Kilt, holyrood tartan

Is the kilt a skirt?



Scotsmen will say NO. To them and very many kilt wearers the kilt is a kilt, not a skirt. It is a garment of its very own, they say, and exclusively for men. Calling the kilt a skirt is accordingly considered an almost unforgivable insult.


But should you feel insulted then when someone says you are wearing a skirt, or asks you why you are wearing a skirt?
It must depend on how it is said or asked. By far not all calling your kilt a skirt or even a dress have a wish to insult you. Many, not being in a Scottish context, simply don't have the noun kilt on the tip of their tongue.
"Nice skirt!" or "nice dress!" might therefore very well be a praise. And you should react accordingly.

And well, according to all dictionaries I have seen a kilt is defined as a skirt or kind of skirt:


AllWords.com

1. a traditional Scottish garment, usually worn by men, having roughly the same morphology as a wrap-around skirt, with overlapping front aprons and pleated around the sides and back, and usually made of twill woven worsted wool with a tartan pattern.
2. (historical) Any Scottish garment from which the above lies in a direct line of descent, such as the philibeg and the great kilt or belted plaid.
3. a plaid, pleated school uniform skirt sometimes structured as a wrap around, sometimes pleated throughout the entire circumference


American Heritage Dictionary/Answers.com

A knee-length skirt with deep pleats, usually of a tartan wool, worn as part of the dress for men in the Scottish Highlands.
A similar skirt worn by women, girls, and boys.


Cambridge Dictionaries Online

A skirt with many folds, made from tartan cloth and traditionally worn by Scottish men and boys.


DC DictioraryCentral.com

A skirt, usually of tartan cloth worn by men in Scotland, and also by women.


Definitions.net

1. a pleated kneelength tartan skirt worn by Scotsmen in the Highlands or in some military regiments.
2. a skirt modeled on this for women and girls.


Dictionary.com

Any short pleated skirt, especially a tartan wraparound, as that worn by men in the Scottish Highlands,


Merriam-Webster

1. A knee-length pleated skirt usually of tartan worn by men in Scotland and by Scottish regiments in the British armies.
2. A garment that resembles the Scottish kilt.


Oxford Dictionaries

A knee-length skirt of pleated tartan cloth, traditionally worn by men as part of Scottish Highland dress and now also worn by women and girls.


The free Dictionary

1. A knee-length skirt with deep pleats, usually of a tartan wool, worn as part of the dress for men in the Scottish Highlands
2. A similar skirt worn by women, girls, and boys.


Thesaurus

A knee-length pleated tartan skirt worn by men as part of the traditional dress in the Highlands of northern Scotland.
A skirt - a garment hanging from the waist; worn mainly by girls and women.


Urban Dictionary

1. A knee-length wrap skirt with vertical knife pleats on the sides and back made from a tartan woolen cloth and traditionally worn by men of the Scottish Highlands. (Traditional usage)
2. A skirt similar to the traditional Scottish kilt, and may have differing properties such as a solid color, non-tartan patterns, having pleats all around, or varying overall lengths. Generally associated with being worn by men and boys, but is sometimes worn by women and girls. (More common usage)
3. Any other type of skirt sold as a kilt, or a skirt worn by men. (Most liberal interpretation)


Webster's New World College Dictionary

A pleated skirt reaching to the knees, esp., the tartan skirt worn sometimes by men of the Scottish Highlands.


A skirt, it seems, but so what?

A Mercedes-Benz is a car, but far from every car is a Mercedes-Benz.
Women do wear kilts, even if Scots refer to them as being kilted skirts. But look at them. The difference between a man’s and a woman’s kilt is considerably bigger than between his and her jeans, isn't it?


His kilt and her skirt

On top her kilt (kilted skirt); below his kilt. Waist sizes are almost identical. Both of them are in BlackWatch tartan
and from O'Neil of Dublin. Her is shorter, the aprons narrower, and belts and buckles tiny compared to those on his kilt. Her outer apron closes to the left; his to the right.



Hers and his

Again his and her kilts. Same waist. The difference is obvious.
His kilt is lined, her is not. His is seven yards, her about one and a half.
His is in Ramsay blue tartan, her is in Stewart Royal muted.



Women wear kilts too

Flanked by lads in kilts, the young lady is looking pretty in her short kilt, minikilt, kilted skirt, or whatever you are calling it.








Next page

Kilt

What makes a kilt?

How is a kilt constructed? Learn about straps and buckles, fell, rise, pleats, length, drop, and tartans. Are eight yards a must? Or will less do?






What to find on the Dress2Kilt site?



Kilt, Caledonia Tartan

How about a kilt?

Have you ever been thinking of wearing a kilt? You must not be Scottish. You can be of any nationality, any colour, and any belief. Only you must be man enough. The objective of the Dress2Kilt site is making you wear a kilt whenever YOU feel like it and appropriate. Without needing a special event. It is about causal-first kilt wearing.
Verschiedene Kilts

Men in kilts - Q & A

Who will wear a kilt? Why wearing a kilt? Where and when to wear it? What’s the difference between being Scottish and not, related to kilt wearing? What about surroundings? Is it true? These and many more questions are answered here.
Kilt, Holyrood Tartan

Webmaster's kilt story

How come that the webmaster started wearing kilts? When was it? How was it, wearing a kilt for the first time? How were reactions from his wife, his family, neighbours, and other people?
Kilt

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?
Kilt

Is the kilt a skirt?

