Why you don't see Scots wearing their kilts often

[chrisupyonder]

I went into my local shop wearing my kilt last saturday and the guy behind the counter said "Whats e occasion". I said well it's weekend. So we got to talking and he said he would love to wear his kilt more often but at 3 to 400 UK pounds it was not for daily use in the shop. He said you can buy a good quality pair of trousers for 30 or 40 pounds. We then got onto the Lidl kilts. He said they were not bad for the price but not enough choice of tartans. He said most Scotsmen have a kilt, usually the one they got married in or for some other special occasion and are too expensive to wear except for very special occasions, so hang in the wardrobe most of the year.
My thoughts on this are... If kilts are to be seen as trouser substitutes then there should be a range of prices available and kilts makers would sell more in the end. You would not wear a £200 pair of trousers to dig the garden. You would have several kilts for various uses and a good quality made to measure for best, same as you do for suits and trousers. I want to see the day when you have complete choice of kilt or trousers in all price bands then we might see more men wearing them on a daily basis. I am sure you all have views on this. We have to set a trend here and get the kiltmakers to supply what the customer wants yeh!

[figheadair]

I'm with you in spirit but it won't happen for both economic and social reasons.

Economically it's a case of mass production, supply and demand. Cheap trousers are churned out by the hundreds and thousands, often in Asia or the Far East to standard sizes and in a relatively small range of styles and colours. One can't do that with tartan and kilts because of the huge potential variations in tartan and size combinations. If trousers don't sell then the retailer can move them to a different part of the country (UK) or even to Europe depending on demand. I don't see anyone wanting to hold stock for such a small market. Factor in the fact that general sizing will often result in ill fitting kilts that will then mean people feeling self concious and I just don't see the idea getting off the ground.

Socially I doubt that there is widespread demand across Scotland to wear the kilt much more often. Individuals yes but not the numbers that would be needed to make a retailer invest in stock.

The answer, find some cloth and make/get someone to make your own.

[Jock Scot]

A good question with a good answer.

[AKScott]

I agree about horses for courses. I have an Asian five yarder for running the barbeque, a tank on the way for my wedding, and my eye on an off the peg Black Watch from WPG for colder weather.

How much would it cost, delivered, for say a Stillwater in a universal sett to Thurso? The Black Stewart in "heavyweight wool" is US$130 plus shipping.... plus VAT in UK likely.

http://www.stillwaterkilts.com/heavyweightkilts.html

[Oddern]

The answer, find some cloth and make/get someone to make your own.

That's what I do. Here in Norway a kilt becomes quite expensive as there is 17,5% import tax on clothing pluss 25% VAT upon that. So due to that, I learned to sew my own kilts. Depending on where I get hold of material and to what price, a kilt will cost me about £100 to £150. Still quite expensive compared to pants.

Skål!

[Orthzar]

I am thinking that maybe a less traditional view of the kilt may be necessary to get investors/manufacturers interested in producing kilts in large numbers. Matt Newsome is doing a great job of showing that the traditional kilt is more than what they looked like in the Victorian court: solid color kilts, box-pleated kilts. 8 yards of knife-pleated tartan may be traditional, but it is obviously too cost prohibitive for businessmen to flock towards as a new niche market; housing is more profitable than that.

[Pleater]

Maybe a possible solution to the myriad variations of tartan would be to generate perhaps 6 or 8 tartans which bear a passing resemblance to many of them.

You could have two shades of red, of blue, a brownish, a greenish, a golden, a purplish - or even change the choice, have maybe four colours, and change them each year.

Once a certain number of kilts in circulation is passed, providing they are easily washable, a man would be able to acquire kilts to wear, with perhaps one 'wedding' kilt which would be his exact tartan.

The generic tartans should all be exactly the same set size, maybe 8 inches, and perhaps even have the same thread counts, so that the down time on the looms would be reduced.

Long runs would reduce costs for the weaving, though there might be an increased cost in making shirts, if the trend was for longer more substantial styles.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[M. A. C. Newsome]

If kilts are to be seen as trouser substitutes then there should be a range of prices available and kilts makers would sell more in the end. You would not wear a £200 pair of trousers to dig the garden. You would have several kilts for various uses and a good quality made to measure for best, same as you do for suits and trousers. I want to see the day when you have complete choice of kilt or trousers in all price bands then we might see more men wearing them on a daily basis.

I have to point out that kilts are currently available in a wide range of price points. You can get a cheap Asian import for next to nothing (you mention the Lidl kilts). Here in the US we have Sportkilt. Between those type vendors and Ebay you can find something for less than $50, if that is the price/quality you are looking for.

Then if you want to spend a bit more there are some mass-produced kilts (again, Asian made) that are of better quality. Stillwater kilts have some in the $100 to $150 price range.

Moving up from there you have some vendors having MoD style kilts reproduced in Asia for between $200 and $300.

Looking at USA Kilts, they have casual kilts in Poly viscose starting at $99. They have a style called "semi-traditional" starting around $220.

They also make wool kilts, as well. Many vendors offer wool tartan kilts. And almost all of them offer some form of casual or lower yardage option. These may be in the $200 to $300 range.

Then, of course you have you typical 8 yard kilt, which is often available in a variety of weight wools, which will run you anywhere from $400 to $800 depending upon the vendor, quality, and other factors.

Of course, the higher you go in the price scale, you can expect better quality. But all this is to say that you can, right now today, find kilts in a very wide range of price points.

[OC Richard]

I want to see the day when you have complete choice of kilt or trousers in all price bands then we might see more men wearing them on a daily basis.

That is already happening, in its own way, here on the West Coast of the USA. It's here that Utilikilts were born and I see them worn in public on a fairly regular basis.

Here in the States there's an entire range of Sports Kilts and Utility Kilts on up to traditional 8-yard handsewn heavyweight tartan kilts.

So not every price band, but kilts (of a sort) for under $100US.

(I myself only own traditional kilts.)

[auld argonian]

I suppose the definition of what is a "proper" kilt could be expanded to include the PV kilts, as Matt already mentioned, and five yard kilts, which I think are eminently practical for a lot of situations. I expect that in Scotland where, by all reports, one is likely to catch some flak for just wearing a kilt, one would get even more of a hard time if he was to show up in anything less than eight yards of worsted in their own clan tartan.

Best

AA