What makes a kilt pin a kilt pin?

[imbrius]

I was browsing the Show Us Your Kilt Pins thread and saw the amazing plethora of shapes and pin mechanisms people put on their kilts. So what makes a kilt pin something other than a pin that happens to be on a kilt? In other words, what are the "rules" for kilt pins?

When first kilted, I wore my former U.S. Civil Air Patrol senior member cover device as a kilt pin (it was windy at the Milwaukee Highland Games and the cap device fits the bill for heavy and decorative) but have since gotten a cheapie pewter Masonic sword-style pin I wear now. I do have a gigantic collection of hat, lapel, and misc. pins from folksmarching, beer festivals, Civil Air Patrol (no longer a member), Freemasonry, my wife buying me odd things, etc. What makes a good kilt pin, in your collective and several opinions?

Thanks!

[Taskr]

I suppose it is whatever one thinks looks handsome on the kilt apron.
Anything heavy enough to keep the apron from flapping is, IMO, likely going to damage the apron. There is an inner one to maintain modesty anyway. I have only a few kilt pins - including a recently acquired blanket pin - but don't care much if a pin is on or off. I will sometimes place one when bringing the kilt up to business or formal.

One thing that might be considered making a good kilt pin is the fastener. Regardless of the "jewelry", any pin and closure that might damage the cloth is worth avoiding.

[bodhran4me]

"A Pin that is on a kilt."
In my mind you pretty much already nailed it, with a few additional caveats...


You do not want it to distort the drape of the apron or be so heavy as to damage the cloth

It should have a secure method of fastening to prevent loss, without damaging the cloth

The finish on the pin back may also be quite rough with sharp bits that could snag


I have been considering the 'Illegitimi non carborundum' cap badge but want to see it in real life first to make sure it is a suitable size and weight. Also looking at various maple leaf pins/brooches for my maple leaf kilt. With the maple leaf pin I am wary of the sharp edges on the vertical sides as when sitting this is the area that drapes down. I know many wear sword pins but the point is not where the kilt tends to get folded onto itself. Maybe it is just rampant paranoia on my part.

[kiltedsawyer]

Perhaps a better question would be "what makes a good kilt pin?" I think the answer for me is something that has some relation to highland culture but more importantly means something to the wearer. They are often good conversation starters amongst the kilted and the curious non-kilted.

Cheers,

David

[CollinMacD]

Really have to ask this, is a kilt pin necessary or is it an ornament? I think I read it here; kilt pins are a more recent accessory and really only serves the purpose of jewelry. Really has little to no function as a weight to hold the kilt down from winds. I would like to learn more.

[Tobus]

Really have to ask this, is a kilt pin necessary or is it an ornament? I think I read it here; kilt pins are a more recent accessory and really only serves the purpose of jewelry. Really has little to no function as a weight to hold the kilt down from winds. I would like to learn more.

On modern kilts, they are mere ornament.

Originally, before buckles and straps were added, a simple safety pin or blanket pin was used as a closure, plus a belt. Older military kilts used this method, for example. But its purpose was never about weight to keep the apron down. I'm pretty sure that's a myth.

[PatrickHughes123]

I'm in love with the kilt so I pretty much love all things Highland Dress, so take my views as a grain of salt. For me, anything that is a kilt pin is a kilt pin. Anything marketed as a kilt pin by shops and Scottish websites. I love all kilt pins from basic safety kilt pins to very expensive ones, and the ones in-between including Clan pins, contemporary pins and so on. I have two safety pins, and two off-the-rack sword pins.

[PatrickHughes123]

Well, the kilt shops say it prevents flapping. Some people on here say it is purely jewellery. I think it is somewhere in-between, I do believe it is exaggerated but it does help a little with winds, especially weak winds. I've noticed with light winds that the kilt pin, in my experience, pushes the first apron back down when the wind tries to push it up and make it flap. I can feel the pin being a force against the wind. I get the impression when I look down and see it that the apron would be flapping a lot more if that pin wasn't there.

[Tobus]

...I do believe it is exaggerated but it does help a little with winds, especially weak winds. I've noticed with light winds that the kilt pin, in my experience, pushes the first apron back down when the wind tries to push it up and make it flap. I can feel the pin being a force against the wind. I get the impression when I look down and see it that the apron would be flapping a lot more if that pin wasn't there.

Well of course it will. No one is denying the laws of physics here. Any mass added to the corner of the apron will have that effect. But that is a mere side-effect of wearing it, and it somehow became a myth that this was its intended original purpose. As that myth took hold and became lore, people started wearing them lower and lower, and the pins became heavier and heavier to the point where the tat shops tell you it's supposed to be a big honking pin worn at the very corner of the apron as a weight.

For obvious reasons, the tat shops want you to buy their goods. They're not going to tell tourists that it's unnecessary or optional.

The more you wear the kilt, though, the more you will appreciate simplicity and ease of wear. A big heavy kilt pin worn low is going to constantly bounce back and forth as you walk. It will eventually snag or catch on something. And eventually you will find that it really doesn't matter if the wind blows up the corner of your outer apron. All it does is fold upwards in a triangle shape, revealing the inner apron. It's really just no big deal, and (in my experience) not worth the hassle of dealing with the kilt pin.

That said, I do wear a simple safety-pin style kilt pin, somewhere around halfway up the apron. Just as a nod to tradition. It's high enough and light enough that it doesn't do much of anything for the wind, and it doesn't bounce around or feel noticeable at all.

One thing I would like to say here, since it seems to be a common theme with many of your ideas: don't believe everything the kilt shops (including tat shops and kilt-hire shops) tell you. Probably 75% of it is false, misleading, or just not traditional. As harsh or counterintuitive as it may sound, they really are not the authority on Highland traditions. They are just trying to sell merchandise, and tend to exaggerate every romantic/theatrical notion they can find.

[Twrecks911]

I think the idea of it being to keep your apron from flapping is a myth, since you aren't using it to fasten your front apron to your back apron. Where I come from, you would practically need to pin a brick to your apron to keep it down, as the wind is horrible.