The Royal Mile

[OC Richard]

To me both of these look good. They appear to be "real" kilts, worn properly, with proper sporrans.

The comfortable jumpers and hiking boots don't look all that out of place to me, but rather practical.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

For Ted's benefit.



Here we have two men wearing Royal Stewart kilts, strolling down the street. Their backs are to us. One is holding a shopping bag. They are both wearing leather jackets. One has white hose, one has black hose. Aside from the white hose, I don't think there is much to critique about the outfits, but the chap with the white hose has paired them with red slip on shoes, which definitely make a statement!



Here we have kilted bar staff. They are wearing Rugby shirts which I assume have the name of the bar on them, so most likely uniform. They are all wearing the same tartan kilt, so again, most likely the pub uniform. The only issue is the kilts are way too long, coming down well below the knee.



Here we have a man in a kilt on the Royal Mile during a festival. He's dressed very casually, with an untucked t-shirt and no hose (or possibly scrunched down hose, there is someone blocking his feet in the photo so we can't tell). However, in contrast to this ultra-casual look, he's wearing a black fur formal sporran with a chrome cantle. It's the sporran that really looks out of place.



This photo is from a party at the Royal Museum. It's a bit of an eye-popper! The two fellows are both wearing kilts in the "rainbow tartan" which I think is one of the most unattractive designs ever made into a kilt (and I usually hold my tongue on such matters!). The sett size is tiny, the colors are extremely bright yellow, red, blue, orange, etc. It's basically just an assymetrical lining up of color after color, and reminds me of the brightly colored fabric one often sees in the craft stores sold around Halloween to make clown costumes. (Ok, Matt, tell us what you really think....) Sorry to rant, but I've always thought that particular design was just really hard on the eyes.

So anyway, both men are in this tartan. The one on the left is wearing scrunched down hose, a cream colored Jacobite shirt with hugely exaggerated oversized cuffs extending for what looks to be a good 10" or 12" beyond his hands, and some kind of a square cut long black jacket that extends down to within a couple of inches of the bottom of his kilt.

The man on the right is wearing the rainbow kilt and.... not much else except a pair of red shoes and head to toe silver body paint! (Oh, and a studded dog collar). In other words, this is not so much "Highland Dress" as it is "fetish wear." Moving on...



Here we have a fellow sitting on a bench somewhere on the Royal Mile, like he is waiting for someone, or just taking a break. He has on a Black Stewart kilt, a short sleeved pullover shirt with some kind of pattern on it (can't really tell from the pic), black shoes and short black socks, no sporran. He looks very comfortable and relaxed in the photo.



Here is a young man in full piper's regalia including a doublet, piper's plaid, hair sporran, diced hose and spats, enjoying a bottle of something or other in a pub.




These three men look like they are just coming out of some kind of formal function, perhaps a ball or an evening wedding. They are wearing kilts, dress shirts, waistcoats, formal sporrans, white hose and black ghillie brogues all. The jackets are gone, as are the neck ties. The collars are unbuttoned and one of them has his waistcoat unbuttoned, as well. Two of them are enjoying cigarettes, and they have their arms around each other's shoulders. The one in the middle is lifting his leg, can-can style, and the one on the right is lifting his kilt up revealing a bit of leg. Looks like three guys after a fun night just hamming it up for the camera.



Here's a fellow in a kilt lying down on some concrete steps, relaxing. He's wearing a pullover, black boots with scrunched down socks, and what looks like a plain leather sporran (hard to tell from the angle).



A group of men dressed for some kind of formal function. They are all wearing white popcorn top piper's hose and black ghillies. The man in front is wearing a black three button waistcoat (with a belt peeking out from under the waistcoat). His jacket is presumably on the back of a chair somewhere, I suppose. The two men behind him have their jackets on, though it's hard to tell what they are wearing, as the first man is blocking the view. Again, they look like they are hamming it up a bit for the camera.



This fellow is wearing a grey fleece pullover, semi-dress sporran and cream colored hose, scrunched down, with brown boots.

[GG]

We were in Edinburgh for almost 4 days total, and in that time I saw two dudes in kilts. One was a military personal at the Castle in uniform, and one was another American trudging up High Street towards the Castle. That's it.

The Scots don't deserve their kilts!

Greg

[Jock Scot]

The Scots don't deserve their kilts!

Greg

I can't help but agree with you, particularly the way the kilt is, too often, worn in such a sloppy way by some people. It REALLY upsets me to see the kilt worn like(most of) those in the pictures of Edinburghkiltie's.

I know there are those that say; "the kilt is only a piece of clothing", or,"its my kilt and I will wear it how I like",or "What has it got to do with you?" No doubt there are also umpteen other perfectly valid replies to justify how and why they are wearing the kilt so badly and of course they are right,.............from their point of view.

BUT they forget one thing! They just look damn stupid and, for what it is worth , that is my opinion.

Edinburghkiltie, I am not getting at you sir. You are only showing us what you see.

[Lyle1]

I can't help but agree with you, particularly the way the kilt is, too often, worn in such a sloppy way by some people. It REALLY upsets me to see the kilt worn like(most of) those in the pictures of Edinburghkiltie's.

I know there are those that say; "the kilt is only a piece of clothing", or,"its my kilt and I will wear it how I like",or "What has it got to do with you?" No doubt there are also umpteen other perfectly valid replies to justify how and why they are wearing the kilt so badly and of course they are right,.............from their point of view.

BUT they forget one thing! They just look damn stupid and, for what it is worth , that is my opinion.

Edinburghkiltie, I am not getting at you sir. You are only showing us what you see.

