A Revelation

[Dreadbelly]

It took me a while to come to this.

I met with JohnAllen in person. He is a great guy! He does his Amerikilt proud.

I also owe him a debt of thanks. Thanks!

While I was wowed during our meeting by his kilt, and how nice it was, there was something missing. Not sure what. It was not until the sun was going down, and he was leaving, and I saw his profile in the fading light, that I was truly struck by how powerful a statement the kilt really is.

I have thought over it several days now, and, it occured me last night as I lay awake, unable to sleep, (From severe pain) that a light finally snapped on.

My mind refused to make the kilt connection because of the solid black colour. (JohnAllen my friend, let's not talk about the dog incident shall we? ) Am I hard wired for tartan?

It took a while to come to this realization. While I like the solid colour kilts, like the Utilikilts and the Amerikilts, my brain looks at them and for some reason, and please my friends don't flame me, but it says "?" I don't know why. I know it's a kilt. It is with out a doubt, a male garmet. Even looks manly. Just like I can't stand the look of a kilt with out a sporran, I have come to realize that for me, for my personal kilt experience, that I can't stand the look of a solid colour kilt. It's not ugly. Infact, JohnAllen's kilt really was a thing of beauty. The thinking part of my mind connected with it instantly. Deeper down though, and it took a while to realize this, the deeper layers of my brain were disapointed over a lack of tartan. When I was scrolling through USAK and Bear's tartan selections, I felt a deep primal longing... I don't what to call it other then that. Something about it called to me. Am I crazy?

I have always loved flannel shirts in nice plaid patterns. Well, some of them were not quite plaid... Some where more like tartans. When I lived in Seattle and Spokane, I owned far to many, I was addicted to the patterns. If I saw on in a store that caught my fancy, I would have long sleepless nights obcessing over that hypnotic pattern, till I finally broke down and bought it. And I see something similar happening with kilt tartans... Is this a sickness? Plaid flannel boxers... Plaid socks. Sheets, and pillow cases. I once bought an old girl friend a very tartan like flannel teddy... She broke up with me, broke my heart, and left me. Said I was disturbed. But that's ok, found the one true love of me life, so all works out well for a happy ending. She shares my fixation with all things flannel and plaid. And tartan type prints. She is tickled pink over helping me pick out future kilt patterns.

Couple all this with the longing of wanting to wear a kilt since early childhood and it's starting to weird me out for reasons I can't explain.

Thanks again my friend... I was going to buy an Amerikilt... And I feel in my heart that would have been a mistake.

Must satisfy tartan addiction.

[macwilkin]

I'm the same way, so don't feel too bad. I've always liked tartan as well, and I have quite a few tartan shirts from Woolrich and L.L. Bean in my closet at home..in fact, I'm wearing an L.L. Bean one right now!

The "single-colour kilt" really isn't my style either, save the Irish saffron or the Hodden Grey of the London Scottish regiment, and I think those two are mainly due to their historical significance and military conenction (I do like the Tweed kilts, though) -- but tartan is really what is for me.

I too have wanted a kilt since childhood (this from the kid who stood up in Presbyterian Sunday School and announced that he wanted to be "King of Scotland" when we grew up! 8) !)

The Chief of the Clan Donald reportedly responded to a group of Scots who were upset by all of the Yanks, Canucks, Kiwis and Aussies "playing Scottish" and wearing kilts with "The Blood is strong. Do you really think a couple of hundred years and a thousand miles can stop that?" (not his exact words, but the idea.) The blood he mentioned flows through the tartan, even though we know it is not that ancient and really not that connected with our lineage.

That's why I'm a bluff old traditionalist when it comes to tartan.

Here's to it!
The fighting sheen of it,
The yellow, the green of it,
The white, the blue of it,
The swing, the hue of it,
The dark, the red of it,
Every thread of it!

