Men Without Pants: The History and Evolution of the Kilt


Forward:


Time now to cover yet another interest of mine. That garment that is associated so affectionately with Scotland….the Kilt! I will attempt, in the following paragraphs, to give a history of the kilt and how it has evolved over time. I say attempt because in my research, I have found many discrepancies and there is a lot of contention between Historians. I will give the different elements I have come across and relay some of these discrepancies.

But first, I wanted to throw out a few lines relating my own personal experience as one who periodically rocks a kilt. I had long thought about buying a kilt as a novelty and to have something cool to wear at Celtic festivals. But what caused me to finally take the plunge of acquiring my first kilt was the wedding of close friends of my wife and I. The bride is of Irish descent, the groom of Scottish descent. As such, they decided on a Celtic themed wedding and encouraged their guests to wear kilts. Of course, why would one spend good money on such a specialized garment just to wear it once? I decided if I bought one, I was going to get good use out of it. It has now become a part of me identifying with my own Celtic heritage (and Nordic as well, as we shall see) in addition to taking an interest in playing Celtic Music, a departure from my usual hard rock/heavy metal repertoire. I’ve gotten to the point now where I don’t reserve wearing my kilt just to Celtic themed gatherings such as Celtic festivals and Highland Games. I’ll wear my kilt when I take my wife out on the town. Do I get strange looks? Sure. But I also get a lot of compliments. It takes some getting used to. But if you own it and wear it with confidence, it actually exudes an air of intriguing masculinity. As a short framed middle aged man, I never get a second glance from young ladies anymore…..except when I’m wearing a kilt, much to the amusement of my wife! I’ve had young ladies wanting to take pictures with me. So if you’re a young single guy looking to be a chick magnet….kilt up!


But how do the Scottish feel?


Admittedly, I’ve never been to Scotland personally. But I hear that you’ll never see random men wearing kilts in the streets of Scotland. They tend to reserve it for formal occasions there. Will you offend a Scot by wearing a kilt if you have no Scottish ancestry? Individuals, of course, have individual opinions. But I’ve read various posts in forums from Scottish men, and the general consensus is that the Scots are very proud of their unique garment, and are more than willing and proud to share it with the rest of the world. In fact, when discussing kilts with famed Scottish Bagpiper, Anthony Byrne, he said to me: “Wear it whenever you can”. So wear it if you will regardless of your ethnicity. I will say “respect” the kilt, and learn how to wear it properly though.


In the Beginning…


There is a lot of contention as to where the kilt actually comes from. There are some scholars who believe the kilt initially originated in Ireland based on stone carvings that seem to depict men wearing kilts. But most experts argue that these garments are actually the Léine-Croich, which was a long tunic worn by Celtic men during Medieval times and has no association with the kilt. Another misconception many people have is that the kilt has been worn by the Scottish Highlanders since time immemorial. This is not true. The first known depictions of the kilt surfaced circa the 15th century. If you’ve seen the movie “Braveheart” with Mel Gibson portraying William Wallace sporting a kilt, this is a blatant anachronism. Wallace was long dead by the time the kilt arrived. The name is derived from the Norse “kjilt” which referred to a similar pleated, solid colored garment. At this particular time in history, the Norse and the Highlanders of Northern Scotland came in contact frequently through both raids and trade. So most scholars agree that the kilt initially came from the combined influences of Nordic and Highland dress of the time. That seems to make most sense to me. In any case, the Lowlanders of Southern Scotland considered their Highland neighbors to be filthy barbarians during this period, and wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a kilt. It was pretty much confined to the Highlands as far as the Celts were concerned. So the notion of it coming from as far south as Ireland would be highly unlikely.


The Feileadh-Mór or “Great Kilt”:


The first inception of the kilt was the Feilidh-Mór (there are different versions of this spelling) or the Great Kilt. This was simply a length of tightly woven, plaid colored wool that was 2 yards in width, and around 6 to 8 or so yards in length. The length would vary depending on the size of the wearer, and also the number and size of the pleats. The pleating so associated with the garment was, on the great kilt, hand pleated each time the wearer put on the garment. One would lay the garment out on the floor and begin to fold in the pleats, reserving approximately a forearm’s length on each end to facilitate the “apron” or the front of the kilt, which is not to be pleated. The wearer would then lay on his back on the fabric with the center of his knee at the bottom edge. He would then wrap the two sides around himself and secure it with a belt. Now this would seem quite a lot of hassle to go through just to get dressed in the morning. But it was actually a very practical garment. Remember, its 2 yards wide. So once the belt is in place, there’s still a lot of material left over above the belt. This was brought up the back and front and pinned at the shoulder. On hot days, the extra material could be just left to hang with the rest of the kilt. On cold, rainy/snowy days, this extra material could form a hooded covering against the elements. Also, if you got stuck out at night in your travels, the garment could be removed and used as a nice, warm bed roll. Check out this link of the guy demonstrating how to wear a great kilt. It’s actually rather entertaining. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CiS8oDbIxs


