One thing many people don't consider about Americans wearing kilts is the latitude. I live in Georgia and it's on the same latitude as Algeria. It gets hot. Scotland's latitude puts you in Hudson Bay. You know...Canada. The weather plays into it too.
I live in North Carolina and I just cannot do shorts anymore. I started wearing them several weeks ago. At this point, I am definitely not going back to shorts unless someone holds a gun to my head. What pushed me to kilts was purely the weather; it is just too uncomfortable to me for anything else.
When I was in Edinburgh in 2010, I saw two bouncers (or whatever they're called in Scotland) outside of a pub in Old Town, Edinburgh. They were wearing matching kilts and matching black t-shirts. That was presumably the "work uniform" for employees of that pub. Scots wear their kilts casually, formally, and everything in between. So do I.
Most of us Scots are pretty pragmatic about kilts. We dress appropriately for the occasion. Formal on formal occasions, informal on informal occasions, casual on casual occasions. A few of us wear a kilt all the time; most of us only wear a kilt on formal occasions. And it's a small percentage of the latter who are more likely to get uptight about wearing the kilt "correctly". Which makes sense for those who're only wearing it on formal occasions. But not for those who wear it in informal or casual circumstances. When you come right down to it, it's up to the wearer to judge the formality of the occasion and dress appropriately. And trousers or kilt, there's a big difference between how we'd dress going to a wedding and how we'd dress going to a rugby match. Will we get it wrong? Sometimes. But that can happen whether we are wearing kilt or trousers!
When I go around kilted I am either ultra casual with a T-shirt and 9 or 10 inch tac/combat boots, dressed for church with a tweed kilt jacket (either modern or Argyll, and with or without the matching vest depending the temperature) and wingtip shoes. The solid navy shiny button Argyll and the black PC jacket I use only for strictly formal events and Burns Suppers. The constants are: I always wear kilt hose regardless of wearing boots or dress shoes rolled and cuffed to sit about 3 inches below the kneecap. To my eye the aesthetic of a kilt does not work if you show either too much or too little skin below the bottom kilt edge.
I am with you on your dress style and never go out without kilt hose on but if it is hot and people wear sandals , kilt and t shirt that looks fine to me although I don't do that .I don't like the look of regular socks with a kilt or shorts but it is practical . People can dress as they like .
also Sean said it like it is, just wear the kilt and make it your own and wear it with whatever you feel comfortable with as if you were wearing pants (trousers)
I am a piper. We played at an event where the fire band was part of a massed band. They wore a tunic but under the tunic was a T-shirt. Both looked fine. The tunic made it dressy and without the tunic it was casual. Our band is considering a change to tunics.
I think it’s great the kilt has stayed in some sort of fashion. Going to the Highland Games in my state I’ll stew the t shirt and athletic shoes on or some guy in tweed in hose and the whole nine yards . In Wisconsin too. Great video guys love it.
I'm sorry but I am kilted daily, I drive truck and I'm proud of where my family is from. A colored tee, kilt, hoses and my footwear. Besides I'm not from the cookie cutter sect!
I have always liked the 'utility' kilt idea. I would not wrar a kilt with a soccer strip but casually with a plain colored (Scottish made) sweater in a coordinating colour, yes. As for hose, yes I can wear good boots and rolled down hose, but its essential not to have a pair of pale blue Scottish legs with them. So I woukd prefer goid brogues and match hose to the sweater.
If I am out working in my garden, I will most likely be wearing a utilikilt, t-shirt and crew socks. Sometimes I will be wearing a kilt, sandals and no socks at all. I also often wear a grandfather shirt with a kilt.
I do think a casual kilt or utilikilt looks better in a casual outfit than wearing a formal kilt, dress belt, and sporan with a casual top or bare undershirt. It'd be like wearing a pair of slacks with the hat, open shirt, and undershirt I have on in my profile picture. It probably isn't offensive to other people from the rustic west. And I doubt anyone I wasn't sleeping with would say anything about it. But it certainly isn't the most confident and self-respectful way to dress.
