Kilted at Balloch, Loch Lomond

[Jimmy]

Saturday last was a very warm day by Scotland's standard, about 70 degrees, I was at the small village of Balloch at the southern base of Loch Lomond for the 12th Lomond Folk Festival.
With the great weather and easy access by train from Glasgow, Balloch was awash with day trippers, the hotels and pubs were simply overcrowded and their beer gardens filled to capacity.
As I have found out in recent years along with other members that a lightweight kilt is great to wear in warm weather and I really enjoyed wearing my light weight Hunting Stewart on Saturday. With stockings down at the ankles and a casual shirt with the kilt, I was totally relaxed and quite cool all day long.
Unfortunately despite the village being full at the seams, it must have been its busiest day of the year, I seemed to be the only person wearing a kilt with the exception of the Isle of Cumbrae pipe band members.
Again as usual I received many admiring glances and comments.
I can never understand that in a land where a great percentage of men in recent years are now kilt owners, that at an event such as this, I was the only kilted visitor about.
If it was next Saturday in Edinburgh at the International rugby match then kilts are de rigeur and the city will be awash with kilties so why do the same kilties who love wearing the kilt, not take the opportunity to wear it more often?

[Jock Scot]

I am afraid Jimmy, the answer is staring you in the face. The event at Balloch was just not special enough.

[seanachie]

I picked it up on this board...but I find myself in the position of having to find a plausible reason to not wear the kilt, as opposed to a reason to wear it. Outside of work, where it can only be worn on special occassions, I haven't worn trousers for many months.

[Jimmy]

I picked it up on this board...but I find myself in the position of having to find a plausible reason to not wear the kilt, as opposed to a reason to wear it. Outside of work, where it can only be worn on special occassions, I haven't worn trousers for many months.

I suppose living in Scotland you get frustrated knowing that so many people are kilt owners but still reserve the kilt for special occassions, every kilt wearer i talk to loves wearing the kilt whether it is for the first time or not and I know that they want to wear it again and again but it does not happen. Why are Scots that are so proud of the kilt and love to wear it so reluctant to wear it frequently, what is their problem?

[tpa]

Why are Scots that are so proud of the kilt and love to wear it so reluctant to wear it frequently, what is their problem?

Perhaps because they don't frequent this forum.

I often wonder about this too. I no longer live in Scotland but still wear a kilt almost daily but on my last visit to the Scottish borders, I never saw another male in a kilt, even in shops selling them.

If I had a shop selling highland wear, I would make sure the staff, male or female, were also kilted. What better way locally to advertise your wares and encourage sales? Tartan ties were a very poor substitute, although a number of the female staff I saw in various shops wore kilted skirts of varying lengths.

I have gathered from his posts that Steve Ashton wears a kilt to serve in his shop. So it can be done, I even wore mine occasionally in my convenience store, although not on days when I was likely to be cleaning the ceiling air conditioner or top shelves!

[Jimmy]

Perhaps because they don't frequent this forum.

I often wonder about this too. I no longer live in Scotland but still wear a kilt almost daily but on my last visit to the Scottish borders, I never saw another male in a kilt, even in shops selling them.

If I had a shop selling highland wear, I would make sure the staff, male or female, were also kilted. What better way locally to advertise your wares and encourage sales? Tartan ties were a very poor substitute, although a number of the female staff I saw in various shops wore kilted skirts of varying lengths.

I have gathered from his posts that Steve Ashton wears a kilt to serve in his shop. So it can be done, I even wore mine occasionally in my convenience store, although not on days when I was likely to be cleaning the ceiling air conditioner or top shelves!

I entirely agree with you about staff in a kilt shop should be kilted. In many of the Glasgow shops and there are quite a few, there's not too many kilted staff about. You are right is saying the best advert for the kilt would be the staff wearing the kilt correctly themselves

[OC Richard]

It's nice, though, isn't it, that the kilt has become common wear for Scotland football and rugby supporters.

And that kilts have become standard wear for weddings (hired kilts though many of them are).

All in all, it seems that the kilt has become far more common over the last quarter century, even if mainly for sports matches and weddings.

Going back a half century, to the 1960s, how many Scotland supporters would have worn kilts to matches? I'm guessing that it was very rare at that time, but correct me if I'm wrong.

[Jock Scot]

It's nice, though, isn't it, that the kilt has become common wear for Scotland football and rugby supporters.

And that kilts have become standard wear for weddings (hired kilts though many of them are).

All in all, it seems that the kilt has become far more common over the last quarter century, even if mainly for sports matches and weddings.

Going back a half century, to the 1960s, how many Scotland supporters would have worn kilts to matches? I'm guessing that it was very rare at that time, but correct me if I'm wrong.

From what I remember, kilts at Scottish rugby internationals in the '50/60's were not common. Tweed jackets and caps, trilbys too, cord trousers, tweed suits, Barbour oilskins, duffle coats, pipes being smoked and nearly everyone over sixteen who did not smoke a pipe, smoked cigarettes.Oh and the most important item of all----the unversity/college/school scarf.

[tpa]

From what I remember, kilts at Scottish rugby internationals in the '50/60's were not common.

You are right, I know, I was in a minority, consisting mainly of other pupils from our school for which wearing the kilt to go into Edinburgh at the weekend was mandatory. However it was warm and comfortable and that was what was needed at Murrayfield frequently.

[Baldybrown]

I've read that the kilt is something Scots wear in America, and Americans wear in Scotland. I wore mine to the farmers market here in Bozeman over the weekend and received the the same admiring looks and comments. I think one of the reasons women like kilted men is the self-confidence it takes to wear one, and self-confidence is sexy. So I don't mind the others who don't have it.