The Feileadh-Beg or “Walking Kilt”:


The Feileadh-Beg or “walking kilt” is the much smaller kilt that most associate with today. It came into the scene somewhat later, around the late 15th to early 16th centuries. At first, it was basically half a great kilt, donned much the same way as the great kilt, but without all the extra material up top. Very quickly, the Feileadh-Beg became a tailored item; cut to the wearer’s measurements and pleats permanently sewn into the garment. There is a legend that an English iron smelting factory owner by the name of Thomas Rawlinson invented the Feileadh-Beg as a safety garment for his Scottish employees. Granted, metal working in a great kilt with all that material hanging could be dangerous. So it is likely Rawlinson contributed a lot to the popularity of the smaller kilt. But there is also a lot of contention as to whether he came up with the idea, or if it actually existed before and he just promoted the idea to his workers. Whatever the case, the walking kilt was a much more convenient garment to put on if you were just planning to hang out in the village on a nice day or if you wanted to use it as evening wear for an event. The tailored kilt is held around the waist by leather straps on either end and buckles, held even more secure by a belt.


The Tartan:


The tartan, as most people know, is the plaid design of a kilt. Most people are also aware that specific tartans are associated with clans. There is also the misconceived notion, much like that kilts have been around forever, that these associations date back many hundreds of years. The truth is, clan affiliation to a tartan is actually a relatively new concept, really taking hold in the 19th century. Tartans were first associated with geographical location. Your tartan signified where you were from, not necessarily your family. It’s been postulated that even this occurred by accident. The story has it that kilt makers would only buy certain colors of thread for economic reasons. So when you went to purchase a kilt from your local kilt maker, it had a specific tartan. The next association would be with the military. In 1746, King George II banned kilts in an attempt to control Scottish subjects by removing one of their symbols of unity. The only exception was in the case of Scottish soldiers who were allowed to wear kilts, but only with the tartan associated with their regiment. This is where the famous “Black Watch” tartan originated. It was only after the repeal of this law in 1782 that clans began to be associated with tartans. The official registering of a tartan to specific clans didn’t begin until the following century. Today’s current official body of tartan registry, The Scottish Registry of Tartans, was actually established in 2004! Today there are around 3000, give or take, registered tartans. There are also different types of registrations. In addition to the clan registration, there are also district registrations that designate geographic regions, there are corporate registrations registered by companies, social groups, and sports teams, there are fashion registrations registered by clothing retailers who want excusive rights to sell their design. You can even design a tartan yourself and have it registered personally and declare you’re the only one allowed to wear it. There are many attractive “open” tartans that those who can’t claim a tartan otherwise can ethically wear.


The Rise of the Kilt (pun fully intended):


As mentioned in the last paragraph, kilts were banned in 1746. Prior to this, kilts were pretty much confined to the Highlands. Nobody else really had an interest in them, or even looked upon them with disdain. But in 1782, King George IV honored the diverse heritages of the kingdom and repealed the ban. In fact, on a subsequent state visit to Scotland, he wore a very lavishly adorned kilt himself. His successor, Queen Victoria, was very enthusiastic about the heritage of the Scots, and promoted the style heavily throughout the Victorian era. As such, the kilt became associated with aristocracy during this time. Even the lowlanders started to adopt it, and referred to their once hated neighbors of the Highlands as “Noble Savages”. Passive aggressive? Well hey, at least it’s something. Around the turn of the 20th century, there was a massive spike in popularity of kilts in Ireland. During this period, the Irish were growing increasingly weary of British oppression. This would lead to the Easter Rising of 1916 and would eventually culminate in Southern Ireland winning her independence. But throughout the initial movement, many Irish donned kilts as a show of solidarity with their Celtic brethren against the Anglo-Saxons. Unlike the Scots, however, the Irish tended to favor the solid colored kilt as opposed to the tartan plaid. Many Irish pipe and drum corps display a solid colored kilt to this day. That being said, there are at least six district registered tartans signifying the nation of Ireland that I know of. And there may be more. I haven’t scanned the entire Scottish registry. Meanwhile, through the early part of the 20th century, ceremonial kilts reached their highest point of opulence. Formal dress could include an over-adorned, oversized sporran (see below) made of horse hair that would cover a gent’s entire apron!


