5-yard kilt, 11 oz. wool, sewn in Scotland, Holyrood tartan from N. Batley. Costa del Sol, Spain.
Webmaster's kilt story
Greg, you are wearing kilts on a regular basis, despite you are not Scottish and don’t live 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 in High Street I noticed a shop selling highland wear. At lot of shops in Edinburg 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 female about it. I got hooked, so to say.
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 measures 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 might have been about two years later, after I had got access to the rather new internet. During my surfing around I found out that there were “message boards” for men wearing or wanting 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 on the internet. On a website I happened to find a good looking “affordable casual kilt.”Should, should not? It wouldn’t ruin the family economy in any way, but…
End of story: A few weeks later I was the owner of that kilt plus some accessories.
The quality was not quite up to that of 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 holidays abroad I would sometimes wear it. And inside 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 had got quite a few compliments from the local people. A few months later, at a garden party with our neighbours, I realized 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.
What happened afterwards?
I started wearing the kilt openly, and more people, of course, got to know about it. At first, I would only wear a kilt when on my own. Later, when far from home, my wife would join me and since several years, also when we are shopping grocery 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 also when around in other areas or countries where less understanding might be to expect and where more prejudices might exist, I never have 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?
Page revised 2025, February 11.
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YOU in a kilt
When seeing you in a kilt, what should people say? And especially your significant other? And the ‘Kilt Police’? Shall people think you are Scottish? How about prejudices? Should you tell people, you know, that you have started wearing kilts or are about to do it? How do you tell them? What should your reasons be? See answers to these and many other questions here?
