Proud (and happy) to wear national highland dress?

[MacThomas]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxJGCqPakck

Is it that popular to wear it in Scotland among youths? If so in which circumstances?

Please let us know Scottish members of the forum!

[Jock Scot]

Getting more so I think. I think a combination of a new National awareness, combined with cheap kilts(mainly) and attire that suit the youngsters' pockets has increased daily kilt wear on a very casual style basis. It could, I suppose, be just one of those fashion phases that occurs from time to time. Hardly THCD though and I am not saying, that kilts are regular day attire for the masses either.

I have occassion to attend a university graduation ceremony every year(in a minor capacity) and it is quite noticable that more kilts are now being worn by the graduates(still a minority). It is also noticable, within that minority, that there are three distinct groups of kilt wearers at the function, those that hire their kilts and attire(the majority), those that have their own attire, but live outwith the Highlands and those that have their own attire and do hail from the Highlands(the minority). Not a sure fire bet of an observation , but pretty close, I would say.

[Phil]

The only time I see young people in kilts is if there is an International on (Rugby or Football) although if there is a wedding on they will mostly be kilted there too.
On nights out kilts are never to be seen, likewise at work or day to day wear.

[Kiltedjohn]

Kilt-wearing is very popular among football and rugby supporters at national team games. Other than that, kilt-wearers are rather few and far between - a disappointment to people like myself who like wearing a kilt.

[OC Richard]

there are three distinct groups of kilt wearers at the function, those that hire their kilts and attire (the majority), those that have their own attire, but live outwith the Highlands and those that have their own attire and do hail from the Highlands (the minority).

Very interesting Jock!

Especially that the kilt-hirers are still in the majority.

When I started wearing kilts here, in the 70s, kiltwearing was still very much the domain of the Scottish community here. Whether you did Scottish Country Dancing, or played in a pipe band, or were a member of a clan, the older generation running everything were Scots who had immigrated here in the years following WWII. The young people involved in these Scottish activities were often the children of these people, in other words 1st generation Americans.

Everyone owned their kilts; the only way to wear a kilt was to buy one.

So, it was an eye-opener when my wife and I travelled around Scotland in the 1980s. We stayed at people's homes (the Scottish-style B&Bs) and we saw time and again framed photos on the walls of wedding parties with all the men in kilts. When I asked about it I was told that everyone hired kilts for weddings; none of the people in any of these photos owned kilts. This was a new and very strange concept for me!

I came away with the feeling that 'everybody in Scotland wears kilts, but nobody owns kilts' which of course is a gross overstatement but reflects the reality of our small sample size.

So it's interesting to hear that such people are still, perhaps, in the majority.

[Jock Scot]

OCR.

Another observation I take from these graduation events, is that very few of the families and friends attending the event to celibrate their offspring's success, wear the kilt either. In fact, I cannot recall any from that group wearing the kilt. Apart from me........

[tulloch]

Nice video! I like to think I might have had a little to do with pushing the popularity. For twelve days in August I trekked all about Glasgow never wearing pants. What a wonderful place. What a wonderful time!

[English Bloke]

At my wife's graduation ceremony in Carlisle 2010. Not just the only kilt at the party but the only kilt in town, not surprisingly... It is in Englandshire.

[mookien]

Jock and English Bloke: Lovely pictures. Thanks.

John

[MacThomas]

Hope you have appreciated this thread