Kilts in the 21st Century:


As mentioned earlier, the Scotsman today will dress in the style of the modern western world on a day to day basis….ie….pants. Kilts are relegated to special occasions. But as the Celts have spread over different nations over the centuries, people of Celtic descent in these nations, such as America, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada love to express their heritage when they feel its appropriate, usually at various Celtic festivals such as Highland games or formal events. And even those with no Celtic blood are welcome to the party. Its unusual for one to not be able to find a tartan one can identify with. Almost anyone can find something like perhaps a sports team, a club affliliation, or many non-celtic nations have their own registered tartan today. And as mentioned before, if you absolutely can’t find a tartan to belong to, there are many “open” tartans you can wear with pride! There are some of us brave few who will rock a kilt as a fashion statement. This is often where the contemporary, or “utili-kilt” comes in. So named because, unlike a more traditional kilt, they generally incorporate voluminous pockets. They’re designed to be worn with or without the traditional sporran. They are generally of a solid color, though there are “tactical kilts” available in camouflage for the outdoor enthusiast. I tend to think of a traditional kilt as a statement of heritage, so I try to wear these as “traditionally correct” as possible and in an environment where I want to celebrate said heritage. Whereas the contemporary kilt is more of a fashion statement and can be worn however you like to random outings. Many youths such as “neo-hippies” and those identifying with the Goth and Punk movements will wear black contemporary kilts and like to adorn them with chains for an “edgier” look. I’m a rocker, and always will be. So I like to adorn mine with chains too. Some might look at me with my middle age spread, graying beard, and balding head and think I’m too old for such nonsense. But you know what? I don’t care. It’s my kilt, and I’ll wear it how I want. They can kiss my arse! I’m learning this wonderful cavalier aspect of aging from my father. And now I’m returning the favor to him as I’ve “handed down” my first kilt to him, which he promptly and proudly wore to McDonald’s (well, there is a “Mc” in the name).


But what about the ladies?


In old Scottish tradition, the kilt was considered an exclusively male garment. Women would wear a garment similar to the great kilt, sans pleats, called the airisaidh. But in modern times, like many other garments as, say, pants, the kilt has become unisex. There are rather fashionable women’s kilts available today tailored specifically to fit a woman’s anatomy. These range from the flirtatious “mini-kilt” to much more conservative hemlines extending as far as the ankles. Many purists refer to these as “kilted skirts” to distinguish them from the masculine kilt. But who cares. It’s all semantics. Again, for me it comes down to are you showcasing your heritage or making a fashion statement? Typically, if I’m wearing a traditional kilt at a festival, my wife will wear a more traditional style dress with a sash matching my tartan. But if I’m rocking my contemporary kilt out on the town, she can be seen on my arm wearing one of her “mini-kilts”. Is she too old for such a hemline? See the above paragraph for my opinion on that. I think she looks great. And remember, guys, she’s coming home with me! Seriously though, it’s up to her. Sometimes at a festival, she’ll go traditional one day, and modern the next, regardless of what I’m wearing, just to switch it up a bit.

                The Airisaidh
     
 

                   The Mini-Kilt: All Ireland 'Green' & New World Celt Tartans

      

                                              

