Scout kilt look for the world .

General discussion of skirt and kilt-based fashion for men, and stuff that goes with skirts and kilts.
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Tazzmac
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Scout kilt look for the world .

Post by Tazzmac »

G'day all This is the photo link I mentioned in Introductions https://pin.it/cK9VYY5... Not sure about copyright or if there is an age appropriate regulation for images because it's a photo of a young person so if the moderators reject it I'll understand but this photo is freely available on Pinterest's vast and diverse website ..

Kilts for the scouts were common especially during the early years and I believe jamborees etc featured scouts and scout masters wearing them . Not ever being directly involved in the scout world I'm not familiar with that these days but anyway this photo of the young man wearing what is probably a unisex version of the kilt is pretty cool for me . It might not strictly be an outright male garment but in the interests of practicality for active life , for fit , for colour and for overall look it nails it for me about how good the kilt/skirt can be.

What do others on the forum think ?
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Re: Scout kilt look for the world .

Post by Grok »

I think of kilts being knee length, as worn by men. I have seen images of women wearing something like a mini-skirt version of a kilted skirt.
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Re: Scout kilt look for the world .

Post by STEVIE »

Hi Tazzmac
Welcome to the Cafe.
My son, now an adult was a Scout from about age 4 to 16 and yes, he wore a kilt in relation to that.
He also has his own one now and wears it on a regular basis,
You should be aware that there is a lot of debate and controversy around the difference between kilts and skirts.
That topic can be found elsewhere so that can be left alone.
Scouts, have you shown that picture to any active adult member of the Scout Movement?
I'm certainly no expert and I have not examined the picture closely but I'd be wiling to bet that the kid's kilt/skirt is not part of officially approved kit.
The Scout/kilt connection has probably got a more martial connection but that is another topic too.
Now, what could be relevant is that Scouts like schools can be open to boys and girls. Any elements of any dress code should be open to anyone without let or hindrance and there is the rub!
The rules in the "Book" are not recognised by Societal Attitudes, they are more trumped by them.
"Kilts" and trousers only for males, anything goes for anyone else and that is what we are here to strive to change.
Look at the "interesting" video in Kilts Kilts, it is really very good.
Steve.
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Re: Scout kilt look for the world .

Post by r.m.anderson »

DAMN that is cool neat and a lexicon of other attributes !

Never forget that a kilt is a man's (boys - scout) skirt !
And YES there is replication of short kilts (women's mini-kilts) by SportKilt and others.
Leave it to the girls to see what all the hype is about boys in kilts - look what they
did to the pants !

Lad looks to be in a Thompson tartan that does justice to the tan scout shirt outfit !
Why shouldn't the kilt for scouts be short - scouts are active and don't need to be
inhibited by ankle length kilts/skirts in going about their work ?
They do it in shorts as well.

Browsing that LINK:
https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/893401 ... 3931&sfo=1
Click on the following - Boys Summer OutfitsGirly OutfitsCool OutfitsGuys In SkirtsBoys Wearing Skirts
"YES SKIRTING MATTERS"!
"Kilt-On" -or- as the case may be "Skirt-On" !
WHY ?
Isn't wearing a kilt enough?
Well a skirt will do in a pinch!
Make mine short and don't you dare think of pinching there !
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Re: Scout kilt look for the world .

Post by Tazzmac »

Another quite similar look from the same Pinterest site for photo's and ideas etc ....

https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/893401644803409054/ This of course is a very set up shot but it still looks like a more contemporary way for skirt kilt garments with males in mind if almost to the knee traditional lengths put off potential new kilters ..How it was explained to me many years ago in regard to male and female kilts was this . A male kilt should buckle on the right , female to the left . This one definitely goes to the left .. That said my own Mountain Hardware kilts are labelled as Men's/Homme's on the garments but they buckle to the left so that 'rule' may not necessarily apply ..For the sake of it I'll call this kilt /skirt possibly a unisex one eh...

Even though my kilts for hiking/bushwalking are not quite as short in relation to the knee , they are a good bit over the knee and for my purposes that is great ..I do wear a more traditional 24" drop too . Not confined to a particular length ....I have no problem with a more 'mini' style kilt for blokes if it works for them ... The 'traditionalists' can mind their own business if you ask me ... cheers...
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Re: Scout kilt look for the world .

