It’s a kilt or is it!

[lar4skirts]

I left a kilt with an alteration service recently. I discussed what I wanted repaired then the lady took my name & wrote Skirt alteration on the collection docket. I corrected her once & then thought It’s a skirt really as it was a modern hybrid style. If it was a traditional Formal tartan kilt I would have insisted on the correct term.
I stopped for lunch in a pub/restaurant a few years ago. I ordered my lunch & overhead the 2 young female waitresses say it’s like a skirt! I was wearing a khaki utility kilt. I thought that was a nice accurate compliment.
I had a more recent interaction with some members of a Theatre club I joined. I was sitting with a group of ladies when one of their friends joined them. It turned out He recognised me and said I probably bought some shirts off him many years ago when he had a menswear shop , but he wouldn’t have sold me a skirt. I was wearing a purple modern style kilt with purple long socks & Cuban heel boots. I didn’t feel the need to correct him even though it was a slightly obvious insult. I was wearing a skirt & I enjoyed wearing it & will continue to follow my own style. I’m

[Damon]

I took a lightweight kilt which my late wife made for me to be dry cleaned and pressed. The lady behind the counter said it was not as heavy as the last gentleman's kilt they had cleaned, so was it a kilt or a skirt. Perhaps I looked a bit annoyed because she quickly added. "Gentlemen's kilts dry clean and press are seventy five dollars. Pleated skirts are thirty dollars." I thanked her and said it was a skirt. She said she thought more men should wear skirts, and charged me thirty dollars.

[crfriend]

Perhaps I looked a bit annoyed because she quickly added. "Gentlemen's kilts dry clean and press are seventy five dollars. Pleated skirts are thirty dollars." I thanked her and said it was a skirt. She said she thought more men should wear skirts, and charged me thirty dollars.

For the WIN!

[Kirbstone]

Damon,
Your story saddened me. If your late spouse made that kilt/skirt for you she must have been on board and very supportive. I am sorry for your loss.

No point in forking out an extra $40 just calling the garment a kilt. Advantage Damon.

Tom

[Susie]

Maybe she was checking you wouldn't be upset if she classed it as a skirt?
Certain Scots can get very uptight about what you call that garment.

[Damon]

Thankyou Tom. It is almost 11 years since she died so I am more or less over it. We were close to our 50th anniversary. Yes she was supportive of kilts, nightshirts and things that had some claim to masculinity. In the 1960s there was a vogue for men to wear Kaftans, and she made matching kaftans for herself, me and our then 3 to 4 year old son. I wore mine to a couple of parties but mostly just around the house and garden. Our son was clearly hindered in play by the ankle length skirt, so she shortened his to above the knee and made him a couple of pairs or matching briefs. The effect was rather cute and Christopher Robin. In the Bentalls Department store in Kingston on Thames they were selling dresses for boys in the boys department. We ended up buying three. One was like an extended, belted polo shirt, another was a sky blue shirtwaister style and the third , my favorite, had a flared skirt and buttoned up the back and a belt that tied in a large bow at the back, pretty much indistinguishable from what girls wore. Our son liked them and rarely wore trousers, at least for about a year until someone told him that boys didn't wear dresses. When he was six we got him a kilt like mine. And that quite often led to me being ordered to wear mine when we went somewhere. We had a daughter two years younger than our son and there were times when she and my late wife wore jeans while my son and I were kilted.

[Tazzmac]

G'day all .... Re kilt or not ... I have just added another 'kilt' advertised as kilt in the past month to my collection . I have all bases covered I think .. Although I have only one 8 yard traditional kilt I do have about half a dozen 5 yarders , mostly Royal Stewart kilts that align vaguely with my Scottish family name I was told and some random wool or wool blend casual traditional style kilts. Also several utility kilts in khaki or cotton ,, A little while back I bought a black leather kilt on a whim from Pakistan ,.. It was cheap , the leather isn't that great (a bit stiff) not really that well made with the odd mis aligned stitch etc to be honest but I absolutely love it .. It's 20" ,a bit naughty I guess and such but so fun to wear . Was never going to buy another one .

Invariably every so often I browse kilts on EBAY etc and spotted a company in the U.K that sold leather kilts .. This was in late November . I saw this beautiful brown one very similar style wise the my cheap black one .. Couldn't help myself so I made an enquiry to the seller ...The price was impressive at 67 pounds which is 130 Australian dollars ..Custom made to order and the postage to Australia blew me away . Only 32 dollars ..The lady I corresponded with was incredible and couldn't be nicer as I organized the purchase ..

It took only two days to be made from payment , was posted within a day or so and arrived in eight days to my door ..Amazing .. It's beautiful .. The leather is really supple , stitching is basically perfect and the side buckles are really well done .. I had it made to 20 " and it fits my 38" waist exactly right ..This purchase from go to woah was a joy and restored my faith with EBAY ..

However re kilt or not ... The black one doesn't separate as such but it does have the overlapping apron to look like it does . It has twin right fastening buckles and belt loops etc , Technically it would be probably classified as a skirt . The new brown one though fully wraps around more like a 'normal' kilt with buckling that fully functions , studs fasteners like a utility kilt and belt loops .. A lot more kilt like despite a little shorter than traditional I guess ..

Final opinions of both ...Love them both for different reasons and equally fun to wear .. I have four months off work now and during our summer and while I'm on long service leave I'm going to enjoy these two and some of my others while I can ...With kilt or skirt.. Doesn't matter .. Cheers ...