                                               
The Big Debate…


I know it has to be addressed somewhere, Commando or not Commando? And by the way, how the hell did that term come to mean without underwear? Sorry, I’m digressing. This has always been a big question. Most have heard some variation of that old statement: “A true Scotsman wears nothing under his kilt”. How realistic is this really? Let’s examine it. Now, if you’re wearing a kilt, you might get a kick out of leaving inquirers guessing. But as I’m trying to be informative here, I’m going to try and shed some light according to what I’ve found. First of all, I have seen rumors that this might be an inside joke for the Scottish. Maybe, but you can’t believe everything you read, especially on the internet. And if it’s their big joke to the rest of the world, they’re not telling, and there’s no way to confirm it. All the other historical info on here I’ve crossed checked through numerous sources, so we’ll get to that. It seems that this notion stems from the fact that in old times, nobody wore underwear. Also, there is evidence that in antiquity, military regiments were required NOT to wear anything under their kilts. There is a legend that in a state visit to Scotland, Queen Victoria was reviewing a Scottish Regiment when a gust of wind revealed their…um….”weaponry”. Maybe that’s why she took such a favor to kilts. This is just another anecdote though. In reading what authorities on kilt etiquette and kilt makers have said, I’ve found that there is absolutely no basis to the “rule” that a man has to go sans underwear. In fact, one Scottish kilt maker said he finds the practice “immature and unsanitary” by today’s standards. So you might want to consider wearing something underneath out of consideration for the rest of us. I’ll say it here. I wear underwear under mine. In addition to the other obvious reasons, I’m not going to throw the kilt I paid good money for in the laundry. So I find wearing a pair of undies saves on my dry cleaning bill.


So let’s Accessorize…


Up top:


So what kind of shirt do you wear with your kilt? In a casual setting, pretty much anything that you think looks decent with your particular tartan. I’ve seen the classic button up shirt, polo style shirt, and T-shirts worn with kilts. I’ve worn all these depending on the occasion myself. I’ve seen athletes at Highland Games wear tank tops and even go shirtless while competing to show off their magnificent build. I have half-way decent upper body dimensions, so I’ve been known to wear a tank top with my contemporary kilt. But due to my enjoyment of beer, I’ll have to shape up the abs before I dare go shirtless in public. It’s probably best I leave that to the young bucks anyway. If you want to go for that historic swashbuckling look, you can go with a Jacobite shirt. For formal occasions, nothing beats the Prince Charlie jacket. These look great for taking your woman to an upscale, black tie event. Unattached? That’s fine. You’ll have all the ladies in the room swooning, especially if you accessorize it with a fly plaid!

The Fly Plaid:


The fly plaid is a square piece of tartan that is pinned at the shoulder with a brooch and hangs over the back. Historically, these were worn with the Prince Charlie jacket. As the Prince Charlie jacket is expensive, one would insert the fly plaid though the epaulette of the jacket, and the brooch would not be pinned through the jacket but used as an adornment. Technically, this is a formal accessory. But I have pinned mine to my Jacobite shirt with nice effect. That is "bending' the rules a little. But I do it to showcase the Forrester clan brooche my parents gave me.

The Sash:


Physically, the only difference between a fly plaid and a sash is that a fly plaid is square, whereas the sash is rectangular. It is worn across the chest from the shoulder to the waist. It can be pinned with a brooch either at the waist or the shoulder. Historically, a woman would wear a sash for formal occasions with her evening dress sporting the tartan matching her man’s kilt and fly plaid he’d be wearing with his Prince Charlie jacket. As the years have passed, however, men have begun wearing sashes with their walking kilt to give the appearance of wearing a great kilt. A sash could also be worn like a fly plaid if a man wants a dressier look.

The Kilt Belt:


The kilt belt is…well…a belt. It differs from the conventional belt in width, which is around 2 ¼” to 2 ½” inches wide. The way it fastens also differs from the conventional belt. The buckle is usually much more ornate.


The Sporran:


The sporran is that “crouch purse” thing that hangs in the front that the man in a kilt would carry things in. It’s an almost necessary accessory with traditional kilts as these don’t have pockets. A sporran is optional with a contemporary kilt with its massive pockets and these kilts are designed to look great without a sporran anyway. There are two basic types of sporrans; the dress sporran, and the day sporran for casual wear. There’s also a hybrid between the two. The dress sporran is usually adorned with fur and fur covered, chain suspended tassels. In our environmentally conscious world today, these are usually faux fur. If you want authentic fur, you’ll have to have one handmade in Scotland and pay several hundred dollars for it. You might as well save the rabbits. The dress sporran also incorporates a U-shaped metal “cantle” on top (or chromed plastic on cheap ones). Day sporrans lack the cantle, and are more of a conventional pouch design. They’re made of leather or imitation leather for the thrifty or environmentally hip. I enjoy eating steak, so I have no problem wearing leather. It may or may not have leather tassels. There is also the “semi dress” sporran which is really a dressed up day sporran. It may or may not be fur covered, usually has chain suspended tassels made from strips of leather. I own a dress sporran, but what I use as a day sporran would be considered a semi dress. I just think it sets off the ensemble a little better.


