Suppose you are really interested in starting to wear kilts but are on two minds about it. How come? What should keep you from just ordering a kilt and wearing it in public? Well, probably you are worried about a lot of things. How shall your environment react? How do you start wearing a kilt? What shall you say about it? Let’s try to find out.

How could you, being not Scottish wear a kilt?

Like I said already, for decades, more and more men in a lot of countries, with and without a kilt tradition, and, no matter their nationality, colour, and heritage, do wear kilts. Two factors might have contributed to this development or movement, the movie Braveheart (1995) which proved that MEN could be MEN without wearing trousers, and the Internet - since 2nd half of the nineties - which soon helped convincing men with a secret or latent interest in trouser alternatives that they were not alone and that they could, in fact, wear a kilt, should they feel like it.
But doesn't the kilt belong to Scotsmen? Once, blue jeans were something only American cowboys were wearing. Now everyone wears them. In the 50ties, boys all over Germany wore short “Lederhosen”, not just boys living in Bavaria or Austria. Why should it be different with a kilt?

What should Scotsmen think?

Some traditionalists might be against non-Scots wearing a kilt, as they are sometimes against fellow-Scotsmen wearing a kilt as daily attire or outside Scotland. These seem to be few, however. Highland wear is something unique and means an income for many Scotsmen. Thus, men wearing kilts are looked upon positively.
Over time, I have met several Scotsmen who were happy to see the kilt being worn and regretted that they were not wearing one themselves.

Do other people believe you are Scottish when seeing you in a kilt?

It depends on where you are living, I suppose. In Scandinavian countries, you are always addressed in the local languages, indicating that you are regarded as just a fellow countryman who wears a kilt. Almost so is the case in Germany and the Netherlands. In Southern Europe, it is probably more expected that you have at least some connections to Scotland. But who in the world - except people within your own close environment - could tell that you have not?

Should you try to "play" Scottish?

No. To non-Scots, the kilt is just a comfortable, versatile, and innovative garment. Accordingly, you should, in my opinion, also avoid accessories that are too closely associated with Scottish national dress, like the bonnet, for example.

Should you aim at eventually giving up trousers?

No. Variety is the spice of life.

How about predudice?

That you must be gay, a crossdresser, a transvestite or otherwise somehow queer? For wearing a kilt? Neglect those people. They are in a league not worth considering at all. Besides, time is with you. The world is becoming even more tolerant. It is ok to be gay, and it is becoming ok for men (and women) to be gender-fluid, androgynous and transgender. The fact that these groups in most parts of the civilised world are being fully accepted means that it is no problem for a man to wear a kilt, a skirt or a dress. Of course, some men in kilts are gay, but so what? Most gay men wear trousers. And hardly any crossdresser should ever think of wearing a manly garment like a kilt.

Never let ignorant persons keep you from wearing a kilt.

How do you start wearing a kilt in public?

The answer should be, open the door and out you go. But for most men, it is not as simple as that. If a man wants a tattoo, he'll get it. If he wants his hair to grow long, he will have to. If he wants his tongue, nose, lip, ears, or any other part of his body pierced, he will have it done. However, if he wants to wear a kilt, which is definitely considered a men's garment, he might be afraid to wear it out, because of a slight resemblance to a woman's skirt or just because it is different. It is ridiculous, don't you agree?

Therefore, simply open that door...

Should you tell people, you know, that you consider wearing kilts or already do?

Yes, it might be a good idea. No rumours, then. No secrets. But how?

You might simply tell them up front that you, by the way, have got a kilt and have been out wearing it.

Or you could have them see pictures on your phone, showing your new car, a vintage camera you have bought, pictures from your last holiday abroad or whatever, and in some of them you, as the most natural thing in the world, are wearing a kilt. Then they shall ask, and you shall answer their questions. And if they don't ask, they'll know nevertheless.



But you can also just start wearing it in public and take it step by step. People, with whom you are acquainted, will, of course, when seeing you, ask, and you must tell them about your reasons-why (comfort, variety, difference or simply that you like wearing it) and how you got the idea in the first place. You might have seen a man in a kilt on the street or on TV, and you found it looked good or comfortable. Then, giving it a second thought, you have googled kilt. Inspired by websites, you have then bought one and started wearing it.

A holiday in Scotland might also be a good and credible reason. You have tried on a kilt, you liked it, you bought it, and now you wear it.

Last but not least, social media like Facebook and Instagram are great. In fact, they might be the most efficient way to communicate the news.
You might post pictures of yourself in your kilt and explicitly talk about the advantages. Or you don't mention it at all, just let pictures speak for themselves. They might show you taking the dog out or sitting at a cafe, having a coffee. The kilt just has to be implied in the picture.
With that step behind you, everything is much easier.

How about your significant other?

Your wife or girlfriend is the person who really counts.

She might worry the most about your kilt-wearing – and in all probability, without reason, at all.
In fact, it seems that many women like to see men in kilts, even if not always to the same degree, if the man happens to be their husband. But there are examples on the internet where wives have convinced reluctant husbands to wear kilts.

If she has concerns about you wearing a kilt, she probably worries about how your surroundings will react (see below), but foremost, whether you might have some secret agenda. Should the kilt be just your first step into crossdressing? Could your next step be frilly skirts, blouses, dresses, and heels?
She might also fear that you might be gay. Nothing wrong at all with men being gay, but in a heterosexual relationship, it simply does not work. That said, a kilt is no good indicator; most gay men wear trousers.
Or might you have a secret wish to be a woman?
Hopefully, you can convince her that she has nothing to fear – and that you are telling her the truth!
What she’ll get in return for her understanding or acceptance is probably a most thankful, caring, and faithful husband.

How shall surroundings react?

People who don’t know you couldn’t care less how you are looking or how you are dressing. Kilt wearers will largely state that it is a non-event and that their surroundings, relatives, and people in their neighbourhood very soon got accustomed to seeing them in kilts.

Never think that you have to "excuse" that you are wearing a kilt. It has been your decision. To you, it is a natural thing. It is already, or it is about to become a lifestyle of yours, so to say.

If just more men (and their wives) would consider their "world" just half as tolerant as in fact it is, we should see a lot more of kilts around, I’m sure.