Hello North Scotland

[halfabee]

Hi all, I have been lurking this site for quite a while, and decided it was time to come out of the woodwork. So here I am. I have a couple of cargo pants/shorts conversions which I tend to wear in the summer or occasionally in the winter with ribbed tights( so cosy and warm). I also have and wear a lot, two kilts which are far more accepted than my cargo skirts.

[Grok]

Hello Please tell us about the conversions.

[Big and Bashful]

Hi,
I live on the West coast, have bought loads of skirts and wear them regularly around the village, when travelling and on holiday. Not at work though, I value my income too much to risk the possibility of skirting not being accepted.
In Glasgow the only comments I have ever had have been very positive, I get far more comments made if I put a kilt on, denim skirts are all but invisible it seems.
I was stunned in Rothesay when a women in a cafe noticed my knee length cargo denim skirt and that it was made for a man to wear, not a woman. That was until she said she was a seamstress! (That's cheating!)

Oh yes, Welcome to the cafe!

[RichardA]

Hi &

[skirtyscot]

Hello south west Scotland!

Can you be a bit more precise about where you are? We have a couple of guys from Aberdeen already. If you all met up there it would look like the start of something big!

Kilts do go down much better. It's a pity, isn't it? To most folk, a skirt is OK on a man only if it is knee-length and pleated. Do you let this put you off wearing a skirt or do you just go for it?

Have you thought about buying a skirt or do you enjoy the conversion work? I'd be hopeless at it.

I agree with you about the tights, they are at least as warm as tr**sers and so much more accommodating of the meat and two veg!

Keep on skirting!

[halfabee]

Hi skirtyscot, I'm in a little village 20 miles north of Inverness, which is great to live in but can be a bit overwhelming when you are not quite the norm. I wear my skirts when away from the village and as you say a kilt goes down so much better. I do enjoy making my skirts (for Grok there are a few mentions of converting cargo shorts/pants in the sewing forum. I have a wonderful wife who has helped me to use a sewing machine, but so far I have only done conversions. I plan to make a full length skirt from scratch, watch this space.

Big and Bashful. I think it Will take a while before the skirted male will be accepted in the highlands. Until then it will have to be my kilts.

Thanks to you all for letting me ramble on.

[Grok]

I have a question for the Scots participating in this forum. I understand that there is a company in the UK-Union Kilts-which has a line of nontraditional kilts. Have any of you seen these garments?

[Milfmog]

I have a question for the Scots participating in this forum. I understand that there is a company in the UK-Union Kilts-which has a line of nontraditional kilts. Have any of you seen these garments?

Not sure about the Scottish members of the forum, but I have a Union Kilt (black denim) and I'm fairly sure that Charlie also has at least one. They're OK but it is unlikely that I will buy another unless they are on offer. The kilt is much like a Utilikilt in appearance but when it comes down to the production quality and the quality of the fabric they are chalk and cheese with the US made garment being vastly better than the East European one. (Union Kilts are based in North Wales (not Scotland) but I believe all their kilts are made in East Europe, they certainly were when I visited some years ago.

I guess the Union Kilt is not bad value; I simply feel that the extra I spent on my Utilikilt (bought from the scratch and dent rack at a knock down price) was money well spent.

Have fun,


Ian.

[skirtingtoday]

Hi halfabee
Welcome to the forum from central Scotland. In years gone by, I have passed through your area on my way to Brora amd Helmsdale.
(I recall an old Monty Python song about half a bee...)

I have a question for the Scots participating in this forum. I understand that there is a company in the UK-Union Kilts-which has a line of nontraditional kilts. Have any of you seen these garments?

Grok,
I've not used Union Kilts but I do have a non-traditional kilt from thie e-bay shop
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/CARSE-OF-GOWRI ... 34.c0.m322

Reasonable price compared to traditional kilts - i've only worn it a couple of times, because MOH not that impressed, but I do like it and would wear it a lot more if I could. Wore it last night in fact - see personal stories for the comments.

[Big and Bashful]

Hi skirtyscot, I'm in a little village 20 miles north of Inverness, which is great to live in but can be a bit overwhelming when you are not quite the norm. I wear my skirts when away from the village and as you say a kilt goes down so much better. I do enjoy making my skirts (for Grok there are a few mentions of converting cargo shorts/pants in the sewing forum. I have a wonderful wife who has helped me to use a sewing machine, but so far I have only done conversions. I plan to make a full length skirt from scratch, watch this space.

Big and Bashful. I think it Will take a while before the skirted male will be accepted in the highlands. Until then it will have to be my kilts.

Thanks to you all for letting me ramble on.

Well in Scotland I have been skirted in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, Ullapool, Helensburgh, Tarbet on Loch Fyne, Rothesay and Inverkip. I have never had a negative experience while skirted, only positive comments and the occasional question. You definitely get more comments when kilted, i.e. questions about the tartan or about underwear, neither bothers me. I am happy skirted in my local boatyard and have walked through my village skirted a few times, even turned up to our real ale festival setting up session in a skirt (some good natured ribbing from friends). During all these trips, when skirting publicly I have been wearing denim cargo skirts, knee, calf or ankle length. That is because I like pockets and feel less out of place in denim. A mental crutch I suppose, I am wearing "a jean" rather than the pair of jeans I would otherwise have been wearing. In the local boatyard I have been seen wearing a Macabi, that has definitely caused some amusement to others, which I didn't enjoy much. The denim does seem almost invisible.