The Kilt Hose and Flashes:


OK, if it hurts your masculinity, you can call them kilt socks. But the technical term is kilt hose. These are socks that extend above the knee, folded down to about an inch or two below the knee. The flashes are the strips of cloth that are gartered around the top of the kilt hose, the garters of course, hidden in the fold of the hose so only the cloth strips show. These can be of solid color or tartan matching your kilt. Hose, garters….now I’ve totally emasculated you!


Footwear:


Again, in a casual setting, whatever sets off your kilt. Normally the shoes will be black in color. Black dress shoes work fine. Since I have a partially paralyzed right ankle, I have difficulty wearing dress shoes. So I’ll go with a pair of solid black leather tennis shoes. No one seems to notice, or at least they’ve never said anything. I did wear sandals with my kilt once on a hot Florida day. This was without the hose, of course. If you want to go authentic, though, score you a pair of Ghillie Brogues. At first glance, these look like your regular leather dress shoes. But they’re actually quite different. They’re made of soft leather with extremely long laces. The laces are to be laced up and tied around your calves.


Weaponry:


Swords:

For ceremonial occasions or for the avid re-enactor, a long sword such as a Claymore could be worn. This would be suspended at the waist by a leather shoulder strap. One can also wear a Dirk, which is a form of short sword or long dagger that is attached to the kilt belt. I’ve only worn a long sword once for Halloween. But I do have a couple of dirks to choose from that I’ll wear to festivals. Other than that, I tend to dispense with the swords so as not to make people nervous.


The legend of the Sgian Dubh:


The Sgian Dubh is a small knife. Sgian is Gaelic for blade. Dubh means black, but has a secondary meaning of “hidden”. History says that, in early times, this was a Scotsman’s concealed weapon, hidden under the arm underneath his shirt or in the folds of his kilt. Etiquette dictated that if one were to visit as a guest, he would relinquish his weapons to the host for the duration of his stay out of respect. But in times of unrest, it was unwise to be totally unarmed. It then became customary for the guest to retain his Sgian Dubh, but place it in his hose with the hilt exposed so as not to be hidden, again out of respect for his host. Over the years, this has become a part of traditional highland dress.

Like the sporran, the Sgian Dubh comes in a dress, and a day style. The dress Sgian Dubh would be among a man’s prized possessions. It would be carved of quality wood, bound in fine leather, and adorned with precious gems and rare metals. A true, handmade dress Sgian Dubh can be had today for upwards of $1000. A day Sgian Dubh is much less ornate, hand carved from wood or buck antler. A true day Sgian Dubh is therefore much more economical. I have a hand carved buck antler day Sgian Dubh from Scotland that listed for $100. But when I ordered it, I got lucky. At time, the dollar was at a strong cycle against the pound, so it wound up costing me $75. Is a dress Sgian Dubh a little rich for your blood? Yeah, me too. So economy dress Sgian Dubhs can be had that are made from polymer and chrome alloy with imitation gems. A costume grade Sgian Dubh can be found for as low as under $10. I ordered an economy dress Sgian Dubh from Scotland at the same time I ordered my day Sgian Dubh. I paid the same price for it as I did my day Sgian Dubh for the privilege of saying it was made in Scotland. But to be honest, the first costume grade Sgian Dubh set (it included two of different sizes) I bought at my first Highland games for $20 was of comparable quality to my Scottish one. Although I was able to have my economical polymer Sgian Dubh adorned in pewter with a Claddaugh setting to honor the Irish. So there you go. You might pay a little more for Celtic pride. I’ve since gifted the cheaper ones to a friend, and he wears them proudly. There are economy day styles as well.

Unlike the Long Sword or the Dirk, The Sgian Dubh is considered an essential item to complete the ensemble. Because of this, “safety” Sgian Dubhs are also available. They’re made to look like a Sgian Dubh, but without the blade for situations where it would be inappropriate to carry a knife.

Left to Right: Dress, Day, and "Safety" Sgian Dubhs

Photos:

Rockin' the Contemporary at a local classic car show on a Floridian Summer afternoon

Modeling the Contemporary with a dress sporran

The traditional look: All Ireland 'Green' Tartan with Jacobite Shirt and semi-dress sporran

My son is sporting the Black Watch tartan with a day sporran

At Disney Springs: The wife rockin' a Mini-Kilt in her maiden Armstrong tartan, My son is sporting the Scots-Irish American tartan.