'Garb' and the Kilt

[Shay]

Alright- in this thread and this thread there's been some mention of people thinking of kilts as costumes.

Since the kilt is both an ancient and a modern garment, it is easy to see where confusion would come in, especially with the paucity of records on everyday/peasant clothes from insiders to the Highlands compared to other cultures and the perfidy of some sellers in presenting their kilts as authentic.

I'm sure there are folks coming here researching kilts for Ren Fairs and costumes, there are people who wear their Ren stuff as everyday wear, and there are people who get into kilts as costumes and continue to wear only the kilt as clothing, I'm wondering where you draw the line. That thread I mentioned is cool and all, but I think this merits a broader discussion in terms of the narrower subject- namely, what are your thoughts on kilts as 'garb'?

[John M.]

I may have only started wearing a kilt a short while ago, but I've always thought of them as a style of clothing. :grin:

[Verlyn]

For me, I use my kilt in my garb, although my wife said I'm cheating since I wear my kilt as everyday clothing too. Although its debatable if the kilt was really around much for the period of the renaissance, I think it was there in some form or another and I get to express my heritage. My son is and ACTOR at our local faire and researches his given character to add historical reference to his portrayal. As he put it, "most patrons don't have a clue; they're there to be entertained and that's what we do, but if we can add some form of education to the fun, then its good". This from a kid we had to fight with to do homework in HS. This year, he is Lord Chancellor Sir Christopher Hatten. Of course, he admits that he is 23 years too young, but only the staff and history buffs know that, so he takes the character as his own and makes the best he can while still being entertaining. If he comes across someone who actually knows the history of his character, he's thrilled to engage in conversation about how he's pulling it off. As someone said earlier, its an entertainment business, not re-enactment, so its a lot loose on the history. As you pointed out, though, alot of times its the inspiration some need to actually go research it and become educated.

[bubba]

Personally, with the possible exception of hiking, I'd consider the Great Kilt as a costume today. In it's day is served multiple purposes. It was clothing, a backpack and a blanket. Today it just doesn't fit generally as daily clothing. The tailored kilts we wear are a bit different. They're accepted formal, semiformal and casual menswear, depending on the accessories and other clothes worn with it. Of course, at a Renn Faire, as opposed to a reenactment, it really doesn't matter. The Faires are primarily playtime for grownups more than anything else and, frankly, most anything that doesn't cross the bounds of decency is pretty much ok.

[MacConnachie]

Personally, with the possible exception of hiking, I'd consider the Great Kilt as a costume today. In it's day is served multiple purposes. It was clothing, a backpack and a blanket. Today it just doesn't fit generally as daily clothing. The tailored kilts we wear are a bit different. They're accepted formal, semiformal and casual menswear, depending on the accessories and other clothes worn with it. Of course, at a Renn Faire, as opposed to a reenactment, it really doesn't matter. The Faires are primarily playtime for grownups more than anything else and, frankly, most anything that doesn't cross the bounds of decency is pretty much ok.

I can see where one would develop this perspective, given the relative lack of great kilts amongst those going a-kilt, these days. However, I can assure you that there are those of us who wear them as much more than a costume. In fact, my first kilt was a great kilt, and during the first four-and-one-half years of being so attired I wore that one exclusively. My first two-and-a-half years in the pipe band meant putting on the great kilt whenever we had a gig; in fact, there were jokes amongst the rest of the crew about the "special needs drummer" and his great kilt. When it comes to discussions of "costumes," many who will rent/wear a kilt once or twice for a Hallowe'en event or costume ball are much more likely to use a "wee kilt" as the base upon which to build. Why is that? Because getting into a great kilt can be orders of magnitude more time consuming and difficult than buckle-and-strapping on a wee kilt.

Never having attended a Renn Faire while kilted, I'm not conversant with what would pass for conventional wisdom amongst such folk when it comes to discussions of garb vs. costume.

I can say that the two Highland games I attended while dressed in a great kilt brought more positive and even admiring comments my way (as in, "Can you believe that guy's dressed in a double-plaid on a day like today!?" in August) than anything I've experienced in such assemblies while dressed in a wee kilt.

While dressing in great kilt and doublet may bear more than a passing resemblance to being costumed to some observers, I can also assure you that I take it very seriously, and in such situations am at least as concerned about appearance and deportment as I am when dressed in a more formal rig with wee kilt.

[Sciuropterus]

I go the MN Renn Faire every other year or so, the last several times (just to be funny) I wore a loud hawaiian shirt, bermuda shorts and sandals with black socks; the stereotypical garish tourist. The wittier characters would engage me in conversation about my "odd and curious garb", ask what far-off land I was from, etc., all good fun.

[macsim]

My youngest son (13) actually asked at school if he could wear his kilt. They told him he could not because it was considered a "costume" and in so many words they said it might cause a ruckus. Yeah, probably a ruckus caused by all those little girls in their Brittany Spears "costumes" wanting to get a glimpse of a fine young lad!

[flyv65]

Personally, with the possible exception of hiking, I'd consider the Great Kilt as a costume today.

To split hairs, I'd say that the Great Kilt is too hot for hiking, and would be better suited for camping: then again, if I lived somewhere humid I might change the tune I'm singing now.

Bryan...flyfishing deepwater in a wool kilt can make you smell like your dog....

[Archangel]

Bryan...flyfishing deepwater in a wool kilt can make you smell like your dog....

sheep, you smell like a sheep, as I found out after getting soaked last weekend.

I think the kilt becomes a costume when it's out of place. Like anything else, it shouldn't be dressed down for a formal event, or formal for a pub concert. If there's too much planning, it's a costume. If it's over-accessorized, it's a costume. "Scottish" souvenirs (shirts, flags, pins) with a kilt are redundant and makes it a costume (well, one of my pet peeves).
A relaxed individual with self confidence is wearing clothes.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

What makes the difference between "clothing" and "costume" in many cases is the attitude of the wearer.

When I got married, myself and all the groomsmen were in identical outfits: kilt, hose, flashes, black shoes, sgian dubh, sporran, belt, tux shirt, black bow tie, and black Argyle jackets. I had been wearing the kilt regularly for many years at that point -- most of my groomsmen had never worn a kilt before in their lives.

Though we were all dressed identically, several people (my wife, her brother, etc) made the comment that they all looked like they were wearing costumes, while I just looked like I was wearing clothes.

Chalk it up to the fact that I was comfortable in the kilt and carried myself in a comfortable and easy manner. The other guys were excited about wearing somethign different and new and were more self conscious about the fact that they were kilted. It's nothing conscious that they did differently, just an inner attitude.

So I would say that if you are wearing the kilt in a manner, or with a purpose, that says, "Look at me, I'm kilted!" then it is a costume you have put on. If you wear the kilt as another form of clothing (either every day, or just on special occasions) then it is clothing.

I had a recent post in my blog that touched on this a bit. I was making the point that if you wear the kilt as clothing, not costume, avoid the danger of having every last bit of your outfit scream 'Scotland!' and let the kilt speak for itself. I brought up the instance of the man I saw in a very nice kilt, with hose embroidered with thisles on the cuff, a rugby shirt that said "Scotland" across the breast, and a ball cap that also said "Scotland" on it. His whole ensemble looked like he got up and said "I'm going to put on all my Scottish stuff today!" He looked like a walking advert for the Scottish Tourist Board. That was a costume.

Had his shirt and hat not been blazoned with the country's name, the outfit would have been just fine.

Matt