How Did You Select Your First Kilt?

[Singlemalt]

My first kilt was made for me by my mother over 55 years ago. She made two one, for myself and one for my brother. Mine was hunting Stewart my bothers in Royal Stewart. Her intention was we would wear them to church (Kirk). I am sure her choice of tartans was based on what was available to her. I remember being very proud of it. However as with any good Scottish lady would do, she made it a size or two too big so I could grow into it. So she sewed in a pair of red suspenders to keep it from falling over my young boy non-hips. I remember being teased by other boys at our Presbyterian Sunday School because of the suspenders but not because of the kilt.

[OC Richard]

It sounds like a superb reason to get a kilt in the Friends of Laphroaig tartan.

I just don't care for that tartan.

And why did they use green and orange, making it look like a typical Irish tartan?

I was imagining some nice earth-tones suggestive of the peat and the rocks and such.

[MikePotts]

My first was from Hector Russell's shop on Princes Street and was selected because, of my then enforced parsimonious lifestyle, it was on the sale rack and fit pretty well...….still not sure of the Tartan...

[tripleblessed]

We often say here that the tartan you wear defines you. Or says much about how you see yourself. This thread
is about choosing your first tartan. Your first statement to the world about how you view who and how you are
in this world. Does anyone want to say alcohol is the most important thing in their life? That drinking ranks number
one? That one's life is so devoid of actual joy and/or accomplishment that Laphroaig is the first thing they think of?

I am not saying never buy this tartan. I am not saying don't drink Laphroaig. I'm merely suggesting that the first
tartan might deserve more thought and weight. I am also not saying that I haven't spent more than a little bit of
time doing spiritual counseling around drug and alcohol struggles, or that I haven't lost family and friends to same.
I am aware that might have some bearing on my thinking here. And I'm certainly not attempting to beat anyone up.
If careful consideration yields yes answers to the above questions, I will support someone in that choice. As a fifth
tartan , not an issue.

As a first tartan, my own personal thought is for deeper meaning. And in the spirit(s) of full disclosure, as of this date
I apparently still do not run the universe, nor am I considering applying for the position.

[Orvis]

After reenacting in an 18th c. Highland regiment group (wearing Government/BW tartan) for a while, I decided to get my first modern kilt made. I consulted with Peter MacDonald and since I am not a member of any clan/family group, I decided that a non-clan tartan would be right for me. As a result, I determined to go with an historical non-clan tartan and purchased some D.C. Dalgliesh-woven 16-oz "42nd Course Kilt" tartan unfinished off the loom in Wilson's colors. I then had the kilt made as a four-yard box-pleated kilt as would have been made in the 1790's-early 19th c. This has worked out very well. Subsequently, I had similar kilts made in "42nd Musicians", "Old Culloden" and the "Leatherneck/USMC" tartans. Peter also helped me get Dalgliesh-woven in authenticated early 18th c. setts for my 1745 reenactment belted plaids and philibeg.

[Karl R]

We often say here that the tartan you wear defines you. Or says much about how you see yourself. This thread is about choosing your first tartan. Your first statement to the world about how you view who and how you are in this world.

This may not have been your intent, but your statement comes across as extremely judgmental.

If I agreed with you on any of that, I wouldn't own a kilt. Given that Bluethunder90 specifically stated that he's not of Scottish descent, he's probably not choosing a tartan as an act of self-definition.

In the part of the world that I live in, about the only statement my kilt makes is that I have some Scottish ancestry (regardless of whether it's an accurate statement).

Does anyone want to say alcohol is the most important thing in their life? That drinking ranks number one? That one's life is so devoid of actual joy and/or accomplishment that Laphroaig is the first thing they think of?

And this statement comes across (to me) as being far more judgmental than your previous statement.

You seem to be taking your kilt far more seriously than I ever would. Would you want to say that being Scottish is the most important thing in your life? I wouldn't. If I listed the most important things in my life, being of Scottish ancestry isn't going to make the top 50.

Out of all the possible statements my kilt can possibly make, the one that most closely represents who I am (and what I care about) is this:
"If you're going to judge me negatively because of my appearance, then I don't care what your opinion is."


tripleblessed,
If you see someone in the following tartan (click here, I couldn't get it to show up below), what statement do you think they're trying to make? (It's not the Laphroaig tartan.) What does it say about who they are? About what they care about?

I'd like to know your knee-jerk reaction.


In addition, how can you tell whether this tartan is someone's first tartan ... or their fifth tartan?

Were you able to immediately recognize the tartan? If you don't immediately recognize the tartan, would you (ordinarily) spend time on the internet in order to figure out which tartan it is?

I'm not trying to be obscure. This is one of tartans I might choose for a fifth or sixth kilt (if I end up getting that many). It caught my interest enough that I previously took note of what it's called, who sells it, and at what price. But if I'm going to wear it, I'm rather curious as to what message I might be projecting to someone, like you, who is far more knowledgeable about kilts than the people I normally encounter.

[tpa]

My first kilt was made for me when I was 7 years old. I was given the choice of 2 family related tartans, Menzies or Anderson. I wasn't told about the other family-related tartans I could have chosen and as I didn't like the former, I choose the latter. With more colours than any other tartan, it was a little more dressy than I, preferring not to draw attention to myself, would have preferred. So now I have two, a modern and a muted, but both reserved for occasions as opposed to daily wear. I have less bright ones for daily wear. None the less the muted Anderson, my prefered variant, is showing signs of wear, such has been its use. (eg: little things like spending a significant proportion of a Christmas day, several years ago, repairing a leaking water pipe under the upstairs floor, whilst wearing it.)

