Webmaster and kilts.

Greg, you are wearing kilts regularly, despite not being Scottish and not living in Scotland. When and how did it start?

It started in the mid-nineties during a vacation in Scotland with my wife and our, by then, teenage daughter. One afternoon, in Edinburgh, they wanted to go to the Waverly shopping mall, whereas I would rather stroll around for an hour or two and take some pictures. To make it short, in a corner house on High Street, I noticed a shop selling highland wear. Many shops in Edinburgh are, so no big deal about that. Out of curiosity, I went inside.

I happened to be the only customer, and I was persuaded to try on a kilt. Just a few steps around and looking into a mirror gave me the feeling that a kilt was something extremely comfortable to wear and that there was nothing feminine about it. I got hooked, so to speak.

Did you buy the kilt?

No. It was quite expensive. And what should I use it for, even if the sales assistant or owner claimed that he had non-Scottish customers from all over the world? But when I left, I had in my hand his business card with my measurements written on it, 36”, 43”, 23”, referring to length, hip, and length, just in case.

But when did you get your first kilt, then?

It was about one year later, in 1997, after having got access to the rather new internet. While surfing, I found “message boards” for men who wear or want to wear kilts and/or skirts. At that time, the difference between kilt- and skirt-wearers was not big. Everyone was striving for a manly appearance. And then you could actually order a kilt online. On a website, I found a good-looking “affordable casual kilt.”

Should, should not? It wouldn’t ruin the family economy in any way, but…
The end of the story: A few weeks later, I was the owner of that kilt plus some accessories.

The quality was not quite as good as the kilt I had tried on in Edinburgh. But how could it, being almost seven times cheaper? The fabric was not wool but polyester, and only four yards, but being a non-Scot with absolutely no possibilities to wear a kilt at dress-up situations, it gave me all I needed.

Did you then start to wear it out right away?

No. My wife thought wearing a kilt in public might be somewhat problematic, and, in fact, so did I. But when on holiday abroad, I would sometimes wear it. And inside the home, of course and in the garden and when emptying the letterbox, after having convinced myself that nobody could see me.

When did it change?

It was in 2005. We had been on holiday in Italy, where I had been wearing the kilt for some hours every day and got quite a few compliments from the local people. A few months later, at a garden party with our neighbours, I realised that, in fact, they all knew that I would wear a “real kilt with a purse”.

I had not been able to keep it a secret. You cannot. And you should not.

In the open.

View from a hill.

On a red bench.

Wearing a kilt on a bus.

On holiday, Caledonia tartan.

In a car.

What happened afterwards?

I started wearing the kilt openly, and more people, of course, got to know about it. To start with, I would only wear a kilt when on my own. Later, when far from home, my wife would join me, and soon, when we were shopping for groceries in the local supermarkets.

How are the reactions to your kilt when out and about?

They are few, almost like when in jeans or shorts. When any, they are always positive. Well, I live in a nice environment where people are well-educated and open-minded. But in other areas or countries where less understanding might be expected and where more prejudices might exist, it is the same. No problems. Wearing a kilt is something different, extremely comfortable, and a non-event.

How often do you wear a kilt?

When you have as many kilts as I have, you almost are obliged to wear them, aren't you? After my retirement some years ago, it often is not so much a question of kilt or not, but which kilt today?