I think the Tartan aka Kilt is a special wardrobe, Scottish, American, whoever, I like to respect this by dressing casual or business, don't get me wrong I do like how USA Kilts handle these dress questions. Keep up the good work/laughter is the best medicine
i have a real wool kilt in my clan tartan, purchased from Scotch House in London. it's my formal piece. i don't own a suit, i own a really smart kilt. i haven't worn it in 2 or 3 years just because occasion doesn't call for it. i also have a casual kilt in solid khaki, ripstop nylon, that i wear almost all the time. but it also looks quite nice.
American of Scottish ancestry 🏴🏴🏴 I wear a green tartan kilt with a goat fur and rabbit fur sporran. I wear it with tall black socks and black buckled dress shoes. I wear either a white shirt and black vest, or a casual tshirt with it. I mix it up. I wear various styles with it. I agree 100% with you guys, wear it as you wish as long as it looks good.
I'm a Scot living in the highlands of Scotland. I mostly wear a t-shirt when wearing a kilt 'casually' along with walking boots. It's no different than dressing with jeans, chinos etc in that things have to be coordinated. White, black or dark blue t-shirts go with most kilt colours, some friends wear denim jacket over a t-shirt or a jumper too.
+USAKiltsOfficial *Thanks for the critic perspective.* I'd take minimum casual as a Blauer® 8421 shirt with airport tie, economy hose, service shoes, and day _Sporran._
I have to gainsay thee. I saw a chap wearing a kilt in my gated community in France, back to front. Unfortunately, I could not educate him as I was a passenger in a car.
Im Scottish and no problem with kilts worn in a casual fashion. If you look online we wear kilts with Rugby and Football tops to matches. Outside of that we dont often wear it casually but noone will call you out. One thing for me is always wear a Sporran with it but if you dont you might get looked at strangely but thats it
speaking about being casual in certain circumstances. At a Scotland football or rugby game, with men wearing kilts, where would we be without the call, 'Taps aff'. translation strip to the waist.
Can't help laughing at the fake books. I always enjoy seeing what titles are behind people on RU-vid, don't remember ever seeing an entire bookshelf of books bound in tartan. Hilarious. Practical question, do you use the sporran as a pocket? I found it a little awkward digging around a bag in front of my junk for change & my cell phone makes it a little heavy. I can carry the weight but of course, it swings...
Wear it higher. About three or four fingers or so below your bellybutton for the top of the sporran is more traditional. It is not a junk cover. If it’s directly over your junk, it’s probably too low. Sling it up higher.
I wear a kilt with casual shirts, socks and boots or tennis shoes but I do not like the casual kilt line. They are usually too long or not cut right. It just seems something is wrong with them.
I wear my kilts any damned way I please, thank you. I am more concerned with not out-dressing my wife when we go out to a pub than anything else. When it is warm, you will likely see me in a t shirt and kilt, when hot I might be in a tank or sleeveless shirt with my kilt. If I had a six pack of abs I would most certainly wear NO SHIRT with a kilt (not to worry - at my age it's not too likely, although I am trying hard to get there)
My only gripe about casual kilt wear is seeing folks slapping on a regular 1” wide belt you wear with your jeans instead of a kilt belt. All that real estate and you slap on a spaghetti strap?! Will I run up to you and lay into you for it? Of course not 😂
It's too bad that as a society, we don't dress better. The fashion today, as it was thirty..sixty years back changed to more of that of someone who's down on their luck to be nice about it. Now, the dress is down right devil may care how bad one looks. It's a shame. Look at how many businesses are having trouble getting workers to come back to the office as there's a dress code...oh heaven forbid. Sorry but this former Marine always took care when not in uniform, to show up to work in a professional outfit. That's the way our parents raised us and that's how our "new parents" raised us. That's certainly not to say that I won't dress to suit where I may be headed to shop or catch a game, or whatever since I want to blend in to where I'm going. But that's more of a safety reason these days. I don't care for having to do that.
I totally agree . I get compliments all the time for how nicely dressed I am but sixty years ago it would have been somewhat casual . Daily fashion really has reached rock bottom . I work in a shop so my work attire doesn't look the best ( paint spatters on my cheap kilt and sporran ) and I still get compliments !
without seeing video the keltics probably think is insulting....wearing colors that person has not bled for understand the meaning of the kilts...similar to when americans dress as native americans.....