Scotsmen will say NO. To them and very many kilt wearers the kilt is a kilt, not a skirt. It is a garment of its very own, they say, and exclusively for men.
Calling the kilt a skirt is accordingly considered an almost unforgivable insult. But is it nevertheless a skirt?
Kilt

What makes a kilt?

Are 8 yards of fabric a must? Or will less do? How is a kilt constructed? Learn about straps and buckles, fell, rise, pleats, length, drop.


Buy a kilt and accessorize it


Kilt

Must a kilt be expensive?

Yes, purists will say, because no less than a 16 oz. 8-yard wool kilt, sewn by hand by a skilled kilt maker in Scotland or equivalent place will do. But are they right? Read why they are probably not.
Pakistani kilt

A cheap kilt

Probably most kilts today are no longer sewn in Scotland, but in Pakistan. In common these "imported" kilts have that they are affordable. Some shall give you real value for your money, others little - or worse - no value. Read about where to find good, nevertheless cheap kilts.
USA Lilts Casual

A moderate priced kilt

Some established Scottish and American kiltmakers know that affordable kilts are the condition for having men start wearing kilts, especially those having no Scottish roots. They therefore offer some very good kilts which they will position as casual kilts, probably for not hurting the rest of their business. For casual wear they might be all you need.
Kilt

A premium priced kilt

You'll hardly get an 8-yard kilt in pure new wool for under £300 or the equivalent. It shall be much easier to find one costing twice or three times as much. Not all premium priced kilts are sewn in Scotland. Examples are USA, Canada, England, France, and Austria.
Kilt

Get the measures right

Buying your first kilt is something quite unusual. Most likely you shall buy it online, and often it shall be made to your measures. Buying a kilt is not difficult, however, and with a kilt there is some give and take. Read on, and you'll know how to make it right.
Kilt accessories

Kilt accessories

Don't get ripped off on things you don't need. Find out, which accessories are must-haves, which are nice to have, and which you shouldn't consider at all for casual and smart casual wear, and some not even for dress-up events.


Wear your kilt


Kilt

Kilt on!

Let’s assume you have just received and unpacked your first kilt, and the accessories you ordered. How to handle and wear all the unfamiliar things, the sporran, the belt, the socks, the flashes etc.?
What else to wear with your kilt?
Kilt

To mind when in a kilt

Now being ready for taking your kilt out into public for the first time, is there anything you should mind? Something to worry about or calling for your attention? After all a kilt is something very different, just the way it looks and especially, how it feels, wearing it.
Kilt

24/7/365 in a kilt

Let's be realistic, you cannot and probably you should not wear a kilt every day year riund. But having chosen to consider your kilt casual-first wear there are so many possibilities year round. Read on and get inspired.


Kilt variants, skirts, and closing remarks


Utility kilt

Utility kilts

Utilty kilts have existed since 2000. Judged from the number of vendors who are offering them, the market for these kilts must be big.They come in very many different designs, some better than others.
kilt variants

Other kilt variants

Kilts can also be solid coloured, or come in a camouflage pattern. They can be made of tweed, denim, or leather. They can be traditional in style, or their design can deviate to the extent where they become utility kilts - or skirts.
Skirts

Skirts

Could you as a man wear a skirt? Well, the existence of utility kilts with their non-defined designs is part of the answer. You can. Read about which to go for, if a skirt.
Skirt

Closing remarks

Hopefully, visiing this site has contributed to bring you an important step further. Now show to the world that you are man enough to pull that kilt or skirt, whatever it is.



Galleries


Galleries

Galleries Main Page

Links to altogether over 50 gallery pages with tartan kilts, utility kilts, other kilt variants, and skirts.
Tartan kilts

Gallery Tartan kilts

Hundreds of kilt pictures on over 30 pages, one page per tartan.

Non-tartan kilts

Gallery Solid kilts

Solid traditional kilts.

Galleries

Gallery Utility kilts

Utility kilts in various brands and colours.

Skirts

Gallery Skirts

Man skirts, unisex/genderless skirts, and just skirts.

The Braveheart way Gallery

Gallery The Braveheart Way

A mix of skirted manly garments.



Links and What's new?


Kilt

Links #1

Vendors of traditional kilts, from cheap, typically imported Pakistani kilts, whether off-the-peg or custom-made, to more expensive kilts, sewn to-your-measures in Europe or in America.
Vendors of accessories.
Tartan-mills and tartan-finders.

Kilt

Links #2

Vendors of utility kilts, sarongs, man skirts, unisex skirts, "manly" skirts, and some shorts.

Kilt

Links #3

Kilt and skirt forums, non-commercial home pages, blogs, picture galleries, videos, articles in print media and on the internet, men in kilts and skirts on stage and on the catwalk.

Kilt

What's new?

At a glance, find out what is new, has been changed or has been deleted on the D2K site since your last visit.



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