Kilt Questions

Michael over at eclecticism has posted a few times, and once recently, about wearing kilts. At this years D.C. Pride Festival, Utilikilts had a booth set up and was selling kilts.

I have to admit, I've ofen thought about getting one, just because it's different. I suppose I could come up at least one reason for trying on a kilt being that I have some Scottish ancestry (of course there's a strong likelihood that the Scottsman grafted himself onto my family tree via rape, so there's little to celebrate in that heritage). Still I might get one simplyb because it's different. I don't know where I'd ever where a kilt. I might be able to get away with wearing one to work, on a day when I don't have a meeting to attend.

I'm not sure what kind I'd get. The Original is probably a good place to start. I like the Mocker, as it seems a bit "dressier" for those special occasions. The Workman and the Survival kilt would be appropriate for everyday wear, especially given the amount of gadgets I carry around (cell phone, PDA, MP3 player, etc.).

But while Utilikilt gives me 10 reasons to wear a Utilikilt, I have some unanswered questions. The most obvious one is, what does one wear under a kilt? Briefs? Boxers? shorts? Nothing at all? Wat kind of shoes does one wear with a kilt? (This, if you ask me is a very important question, as the wrong shoes can ruin an entire look.) Would dreadlocks and a kilt be a someone incongruous look? These are questions I ponder as I consider adding an unbifurgated garment to my wardrobe.

Comments

[Tim Who?]

You wear nothing under the kilt! However having said that I would also say wear something (dark) for the first week or two while you learn how to sit and get in and out of cars or the metro without flashing everybody. I'm assuming its been a while since you've worn a skirt?

I would avoid penny loafers or those dressy shoes with tassles and go for a regular black shoe or boot. But I did see a lot of men at pride wearing tennis shoes/sneakers.

Dreadlocks are part of who you are and are not related to the clothes you buy.

Maybe these will help?

http://www.highland-wear.co.uk/
http://www.kiltstore.net/?referrer=google6
http://www.irishtartans.com/accessories.html
http://www.scotclans.com/shopping/kilt_accs_index.html

[Michael Hanscom]

Four things go under a kilt:

1) Socks
2) Shoes
3) A cool breeze
4) Someone else's hand ;)

Seriously, nothing under the kilt is definitely the way to go. It's incredibly comfortable, especially on hot days, and it only took me a couple days to get used to how to move to make sure I didn't end up inadvertently flashing anyone. The way that the UKs hang, though, it's actually fairly difficult to expose yourself accidentally, so it's rarely much of a worry at all.

As far as shoes go, I personally think that some form of boot looks best. For day-to-day use I've got a pair of boot-ish shoes (a little higher around the ankles than normal shoes) that are fine, for weekend club use I have a pair of 14-eye docs, and I'd like to pick up a pair of 10-eye docs when I have the spare funds. As Tim said, though, I've seen everything from tennis shoes to sandals being worn with the kilt.

Incongruous or not, I've seen a few guys sporting the dreadlocks/kilt combo (both white and black), and never saw anything wrong with that.

You might want to kill a few minutes browsing through the UK Photo Galleries to get an idea of how people are wearing their kilts. For the most part, I'd say that anything goes — whatever you find comfortable should be fine.

Obviously, I say go for it. :)

[sennoma]

I could never get about with nothing keeping the old feller in check, so I'd wear cycling pants (dark, or matching the kilt). Boots and kilts look great, and I'm a huge fan of cultural mix-n-match so I think dreads and a kilt would look seriously fine.

Do it! And post photos!

[CPS]

T -- I followed one of Michael's links over here a while back, so I figure this is a good place to join in. ;-)

Leaving out the conversation about what to wear under it (That question has been answered already), I've found that good sturdy hiking boots are a good casual alternative to my combat boots, and Tivas or Berkenstoks work well too for the granola hippy look.

What I'm having trouble with is finding the right above-the-belt combinations, as it's not always possible to wear a t-shirt &/or flannel to work, someone's wedding, etc. The best I've come up with is here: http://www.pondherre.com/gallery/wedding/jr_daddy_utilikilt for a friend's wedding celebration. Yes, it's Seattle-casual, and Jeff and Rodney are even more low-key than that... but take it for what it's worth. :)

CPS

[Scott]

I wanted to get a kilt and contemplated the Utilikilt, but ended up going for a regular in a tartan my family tree could claim. I started with the formal Prince Charlie outfit, which came with a pair of "Black Ghillie Brogues" (fairly ornate shoes) AND a long pair of stockings AND "flashes" -- which are basically garters to hold up the stockings that have the same pattern as the kilt. The brogues come with very long laces that tie up the stockings, and it took lots of asking around and practise to get them to stay.

I'm not sure if this would work with Utilikilts, but I'm now looking at less formal things to wear with my kilt (perhaps to go to a medieval fair with) and stumbled on a Texas company that besides making fancy cowboy boots will craft boots for period costumes and such. (Civil war reenactors and sci-fi conventioneers seem to be a target audience.) They're Champion Attitude Boots [http://www.caboots.com/category/mp/] and their "swashbuckler" boots might go well. I'm looking at the "Barbossa" (patterned off of Geoffrey Rush's character's costume from "Pirates of the Caribbean")

As for the limited pockets in a kilt, there's a great gadget jacket called the Scott E-Vest www.scottevest.com.