Wearing Irish Sweaters wtih Kilts, Belt or no belt?

[CollinMacD]

I actually saw one, let say, "gentleman", wearing a V-neck red sweater, over a black Ghillie shirt, tucked into his kilt , with a very large , I would say about 4 inch black belt, large Scottish Lion Belt buckle, with two dirks, one on each side, and a leather belt holder with flask, wearing a red Rob Roy Tartan Kilt, Blue hose with Detroit Wing work boots, and this awful looking gray potato sack for headgear that sported a large Rosette with three large feathers, but to top it off, a very thick brown Baldrick with no sword, just a large chrome buckle, what a sight to behold, it was at the Alexandria Christmas Walk. I have no idea which Clan, but he was walking around as proud as a peacock. Kilt was rather short to boot, and wore two kilt pins one on top of the other, could not make out what they were. Even my wife got a good chuckle out of that one, wish I had a photo, it truly was a sight to behold. Must of been a leftover of the Renaissance Fair last fall, a trying to be a character from a video game.

But, aside from that character, I did see many guys wearing Irish Knit sweaters with belts, or in some case tucked under their kilts, it was chilly, but the Irish knit I had on kept me VERY WARM and it was not tucked in. If I am not wearing an Irish knit, then I like the Military British/American Wooly. I have several and they are extremely warm. I even wear the original US Coast Guard issued sweater that is a medium (looks like Lovet) blue. Works great.

Thank you, nice to know my "fashion" sense seems to be spot on. Just like to check in as I still am learning more and more everyday.

One thing I love about the United States, we do have a sense for the flair of fashion, and some people go way beyond fashion sense, as I really think the live in the video games they play, or the Hollywood Movies they watch. Remarkable fashion statements made as some of these large events. CHEERS.

[EagleJCS]

I actually saw one, let say, "gentleman", wearing a V-neck red sweater, over a black Ghillie shirt, tucked into his kilt , with a very large , I would say about 4 inch black belt, large Scottish Lion Belt buckle, with two dirks, one on each side, and a leather belt holder with flask, wearing a red Rob Roy Tartan Kilt, Blue hose with Detroit Wing work boots, and this awful looking gray potato sack for headgear that sported a large Rosette with three large feathers, but to top it off, a very thick brown Baldrick with no sword, just a large chrome buckle, what a sight to behold, it was at the Alexandria Christmas Walk. I have no idea which Clan, but he was walking around as proud as a peacock.

Wow. Most clan chiefs I've seen (the gentleman described above so denoted by the three - presumably eagle - feathers in his cap) tend to be a bit less flashy at public events when in their Highland attire. Well-dressed and appropriate to the event/weather, but not flashy.


Re your OP:
I have only had a couple of occasions to wear a sweater with a kilt. I wore a black military-style "commando" sweater (with cloth patches at the shoulders and elbows) with the band kilt. Wore the sweater over the kilt, end folded under a bit (the sweater has a long torso), no belt. Tried the sweater under the kilt with a belt over the top before leaving the house and it just didn't feel or look quite right.

[CollinMacD]

I highly doubt he was any Clan Chief, but just a person with feathers in his potato sack flatcap..... I wish I had a photo of this person, to say the least interesting character. I would very much expect a Clan Chief to exercise better wardrobe practices then the "Dragon Slayer" that I saw. Man, I just wish I had a photo of this. CHEERS.

[McMurdo]

I never wear a belt with mine.

[EagleJCS]

Allan, I have no doubt that the man in question was definitely not a clan chief and was simply dressing in a manner he thought to be correct/stylish. I was trying to be a bit tongue-in-cheek. Difficult to do in a written format.

[kingandrew]

I agree with the others that the Aran sweater is best worn over the unbelted kilt.

The only times I have worn a sweater with a kilt belt was when I had lost quite a bit of weight and actually needed the belt to hold up my kilt (as I waited for a new one in my size to be made). This was in Beijing, so the Shetland sweater was definitely important for beating the cold. In that situation, I pulled the bottom of the sweater up above the kilt and let the rest "roll over" the outside. It looked OK, but I would have preferred to skip the belt.

The only time that I can imagine tucking in a sweater would be if the sweater was very trim and tight (or long), and would thus look odd with the kilt straps and buckles poking from inside. In which case I would probably just choose a different sweater.

And I think the Aran Irish fisherman's sweater is a very good look with a kilt. I don't currently have such a sweater with me in China, or I would sport it pretty regularly with my kilt, when the weather called for it.

Andrew

[MNlad]

I have two Aran sweaters that I regularly wear when kilted and always over the kilt. The two seem like they were born to go with each other. It's a sharp informal look and great this time of year.

[Tobus]

The only time that I can imagine tucking in a sweater would be if the sweater was very trim and tight (or long), and would thus look odd with the kilt straps and buckles poking from inside. In which case I would probably just choose a different sweater.

I have a couple of "wooly pully" style military sweaters and one thicker Aran sweater, and this issue is usually why I end up not wearing them. For starters, sweaters are typically very long on me. They would go down below my buttocks if pulled straight down, which of course would be silly with a kilt. So the only options are to tuck them in or roll them over, neither of which appeal very much to me. Tucking in, of course, doesn't seem to be done. And rolling over just doesn't make me happy with the final aesthetic proportions, and makes me look flabbier than I already am. Perhaps it's my vanity coming out, but I do everything I can to avoid the dreaded "muffin top", and sweaters always seem to work against me there!

Here's a past thread with some good examples of sweaters being worn by members here, both the thicker knit sweaters and thinner military-types. It does seem to be a common approach to pull the bottom of the sweater up and roll the sides over it. This makes the length work as well as perhaps hiding any kilt straps/buckles from printing through. Maybe I should reevaluate my wearing of sweaters with the kilt and try it again. This does seem to be the season for digging out my sweaters from the cedar chest...

[Riverkilt]

I never wear a belt with a kilt....use the kilt straps or velcro on the casuals and the sporran strap acts as a small belt.

Not an Irish sweater, but a bulky sweater from REI with kilt and no belt tonight for the agency holiday party...



For sweaters like this I have to roll the sweater hem where it passes over my sporran.

[figheadair]

Leaving aside the military, why would you ever think wearing a belt over a pullover necessary, or indeed that it looked good?