Prophet of Truth

**Freedomlover** · 7th January 06, 07:57 PM

Gentlemen,

When I was first married (decades ago) my wife thought it a little odd that I so adored kilts. What's wrong with that statement? ---- My wife is from Stevenson, Ayrshire, and her roots are so deep the tips can't be found. Not to mention that my people are only twenty miles up the road in Bo'ness with equally deep roots.

Twenty-odd years ago I told her that (forgive the perceived blasphemy) men's skirts, in the sense that kilts are most certainly, despite ignorant opinion to the contrary, skirts, was the coming thing.

Well. When Steven Villegas got off the ground with Utilikilts, and I ordered 1 of 500 of the genuine article, she began to see the light. What mystifies me to this day is why was Villegas required to open her thousand year old Scottish eyes?

Anyone have any insight here?

**Blu (Ontario)** · 7th January 06, 09:51 PM

At least you know that there are roughly a thousand like minded souls here on the net. Gaining general acceptance and crushing the ignorance surrounding the kilt is going to take a long time. As an example, it took 20 years and a lot of effort for womens liberation to gain a foothold. I also believe it's now taken for granted and the effort largely forgotten by women. Conversly, I just don't see the same degree of effort, or desire for that matter, behind a push for the general acceptance of kilts. It may take another 20 years... maybe 40. It's an interesting subject to ponder / speculate.

blu

**KumaSan** · 7th January 06, 10:15 PM

For an FYI datapoint...My wife didn't even balk at me wearing a kilt at our wedding. We got married in hawaiie. She didn't realize what a role it would have in our future lives, but she got over it.

**Graham** · 7th January 06, 10:16 PM

I think we now enjoy the luxury of the time and freedom, along with relative peace to consider such things as a revolution in clothing.

I imagine a Chinese farm worker under communism or an Iraqi miner or a japanese office employee etc would have that luxury that we have.

Maybe eyes are being opened becasue the time has come for MUGS.

I was at a market the other day, a guy had a stall selling lightweight cotton "fisherman's" pants, all in bright colours.
the owner was wearing them and they looked very comfortable. I said they look like the next best thing to a kilt, he replied by showing me a range of "man skirts" he was also selling.

I was surprised!

**KumaSan** · 7th January 06, 10:17 PM

And I realize that that last post can sound somewhat creepy. I assure you that it's okay.

**elijah** · 8th January 06, 01:02 AM

Utilikilts utilized the media to make wearing kilts look more mainstream or hip than if the only place she saw them was in a marching band or a Burns dinner.

**Graham** · 8th January 06, 02:47 AM

Hi Adam, not seen you around for a while, good to see you!

**Blu (Ontario)** · 8th January 06, 05:36 AM

Originally Posted by Graham

... I was at a market the other day, a guy had a stall selling lightweight cotton "fisherman's" pants, all in bright colours. the owner was wearing them and they looked very comfortable. I said they look like the next best thing to a kilt, he replied by showing me a range of "man skirts" he was also selling. I was surprised!

So what color did you buy??

;-)

**Graham** · 8th January 06, 05:40 AM

Blu, ME buy pants?????

surely you jest ;)

**Ugly Bear** · 8th January 06, 06:28 AM

Originally Posted by Freedomlover

What mystifies me to this day is why was Villegas required to open her thousand year old Scottish eyes?

Maybe it's because prior to Utilikilts, the kilt was simply a traditional garment and/or an ethnic costume. It was fine in Glasgow or Edinburgh, but out-of-place in Haywood Co. Villegas gave us a garment that has the advantages of the traditional design without the distinctive cultural pinning.

The kilt is a garment with a history. Villegas gave it a future.

The irony here is that the re-invention of the kilt is going to revive interest in the traditional Scottish design. Take me, for example: I never considered wearing any sort of Scottish kilt until I had a few UK's and PK's in my wardrobe. My first USA Kilt was a custom-design denim, because I didn't want tartan. Now I have plenty of tartans, including 3 from USA Kilts.

Like you and your wife, more people are going to have revelations in the coming years. Villegas will get and deserve a lot of the credit.