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.

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The kilt is to the emancipation of men as trousers were to the emancipation of women

Men's emancipation kilt t-shirt

We believe that, in addition to looking and feeling great, the kilt is a symbol of the mature masculine.  A mature man is a man who has faced his emotions, stood up, and freed himself from the social expectations of the old fashioned macho man.

Kate Luck explores the relationship between trousers and feminism in the book ‘The Gendered Object‘:

‘In 1851, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Amelia Bloomer, two leading American feminist writers and activists, appeared in the streets of Seneca Falls in a costume which consisted of a sack coat, a loose-waisted dress which fell only to the knees and a pair of draped trousers, gathered at the ankle.  Almost immediately they became the focus of a fierce debate about dress and gender which was carried on in the press, and in private homes, all across America.  Stanton and Bloomer had challenged the presumption that only man should wear trousers and that woman’s proper garment was the skirt, a presumption so deep-seated that it had acquired the status of ‘natural’ law.’

I believe that, for many men, venturing out in a kilt involves the same level of courage and makes a similarly important challenge to the natural law of men’s proper garment being trousers.  When we wear our kilts people are confronted with their preconceptions and nudged into considering what it is to be a real man.

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Warning: It is sinful for men to wear kilts (c/o dividedbytruth.org)

Not everyone believes that the wearing a kilt is symbolic of an emotionally mature man but this article on www.dividedbytruth.org argues that it is, in fact, sinful!  The author suggests that kilt wearers are silly and foolish looking sissies who lack refinement, cultivation, or taste.

It only seems fair to share this information so you can decide for yourself. 🙂

“The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.” -Deuteronomy 22:5. This Scripture naturally raises questions as to–what is men’s and women’s clothing? The Bible warns effeminate men in 1st Corinthians 6:9-10, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate … shall inherit the kingdom of God.” Let’s establish from the start, that the Word of God condemns effeminate men. “Effeminate” in 1st Corinthians 6:9, comes from the Greek, “malakos,” which means “soft, i.e. fine (clothing).” We read in VINE’S COMPLETE EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY OF OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT WORDS, concerning the word “effeminate” …

“soft, soft to the touch” (Lat., mollis, Eng., “mollify,” “emollient,” etc.), is used (a) of raiment, Matt. 11:8 (twice); Luke 7:25; (b) metaphorically, in a bad sense, 1 Cor. 6:9, “effeminate,” not simply of a male who practices forms of lewdness, but persons in general, who are guilty of addiction to sins of the flesh, voluptuous.”

Although 1st Corinthians 6:9 is clearly condemning homosexuality and cross-dressing, it is also equally clear that any form of femininity in a man is sinful. This is why Deuteronomy 22:5 condemns men wearing women’s apparel. Clearly, it is not acceptable for men to wear women’s clothing. Men are to be men! Men should talk like men, dress like men, walk like men, and act like men. Kilts on men are sissyish. Although a man wearing a kilt may be tough, the skirt makes him look silly and foolish. Although most men who wear kilts aren’t gay, it makes one wonder why any man would ever want to wear clothing that is considered women’s apparel by 99% of the population. A quick look at any bathroom door will quickly reveal that men wear pants, and women wear dresses.

Men’s Clothing Verses “Soft Raiment”

Jesus said in Matthew 11:8, “But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.” John the Baptist was rugged, as a man should be. The men who lived in the palace wore “soft” clothing, i.e., they didn’t look or act like REAL MEN. I’ve never seen a construction worker wearing a kilt. I’ve never seen a truck mechanic or a coal miner wearing a kilt. I only see men with clean jobs, or playing bagpipes, wearing kilts. Kilts are for men in the palace, not for John the Baptist type men … real men!

Did men Wear Skirts in the Old Testament?

No, they wore robes with outer skirts. This is VERY different from the skirts we see today. The photo to the right shows what men wore in the Old Testament. This is NO kilt! We read in 1st Samuel 24:5, “And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt.” David had been running for his life from king Saul. While Saul and his men were sleeping, David infiltrated the group and cut off a piece of Saul’s “skirt.” However, the Bible reveals that the skirt was simply a part of Saul’s robe, and not a skirt by itself. This is evidenced by 1st Samuel 24:11, “Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it.” Although Verse 5 says “skirt,” it is abundantly clear from Verse 11 that Saul was NOT wearing a short skirt like a women. Saul had a robe, with an outer skirt.

