# Scottish men and kilts **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 4, 2016, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639 "2016-10-04T17:11:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639/1 "2016-10-04T17:11:36Z")
This is mostly a question for dopers who have lived in Scotland they’re whole life but others who are knowledgeable feel free to chime in. Would it be considered odd for man to wear a kilt on a daily basis? I understand most kilt wear is done for special events such as weddings but how odd would casual wear be? If I had a job at the royal bank of Scotland would they be upset if you wore a dress kilt and such to the office? ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639/2 "2016-10-04T18:16:09Z")
From what I’ve seen in pictures and articles over the years, if you work for someone else it’s no big deal to wear a kilt day to day. Working for someone else looks to be a different story unless the kilt is related to the job somehow. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639/3 "2016-10-04T18:40:28Z")
It wouldn’t be usual to wear a kilt all day every day - people would think you were a bit odd - but there are a few guys who do. Whether you could wear it to work would really just depend on your employer’s dress code, I guess. If it’s a “suit and tie” type job, turning up in full highland dress would be like showing up in a top hat and tails. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639/4 "2016-10-04T19:15:19Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > … they’re whole life … Oh _COME ON!_ ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639/5 "2016-10-04T19:17:47Z")
> [@Nawth\_Chucka](#): > > From what I’ve seen in pictures and articles over the years, if you work for someone else it’s no big deal to wear a kilt day to day. Working for someone else looks to be a different story unless the kilt is related to the job somehow. :smack: If you DON’T work for someone else, it’s no big deal. My bad. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639/6 "2016-10-04T20:29:26Z")
How do you keep your balls from getting frostbite during those North Sea gales? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639/7 "2016-10-04T20:45:00Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > How do you keep your balls from getting frostbite during those North Sea gales? This is similar to the question as to why don’t women’s legs get cold wearing dresses in the winter. Or for me what I find incomprehensible is people going around in winter with nothing covering their ears. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639/8 "2016-10-04T22:43:14Z")
IIRC one Doper wore a kilt in protest against a sexist dress code. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2016, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639/9 "2016-10-04T23:58:08Z")
I know someone who wore fairly utilitarian kilts most of his adult life, and I think still does. Think khakis and jeans translated to man-skirt. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639/10 "2016-10-05T01:13:12Z")
It’d look really strange and people would keep asking you if you were on your way to a wedding. > [@PastTense](#): > > This is similar to the question as to why don’t women’s legs get cold wearing dresses in the winter. > > Or for me what I find incomprehensible is people going around in winter with nothing covering their ears. Not really - men don’t wear tights with kilts. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639/11 "2016-10-05T01:40:13Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > It’d look really strange and people would keep asking you if you were on your way to a wedding. I had read that wearing a kilt looks normal in situations where a tuxedo would look normal and weird in situations where a tuxedo would look weird. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639/12 "2016-10-05T02:41:41Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > I had read that wearing a kilt looks normal in situations where a tuxedo would look normal and weird in situations where a tuxedo would look weird. I agree for [this](http://marchbrae.mtcserver14.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/c/h/charlie1.jpg)guy. But what about [this](https://londonkilt.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/dsc089531.jpg) guy or [this](http://welshdragonforge.com/web_images/anthonyforge.jpg) one or [these](http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/multimedia/archive/00846/af33cbb4-a8ae-11e4-_846919c.jpg) guys? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639/13 "2016-10-05T02:49:51Z")
Heck, I have a cousin (American) who frequently wears a kilt. So far as I know, he doesn’t have any Scottish ancestry at all, though he is about a quarter Irish. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639/14 "2016-10-05T03:11:28Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Heck, I have a cousin (American) who frequently wears a kilt. So far as I know, he doesn’t have any Scottish ancestry at all, though he is about a quarter Irish. Oh no he’s appropriating my culture… ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639/15 "2016-10-05T03:16:38Z")
I know a couple of (very affected) blokes who wear kilts. One does a fairly full highland rig – sporran and knee-socks and all – and the other just wears the “utilikilt.” I think they’re both goofballs, but, hey, freedom means you get to look goofy if you want (you should see my burnsides.) ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639/16 "2016-10-05T04:16:57Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Heck, I have a cousin (American) who frequently wears a kilt. So far as I know, he doesn’t have any Scottish ancestry at all, though he is about a quarter Irish. Heck, for that matter, my brother-in-law frequently wears a kilt, a plain almost worn out kilt most weekends and a nicer kilt for all holidays. He may have a bit of Scottish in him but mostly he just likes them. A couple of months ago I saw a gentleman working at a construction-site wearing a tool-kilt. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639/17 "2016-10-05T04:30:17Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > I had read that wearing a kilt looks normal in situations where a tuxedo would look normal and weird in situations where a tuxedo would look weird. Which is more or less what I said upthread 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639/18 "2016-10-05T07:34:19Z")
> [@PaulParkhead](#): > > Whether you could wear it to work would really just depend on your employer’s dress code, I guess. If it’s a “suit and tie” type job, turning up in full highland dress would be like showing up in a top hat and tails. There are restaurants where a kilt _is_ the dress code. Speaking as a non-Scottish, heterosexual leg-woman, my team of six leg-women and one guy who liked slim blondes enjoyed going downtown on big match days to check out the goods. Lots of guys in kilts, although definitely not in full Bonnie Prince Charles gear. ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scottish-men-and-kilts/767639/19 "2016-10-05T11:12:03Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I know someone who wore fairly utilitarian kilts most of his adult life, and I think still does. Think khakis and jeans translated to man-skirt. I have one of those that I wear when camping. I have worn it to the office on a casual friday for a bet a few times. But that was in London where being an oddball is almost the norm. My heritage is mainly Welsh and English so I have no real claim to it.