bargain basement

[biblemonkey]

Okay.1) The kilt must be MADE in Scotland... )[/I]

I disagree completely. By that thinking, a master kilt maker who is Scottish can move to America, start his business anew, use American wool from Scottish bred sheep, and he would be incapable of making REAL kilts. Other examples come to mind but are too many to list. I understand you were just playing devil's advocate but I have a Scottish friend who moved to the states years ago and he says that a lot of the restrictions, rules, and snobbery that we see concerning the wearing of kilts are only on "this side of the Atlantic". Maybe he wasn't talking about the location of manufacture but considering that there are very few things that are "locale specific" (most of them being liquor (scotch, cognac, bourbon as in your example) I don't really think it matters.
Saying a kilt made in America by a master of the art is not a kilt is like saying a child in Japan can't play "real baseball" because he's not playing in the country it was invented in. And from there you could say that men who don't have a direct line to Scotland through blood or have over a certain percentage of Scottish heritage would be unable to wear the kilt because they don't meet the requirements of being "Scottish" enough much the same way that Native Americans are not truly in that group if they cannot prove a certain percentage native blood.
I think it all comes down to quality of construction, (modern) traditional design such as proper pleating and the way it sits when fitted properly, and things of that nature. The material may be important and I don't like the idea of acrylic or cotton kilts but the reason wool was used was that it was widely available and it was sturdy and warm in the harsh climate. Having a heavyweight wool 8 yarder today seems like more of a bragging point than anything these days, though I must admit they do feel and move fantastically and I love mine. PV seems a good analogue for certain modern uses and there may be other materials that are just as good when a full tank would be too much. I do agree that in formal or clan gatherings, one should try to wear what I refer to as a “full and formal” kilt. Heavyweight wool, in your registered tartan, preferably 8 yard, etc. But the location of manufacture and other items like that are still immaterial in the grand scheme of things. As long as it is a reputable kilt maker with respect for the craft and not some dime a dozen kilt stamping skirt maker. You know the type I'm talking about.
The most important thing is that you wear a kilt properly, with pride, and for goodness sake, the pleats go in the back!

Thanks,
Hugh

P.S. I do have to admit that when I see a man wearing something with only a couple of pleats in the back and huge cargo pockets on the outside I think of it as a skirt. Just my opinion, though. And that same Scottish friend does refer to PV as "that crap" but my point about the reasons for wool in original kilts still holds.