The FACT that men did NOT wear skirts in the Bible is further evidenced by the words of Ruth to Boaz in Ruth 3:9, “And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.” If Boaz was wearing a skirt, like many people today contend, then Boaz would have had to remove his skirt in order to spread it over Ruth. Which means Boaz would have been either partially or completely naked. This didn’t happen! Furthermore, Boaz and Ruth weren’t married until Ruth 4:13, so there was no physical relationship between Boaz and Ruth at the time of Ruth 3:9. So what did Ruth mean when she asked Boaz to spread his “skirt” over her? She was simply saying, “Take me to be yours.” She wanted Boaz to take her under his outer skirt, under his wing so-to-speak. It would be absurd to interpret this Scripture any other way.

Now think of a man in a kilt, and try to imagine how he would “spread his skirt” over someone. It would be impossible while he was wearing it. Clearly, men in the Old Testament didn’t wear the type of skirts or kilts, which some uncouth (lacking refinement or cultivation or taste) men wear today. There’s just something uncouth about a man wearing a kilt!

Women in the Old Testament also wore robes with skirts; but they were more feminine, cut differently, and made with more feminine materials. Clothing which was transparent, tight fitting, loosely worn, or exposed intimate parts of the body were considered the ATTIRE OF A HARLOT (Proverb 7:10).

by Robert J. Stewart

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Kilts invented by English in Lord Dacre’s book – Telegraph

The last book written by the late Lord Dacre of Glanton also states that the Declaration of Arbroath, which confirmed Scotland’s independence in 1320, is plagued with inaccuracies and details of “imaginary” kings.

He argues that Scotland’s literary, cultural and political traditions, which are claimed to date back from Roman times, were largely invented in the 18th century.

The book, titled The Invention of Scotland: Myth and History, is to be published at the end of this month, five years after Lord Dacre died of cancer.

Its controversial findings debunk many of the cultural arguments for Scottish independence, and are likely to fuel the current heated political debate over the country’s constitutional future.

Lord Dacre, formerly Hugh Trevor-Roper, concludes in the book: “In Scotland, it seems to me, myth has played a far more important part in history than it has in England.

“Indeed, I believe the whole history of Scotland has been coloured by myth; and that myth, in Scotland, is never driven out by reality, or by reason, but lingers on until another myth has been discovered to replace it.”

He claims that the “myth” of the ancient Highland dress was perpetuated by historians to provide a symbol by which Scots could be universally identified, as well as to support the country’s textile industry.

The traditional dress of the Highlanders was in fact a long Irish shirt and a cloak or plaid, he states, and only the higher classes had woven in stripes and colours creating tartan.

“The kilt’s appearance can, in fact, be dated within a few years,” he reveals in the book.

“For it did not evolve, it was invented. Its inventor was an English Quaker from Lancashire, Thomas Rawlinson.”

He claims Mr Rawlinson decided to shorten belted plaids after workmen in the Highlands, where he was staying, said they were uncomfortable.

via Kilts invented by English in Lord Dacre’s book – Telegraph.

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BBC news on kilts: Army’s wartime bloomers revealed

British troops were involved in a secret plan to go into battle wearing women’s underwear, it has emerged.

The plan – recently declassified by the Public Records Office – was set up to protect World War II troops from mustard gas attacks.

Kilt-wearing soldiers in the Scots regiments were particularly at risk because their legs were exposed to the poisonous gas.

From the 1920s up until 1939, secret tests were carried out on volunteer soldiers dressed in long stockings and woollen bloomers.

Wearing underwear, soaked in protective chemicals dissolved in white spirit, volunteers were exposed to mustard gas.

The research and tests were carried out at Porton Down, the government-funded military research centre in Wiltshire.

Porton Down historian, Gradon Carter, said: “A great deal of attention was paid in those days to the impregnation of battle dress and socks with substances called impregnities.

“These were chemicals which could actually combine with mustard gas vapour to render them harmless.”

Although the tests showed the underwear did protect the volunteers, it was decided that the protective clothing would be too costly to supply to all Scots regiments.

As a result, the kilt was banned from the battlefield in 1940.

via BBC NEWS | England | Army’s wartime bloomers revealed.

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The kilt was invented by an Englishman

According to Andrew Bolton’s ‘Bravehearts – Men in Skirts‘ the modern style of kilt known as the ‘little wrap’ (feileadh beag) was invented in the first quarter of the 18th century … by an Englishman!  The little wrap was an evolution of the ‘big wrap’ or belted plaid (feileadh beag).

The belted plaid was constructed from a large rectangular piece of material about 5 feet wide and roughly 14-16 feet long and served as garment during the day and blanket at night.  In order to put the garment on the man would first pleat the cloth by hand and then secure it in place with a belt.  The end of the plaid could be worn in various arrangements over the shoulder(s) to keep the weather off.

For a great pictorial explanation of how to put on a belted plaid check out the website of the Clansman Centre.