[tripleblessed]

[QUOTE=Karl R;1370473]This may not have been your intent, but your statement comes across as extremely judgmental.

If I agreed with you on any of that, I wouldn't own a kilt. Given that Bluethunder90 specifically stated that he's not of Scottish descent, he's probably not choosing a tartan as an act of self-definition.

Out of all the possible statements my kilt can possibly make, the one that most closely represents who I am (and what I care about) is this:
[I]"If you're going to judge me negatively because of my appearance, then I don't care what your opinion is.QUOTE]

The question was asked here, not out on the street. It is a fact that those statements and sentiments are said here.
Not judgments, just what can be read. The question was what people here consider when choosing one's first kilt.
My intent was to be informational, not judgmental. It is almost never my intent to be judgmental. I certainly wouldn't
be accurate if I said it's never happened, but in nearly 72 years I've said many things that did not come out as intended.
Or were heard to have meaning that never entered my mind. I have spent more than half my life being asked for help
with finding ways to improve the quality of one's life. Forgoing judgment is pretty high on that list. I work at it. I'm
better than fair at it. Rarely met is the man who is perfect.

The OP stated he wants military tartans to reflect his service, indicating that he is taking symbolism into account in his
choice. He asks our thoughts. I offered some. You ask for my knee-jerk reaction to a photo that doesn't appear here
or by link, and yet the answer is simple. Like most people everywhere, I recognize very few tartans. Some folk here
know more than most, but there are thousands. My statement speaks to the that very fact - few will recognize any
tartan you choose, but you can count on being asked what tartan it is, and/or why you chose it. I think I can say with
a fair amount of certainty that many will have a judgment about your choice, rightly or wrongly. In that example, I am
betting those questions will arise. I clearly stated I am willing to support any choice one makes; I am advising clear and
broad thought should the choice be other than one's clan, district, or service affiliation. Some of the questions will get
old very quickly, but are easily avoided by careful consideration beforehand.

Should you care to look through the pictures from past Stone Mountain Highland games and the Conyers Celtic Tavern
gatherings and Burns suppers, you will will see I am much closer to your position on other peoples' opinions than you
apparently gathered from this one post. More clearly, I don't care so much what your opinion is, only that should you
choose to have one that it be based in some awareness of the relevant facts. I do have a willingness to discuss it with
you at great length, as long as we both can hang with it. My respect for who anyone is is pretty large, and I'm always
interested in how someone has come to be who they think they are, and how accurate their assessment is.

And note my close in the quoted post. I am (hopefully) clearly saying these are my own thoughts. They may not be
worth as much you paid for them, but they were offered in good faith, good intent, and good humor. If unsatisfactory,
I will happily refund as much of the purchase price as I can muster.

Should you make it this far from home, please let us know far enough beforehand to get a kilt night together. Others will attest to having had a pretty good time with us, and you'll find I don't bite. Or at least, not often. And not without appropriate foreplay.

[Karl R]

My intent was to be informational, not judgmental. It is almost never my intent to be judgmental.

Fair enough.

The OP stated he wants military tartans to reflect his service, indicating that he is taking symbolism into account in his choice.

Maybe, but there are other possible reasons for his choices. For me, the concept of "permission" influences my choices. (I realize that I don't need anyone's permission to wear any tartan in the world, but I'd prefer to be able to shut down any "kilt police officer" who believes that I do need permission.) The firefighter's memorial tartan looks awesome ... but I'm not a firefighter. I don't know any firefighters. I've met a couple firefighters in my life, but that connection seems a little ... tenuous ... for my personal preference.

Instead, I'll find some other tartan that I like equally well ... where my connection to the tartan can be a little more substantial.

If you think about his choices in terms of "permission," they still make sense. He's been a member of the army and navy. Black Watch is universal. And he's also asking about Laphroaig as a potential connection to the Argyll District.

My statement speaks to the that very fact - few will recognize any tartan you choose, but you can count on being asked what tartan it is, and/or why you chose it. I think I can say with a fair amount of certainty that many will have a judgment about your choice, rightly or wrongly.

Stated that way, I agree with what you're saying. People will ask. Have an answer. But to quote Rocky from USA Kilts: "Context." If I were the one wearing the Laphroaig tartan kilt, I'd be a little uncomfortable explaining my tartan at Aunt Barbara's funeral, or at a hoighty toighty black tie event. But if I was wearing the kilt to a pub ... no problem.

In that example, I am betting those questions will arise. I clearly stated I am willing to support any choice one makes; I am advising clear and
broad thought should the choice be other than one's clan, district, or service affiliation. Some of the questions will get old very quickly, but are easily avoided by careful consideration beforehand.

Heh. Did you look at Bluethunder90's avatar? I'm guessing that he's going to get far more questions that you or I do. They won't be easily avoided regardless of the tartan he chooses. And he's probably already prepared for that eventuality.

Kudos to him.

Should you make it this far from home, please let us know far enough beforehand to get a kilt night together. Others will attest to having had a pretty good time with us, and you'll find I don't bite. Or at least, not often. And not without appropriate foreplay.

I might take you up on that sometime, should circumstances permit. Where are you from?

[tripleblessed]

Fair enough. I might take you up on that sometime, should circumstances permit. Where are you from?

Atlanta area. If you pack tonight after work and start driving, you have time to get lost once or twice and even
catch a Laphroaig or three in New Orleans and still make it to Conyers for our Burns supper Saturday night. I'll
save you a slot for a Burns song.

Stray thought: how would your family feel about having Aunt Barbara's funeral at her favorite pub? That way,
your Laphroaig tartan would earn points for multi-tasking.

Oh, and you're right - many kudos to Blue Thunder. I would love to hear some of the stories he's gonna pick up
along this journey.