Category: Other kilt stuff

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How to Style a Kilt with Latest Fashion Trends

Here is a guest blog post from Cynthia who tells me she is a passionate writer and fashion enthusiast:

How to Style a Kilt with Latest Fashion Trends

Kilts have been a symbol of Scottish tradition and heritage for a long time. In recent years, they are becoming more and more popular in the fashion world. 

Before, you often saw people wear kilts on formal occasions. But actually, it’s quite OK to wear them in daily life. They are a versatile choice for any wardrobe. 

Whether this is your first time wearing kilts or not, learning how to style them is a fun and rewarding experience. This article will also offer some of the latest fashion trends for kilts. After mastering these wearing tips and fashion trends, you will surely become a professional in kilts! So don’t hesitate—let’s start our kilt adventure!

Tips for Wearing a Kilt in a Stylish Way

When you’re ready to wear kilts, there are some important tips that can help you wear them stylishly and confidently. 

1. Select the Right Tartan Pattern

To wear a kilt in a stylish way, it is important to select the right tartan pattern. If you have Scottish ancestors, you can choose a tartan associated with your family or clan. Since some tartans are about specific regions of Scotland, you can also choose them for your regional love.

Apart from bloodline and geographical factors, you can select tartans according to your color preferences. Or choose just what you like best!

2. Choose the Right Shirt

It is equally important to choose a suitable shirt to pair with your kilt. Here, we will list some common shirt choices for you:

  • Ghillie Shirt: Ghillie shirts are loose-fitting shirts, also called Jacobite shirts. They have leather lace-ups instead of standard buttons. Usually, they come in off-white or black.
  • Dress Shirt: Dress shirts are more formal options. Pair them with a bow tie or tie to improve your whole look.
  • Wing Collar Shirt: These shirts are most suitable for black-tie events. Try to combine them with a bow tie and a formal kilt.
  • T-shirt: For casual occasions, choose a plain T-shirt. Remember to find a solid color to complement your kilt.

3. Pair with a Waistcoat

A waistcoat can add some extra flair and style to your kilt. You can either choose a matching color or texture with your tartan or try a contrasting color or pattern to stand out.

4. Pair with a Jacket

Like waistcoats, you can also pair your kilt with a unique jacket to bring more style. The following are several everyday jackets you can choose from:

  • Prince Charlie Jacket: This jacket is a traditional and formal choice. It is a short, tailored jacket with tails at the back. Pair the jacket with a bow tie to complete the look.
  • Argyll Jacket: Perfect for casual events, an argyll jacket has a similar length to a suit jacket.
  • Tweed Jacket: Made from tweed, this jacket is very durable and brings a relaxing vibe. It often comes in earth tones.

5. Consider the Hose (Socks)

When it comes to choosing the hose for your kilt, you can consider the occasion. Choose white or cream hose for formal events like weddings or ceremonies. For casual occasions, opt for darker tones.

Don’t forget the hose materials. Typically, traditional kilt hoses are made from wool for warmth and durability. For warmer weather, try cotton fabric for comfort.

With a variety of options available, you can surely find one that suits you.

6. Choose the Proper Shoes

Shoes are a key component for your entire look. With so many choices available, you can choose whatever you like. If you prefer a traditional look, try brogues or ghillie shoes. For a modern look, loafers and sneakers are also excellent.

7. Think about a Belt

Traditional kilts actually don’t need a belt. But for a modern look, you can consider a belt to add some extra style and flair. Opt for a belt to complement the material and color of your kilt. You can also choose a buckle to further enhance your look. Experiment with different ways to wear the belt. Find the most suitable way for your kilt.

8. Go with a Sporran

As a traditional Scottish pouch, a sporran is a practical and aesthetic addition to your kilt. You can either choose a sporran that complements your whole look or choose one that contrasts your kilt to make a bold statement. 

A sporran is an excellent accessory to enhance your look and keep your essentials at hand.

9. Add Kilt Pins

Kilt pins not only help prevent the front of your kilt from opening but also bring an extra touch to you. You can attach the kilt pin to the top layer of your kilt on the right.

With a variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and materials, you can easily find one to enhance your kilt.

10. Be Confident!

Last but not least, confidence is the key to wearing a kilt. With enough confidence, you can exude style and refinement that captures others’ attention.

Fashion Trends in Kilts

For this year, there are some new fashion trends you can look into. With these trends, you can further improve your kilt look.

Comeback of Traditional Tartans

Traditional tartans have been more and more popular these years. Contemporary designers are now updating classic Scottish tartans with bright colors and creative designs. This combination not only respects the rich history of kilts but also adds a modern feel.

Modern Designs

For a long time, kilts were only available in one style. But now, designers have adopted more contemporary shapes and styles into them. Thus, kilt lovers have a variety of options to choose from, making it easy to find one that matches their styles.

Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Kilts

With more attention to the environment, the fashion industry is making changes, including kilts. Manufacturers are adopting more sustainable and eco-friendly techniques to make kilts. For us consumers, we should look for kilts that not only look stylish but also sustainable.

Rise of Tailored Kilts

Instead of buying a mass-produced kilt, more and more consumers are turning to tailored kilts. Tailoring kilts allows you to choose specific tartan patterns and unique accessories that match your personal style, creating a kilt that is uniquely yours.

Conclusion

To sum up, wearing a kilt is a great way to showcase your unique fashion sense and stand out from the crowd. Whether you are attending a formal event or a casual occasion, a kilt is always a perfect choice!

So, get your first kilt and make a bold statement!

 

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Weaponise your Skilt

Looking to mash your modern kilt with a more traditional Scottish look?  Why not add a traditional Sgian Dubh knife to the top of your sock?

I’d like to introduce Dean.  At only 25 years old he is the owner of Gemini Bespoke Knives LTD.

Hi is based in Loanhead, Edinburgh, and makes a variety of hand made items including Sgian Dubh kilt knives, forged steel dice, jewellery, display pieces and sculptural art.

All of his pieces are hand crafted using traditional and modern methods and have been sold worldwide to customers, museums and collectors alike.

Check out his website here: www.geminibespokeknives.com

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Traditional kilt / jacket fitting pop-up in London

From March 10th-18th, our friends at MacGregor and MacDuff are bringing an exclusive, authentic Scottish kilt fitting experience to the heart of London. There’s no need for grooms, groomsmen or gents looking for a jacket to go with their bespoke Skilts to travel to North of the border as they are bringing this exclusive service direct to your doorstep at their Shoreditch pop-up.

Check it out.  If you go please let them know Skilt sent you.  You may even get a bit of a discount.

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The kilt is a symbol of male emancipation

Trousers are a symbol of women’s emancipation

Clothing is a deeply political statement.  Here at Skilt we wholeheartedly support all our sisters in their right to wear trousers (or whatever else they choose – including nothing).

Wearing a kilt out in public is not always the easiest thing for a man to do.  It takes balls.  But really it is nothing like what women in some other countries still face.  Show your solidarity with them by wearing your kilt with pride.

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BBC News – Sweden male train drivers wear skirts after shorts row

A dozen male train drivers in Sweden have circumvented a ban on shorts by wearing skirts to work in hot weather.

The workers, who operate the Roslagsbanan line north of the capital Stockholm, have been wearing skirts to work for the past two weeks.

Employer Arriva banned the drivers from wearing shorts after taking over the running of the line in January.

But the company has given the men its blessing to wear skirts, according to local newspaper Mitti.”

Our thinking is that one should look decent and proper when representing Arriva and the present uniforms do that. If the man only wants [to wear] a skirt then that is OK,” Arriva communications manager Tomas Hedenius told the paper.

“To tell them to do something else would be discrimination.”

Driver Martin Akersten told the BBC he and his colleagues came up with the idea to wear skirts after they were informed of the new company dress code in the winter.

“We have always said that when summer comes, we will get some skirts and wear them. Its very warm weather here so we would like to wear shorts but if we cant then we have skirts for comfort”.

via BBC News – Sweden male train drivers wear skirts after shorts row.

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Skirts set to be ‘manliest’ accessory | FJORDE MAGAZINE

A man skirt can only be pulled off if teamed with chunky shoes, a dark top, and for those less adventurous, pants. The key is to keep it masculine and strong and not have the skirt as the outfit’s centerpiece.

It’s about time men threw off their fashion social shackles, took off their pants and put on a skirt! It’s much more liberating, and isn’t this precisely what we women fought for when we wanted to wear pants? Ironically, Paris revoked a 200-year-old law only three days ago, which stipulated women can’t wear pants in public unless given permission by authorities. This absurd law obviously wasn’t followed or enforced, but the symbolism of women’s rights not being supported in Parisian law was enough for the people to force a change.

In the same way, men wearing skirts isn’t about men adding to their wardrobe or being edgy, it’s about receiving the same freedoms as women enjoy in fashion. It’s certainly not about being constrained to socially approved, preconceived notions of what a man should look and dress like. Bottom line is if you want to wear a skirt in public, there shouldn’t be a single thing stopping you.

via Skirts set to be ‘manliest’ accessory | FJORDE MAGAZINE.

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The clothes that make the man | smh.com.au

From Braveheart’s era to the present day, the kilt has been synonymous with masculinity. But isn’t it just a skirt?

From Braveheart to the hard-drinking, ginger-haired Scots who cause a boozy ruckus at weddings, the kilt has long been synonymous with a rough-and-tumble sense of masculinity.