Post by Dust »

STEVIE wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 3:45 am Scouts, have you shown that picture to any active adult member of the Scout Movement?
I'm certainly no expert and I have not examined the picture closely but I'd be wiling to bet that the kid's kilt/skirt is not part of officially approved kit.
The Scout/kilt connection has probably got a more martial connection but that is another topic too.
Now, what could be relevant is that Scouts like schools can be open to boys and girls. Any elements of any dress code should be open to anyone without let or hindrance and there is the rub!
The rules in the "Book" are not recognised by Societal Attitudes, they are more trumped by them.
Old Eagle Scout here... Been away from it for a while, so things may have changed, but still...

In the US, boy scouts and girl scouts have been two separate organizations, all the way to the national level, going way back. No connection (and the sometimes fight in the courts), so this can't be a matter of "he grabbed the girl's uniform part". Their may have been a green skirt for female adult leaders, but nothing like that. The only exception back when I was in was a group called "Venture" or something (it's been a while) for late teens (maybe early twenties as well) that was open to girls, but was sort of it's own thing but under the Boy Scouts of America national somehow. I was never a part, and never really knew anyone who was, so who knows. I think they tried to open boy scouts to girls, but I haven't kept up.

Anyway, despite national organizations, it is somewhat localized in how it operates. The first troop I was in basically told the guys to wear the uniform shirt with whatever pants they want (usually jeans). Later, we moved, and my new troop insisted on the official green scout pants for some things. They were overpriced and uncomfortable (some of the worst I've ever worn), and it took me years before I started wearing green on my lower half again.

Funny story, in that first troop, an adult leader got up to explain this policy once and said something about the uniform shirt being required for some event, but "pants are optional." A moment later he corrected this to the color of your pants being optional.

The official pants now come in some better designs and fabrics from what I've heard, but as far as I know, any allowance of kilts or whatever is being done at the local (individual troop) level. I've heard of troops where a lot of the boys wear them, but I don't think I've ever seen kilts with the uniform in person anywhere.

If anyone have more current experience, I'm all ears.
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Re: Scout kilt look for the world .

Post by STEVIE »

As far as I am aware all Scout units in the UK are open to males and females.
The kilt wearing was usually kept for special occasions or when they were travelling as a group, particularly outside the UK.
It was never part of the overall uniform and I honestly doubt that it ever will be.
The option can be there but the kids themselves will decide.
Policy and lawmakers can make things as free and easy as they please but it is society which and by whom these freedoms can really be enjoyed.
Steve.
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Tazzmac
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Re: Scout kilt look for the world .

Post by Tazzmac »

Found this guys .... https://store.stillwaterkilts.com/scoutkilts.html .. Not sure how used this site is these days but even so the scout crew obviously still have uses for kilts , flashes and all sorts of accessories for what happens ceremonial or not . A kilt IS by any definition a skirt and in dictionaries it is often explained as "a short pleated skirt for men" and other similar descriptions depending on which dictionary you read .
It has a proud history in our military and including being fought in . It has educational background and some schools have the kilt (skirt) as part of ceremonial or even daily wear .

Our overarching and somewhat disjointed view of a garment for males that doesn't have a divided crotch astounds me at times . I cannot for the life of me see why it needs to be an issue if Joe Blow decides to wear an undivided lower garment . Way way too many sheep mentality people are brainwashed into thinking a bloke wearing a kilt or skirt are oddballs or unhinged . Thankfully not everybody quite obviously with so many switched on folk not least on these forum pages .

I live in a town of about 1000 people and I know for certain that if I decided to walk down the street in one of my kilts I'd be ' a "weirdo" because the narrow minded view is that here .. My kilts are used for a specific purpose for bushwalking and hiking and occasionally with a friend who is similar to me .

When I found these pictures albeit not of actual scout kilts actually worn by scouts for ceremonial or not uses I just thought that these are young folk could be enjoying the liberation a kilt/skirt provides whenever they like as should be in a modern world .

Whether a person chooses to wear a kilt or skirt or not and so long as it' acceptable length and design , is tasteful and fits correctly it surely should not be an issue for the non wearers or wearers alike . Not that simple of course though . I often wonder if a restricting term we often use has a little to do with all this ..POLITICAL CORRECTNESS...

