It isn’t a skirt it is a kilt

[Jock Scot]

I suppose there are some advantages of living a long time------few---but there are some. I was born at the very end of "Victorianism"----I am not talking about the Victorian era---- in Scotland (1940). From then, I have seen the popularity of the kilt in Scotland wane during the 1950's and '60's to the popular re-emergence of the kilt in Scotland today. Not only in Scotland, but also interest from around the world is growing too. Styles come and go, dress conventions are more relaxed, but the kilt does seem remarkably resilient and yes there is , I hope, some kind education to be offered along the way by those whose ancestors have been at it a while, starting with the heading of:- "THE KILT IS NOT A SKIRT"

Now you chaps in the New World are only experiencing what we in Scotland(as part of the Old World) have experienced ourselves------except you are doing in a shorter time span aided(?) by modern communications and on a huge scale by comparison. We in Scotland have taken thousands of years to get where we are now and we are still evolving and we are still welcoming new cultures into our midst.

You chaps in the USA of today are only just at the beginning of a huge social experiment------not that anyone knew that in 1492 or any significant date since. So it is not surprising that you have many cultures that are jostling with each other and some have abandoned their past and some are clinging on to the past in one way or other ----------who knows where it will end and one thing is for sure it will never end whilst humans exist on this planet.

As to what tartans you chaps could wear, well there are dozens, hundreds even, that celebrate things that are non Scottish and I did pose a few thoughts on this in an old thread that I started: "Ponderings of an ancient Scot": the replies were really interesting and some of you might find it worthwhile taking the trouble in reading the quite large number of the posts.

Who knows, in a thousand years from now "Chuck" could well be telling "Jock" :

"Well that may be how you guys wear the kilt in Scotland, but we in the USA wear "our" tartan kilts like this..........................".

I am not altogether sure that that time has arrived just yet, though!