But change the fabric from tartan to a block colour and iron out the pleats and you have yourself a fetching knee-length skirt – an article of clothing the aforementioned filmic and social warriors wouldn’t be caught dead in.

While fashion designer Marc Jacobs has pioneered the idea of the male skirt by wearing them publicly on different occasions, it’s largely considered the by-product of eccentric creativity as opposed to a valid style choice, whereas the kilt, though carrying a different historical weight, is perfectly acceptable.

But what’s the big difference? Dr Mary Tomsic, lecturer in history and popular culture at The University of Melbourne, chalks it up to a gendered society.

“Clothing is practical, but also highly symbolic, so it is a key avenue through which gender is learned and encoded. One needs only to walk into a children’s clothing shop to clearly see how different girls and boys should be dressed … I see this as being restrictive for both boys and girls,” she said.

“There are a range of factors at play in determining the gender of clothing and these change over time in response to a range of factors: political movements like feminism and women’s liberation, cultural movements like glam rock, social and political needs like women wearing pants and work clothes during WWII, and commercial interests like companies identifying men as consumers, as per the metrosexual movement.”

Indeed, there have been moments in history when we’ve seen a blurring of gender lines. As Tomsic suggests, glam rock pioneers such as David Bowie and his spandex and makeup wearing cohorts showed men of the ’70s that sexual and gender ambiguity wasn’t to be feared but celebrated. But while the lavish stage costumes went on to influence such bands as Kiss, Culture Club and Mötley Crüe, it didn’t result in a broader knock-on effect because everyday consumers were still reluctant to buy clothes they saw as feminine.

“I think escaping the gender order is very difficult and strict gender codes can be restrictive for people in terms of expressing their sense of self … It shouldn’t matter at all – but it does – which tells us something about how society reads, understands and values women and men,” Tomsic said.

“I would like there to be less interest in coding clothes as belonging exclusively to either women or men. I can’t really see any benefits of coding clothes and fashion within a strict gendered regime.”

Though there is evidence that the tide is turning. Once considered a fringe item, male pantyhose – or mantyhose – have infiltrated the broader public sphere and now make up a small, yet noticeable, percentage of stocking sales. Executives from upscale Italian hosiery company Emilio Cavallini told The New York Times that since introducing a unisex line in 2009 they have seen sales steadily increase to a point where male customers are now an appreciable portion of their overall business.

It’s a trend that’s only going to gain steam as it becomes more accepted by the mainstream, says Chan Kraemer of mantyhose marketing website e-Mancipate.

“Fashion is always about exploring, about pushing the limits. That’s the natural way and critics are welcome,” he said.

“We are close to reaching the critical mass. And why not? Mantyhose are functional, they are basically unisex, simple to wear … they can replace socks, give different levels of warmth. I like that I can use the same trousers from fall to spring, only changing the thickness of the hosiery worn under. I mean it can greatly simplify the dressing process, which is very practical – and men do like practical things.”

Pantyhose weren’t always considered the sole domain of women. From the Middle Ages up until the 17th century, male hosiery was not only accepted but a common part of a man’s wardrobe. Even today, some segments of the male population continue to wear them, including athletes and those prone to poor circulation or varicose veins.

Though tights are more popular in Europe where they are generally thicker and feature designs considered more masculine such as skulls and checks, it’s difficult to imagine them taking off in Australia on account of our temperate climate and blokey culture. But that could all change according to Dr Tomsic, who says that shifts can occur with the right pioneers.

“Footballers have been wearing running tights for a while now … As we start seeing men, and in the case of AFL footballers, men who are understood as the bastions of masculinity wearing them, they become acceptable, and hence can possibly shift to other realms,” she said.

“When high-profile manly men wear such items they can have a significant influence with other men … For instance David Beckham in his sarong and nail polish had significant impact on trends, and what is then acceptable for more mainstream men to wear.”

While it remains to be seen if stockings will one day be viewed as completely genderless, there are signs that boundaries are slowly breaking down and marketers are starting to respond. Chan also likes to remind critics of one proudly masculine proponent of items traditionally associated with women.

“Hey guys, even Superman wears mantyhose,” he said.

via The clothes that make the man | smh.com.au.

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Azeem Ibrahim: Why We Need an Islamic Tartan

[slideshow]Meaningful symbols bring people in communities together. National flags, for example, play an important part in raising community awareness and pride. The flag of St. Andrew’s cross or the Saltire is as familiar in immigrant communities in Scotland as the crescent of Islam, with allegiance to both being a powerful component of citizenship.

As a Scottish Muslim, I am deeply involved in the dynamics of community and the exploration of values of national and ethnic pride. Current discussion of independence and the future referendum is bringing a new focus to what it means to be a Scot, and Muslim communities in Scotland are particularly sensitive to the complexities of culture, race and religion that are perceived as an integral part of Scottishness. Generations who have known no other home than Scotland now have a primary allegiance to this country rather than the nations where their parents or grandparents may have been born.

