Kilt pin advice

[OC Richard]

I'm not a fan of kilt pins either.

It's mainly from the practical considerations the other Richard brought up.

Being in the pipe band world since the 1970s, there have been several times when I've looked through pile of old band kilts. It's night and day, the kilts from a band that wears kilt pins, and the one that doesn't. The front aprons of the non-pin-wearing band's kilts will be in good condition, few if any holes.

On the other hand, nearly every front apron on the pin-wearing band's kilts will have holes, some small, some you can put a finger through. Some kilts will have rips rather than holes, rips a few inches long in some cases. Why? Well your band is playing in a crowded pub or restaurant, and you're marching through, squeezing between tables and people, and both your hands are on your chanter, and your kilt is constantly brushing past things, and many of these things are catching and tugging on the pin. The big tears and rips are usually on the drummer's kilts. Drums are heavy and have metal bits sticking out. Whenever the drummers unhook their drums to put them down one of those bits can catch on the kilt pin and kilt fabric isn't going to stand up to being pulled apart by a 15 pound drum going to the ground.

Also kilt pins are unnecessary do-dads. They serve no function. I don't stick pins on my pants, on my shirts, on my jackets. So why stick one on my kilt?

Then there are the historical considerations, if you care about that. Kilt pins seem to not appear until around the middle of the 19th century, and were a bit uncommon until the 20th. They have never been essential (unless you're in the Gordon Highlanders).

Outdoor Highland Dress in the 1860s. The only metal bit is the watch chain. No cap badge, no kilt pin, no badge on the sporran, no sgian, the sporran on a plain leather belt. And also no flashes, which nowadays many consider necessary.