How many thousands of man days went into this daily pleating exercise?  English highland dress fan Thomas Rawlinson had a bright idea that would make the kilt much easier to wear: to stitch down the tops of the pleats and so form the general style of the kilt we know and love today.  How he came to invent the kilt is explained in a letter by Mr Baille of Aberiachan published in the Edinburgh Magazine in March 1785:

‘About 50 years ago, one Thomas Rawlinson, an Englishman, conducted an iron work carried on in the countries of Glengarie and Lochaber; he had a throng of Highlanders employed in the service, and became very fond of the highland dress, and wore it in the neatest form; which I can aver, as I become personally acquainted with him above 40 years ago.  He was a man of genius and quick parts, and thought it no great stretch of invention to abridge the dress, and make it handy and convenient for his workmen: and accordingly directed the using of the lower part plaited of what is called the felie or kilt as above, and the upper part was set aside…  It was found so handy and convenient that, in the shortest space, the use of it became frequent in all the Highland Countries, and in many of our northern Low Countries also.’

I think it is great that Scotsmen are happy to embrace good design when they see it.  I’m always very pleased when a Skilt makes it’s way north of the border!

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Draught guidance: a kilt need underwear – Telegraph

The Scottish Tartans Authority has decreed that refusing to put on underwear beneath a kilt is “childish and unhygienic”.

It also warned that “going commando” flies in the face of decency.

Tartans Authority director Brian Wilton said kilt wearers should have the “common sense” to realise they should wear underwear beneath their country’s national dress.

He said “The idea that you are not a real Scot unless you are bare under your kilt should be thrown into the same wastepaper basket as the idea that you’re not a real Scot unless you put salt on your porridge.

“People should not be browbeaten into believing that nonsense. Just because Highlanders wore nothing in the days before Y-fronts were invented doesn’t mean that we, in the 21st Century, should wear nothing too.

via Draught guidance: a kilt need underwear – Telegraph.

My thoughts:

Can’t say that I agree.  I recommend that London kilts are worn with uncommon indecency!

Tip: if you are concerned about hygiene simply safety pin a piece of fabric to the inside of the front apron.  You can change it as often as you like without needing to wash the whole kilt.

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Wear your kilt at a Ceilidh … Scottish Country Dancing in London

For a person new to kilt wearing it can be challenging to think of that many places to wear the fantastic garment.  A Scottish Country Dancing evening is an ideal place to break yourself in gently as it is one of the few places you can be assured that you will not be the only one in a kilt.

Perhaps I can take this opportunity to recommend London’s Ceilidh (pronounced Kay Lee) Club.  They hold regular events at Cecil Sharp House and Hammersmith Town Hall.  Tickets are about £15, genders are balanced, and booking in advance is advisable (though not always necessary).

I’ve been to one of their events at Cecil Sharp House and had a hoot.  The main hall is absolutely massive and on the evening I attended it was absolutely full of people.  There was a good mix of sexes and most people seemed to be between the ages of 25 and 40.  I watched the first dance and was impressed by the quality of the band and how much fun everyone was having.  And, of course, there were LOTS of fabulous kilts.

Before long I was asking girls to dance and having a good old time.  Because there is a caller and lots of people who really know what they are doing it is really easy to understand what to do and when.  The emphasis is far more on having fun dancing together than it is on complicated dance moves.  Another feature of many of the dances is that you swap partners … that means that you get to meet more people and you don’t have to try to impress that girl you asked for the whole dance.  The one thing that I didn’t see any of is men dancing with men … I’m guessing this is a bit of a no no … especially with the partner swapping!  So, any gay guys out there may have to grin and bear dancing with girls.

When you get thirsty (as you will) there is a reasonably priced bar downstairs and, wait for it, a cake shop!  Genius!

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Best responses when someone informs you that ‘that’s not a real / proper kilt’

How do you know?

I agree, it’s a completely un-real kilt

I agree, it’s a completely im-proper kilt

I assume by the trousers that you’re English … (they probably aren’t)

My other kilt’s a (enter tartan here), I use this one for town … it has more luggage space and gets better milage

 

 

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Best reasons to wear a kilt

No need to unzip a kilt in the bathroom (think ‘There’s Something About Mary’!)

Kilt checks!

Skilts have roomy pockets that do not move when your legs do

Women check out men in kilts

Gay men check out men in kilts (even if it’s not your bag a complement is a complement)

Straight men check out men in kilts and admire you for having the balls to wear one

It’s better to run away with your kilt up than get caught with your pants down!

As Braveheart says: ‘Freedom!’

It would be selfish to keep those calves to yourself

Women are attracted to confidence and it takes confidence to wear a kilt

Kilts are great to dance in: plenty of ball room!

Kilts make people wonder