Which way up for a kilt pin in the form of a safety pin?

[Troglodyte]

Jock's advice is spot-on as usual - and his rubberband trick is one I was taught at an early stage and can confirm it works beautifully well.

One thing to point out with this method (and here my own personal experiance is the basis) is that rubberband has the tendencey to perish over time. They can go brittle, crumble and leave a nasty residue on the metal pin - so regular inspection is useful.

Some men like to wear their kilt-pins at an angle rather than vertical (and you often see this shown in mid-century catalogue illustrations and photos) and it's where personal style or preference comes into play. But all the previous advice and information still applies, with the point downward.

An alternative to the rubberband is a few stitches in dress-makers' invisible thread around the loops at either end of the pin, but this can be more troublesome than the rubberband if your kilt goes off the to the cleaners on a regular basis.

[OC Richard]

I will mention that there are "blanket pins" which are made of fat wire that IMHO aren't suitable for kilts because they punch big holes.

The pins made specifically for kilts are finer wire, which combined with a sharp point means that the kilt isn't damaged.

Interestingly, one sees early 20th century catalogues that offer only this style, or in this case also the grouse-claw pin



This style has long been worn by The Gordon Highlanders, perhaps hearkening back to a time when this style was "the" kilt pin.