I've been interested in kilts for quite some time, and have been considering joining the kilt wearing fraternity for at least the last decade. Unfortunately, a number of factors - including the cost of a full set of traditional Highland attire, which (when I first started considering a kilt) seemed to be pretty much essential to wearing the kilt "correctly," kept me indecisive about acquiring and wearing a kilt.

Fast forward a few years, and the world of kilts has changed considerably, at least from the perspective of a potential new kilt wearer. Not only are contemporary kilts worn by all sorts of folks, including those with no Scottish connection, but well made tartan kilts with a relatively traditional look are available at quite reasonable prices in materials that are easy to care for. At the same time, it's become more common (at least from my perspective) to see traditional kilts "dressed down" and worn as casual clothing rather than as a more formal style of dress. (Thanks to Matt Newsome and the many others who've advocated tirelessly for kilts as clothing, not costumes.)

In spite of all these changes, I still might not have opted to kilt up if it weren't for the little April Fool's joke from the folks at 5.11 Tactical that went awry. I'm a huge fan of their Taclite pants for both work and personal wear, and the possibility of having a contemporary kilt made by 5.11 was just too much to pass up. Despite being almost certain that their introduction of the Tactical Duty Kilt was a joke, I joined the crowd of hopeful customers who registered on the 5.11 web site -- and was delighted when they announced that they would actually produce a limited run of TDKs.

After placing an order for TDKs, I decided that it was time to seriously consider a more classic kilt. I still couldn't justify the cost of a tank, especially since I wasn't certain that kilts would work well for me. (I'm not shy about wearing anything I like, but I wasn't sure how well a kilt would fit my body build, or how comfortable I'd find it to be.) Fortunately, after finding XMarks and doing some reading, I found Rocky and his crew at USA Kilts. Their PV, semi-traditional kilt was exactly what I'd been looking for. It has the convenience of easy care, along with a very reasonable cost and a traditional look. I wanted a tartan with some personal significance, and the Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial Tartan fit nicely. I decided to place an order.

I must say that I'm glad that I did. My first ever kilt arrived on July 30, though it took me a couple of days to arrange for a photo. The quality is excellent -- it's not a hand sewn tank, but for a machine sewn, semi-traditional, PV kilt it's very impressive. The fabric and construction quality are first rate, and the measurements are exactly as I specified. It's probably not traditional enough to meet the sartorial standards for a black tie event, but I think it'll work very nicely for anything less. Thanks to Rocky, and Mac, for making my first kilt one that I'm proud to wear!



Yes, the tartan flashes may be a little much, given the informal nature of the rest of the outfit, but it was time to show off.