Ironically for long periods of human recorded history skirts have been the usual type of clobber blokes wore until breeches became fashionable generally ..I'd guess that fashion is really the issue and it's become politically correct and accepted by society for males to wear long trousers /short trousers especially over the past few hundred years mostly in western society .. Otherwise though many cultures see men wearing skirts to this day with impunity .. Even more ironically we (Western world) espouse freedom and freedom of choice in our democracies without persecution as a key point of living in the West. Maybe legally that's the case in regard to clothing but not perhaps so much in reality just yet . Not for me anyway .

On a dedicated kilt forum I've been on I've said more than once it'd be great on a warm Saturday morning to roll out of bed and grab a shirt a nice kilt and etcetera and chuck them on and go somewhere without anyone batting an eyelid at me .. In small towns with a narrow perception brainwashed in that is a long way off unfortunately so I don't do that , Wish I could .

The photo links I posted are a idealistic view not a realistic one . So if a young man could choose to wear a kilt / mini kilt/ skirt at some time in the future and experience the joy that it allows it'd be great . Even if it's only via a scout troop here and there to start with ..

Sorry guys but rant is now over ... Cheers ...
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Re: Scout kilt look for the world .

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Just an additional comment to add to my 'rant' and apologise off topic and nothing to do with scout kilts etc but .. There was once this very liberal woman living in a very remote place overlooking the coast many kilometres from where I live . She had travelled extensively and had seen a lot. One Sunday afternoon I decided very late to take my dogs for a walk . It was very hot so I chose that place which was really shady .. It was around 32C when I left .. All day at home I'd been wearing one of my khaki shorter kilts and decided to leave it on .. We'd been walking for about 20 minutes and was almost ready to return to the car when Ann , the lady appeared around a sharp corner ..It'd been a while since anybody had seen me dressed in a kilt so I was nervous as she saw me .. No point doing anything but say G'day .. She was my mum's respite care nurse many years earlier and got to know her a bit during that time before Mum eventually passed away.

. Once she got over the initial point that I had a 21" hem kilt on that was pretty obvious we just said G'day and started talking .. Couldn't hold out forever though and she said "Love your skirt Rod " with a big smile on her face .. I genuinely think she meant it too.. Still do many years on ., After talking for a few minutes and the dogs getting restless we parted and I'm sure she felt good as did I .. Methinks the ladies generally don't mind a bloke in a kilt as I've often read and heard . At the time I would have been in my late 40's and she would have been in her mid 60's and recently retired as she mentioned that day . Great lady and helped Mum a lot a couple of decades earlier ..

Sadly I never saw her again . A few years ago I heard she got very sick quickly and passed away but that chance meeting I'll always remember . Cheers..
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Re: Scout kilt look for the world .

Post by FLbreezy »

I've been out of (USA) Boy Scouts for about 6 years now but there was some precedent for MacLaren tartan being in the uniform, but it was pretty rare and probably a local thing. One of the nearby towns was named Dunedin and the local high school marching band all wore kilts and had a bagpipe section. I think at least one of the boy scout troops from there may have had kilts as part of the "Class A" uniform. Female scout leaders had the option of wearing regulation pants or a skirt, but pants seemed to be the preferred choice. A few of us scout leaders talked about getting a utilikilt in the appropriate olive drab color but I don't recall anyone ever wearing one.
Tazzmac wrote: Sun May 22, 2022 12:51 am On a dedicated kilt forum I've been on I've said more than once it'd be great on a warm Saturday morning to roll out of bed and grab a shirt a nice kilt and etcetera and chuck them on and go somewhere without anyone batting an eyelid at me .. In small towns with a narrow perception brainwashed in that is a long way off unfortunately so I don't do that , Wish I could .
I moved to a small town rural area and in the year I've lived here my few neighbors have only seen me wearing a kilt or skirt...they probably think I'm a bit different in the head but they're all still friendly. I decided not to let my fear of other people's opinions get in the way of me living my life the way I want. I hope that you can find some similar tolerance where you live!
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Re: Scout kilt look for the world .

