellow" flashes to the yellow stripe in the kilt, my wife says to me, "why are you wearing green things in your socks, there isn't any green in your kilt"

I say "meh, I don't have to match.... it's a kilt thing, you wouldn't understand"

At least My wife keeps me from wearing too many patterns, says it makes me look like im in a clown costume.