Not putting it on properly

[OC Richard]

Yes the same things happen here in the USA. The culprit, as you point out, is the fact that people who are unfamiliar with Highland Dress are hiring kilts.

As a piper, I'm often hired for weddings, and sometimes I'm directed to put my things in the room where the groomsmen are changing/have changed into their wedding finery. If they've hired Highland Dress I find myself giving advice on how to wear it (being the only one in the room that's familiar with it). Many's the time I've had the men turn their kilts around so the pleats are in the back, tell them how to tie Ghillies, and how to put on flashes.

One thing I don't think you mentioned, but which is very common, is for people to separate the two flashes on each garter and have one on the outside of the leg, and one on the inside. Sean Connery has been photographed doing this very thing. I wish hire companies would sew the two together.

The oddest thing, maybe, I've seen was the guy who had the under-apron going BEHIND him under the pleated portion, thus exposing one thigh all the way up. He rather liked this naughty look.

Just last weekend was our largest Games here in the Southwest and I saw thousands of kilted men. I saw very few of the sorts of things you mention. I only recall seeing one person, a teenaged boy, with a kilt worn low past his knees.

However in the Pipe Band world it's very common for men to wear their kilts and inch or two too low, with the bottom edge around the middle to the bottom of the kneecap. For some reason it's more common for drummers to do this than pipers, and more common amongst teenagers than amongst older players. This, combined with waistcoats which are too short, has ugly results.

It's my pet peeve, especially when they're wearing a waistbelt under the waistcoat.

Another thing fairly common with inexperienced band people is wearing the flashes too low. For some reason they put the elastic garter as low as possible, right under the bottom edge of the cuff.