My experience of hiring out kilts is that if the bride is in the shop, she makes the decisions. The kilt then usually becomes secondary to accessories which will match her chosen colour scheme. Most shops (In Scotland anyway) now have several shades of grey fashion tartans and grey jackets available for hire and it has nothing to do with the popularity of a certain racy book.

It allows them to basically offer the same kilt with a defining stripe which will make the groom's party match. The men take no interest as soon as bridezilla and her mum turn up. For the bride, all that matters is what people will say about the wedding later, what will the photos look like, will it be as fashionable as the other weddings happening that year. Brides don't wear kilts so their interest in it as a garment serves one brief and utilitarian purpose.

Talking to couples or men on their own or sometimes parents buying their son a kilt is a completely different story however. That's when the swatch books come out, different jacket styles (sometimes not in black or grey! Gasp!) are shown and discussions of pewter vs silver kilt pins and outrageous versus conservative sporrans are pitched against each other. Highlandwear is losing its colour in the mainstream, doublets are rare, striking colours in tweed even rarer. Everything has to be wishy-washy, don't stand out - some people don't want to. If you don't want to stand out, there are cheaper ways to blend in.