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by FLbreezy » Mon May 23, 2022 10:26 am

Female scout leaders had the option of wearing regulation pants or a skirt, but pants seemed to be the preferred choice. A few of us scout leaders talked about getting a utilikilt in the appropriate olive drab color but I don't recall anyone ever wearing one.
Tazzmac wrote: ↑Sat May 21, 2022 6:51 pm
On a dedicated kilt forum I've been on I've said more than once it'd be great on a warm Saturday morning to roll out of bed and grab a shirt a nice kilt and etcetera and chuck them on and go somewhere without anyone batting an eyelid at me .. In small towns with a narrow perception brainwashed in that is a long way off unfortunately so I don't do that , Wish I could .

I moved to a small town rural area and in the year I've lived here my few neighbors have only seen me wearing a kilt or skirt...they probably think I'm a bit different in the head but they're all still friendly. I decided not to let my fear of other people's opinions get in the way of me living my life the way I want. I hope that you can find some similar tolerance where you live!
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Hola Tazzmac and FLbreezy; thanks for some flashback memories. In my scouting days in Florida many many years ago -- there was no co-mingling of Boys and Girl Scouts --the Brownies were about all that was, and skirts were a norm for them in the 'big' city of Mt. Dora. When we moved to Dunedin, still mostly just a spot next to the open sand I may have even followed Jim's preference without notice, but kids were forgiven most faux pas! However, just a decade ago I did wander about much of Tasmania in a skirt, and plenty of those burgs were not all that big, with no consequences known to me -- so Tazzmac, if indeed that is your home stomping ground, just head out -- you'll be pleasantly surprised. OR -- head down to the MONA, there ain't nothing you can wear there that will :shock: anyone--in fact, you'll be lauded as part of the in thing, or the exhibit! :)
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Re: Scout kilt look for the world .

Post by Tazzmac »

MONA eh... What a place .. And the Ferry Cat trip too.. and Hobart in general . Don't go too often but enjoy it when I do ..I will one day wear my kilts more publicly but until then it has to be extremely cold before I don't wear a kilt bushwalking and that's all the freedom I want just now . I no doubt will say "Why didn't I do this sooner " when I eventually go more public but that will happen when my work days are over and when I can truly take daily kilt wear on . I look at it this way . So long as you can enjoy a kilt a bit of the time , that's better than not at all .
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Re: Scout kilt look for the world .

Post by STEVIE »

Tazzmac
I have been around for quite a while and "letting rip" when necessary is most beneficial.
My stance, unlike some of our learned patrons, has always been move at your own pace in skirts or kilts.
The way I see it is that unless you are wholly at ease in whatever garment, the cause of fashion freedom will not be advanced by your forcing yourself.
Nobody else walks in your shoes, kilt, dress or fluorescent rainbow tutu.
Have Fun!
Steve.
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Re: Scout kilt look for the world .

Post by 6ft3Aussie »

Tazzmac wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 10:58 pm MONA eh... What a place .. And the Ferry Cat trip too.. and Hobart in general . Don't go too often but enjoy it when I do ..I will one day wear my kilts more publicly but until then it has to be extremely cold before I don't wear a kilt bushwalking and that's all the freedom I want just now . I no doubt will say "Why didn't I do this sooner " when I eventually go more public but that will happen when my work days are over and when I can truly take daily kilt wear on . I look at it this way . So long as you can enjoy a kilt a bit of the time , that's better than not at all .
Mona.... Oh yes. That was probably the most bizarre place I have been to, and wearing a kilt or skirt there you'd not even be noticed.
The grounds above are really nice too.

When I was around Hobart at the end of November last year I was doing a job and the opportunity to wear a skirt or kilt just did not present itself.
BTW I like the Hobart Brewing Company down by Hobart port. We had the pleasure of sinking a few there on the Friday after we finished our job.
We were getting the on-board communications system working properly on board the Nuyina icebreaker ship that will service the Australian Antarctic division.
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Re: Scout kilt look for the world .

Post by skirted84 »

That's a skirt not a kilt. Length, fullness (lack of) and fringe on the left all show it's not a kilt. Obviously it should be acceptable for boys to wear equally to girls but it can't be considered a boys kilt if that's what they wanted.
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