So, as we all know, it's now October. Which means in thousands of places around the world, people are celebrating Octoberfest.

I'll be going to an Octoberfest this weekend, as I truly enjoy all the German beer, bratwurst, music, and dancing.

I contemplated purchasing some Lederhosen to wear to the festival, did some research and quickly learned it can be equally if not more expensive than buying kilts. (depending on your tastes)

A good pair of Lederhosen, or Bundhosen can cost between 200 and 300 dollars. An authentic set of suspenders can cost around 100-150 dollars. Shirt around 65 dollars, and hat around 50 dollars.

Basically if you want to get an authentic German outfit, you'll probably spend at least 300-400 dollars, obviously you can spend that much on kilts as well and even more, and you can do the same with German outfits.

The reason I bring all this up on a kilt forum is this. The thought crossed my mind to go to a costume shop, and drop 60-100 bucks on a Lederhosen costume to go to the festival in. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I thought "How would I feel if I saw someone in a kilt Halloween costume at a highland games?" and I quickly decided I would be upset and disgusted if someone did that.

I would love to attend an Octoberfest in fully authentic gear, however I have made the choice to not go wearing a cheap pair of leather shorts, and a $10 pair of suspenders.

10 Years ago I would have bought the lederhosen costume from the Halloween store and worn it and not even thought twice. Now I plan to set aside a little bit of cash over the next year so that I can go properly attired next year, however this year, I will either wear my kilt, like I did last year, or just go wearing p#nts.

The point to all of this, is thru the years here on XMarks, I have grown and learned that various pieces of clothing around the world are not costumes, and should not be treated as such. You can feel free to disagree with me, because that is your right, but I will choose to treat other cultures attire with the kind of respect that I hope to receive from them.

Cheers!