Real kilt v cheap kilts - Edinburgh retailers

[Urchurdan]

I bought my two grandsons kilts at the lower end of the market. One of them loves wearing the kilt, the other is indifferent, wearing it only for football matches etc.
The older one went on to buy a good quality kilt, which he wears often.
So, I agree, there is a place for the lower end kilts, there is NO doubt in my mind there is a lot more kilt wearers here nowadays, so they do make a very valid addition to the market, allowing more people to purchase a kilt.
Also as many of the posters say, the ones who do enjoy the kilt wearing invariably go on to try and obtain the best quality garment they can afford.
I would only advise to go for quality over quantity, rather one or two good quality kilts, than a wardrope full of cheaper ones. You can only wear one at a time after all....

[NewPiperinNY]

I think thread title should be "TRUE Kilt V cheap kilts".

I don't own a 'true kilt'. The band I currently play for provided the one I wear. I have one that Rocky over at USA Kilts made, and it's wonderful. To me, it is a REAL kilt. Is it a true kilt? I guess it depends on the definition you use, but I would have to say it is. I have a Heritage of Scotland Kilt in the Irish National Tartan. Is it a true kilt? Well, it's OV, but it sure gets the job done.

I buy my jeans from Walmart and try to spend $10 or less on them. Are they any less real then Levi's or Lee? Nah.. just different quality... still keeps me covered !

[JerseyLawyer]

This is a discussion that will never have an end, so I will stay away from the exact issue of what makes a kilt a kilt.

I chime in, belatedly, on this point - several people have discussed the desire to "protect" their bespoke, wool kilts from harm. I think if you keep your good kilt in the closet to save it from harm, you're unnecessarily depriving yourself of the pleasure of wearing what, for some of us, is one of the few bespoke garments we'll have the pleasure to own.

Wool kilts are amazingly durable - wool is great for being hard wearing. Have you /seen/ what pipe bands do to their kilts? When I was competing, I wore the same kilt practically every weekend for the summer - and then there was March. ;p I wasn't exactly kind to the 9 yards of 16oz wool that draped my lower half. Pints were spilt on it. It got muddy. It probably got rolled up and thrown on the back seat a few times. It survived and still looks good.

So don't go out looking to abuse your kilt, but don't be a shrinking violet, either. By the time you wear it out, you will long ago have saved up enough money to buy a new "best" kilt and keep the second one for less spit and polish occasions.

Anyway, that's just my opinion, which, along with two bucks, will get you on the bus.

[MacLowlife]

My apologies to the non drinking kiltwearers and those who like their alcohol distilled. But my point is that good kilts and better kilts can be sorted, much as the sheep and the goats can, by comparison. Several people have referred to suits and trousers by analogy. We all know several derogatory phrases that include the words "cheap suit". Has that derision stopped people from making and wearing cheap suits? Not hardly. And some of the poor folk who wear cheap suits do not recognize how cheap they are until they stand next to a gent in a nicely made suit.

The kilt is pretty much the same way. If I don a two yard Acrylic MacTourist special, it may stir the memory of bagpipes in my heart and make me spout fragments of Burns. But once I stand next to a gent who is wearing a tank or a handmade box pleated wonder, I may feel more like Scrooge McDuck. And, should I be so misguided as to wear that MacTourist abomination into an establishment where better kilts are sold and then slip it off to try on something better, I might well leave the original on the dressing room floor, hoping nobody will associate it with me.

I know there is a rule regarding discussion of firearms, so I shall be careful. They say the best way to evaluate the condition of a P_______ shotgun is to look at it next to another one, because on its own, any one looks great. Only by comparison do the subtler differences become clear.

I once owned one of those functioning artworks made in Meriden Connecticut, but I would no more take it into a muddy field than I would throw it into the swamp. Lesser tools get toted into hostile environments, at least by lesser mortals such as yours, truly.

I do hear that Younger's is working on a detergent ale that will not only not stain your kilt, but will actually help you get it clean should some of it get spilled on you. Does anybody know how that project is going?