[skirtyscot]

Hi skirtyscot, I'm in a little village 20 miles north of Inverness, which is great to live in but can be a bit overwhelming when you are not quite the norm. I wear my skirts when away from the village and as you say a kilt goes down so much better.

Big and Bashful. I think it Will take a while before the skirted male will be accepted in the highlands. Until then it will have to be my kilts.

Well I live in a fairly small place (though bigger than most places north of Inverness!) and the advantage of bringing the concept of a man in a skirt to a small town is that word gets round PDQ, and after a while when somebody sees you skirted for the first time, they are not surprised. Instead you are merely confirming to them that the story they heard was true. Of course they still think it's a bit odd, but the trick is not to care about that.

As for skirts not being accepted in the Highlands, a few answers to that:
1 it's as good a place as any for people to be introduced to the idea!
2 it will take even longer if you don't get out there in your skirt.
3 once people get over the surprise, and realise that you are not trying to look like a woman but are just wearing something unusual because [enter your own reasons here - there are plenty], then they do accept it.
4 they are not accepted in Ayrshire any more than in the Highlands, but I don't let that stop me. If I can walk down the main street in Saltcoats and into the Buroo office in a skirt without any adverse reaction from the local populace*, I'm sure you can wear one in your village and live to tell the tale.

So put your skirt on, tale your courage in both hands, and step outside. If you go kilted for a while first, until everyone gets used to that, it might make the transition to being skirted easier for you and for them. But I don't know, I didn't do it that way, I just thought of it now!

* The worst that happened was a "Donald where's yer troosers" from a bunch of guys at a bus stop. I was in a kilt, not a skirt. The funny thing is, they seemed not to notice that I was wearing it with a pair of navy blue tights.

[halfabee]

OK I'm a scaredy cat, I do go out in my kilt occasionally which I find is more than acceptable, and I'm sure if I went out in a skirt, it too would be accepted, but I find I am in the same boat as most others in this world, in that a skirt is only worn by women. I understand what you are saying, and I wish I could be more positive, but I'm not. Maybe one day !!!!!!!.

#Skirting today, that song was the bane of my life a good few years ago, but hey, if you can't win......
Its a thinly disguised attempt at humour of my name.(As long you old enough to remember!!)

[Big and Bashful]

I was the same for long enough, don't worry, it'll come. Given time, a bit of a brave moment somewhere where it doesn't matter because no-one knows you anyway, for me it was a long car journey with pit stops. Do that a few times and you start to realise that the only person who gives a damn is you! You get used to strangers ignoring your skirt, you get less anxious about being skirted in more familiar surroundings.
I am now convinced that there are three obstacles to wearing skirts everywhere you want to, your brain and self doubt (I have almost cracked that one), a none understanding wife (Not a problem for me, I saw too many unhappy marriages and that cure me of any temptation to marry or co-habit), what's the other one? oh yes, work, I decided to keep my skirting away from work, I don't want to end my career because someone decides that I am a security risk because I don't conform to societal norms, that might not be a problem but I have chosen not to put it to the test, well not yet.

I must admit that I sometimes think it would be very helpful to have a supportive wife or friend around as a confidence booster, there are still places where I do not skirt. When visiting friends of many years down in Sheffield, I wear skirts to Sheffield, wear them around Sheffield but found myself changing back into jeans before turning up at favourite pubs or friends houses. Mainly because I don't have a large circle of friends and would hate to discover that they weren't as open minded as I want them to be. Again, this is me fighting my fears of rejection, probably completely unfounded. Now that I think back, I can't remember whether I have skirted in front of some of them or not, hmmm! Nothing is simple is it?

[Grok]

OK I'm a scaredy cat, I do go out in my kilt occasionally which I find is more than acceptable, and I'm sure if I went out in a skirt, it too would be accepted, but I find I am in the same boat as most others in this world, in that a skirt is only worn by women. I understand what you are saying, and I wish I could be more positive, but I'm not. Maybe one day !!!!!!!.

Probably why only kilting has been popularized in recent years. Why trying to sell new designs to male customers is problematic.

[Sarongman]

A belated welcome to you, halfabee. I am a member from Australia and have connections to the Ross clan. A thoroughly bloodthirsty lot, looking at the history! Though Sir Charles Ross Bar't., a 19th century Laird did invent a straight pull bolt action used, I believe by Canada in WW1. Maybe this is where I get my fascination with all things pertaining to firearms. This is on my mother's side, but I don't have the tartan. I have a Welsh tartan kilt in honour of my wife's Welsh connections. It took me some time to rake up enough courage to go out skirted, and now, if I go out trousered, I may get the remark "Where's the skirt?"