Therefore the idea of a Scottish Islamic Tartan seemed to me to be the perfect symbol of the future generation in particular, for the younger, educated Muslims caught between two cultures — East and West, traditional and modern. Instead of conflict, the tartan represents a tightly woven blend of tradition and heritage. By bringing together the strands of two cultures, a symbol is created of something more meaningful than assimilation or accommodation. The tartan represents the new fabric of society, where Muslim Scots with a sense of history and a commitment to the future of Scotland have become an integral part of the New Scotland.

With the design and introduction of a Muslim tartan, I hope to interest, challenge and provoke discussion among people who have Scotland’s interests at heart. The exclusion of Muslim communities has never been in the country’s interest and Scotland’s future, whether devolved or independent, depends on every Scot playing a part in creating a peaceful and successful homeland. What more fitting symbol of this aspiration than an Islamic Tartan?

via Azeem Ibrahim: Why We Need an Islamic Tartan.

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Q: Why Do We Wear Pants / trousers? A: Horses – Alexis Madrigal – The Atlantic

Q: Why Do We Wear Pants? A: Horses

JUL 11 2012, 2:22 PM ET 61

The surprisingly deep history of trouser technology.

Whence came pants? I’m wearing pants right now. There’s a better than 50 percent chance that you, too, are wearing pants. And neither of us have probably asked ourselves a simple question: Why?

It turns out the answer is inexplicably bound up with the Roman Empire, the unification of China, gender studies, and the rather uncomfortable positioning of man atop horse, at least according to University of Connecticut evolutionary biologist Peter Turchin.

“Historically there is a very strong correlation between horse-riding and pants,” Turchin wrote in a blog post this week. “In Japan, for example, the traditional dress is kimono, but the warrior class (samurai) wore baggy pants (sometimes characterized as a divided skirt), hakama. Before the introduction of horses by Europeans (actually, re-introduction – horses were native to North America, but were hunted to extinction when humans first arrived there), civilized Amerindians wore kilts.”

The reasons why pants are advantageous when mounted atop a horse should be obvious, nonetheless, many cultures struggled to adapt, even when their very existences were threatened by superior, trouser-clad horseback riders.

Turchin details how the Romans eventually adopted braccae (known to you now as breeches) and documents the troubles a 3rd-century BC Chinese statesman, King Wuling, had getting his warriors to switch to pants from the traditional robes. “It is not that I have any doubt concerning the dress of the Hu,” Wuling told an advisor. “I am afraid that everybody will laugh at me.” Eventually, a different state, the Qin, conquered and unified China. They just so happened to be closest to the mounted barbarians and thus were early to the whole cavalry-and-pants thing.

Turchin speculates that because mounted warriors were generally men of relatively high status, the culture of pants could spread easily throughout male society.

I’d add one more example from history: the rise of the rational dress movement in conjunction with the widespread availability of the bicycle. Here’s a University of Virginia gloss:

The advent and the ensuing popularity of the safety bicycle, with its appeal to both sexes mandated that women cast off their corsets and figure out some way around their long, billowy skirts. The answer to the skirt question was to be found in the form of bloomers, which were little more than very baggy trousers, cinched at the knee. Bloomers provoked wrath in conservatives and delight in women cyclists, and the garment was to become the centerpiece of the “rational dress” movement that sprung up at the end of the 19th century.

What all these examples suggest is that technological systems — cavalry, bicycling — sometimes require massive alterations in a society’s culture before they can truly become functional. And once it’s locked in, the cultural solution (pants) to an era’s big problem can be more durable than the activity (horse-mounted combat) that prompted it.

via Q: Why Do We Wear Pants? A: Horses – Alexis Madrigal – The Atlantic.

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Trend-spotting: Men In Skirts – Forbes

One of the more surprising trends to emerge from the Men’s Spring-Summer 2012 runway shows that just ended in Paris: skirts. Long, short, narrow, baggy, pleated, fringed — they came in all shapes and styles. Most seemed like a provocation or statement. Riccardo Tisci’s boxy skirts at Givenchy were printed with vaguely vaginal close-ups of bird-of-paradise flowers that made one think of Georgia O’Keeffe. Rei Kawakubo’s calf-length dresses at Comme des Garcons were a shocking Pepto-Bismol pink. Rick Owens’ hobble skirts were dour and monk-like — and looked like they would be very difficult to walk in.

Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto’s versions, however, were so appealing they could actually pose a threat to slacks’ dominance in menswear. The diverse cast of models — from beefy, bearded blokes to fresh-faced youth to small, wise-looking elders — looked supremely confident and comfortable in their baggy, samurai skirts and wide, pleated culottes that looked like skirts.

via Trend-spotting: Men In Skirts – Forbes.