Real men wear kilts!

 
Casual 4-yard Bear Kilt in the Black Watch tartan.

Hey Alan, what's with the kilts?

I've always found wearing pants to be quite uncomfortable, especially when driving long distances, but never considered there was anything alternative to wear. It all started with an episode of the TV sitcom "Home Improvement", where Tim and Al plan to attend the Detroit Highland Games. Tim spent the entire show wearing a kilt. I happened to be wearing my housecoat at the time, fresh from having a shower. It suddenly occurred to me that my housecoat was the most comfortable piece of clothing I owned, so a kilt must be equally as comfortable. Crushed nuts may be fine sprinkled over an ice-cream sundae, but they're not so much fun when they're mine due to wearing a cramped pair of pants.

With that in mind, I started searching the web for information about kilts. At the time I thought that you had to be Scottish, or have Scottish ancestry in order to wear a kilt.  You don't have to be a cowboy to wear blue jeans, do you? Anyone can wear a kilt, but having some Scottish or Irish blood makes it a bit easier to explain. As my paternal grandfather immigrated to Canada in 1913 from the area around Larne, Co. Antrim in Northern Ireland, I had my excuse! I have a hunch that the family were "Ulster-Scots", based on some info I've found. Growing up I was always told we were Irish, but had little in the way of a family tree to see exactly how far back our Irish roots went. As I began to search for more information, I found a few more generations of the family.
You can see what I have so far on my family tree page.

 
9-yard traditional wool kilt in the "Irish National" tartan.

Skirt? Don't be daft, skirts are for lassies...men wear KILTS!
Besides, if I wanted to dress like a woman, I'd wear pants!

Anyway, back to the kilts. The first thing I found was that a traditional hand tailored 8-yard wool kilt was going to set me back a minimum of $500, not counting all the extras that you need to complete the look. Ouch! Enter the casual kilt companies. They make traditional looking kilts out of materials like poly-viscous and other such man made materials. They often only have 4-yards of material in them, making them alot more comfortable to wear in the heat of the summer. Bear Kilts in Vancouver came on the scene about the same time I was looking to buy my first kilt, and I was able to buy a Black Watch tartan kilt at an introductory price. When it first arrived I was amazed! Well made, perfect fit, and it looked fantastic!

I was a little nervous wearing it for the first time, as was my wife. "What will the neighbours think?" was her first thought. To be honest, I really didn't care what the neighbours, or anyone else for that matter, thought. A kilt is a man's garment, I'm a man, what's the problem? After the first few times we were out in public we realized that wearing a kilt doesn't garner as much attention as we thought. The comments we heard were all positive, and we found that a kilt can be a great conversation starter. Now my wife loves to see me kilted. As I used to be a blue jeans and t-shirt kinda guy I think she's just happy that I'm willing to dress a little nicer than before.

 
Same kilt, different look.

Why a kilt? Why not!

1. Kilts are the most masculine garment that a man can wear.

2. Women LOVE them!

3. They're far more comfortable than pants. Crushed nuts are for ice-cream sundaes.

4. Women LOVE them!

5. I'm proud of my Celtic heritage.

6. Women LOVE them!

7. They're versatile. You can wear them casually, or dress them up for more formal events.

8. Women LOVE them!

9. More and more men are discovering the comfort, heritage, and pride in wearing kilts.

10. Women LOVE them!

11. Longetivity. You'll never have to throw a kilt away because you've ripped the knees, crotch, or ass out of it.

12. Women LOVE them!

13. When was the last time a beautiful woman asked you what you were wearing under your jeans?

14. Most importantly...my WIFE loves them!

 
Karen and I, Christmas 2005.

 
Rear view of the Irish National kilt shows pleating to the sett (tartan pattern matches the front).
The jacket is a black wool "Argyle"type. While not quite as fancy as a Prince Charlie jacket, it's still great for formal events.


Another Argyle jacket, this time in green and with the matching waistcoat.


"Do what you want and say what you feel, for those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." Dr. Seuss

To quote Terry Varga from Bear Kilts, "Kilts are garments, not costumes!" Kilts were worn as everyday clothing for years, long before they became thought of as costumes. They're not just for pipe bands and weddings. Why not wear something that is cool, comfortable, and different? Men have been wearing kilts and other un-bifurcated garments for alot longer than pants have been around. Pants came about sometime around 500 years ago, mainly to making riding horses more comfortable. Last time I checked, I don't ride a horse, although I do wear jeans when riding a motorcycle.

 
Another 4-yard casual kilt, in the "Pride Of Scotland" tartan.
Note the "Protect Your Nuts" t-shirt. Appropriate, no?
Kilts like this can be found on Ebay for under $100 and make great everyday kilts.

 
Rear view of kilt. Note that it is pleated to the stripe. This kilt came from "Kiltmart" on Ebay.

 
On the rocks by the Coast Guard headquarters in Port Angeles, WA, March 2005.

 
Stillwater Kilts is another excellent supplier of budget kilts.
This is the "Hunting McLeod" (McLeod of Harris) tartan from their Standard line of kilts.
Very reasonably priced, and fantastic quality for the money.

 
Hunting McLeod, pleated to the sett.

 
Another casual kilt from Stillwater Kilts. This one is in the Gordon tartan and is a prototype version of the standard model. It's not currently available to the public. This one is pleated to the stripe and is similar to the ones the Gordon Highlanders wore in the military.

 
This is one of my latest kilt aquisitions.
It's a Stillwater Kilts wool "Heavyweight" kilt in a traditional looking Irish Saffron.
SWK calls it a "shadow tartan", under the right lighting conditions a pattern in the fabric can be seen.

 

 

"It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing"

 There are lots of different styles of kilts available today, from traditional wool kilts, casual kilts that look like traditionals, and some funky modern ones. Something for every occasion! Stephen Villegas of Seattle has probably designed one of the coolest "modern" kilts around. In the late 90's he found himself cursing his uncomfortable jeans while he was working on his motorcycle. He sat down and came up with the "Utilikilts" design, and has since sold tens of thousands of them! They come in different versions, the one I have is called the Original. Pockets and snaps set them apart from traditional kilts, as well as the fact they don't offer them in tartans. Think of them as a cargo kilt, or perhaps "Scottish blue jeans". You can do anything in them, they're practically indestructible.
www.utilikilts.com

 
Black Original Utilikilt.

Rear view of Utilikilt.
 
Utilikilt, black leather bomber jacket, rolled-down socks, black boots, motorcycles...does it get any better?

 
It takes big balls to wear a kilt. Are you up to it?

Just remember...ANYONE can wear pants.
It takes a MAN to wear a kilt!


Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions? Death Threats?
Email me!

A few of my favorite kilt links:
Xmarksthescot - Best web forum for kilt wearers, bar none!
How to look great in a kilt! - Hamish Bicknell's photo album.
Utilikilts - American cargo kilts, made in Seattle.
Freedom Kilts - Victoria BC casual & cargo kilt maker.
Bear Kilts - Vancouver casual kilt maker.
R Kilts - Canadian casual kilt maker.
Stillwater Kilts - Affordable casual kilts.
Kiltday.com - Need an excuse to wear your kilt? It's kilt day!
Albanach.org - Matt Newsome's excellent kilt & tartan info site.
Highland Scottish Gift Shoppe, Calgary AB. Kilts & Accessories for sale or rent.

Home