Working in a kilt

[Graham]

Most of us here love to don the kilt when going out somewhere special, but I'm interested in hearing from those who go to work in a kilt, of the type of work you do, of the challenges and rewards you have encountered in working in a kilt.

Are there times when you feel it is inappropriate to be kilted?
What has been the response of your colleagues, customers and employers?

I'll start:
Some of you already know I am self employed as a signmaker.
Self employment means i don't have a boss to please or ask anything of, but it also means I have a responsibility to my clients.

I was worried about their responses at first, many have been kind or even encouraging, some are confused.
I'm known in the area for my work in promoting celtic things, so some understand.

There are a couple of "blokey" workshops that I would be reluctant to enter kilted and there are some jobs I do that I prefer to be in old shorts, such as using paint or climbing ladders and rooftops.
I'm sure that if our city saw me atop a city roof in a kilt the traffic would surely stop

A friend today who is a Christian minister confessed he was concerned that being kilted may detract from his credibility.
I simply replied that if we are uncomfortable in a kilt in certain circumstances, it's not a sin to be in trousers. (even if Jesus didn't wear them).

So how do you go at work? It's easy to be different in other towns where you are not known, but in your own town and working environment, surrounded by people who know you well - that can be a challenge, don't you think?

[elijah]

I'm a telephone banker for the #4 bank in the United States. The reaction was a bunch of razzing on the first day and the admiration and respect afterwards.

My other "line of work" is as a candidate for State House district 16A and I haven't had any reaction to wearing the kilt so far, but the campaign has not fully begun in force.

[highlandtide]

I work out of my house so there is noone here to rag on me except my dog and she loves me more than anyone else so...

That reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw one day:
"Lord please make me the person my dog thinks I am!"



...

[aikinut]

I'm a computer programmer for a relatively conservative company. I've been wearing a Utilikilt to work every day for close to two years. Initial reaction of my coworkers to my face was pretty much none. Most people around here would rather talk about you than to you, so my fellow programmers field some questions about it. Three months after I started wearing my boss told me I couldn't wear it anymore. I told him he should've told me that three months ago, now it's too late. I also mentioned that 30 years ago he could've been having the same conversation with a woman about wearing pants, and that pretty much shut him up. I'm also a martial arts instructor. I was a little concerned about what potential students would think, but I decided that they should know and accept me, or find a different teacher. The response: one of my students now owns five utilikilts, another owns two, and a third wants one. I'm also a college professor, and the response there..., well, all I'll say is college chicks dig guys in kilts.

As for when I feel a kilt isn't appropriate, that's pretty much dictated by practicality. I wouldn't wear one on a motorcycle, because road rash is unpleasant enough through leather or denim. Working out at the gym is another, just I don't want to worry about what might be showing when I lie on the floor doing crunches. Outside of that, I can't think of any time when I wouldn't feel right wearing a kilt.

[elijah]

Are there times when you feel it is inappropriate to be kilted?

--I really don't. I have a Denim kilt for nasty yard work. So, I see no reason to wear pants. Period.


So how do you go at work? It's easy to be different in other towns where you are not known, but in your own town and working environment, surrounded by people who know you well - that can be a challenge, don't you think?

--One thing I realized is that if I was going to do this kilted thing full time, the easiest way to do it was to move and from day one, start wearing the kilt and then no one around has been misled or thinks anything unusual about me in the kilt. No one in my current church has ever seen me in a pair of pants and a good portion of my co-workers never have.

[philbo]

I work in the pizza and beer industry. I haven't asked my boss if I'm allowed to wear a kilt, but once I wore one when he wasn't there and I raked in the tips, so I'll probably wear it again. My biggest concerns are spilling greasy foods and beer on my kilt, or spilling hot food on what the kilt doesn't fully cover. As for general public response, I was quite famous for a few hours.

[John in Texas]

Philbo,
if you are going to wear your kilt at work,you might want to consider going to the local sporting goods store for a can of silicone waterproofer. I use it on all my camping and military gear, and it works fantastic, nothing short of hot tar sticks to fabric treated with it. I will warn you that after spraying, it takes a couple days to dry and the odor to fade, but after that, spilt beer will flow off it like it was a teflon coated kilt. Keep those heavy tip's comin' in.

Also, I'd like to add that you who do/can wear a kilt to work are lucky. The industry I work in is regulated by the EPA as well as several other state agencies, and it is mandated by law what I wear to work, which is pants and a long sleve shirt(minimum). Now I do blow-off the long sleves in the summer here, but the pants are on to stay. A few years ago we had one of our famous 115 degree west Texas summers, so a lot of the companies started letting their technicians wear shorts,,,, big mistake, for every one of them the EPA field inspector caught, the company was fined 5,000$.

Oh well, I'll let my jeans get ragged and worn from work, I'll leave the kilt to the fun stuff.

John

[bubba]

ScotchGuard is great for protecting almost any fabric. You can get it in spray cans lots of places, Dicount stores, hardware stores, etc. It's best known for use on uphostery and carpet, but it's great for wool too

[bear]

Philbo,
if you are going to wear your kilt at work,you might want to consider going to the local sporting goods store for a can of silicone waterproofer. I use it on all my camping and military gear, and it works fantastic, nothing short of hot tar sticks to fabric treated with it. I will warn you that after spraying, it takes a couple days to dry and the odor to fade, but after that, spilt beer will flow off it like it was a teflon coated kilt. Keep those heavy tip's comin' in.
John

Hey John,
The poly/viscose tartan I get from England actually is teflon coated! A perfect bartender's kilt.

[Plastic Paddy]

I only wish I could work a kilt. I do all my chores around the farm in a kilt and have wore my kilt to several functions and my bosses think it's great, but not for work. I am in the service of my comunity as a police officer and there are strict uniform policies to be followed.

However, I am interested in knowing if anyone here has set up a Highland Honor Guard for military or police organizations. I would be very interested in starting one at my department.

Slainte,

P. Paddy