sporran without belt or waistcoat?

[Nathan]

A properly sized and fitted phillabeg (half kilt or "small" kilt) with adjustable side waist straps does not--and should not--require a belt, and can be comfortably--and confidently--worn without a kilt belt, which, in turn, also means that it a sporran with a sporran belt can be worn with it with or without a kilt belt. I personally do not like the look of a phillabeg with an exposed top waist line without a kilt belt, but if the top waist line is covered--by either a sweater/jumper or vest/waistcoat--then the kilt belt can and/or should be omitted, and a sporran and sporran belt alone will, on most wearers, look quite trim, neat, flattering and smart.

Although the modern kilt is referred to as a Feileadh beag in Gaelic, when we use the word fillabeg or phillabeg when speaking English we are typically referring to the historical forerunner to the modern kilt which is worn by historical re-enactors. The phillabeg is an untailored garment and is basically the bottom half of the plaid, pleated randomly around a belt or rope which both holds it up and provides something to pleat with.

So, in English, to avoid ambiguity, it's best to call this a kilt:



and this a Phillabeg:



And actually, the pleats in that example photo are far more orderly than they would typically be on a period accurate phillabeg but that's the best photo I could find.

To answer the OP, like the other fine gents said, a belt is optional. I wear mine when I'm not wearing a vest/waistcoat because I like the look but that is a fashion choice only. There are lots of great threads here to give you ideas on how to wear your kilt. Check out these threads for some ideas that lean toward the traditional end of the fashion spectrum:

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...xamples-85511/

and

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...-attire-46888/