The fair have sighed for it,
The brave have died for it,
Foemen sought for it,
Heroes fought for it,
Honour the name of it,
Drink to the fame of it -

THE TARTAN!

-- Murdoch Maclean

Cheers!

T.

[Freelander Sporrano]

You're not alone on this one DrDouglass. There are several here on the forum for one reason or another find Tartan and sporran the way to go.

In my case I live in a small community. So a normal kilt (Tartan)is easier to justify rather than a solid. I'm a foreigner here in Norway so people expect that I'm a little odd ball. But a solid colour in the kilt would be too far to stretch things. You can think what you will, but when faced with questions a tartan kilt is a lot easier to justify over here. I do get the impression that it would be easier in the states to justify a solid I don't know I've never been.

Good luck with your choice....David (Tartan junkie!!)

[Dreadbelly]

I have dug into my family tree. There are Scotts waaaaaaay back there. MacLendons. MacKenzies. Even a few Wallaces.

When I was about 5 or 6 years old, I was looking through a book about WWII. (I was a strange kid) I remember a picture, hazily in my mind... But it stood out to me at the time. There were all these dead bodies. Dead men. Dozens. Not something any kid should look at but that's beside the point. The picture was in black and white. There was mud and rocks and there was the burned out shell of a tank. In my mind, I thought maybe the men had died attacking the tank. And all of the men were not wearing pants. I asked somebody in my family (Can not remember who) what they were wearing. Kilts. Those men were wearing kilts I was told. In my impressionable young mind, I thought any man brave enough to attack a tank must be, well, somebody like superman. And their kilts must be their capes or something. And I wanted one. Badly. I begged for one for Christmas. And, from that point forward, I thought pants looked "kinda funny." My whole childhood I wanted a kilt. And I was fixated with tartan type flannels.

That one event has always stood out in my mind. Any time I see a kilt, I think of that picture and those brave men. As an adult, I don't know what they died from, but, that was a German tank. I still don't know what happened... But I still suspect that it involved a whole lot of **** kicking. Those men were blown apart and it is only as an adult that I realize how graphic that picture was. Those men died with their kilts on.

At one time I was told my flannel fixation was an unhealthy obcession. I am beginning to believe however, there is something deeper that calls through the ages. Can't say how or why or even offer an explanation, but it's there. I was a bastard child, and was never really welcomed in my family. I grew up with out herritage. But oh how I longed. It was nearly a painful physical need.

With out even realizing it when it happened, I am starting to find out who I am. Please bear with me through my questions and growing pains.

[RockyR]

Dr. D...

Ask GRAHAM what HE thinks about solid color kilts.

[Dreadbelly]

Graham, dare I ask?

D'oh! I just did.

[Raphael]

I love my Tartan and Solid Colour kilts. It is a very personal choice, and no one can you what to like and what to dislike.

[bikercelt1]

I like all my kilts, but I have to admit there is just a little more "something" with a tartan kilt. I even had a loveseat recovered in Anderson tartan. It's a little uncany but somehow it came out so perfectly that when I sit down the pattern lines up with my kilt. How that happened I'll never know because I don't think you could plan it no matter how hard you tried.

Jamie

[GMan]

Shandy,

I agree with you about how powerful a statement a kilt can be! Nothing better than seeing a kilted lad silhouetted in a distance as the sun is setting behind him. A totally awesome sight.

I can also relate to a plaid affinity, for I too have many and I do mean many plaid items in my life.

I too like Jamie like both my plain color and tartan kilts, but when I wear a tartan, I do stand just a tad bit taller, and get more compliments even from people that see me frequently.

The quote that Todd posted expresses something that I cannot say as well about the reasons of liking the tartan. Of course my Irish heritage rings upon my ear. something about plain colors, the plaids do ring a little bit louder.

You are my friend understanding what we all have experienced in our kilted life, a preference.

You have said very poetically what is within your heart. I thank you.

[Casey]

I'm a tartan man too.

Casey