Great Kilt worn as formal attire

[tartanartist]

It is interesting, as I read back over some of the "disparaging" comments that have been made about my outfit I realize that many of them describe my personality. I am I suppose a bit theatrical, over the top, eccentric. I am also incongruent. Like many Americans I am an amalgamation of several cultures, ethnicities, and personal identities. Though I do have more recent Scottish ancestry, the vast majority of my Scottish ancestors lived in Scotland during a time when the belted-plaid was more appropriate than a wee kilt. That is not the major reason I wear the kilt however, I wear it for comfort, to attract female attention (specifically my wife), and because the kilt has evolved into a major part of my personal trademark over the last three years. Many people know me as "that crazy guy who wears a kilt everyday". It sets me apart from the crowd.

I would also agree with Woodsheal's point of "why not the great kilt". Many posts on this forum go into great detail about what is most authentic, the most traditional. There are countless posts about not wearing white hose or ghillie brogues because they are not truly traditional. Following that logic we should all only wear the belted-plaids or early box pleats with the earliest doublets and accessories. Now I am not advocating that we all return to purely historical clothing, on the contrary I am wearing a modern kilt as I type this. I am suggesting that kilt fashion is growing into a new modern global phenomenon, and there is room for new traditions and styles to be developed. So why not wear a great kilt with modern accessories? I did. I received many compliments when I did. There are things about the outfit that I want to changes. Things that I will change. The point is wear what you feel makes you look good and wear it with pride.

Of course you can take this all with a grain of salt as the only suit hanging in my closet that has trousers ... is a "zoot suit"! Given that, I may have proved your point that I am irreversibly on the fringe of society.

[Dale Seago]

So why not wear a great kilt with modern accessories? I did. I received many compliments when I did.

I've approached this kind of thing in several ways: wearing the feileadh mor in purely historical fashion, wearing it with more modern/traditional attire & accessories, and also with things like purely contemporary casual shirt, shoes, and cableknit jumper.

I've also gone in the opposite direction, wearing a modern tailored knife-pleated kilt to a clan society dinner (not mine, a friend's) -- with 1740s-cut jacket & waistcoat, a black lace jabot, and 18th-century reproduction buckled shoes. Everyone loved that!

But I've always been careful about how and where I did such things. Do I do this now? No, that was a phase some years ago. Would I hesitate to do it again if the whim took me? Not for a moment!

I'd say experiment all you like to gain your own sense of balance and proportion.