Sorry, Jock, but I think the young men in the photographs looked fine in their kilts, and they certainly don't look stupid! The posted photos show young men looking quite comfortable wearing kilts, and I did not see anything that I thought degraded the kilt. What I saw was another generation of men taking the kilt as part of their chosen lifestyle. They are young, and their lifestyle is very different from ours, much as mine was very different from my father's and my fathers was very different from his father's... Better that young men wear kilts in a manner that works in their style of living than that they not wear them at all.

[Jock Scot]

Sorry, Jock, but I think the young men in the photographs looked fine in their kilts, and they certainly don't look stupid! The posted photos show young men looking quite comfortable wearing kilts, and I did not see anything that I thought degraded the kilt. What I saw was another generation of men taking the kilt as part of their chosen lifestyle. They are young, and their lifestyle is very different from ours, much as mine was very different from my father's and my fathers was very different from his father's... Better that young men wear kilts in a manner that works in their style of living than that they not wear them at all.

Of course it is a matter of opinion and I hope that I have made that crystal clear. For me, I would much rather that anyone of whatever age would wear anything, I repeat, anything, other than the kilt, if they are going to wear them(the kilt) like most of those in the pictures in question.

[Bugbear]

Of course it is a matter of opinion and I hope that I have made that crystal clear. For me, I would much rather that anyone of whatever age would wear anything, I repeat, anything, other than the kilt, if they are going to wear them(the kilt) like most of those in the pictures in question.

I suddenly have a feeling of panic in the back of my mind, not being able to look at the picture. What's going on here?

[creagdhubh]

Of course it is a matter of opinion and I hope that I have made that crystal clear. For me, I would much rather that anyone of whatever age would wear anything, I repeat, anything, other than the kilt, if they are going to wear them(the kilt) like most of those in the pictures in question.

You remind me of my grandfather, Lewis H. Macpherson Sr., Jock Scot, and I sincerely mean that in the kindest and most respectful way possible. He, as do I, share the exact same sentiments as yourself. It's a good feeling that someone else out there, and there are many others of note, regard the kilt and Highland attire in general, as the finest national dress in the world (and should be preserved as such), full of old-school traditions and values that should not be ignored or forgotten-most certainly by lads wearing it in an inappropriate manner and fashion. I assume that they were never taught, or simply don't care too much about it. More than likely the latter takes precedence. Thanks for being who you are Jock.

Kindest regards and slainte,

[creagdhubh]

Sorry, Jock, but I think the young men in the photographs looked fine in their kilts, and they certainly don't look stupid! The posted photos show young men looking quite comfortable wearing kilts, and I did not see anything that I thought degraded the kilt. What I saw was another generation of men taking the kilt as part of their chosen lifestyle. They are young, and their lifestyle is very different from ours, much as mine was very different from my father's and my fathers was very different from his father's... Better that young men wear kilts in a manner that works in their style of living than that they not wear them at all.

Agreed to a certain extent. It's nice to see young lads wearing the kilt, but they should do the unique attire honor and wear it correctly. I am 28 years old, have been wearing the kilt since I was a wee boy at the age of 6. I was fortunate enough to have been taught how to wear Highland attire correctly, yet still given room to move around a bit and incorporate my own sense of style, flair, and fashion. I know my boundaries, and in my opinion, what those lads are wearing in the photos in Edinburgh, is outside of my personal boundaries, but again, that's entirely my opinion and I am by no means attempting to tell anyone how they should wear their Highland attire. Just know this, there does exist a proper manner of wearing it. There are many lads out there, both in the States and abroad, that know the proper way of wearing tradtional Highland dress. In terms of Highland attire, I respect these men and the time honored, old-world traditions that they are passing down to younger generations of kilt enthusiasts, and equally important, Scots of Highland origins. I respect them, because my grandfather and father have done the same thing for me, and I shall pass these traditions down to my wee bairns once they arrive in this beautiful world. You can't pass down a kilt worn with a football or a rugby jersey; you can't pass down a kilt worn too low with boots and grubby looking kilt hose; you can't pass down a kilt that its wearer really has no pride in wearing, which is indeed a subjective statement I realize.

My point is, Highland dress, more specifically its focal point, the kilt, is a living, breathing, tangible object that evokes such a high degree of passion, emotion, and pride. It is a very rare thing, and quite a surreal thing, to hold a kilt in your hands that is over 100 years old, and that has been passed down to you by your grandfather, and was given to him by his father. Not many chaps can speak of this, Jock most certainly can, and I know that there are others. It is a very special moment; undescribeable. Highland dress should be worn with pride and enthusiasm, but also should be worn correctly. That's my opinion with regards to the matter, take it as you will.

Slainte,

[xman]

You can't pass down a kilt worn with a football or a rugby jersey; you can't pass down a kilt worn too low with boots and grubby looking kilt hose; you can't pass down a kilt that its wearer really has no pride in wearing, which is indeed a subjective statement I realize.

With respect, I call balderdash on you sir. It is as easy for a misused kilt to be passed down and raised up by a respecting recipient as it would be for a cherished heirloom to be eventually abused.

It is a very rare thing, and quite a surreal thing, to hold a kilt in your hands that is over 100 years old, and that has been passed down to you by your grandfather, and was given to him by his father.

Anyone worth their salt would see such an item for its true value and never wear it lightly. I know if I had such a kilt it would only ever see dress occasions.

Just as the kilt was worn daily by all ranks in all manner of ways before proscription, so now do we lose at least some adherence to Victorian (dare I call it) dogma. What is, I think, important is that the wearer have pride in himself and wear his kilt with pride. Just ask a highland games athlete.

That's my opinion and I guess, like an anus, it stinks as much as anybody else's.