Your perfect summer kilt outfit?

[AmateurKiltsmen]

Just curious is all, I’d personally go shirtless under a Prince Charlie if i had one, the jacket or waistcoat, or both if the weather permits!

[Father Bill]

Just curious is all, I’d personally go shirtless under a Prince Charlie if i had one, the jacket or waistcoat, or both if the weather permits!

So, what's your question? The description sounds basically anti-social it's so out of the norm.

[gsmacleod]

Just curious is all, I’d personally go shirtless under a Prince Charlie if i had one, the jacket or waistcoat, or both if the weather permits!

I would suggest, unless you're purely going for shock value, perhaps a simple open collared shirt with sleeves rolled up.

[Pleater]

Around here on the south cost of England there are a fair few kilt wearers - as opposed to people who don a kilt from time to time. Around half of them wear the Cornish black kilt, the rest have various tartans, tweeds and solid colours, blue, green or tan, and a few in natural colours of sheep - usually hand woven for them.
In summer the usual accessories are sandals, tee shirt with either long or short sleeves and a broad brimmed hat. A shoulder bag or backpack holds swimming gear, water bottle and wallet.

In bad weather the footwear alters to something waterproof, or boots and hose, a knitted jersey might be added - often worn tucked into the kilt. Lightweight cloaks are fairly common - waterproof and several inches longer than kilt length with a shoulder cape which is flipped up over the head if the rain is heavy.
Over the last decade kilts have become far more common, and seem to be accepted as a perfectly normal option. There are places where shorts would not be acceptable, particularly later in the day, but a kilt is fine.

The temperatures here are mild, it is unusual to see anyone at all in a jacket - I suspect most men leave their jackets at the office to wear for business meetings, to judge by the wear patterns on the trousers and the almost pristine matching jacket.
Once in a while I notice a man entering one of the more up market venues kilted in tartan, but they are going to be air conditioned and so jacket and waistcoat is not going to be too much - Though quite a few have approached the place carrying rather than wearing their jackets, both with Scottish or Saxon attire. The guardians at the portals frown on those trying to enter without putting on the jacket, but I can't imagine that they'd allow anyone to pass inside without a shirt and a tie is de rigueur for other than clergy.

Anne the Pleater

[Troglodyte]

Around here on the south cost of England there are a fair few kilt wearers - as opposed to people who don a kilt from time to time. Around half of them wear the Cornish black kilt, the rest have various tartans, tweeds and solid colours, blue, green or tan, and a few in natural colours of sheep - usually hand woven for them.
In summer the usual accessories are sandals, tee shirt with either long or short sleeves and a broad brimmed hat. A shoulder bag or backpack holds swimming gear, water bottle and wallet.

In bad weather the footwear alters to something waterproof, or boots and hose, a knitted jersey might be added - often worn tucked into the kilt. Lightweight cloaks are fairly common - waterproof and several inches longer than kilt length with a shoulder cape which is flipped up over the head if the rain is heavy.
Over the last decade kilts have become far more common, and seem to be accepted as a perfectly normal option. There are places where shorts would not be acceptable, particularly later in the day, but a kilt is fine.

The temperatures here are mild, it is unusual to see anyone at all in a jacket - I suspect most men leave their jackets at the office to wear for business meetings, to judge by the wear patterns on the trousers and the almost pristine matching jacket.
Once in a while I notice a man entering one of the more up market venues kilted in tartan, but they are going to be air conditioned and so jacket and waistcoat is not going to be too much - Though quite a few have approached the place carrying rather than wearing their jackets, both with Scottish or Saxon attire. The guardians at the portals frown on those trying to enter without putting on the jacket, but I can't imagine that they'd allow anyone to pass inside without a shirt and a tie is de rigueur for other than clergy.

Anne the Pleater

I would say this all sounds normal for the whole of the UK, Anne.

Here in my part of the Highlands habitual kilt-wearing is rare, but it is worn frequently in different ways.

At the Games and Gatheings (particularly 'smart' Games like at Braemar) men will wear tweed coatees and waistcoat whatwever the weather (even when it's tropical in its heat) while others abandon the waistcoat for sensible reasons. But it is common to see a kilt worn in the normal way up to the waist, while above the belt is frequently seen a polo-shirt or T-shirt for the same sensible reasons. Sometimes hose and brogues get replaced with sandals of some kind. And why not..?

If too hot to be jacketed, my own preference is for a polo-shirt. No-one has ever been offended or commented either way.

[Kitfoxdave]

In summers heat here in Florida (90's F) , I typically wear a PV casual kilt and light colored, light weight t-shirt.

If out and about, kilt hose and flashes as well.

[Jock Scot]

It was quite warm, verging on hot, yesterday when I left the West side of Scotland clad in the kilt, hose, etc. and wearing a tattersall patterned shirt with the sleeves rolled up. When I arrived in Inverness(East side of Scotland), some 80 miles distant, the haar(cold sea fog) had moved in and a cold Easterly breeze was blowing. After a search about in the back of my truck, I found an old tweed shooting coat lurking.--------Phew! Thank goodness!

[Pleater]

I would say this all sounds normal for the whole of the UK, Anne.

Here in my part of the Highlands habitual kilt-wearing is rare, but it is worn frequently in different ways.

At the Games and Gatheings (particularly 'smart' Games like at Braemar) men will wear tweed coatees and waistcoat whatwever the weather (even when it's tropical in its heat) while others abandon the waistcoat for sensible reasons. But it is common to see a kilt worn in the normal way up to the waist, while above the belt is frequently seen a polo-shirt or T-shirt for the same sensible reasons. Sometimes hose and brogues get replaced with sandals of some kind. And why not..?

If too hot to be jacketed, my own preference is for a polo-shirt. No-one has ever been offended or commented either way.

The polo shirt would count as 'smart' around here in mid afternoon when the tarmac is melting.
I used to use a stool with slender feet to sit on when playing for dancing down on the quay and lost the rubber feet as the legs sank 6 inches into the road surface. The feet are still down there somewhere.

I did think about making a kilt from some silk or silk blend fabric but ended up using it for long sleeved loose fitting blouses instead.

Most years I speak to parents about children with heat stroke or serious sunburn, two or three times in each summer, as it seems the dangers of spending all day out in the sun are totally unknown to them.

Anne the pleater

[PiperPadre]

For the extreme heat in the Midwest I've got an extremely lightweight linen/wool mis kilt jacket and waistcoat. I wore it in solo pipe competition last summer at the Chicago Highland Games in 98/38 degrees without any discomfort. I've only once managed successfully to upload pics here. Can't remember how to do it now, however. I'm a bit of a technological Luddite.

[FossilHunter]

Honestly, I just don’t wear a kilt if it’s too hot. Kilts and their associated tweed or barathea jackets evolved in the much cooler, wetter, climate of the Highlands so I think it’s reasonable to save them for that kind weather, rather than trying to adapt the garment for climates it’s unsuitable for.

Of course this limits someone like myself, living in Southern California, to winter and early spring but I see no reason to wear a kilt when it’s 96F like it was last weekend. Better to stick to cotton shorts.

I remember a thread a while back where someone was wearing tights under their kilt because they lived somewhere like Montana and it got so bitterly cold that they risked damaging the skin of their legs in a kilt. I just have to wonder why it’s so important to go to such an extreme to wear the wrong clothing for the climate?

Even the Scottish regiments eventually moved on from wearing kilts in combat for just the reasons I’ve mentioned (trench and chemical warfare in WWI demonstrated many drawbacks of the kilt in battle). They kept it for dress uniforms and that seems to be a happy medium.