Quote Originally Posted by M. A. C. Newsome
I think another factor is how the kilts are worn at festivals. I'll give an example.

The typical man you see in a kilt at a festival (and let's for the sake of argument just assume we are talking about a standard traditional kilt here) will have a kilt, a black kilt belt with a nickel plated buckle, a Highland or "Jacobite" shirt, some type of bonnet on his head with a clan badge, maybe a sprig of their plant badge pinned behind. His sporran may run the gambit from a simple day wear to a full mask sporran. I've seen some around here that are made from bear claws, fox masks, skunk tails, and all sorts of things. He may have a dirk, a sgian dubh, and/or a sword. And, of course, hose and some kind of shoes -- possibly those knee-high Indian moccasins that are so popular to wear with kilts.
We do 5 or 6 festivals a year... While I DO see people dressed like that out here (most of our festivals are within a 2 hour radius of Philly), that type of dress is most confined (and heavily worn) at Renn Faire festivals. They're all about getting "dressed up" in costumes. When we go to any non Renn Faire festival, the typical kilt wearer (INCLUDING me) is in:

Scally Cap
Black t-shirt
kilt
regular socks
combat boots
leather day sporran

There ARE people dressed up (pipe bands) and there ARE a few "Renn Faire People" there, but they are by no means the majority.

Also, another reason people don't wear a kilt every day... $$$$$. Would you wear a $500 suit out to the store? Would you wear a $500 suit to mow the lawn? Even at $120, our casual kilts aren't "cheap". That's like 4 or 6 pairs of Men's jeans! If people have to pay more than $50 for something to wear on their waist, they see it as "dressy" or "only to be worn on special occasions".

While I would love to see more people in kilts, I tend to agree with G Koch... people (in general) will do it / it will "become acceptable" when it becomes a fad. It'll become a fad when celebs (GUY celebs) start wearing them to red carpet type events... NOT JUST in a movie.

Until then, we're doomed to be looked at as accentrics. We're going to be "outside the norm". We're not the "run of the mill" type guy. We are alpha males who follow the beat of their own drummer. I say, if people want to follow our path, let them. If they don't, that's fine too... it's not going to stop me.