I honestly don't think jacket conversions are that bad. If you live in a climate where temperatures of 95F/35C are common then a converted lightweight jacket is really the only option. Also, if you want a kilt jacket but either you can't afford a new kilt jacket or ebay rarely if ever has your size, then a converted jacket might be an acceptible option. No, you don't need a jacket to wear a kilt, but sometimes you need or just want to. You can usually tell if a jacket was converted or not, but so what? If you can find a tailor who can do the work well enough, or if you do it yourself, and if you don't mind the pockets being low, why not? Is it ideal? No, if you can afford a new kilt jacket or can get one from eBay, then do that, but if you cannot a conversion, to me, is an acceptible option. Just my opinion.