I bought an authentic one from an online scottish shop. It was pricey but I really like it it’s Scottish Pride tartan pattern. I wore it to a Halloween party once with a linen shirt and some utility boots, a proper belt and sporan. It was a hit.
What’s more, it was really comfortable.
Since then I’ve been thinking of getting another one or two to wear casually.
I know a guy that has a few kilts and wears them often. He even wears them to work, he works at heights, he goes au natural. I learned quickly not to look up…
I have a couple of Sport Kilts (tartan, but not of traditional construction). I often wear them after diving (better to dry off the nether bits rather than risk a case of Cousteau’s Complaint), or I’ll sometimes bring one along as “evening wear” while backpacking, in addition to just wearing them around the house. I don’t generally wear them out “in public”, casually so to speak, but on occasion I’ve run errands or gone for food after diving while wearing one. I’ve gotten some odd looks from people but also a few thumbs up, and the girlies always giggle and smile shyly. I keep threatening the admins and my boss that I’ll wear one to the office, but thus far haven’t done so. (It would be my luck that this would be the day some high falutin general would show up and want to meet and greet the engineering staff.)
Anyway, they’re very comfortable, and also make it pretty easy to conceal your knife and pistol…if you want to do Lazarus Long impressions. The only problem is carrying pocket stuff if you don’t wear a sporran. (The Sport Kilt has a small pouch sewn into the inside at the waist but it’s just big enough for a small keyring or some cash.)
Hey, if James Bond can wear a kilt and have the women falling all over him (“Back to work. You’ve no idea how it’s piling up.”), it has to be the bomb.
I did fencing re-enactments in my youth (for festivals and such) and I always appeared in a full Scotish kit, including kilt. It looked way cool…if you can picture a hispanic man wearing it complete with waxed black goatee and rapier with short sword…
If I knew for a fact that there was a drop of Scottish blood in my veins, I’d wear one in a heartbeat. There is “English” in my ancestry on my mother’s side, but I really don’t know which part of the British Isles they were from.
My son, who is Scottish thanks to Rhiannon8404, has one that his grandmother made for him. He’s almost 8, and wears it proudly whenever a formal occasion arises.
I have the Scottish blood but it’s probably not relevant because I’m not wearing a kilt, I’m wearing a skirt.
I’ve worn it on the subway, walked across college campus a few time in it, went to the city dump to obtain the new recycling barrels, and — hilariously — had it on once when I was at the bank. They had those theatre-line ropes, you know the kind for making long zigzag queues when there are a lot of customers? There weren’t, but they hadn’t unclipped them yet, and I proceded to do what I would usually do in jeans. Step over them. Well, if people were not staring at me before, they kind of were when I brought down the whole rope contraption!
I haven’t worn it to work. I suspect it would make at least someone uncomfortable if I did, and they’ve generally been pretty tolerant of things (like totally unimpeded internet use, no dress code, and very loose/informal arrival and departure hours) so I hate to push them without provocation.
Skirts (and kilts) are comfy and nice for summertime wear, but I don’t recommend them for stepping over barriers.
Hmm, those kilts in the links are shorter than my wraparound skirt. Hmm. I’ve definitely got the legs for a shorter skirt but I’ve still got more belly than I wish I had. Dunno what that’s got to do with a shorter skirt/kilt, but somehow it does.
Not a man, never worn a kilt, but I just wanted to say that I approve of men wearing kilts, especially men with nice calves. You’re not gonna catch me objecting to that. Heck, I might even look up while holding the ladder.
Quicksilver - Just remember that when people ask you “is anything worn under the kilt”, you want to reply “No, it’s all in perfect working order”.
Hmm, sounds cool, right enough. It’s is by NO means unkown for some Scottish/Indian (or Pakistani) men here to wear the full kilt thing for special occasions, so I think we can cope with Hispanic blokes doing it too. Anyway, who’s going to argue with you when you have a rapier and a short sword?
Far be it from me to try to legislate what folks wear, but I just don’t dig it. I don’t know if it’s because you just don’t see it often (ever, in my case) but I don’t think I could ever get used to it.
I have a SPORTKILT that I wear.
I’m a participant at some strongmen and highland games competitions, so it works well there.
But better than that, I anchor our company’s tug-of-war team and I gotta tell ya, it gets quite a bit of attention!
And thanks for the idea *Stranger On A Train, I would have never thought to use my kilt as a wrap after diving.
I saw my first Utilikilt in 2001. I wanted one, but never got to it. An old g/f has like nine of them. She says that when whe comes up to visit (I’m in NoWA now), we will go to Seattle, and I will get a Utilikilt.
Would I wear a kilt (Uti or traditional) in public? I’m a little to old to be so hip. On the other hand, I’m just about old enough to revel in eccentricities. Maybe I could alternate between being That Guy In The Kilt and The Pirate Of Birch Bay.
The only problem is carrying pocket stuff if you don’t wear a sporran. (The Sport Kilt has a small pouch sewn into the inside at the waist but it’s just big enough for a small keyring or some cash.)
