Women's kilts

[mushroom]

A few days ago, I went o a Thrift Shop type store and found 2 kilt like garments in the women's department. They are not true kilts but they look authentic accept for the fact that they are much longer. One is a poly-viscose knife pleat and the other is a box pleat wool. Both are very comfy and will work well in cooler weather except the wool one needs something underneath to prevent itching. I am really anxiuos to wear them in the proper setting but need some advice... Any help would be welcome... thx in advance.

[Butterfly Bill]

Exactly what kind of advice are you looking for? What kind of setting? They sound good enough to be worn with a suit coat in the place you would wear a suit, and you probably don't want to work on your car in them. You've already said that you will need a slip.

[mushroom]

Wear these ... Will I look like some kind of moron or someone who is in the forefront of male fashion .... I don't know

[Since1982]

All I know, is that tartan plaid material worn by women in Scotland for normal daily usage is always in the sewn form of a skirt, not wrapped like a kilt, true it's pleated and usually mid-calf and might have the clan tartan of the clan she belongs to but what she's wearing is an actual skirt, not a kilt.

Having said that, I also must point out that at some Highland Festivals in North Carolina or other same area states in the USA many female dancers that dance to Scottish Reels as a troupe DO wear regular length and style kilts. Usually not in a traditional tartan tho. Mostly combinations of yellow or green with a rudimentary thin length of cloth over the shoulder to the waist in a diagonal way to infer the look of a Breacan.

[Butterfly Bill]

When I was at the Scottish Festival in Tulsa last year, a lot of the vendors had wool plaid kilts in two lengths, one the traditional at the knee length of a male kilt, and the other ending about a third of the way up the thigh from the knee, moderately mini length, that that was intended for women.

[crfriend]

Should I, or should I not, wear these ... Will I look like some kind of moron or someone who is in the forefront of male fashion .... I don't know

You're the only one that can answer that question as none of us have seen images of the skirts in question. My impression is that I'd treat the garment as skirts, and put together the overall "look" you want to achieve based on that fact.

Kilts are highly specific garments when it comes to male wearers -- so much so that they almost qualify as "costume"; women can, and do, get away with pretty much anything that's pleated and may (or may not) be fastened in front with a kilt-pin. So, a man can't just toss on a "woman's" kilt with the standard kilt fare and have it work.

So, in short, my advice would be to think carefully about the look you're going for, and pick your accoutrements carefully. It's the overall look that's important, not the specific notion of wearing a skirt. Rummage through your closet whilst either wearing the skirt or having the skirt lying on the bed, and pick things that look good with it, and which wll look good on you. A suit-coat might look good if the colour and length "work"; I, personally, have very good luck with vests.

[binx]

If you can shorten it to knee length, it may pass for a kilt by most.

binx

[Steven]

When I was at the Scottish Festival in Tulsa last year, a lot of the vendors had wool plaid kilts in two lengths, one the traditional at the knee length of a male kilt, and the other ending about a third of the way up the thigh from the knee, moderately mini length, that that was intended for women.

True traditional female Kilts came to the mid calf.

Steven

[RichardA]

Woman can't wear a kilt, tartan skirt yes, but never, never a kilt

[Milfmog]

Woman can't wear a kilt, tartan skirt yes, but never, never a kilt

Says who? The same guy who says a man can't wear a skirt? I'm sorry to be blunt but that's just hogwash!!!!

If you are arguing that the same garment can not be called a kilt if worn by a woman, then please add a smiley ‘cos you must be taking the mick and I missed it. Ignoring the semantics of name: many Highland and celtic dancers of both genders wear kilts, a Google image search for highland dancer or celtic dancer will turn up thousands of images like this.

I accept that for traditional, formal wear, women do not usually wear kilts but then men do not wear skirts for traditional formal wear (or do they??? No need to answer that Skip ) Ask a kilt maker about a kilt for a female dancer, he will have no problem at all with it.

Have fun,


Ian.

[ChrisM]

I have several just-below-the-knee tartan skirts. 99% of people will process them as kilts, and try to strike up conversations about your Scottish heritage and so forth.

I have never had anyone 'call me out' and say 'that's a skirt, not a kilt.'


Chris

[Departed Member]

Mmnn, I totally agree with Richard A. Ladies wear 'kilted skirts', NOT Kilts (except as a costume/uniform for highland dancing or piping). A kilted skirt is not constructed in quite the same manner as a Kilt (as it is desiged to take into account the different shape!), cross right over left, and the length can be from 'below the knee' to the ankle. Hockey (& netball) skirts (well, the kilted variety) also cross right over left, but have enough latitude to suit either male or female profiles.

[AMM]

...Kilts are highly specific garments when it comes to male wearers -- so much so that they almost qualify as "costume"; women can, and do, get away with pretty much anything that's pleated and may (or may not) be fastened in front with a kilt-pin....

I would say that whether it counts as a kilt depends on who you talk to.

There are "kilt fascists" who will tell you that anything that isn't like their idea of 19th century kilt fashion isn't a kilt. Like, it has to be a registered tartan, and in 100% wool (maybe even Scottish wool), with the right number of pleats, hand-made, with the right jacket, sporran, etc.

Some will tell you that you have to have Highland Scots ancestry before you're allowed to wear a kilt, too.

On the other extreme, a number of posters report that any sort of skirt they wear will get called a "kilt." (For all I know, the proverbial pink tutu will get called a kilt if a man is wearing it.)

At my college's class reunions, each class chooses a "class uniform," which is often more of a costume than the word "uniform" might suggest. I recall that one class had a Scottish theme, and the men's costume included a "kilt" in the college's colors. Given that classes budget something like $25--$60 per person, you can be sure it was not a hand-made tartan wool kilt! It was basically a lightly pleated, plaid print, knee length cotton skirt with an elastic waist, much like your average $10 women's casual skirt. No sporran, no flashes, I'm not even sure they had knee socks. But it counted as a kilt. No one ever said they were wearing women's clothes, or made much of any comment about it, for that matter.


-- AMM

[binx]

Woman can't wear a kilt, tartan skirt yes, but never, never a kilt

Tell that to the gals in the pipe regiments to their face! And those brawny ladies participating in the games!

binx

[nitrox]

Ahh, my next quotable phrase to this thread. "Who flippin cares"