First Kilted Adventure

[Southern Breeze]

Congratulations on your first outing! :-D

[Robin]

I love to read these "adventure" postings...must be the best way to advertise kiltwearing.

[Valencian Kilted]

Well, as some of you know, I was kilted yesterday for New Year's eve, at a mountain hostel, dressed in a quite "casual" way, with my Glasgow Celtic F.C. striped green & white t-shirt. It was not the first time I weared the kilt here in Spain, but it was my first time with my spanish friends. I usually wear it when I meet my english friends for a lunch or a football match at TV.

So I put on my black kilt, with a belt & buckle, my new furry sporran ( I know it was not a "dressy" evening nor my aspect was like dress at all, but it matched perfectly to my eyes with all the rest,...so excuse me purists of the sporran) and my hiking boots with bottle green wool socks that I let go down except during the few moments on the street) I'll put photos here as soon as I got them!.

Well, after spending the whole dinner and party from 8PM to 6AM, I can say this,...
- The first person who saw me was the restaurant owner, and she looked me from head to toes and exclamed: Uffa, that's a real man! U got a pair of b...cks, guy!

- Then during the dinner everything was quite good (ten starters and roasted lamb leg as main dish), the only comment I heard from people was saying:
" hey! it's not a fancy dress, that is a REAL ONE!" at the times I went up to the toilet.

- after the dinner we got the bells counting ceremony (in Spain we eat a grape for every bell and following the clock rithm in order to ensure a good luck for all over the year), and then it was the "free bar" times,... and everything was a little confusing just after this moment, but I still remember that my first drink was a Cardhu (the only available single malt there), and that as Robin said once, all the girls were really interested in me (questions about the underclothing, of course, an attempt to be sure of it by a more expeditive way, and also caring for my legs temperature ..."oh look, he says it's warm and it's really warm!"...) and of course, their boyfriends were not really happy with that,... in fact the only thing I remember before going to bed was smthg like "...I'll kill that m....r f..c.r of the wee skirt! however big he is!!!"... In my defense I have to say that I was the only single at all the party, and I didn't do anything rude, or discourteous, nor even make the same to the girls that were asking or interested in my "physicall welfare"!

So I think it was a nice party, I danced and jumped with my favourite classics from the eighties (from U2 to Dire Straits, from New Model Army to Simple Minds, from Deacon Blue to The Waterboys or The Pogues) , and my kilt pin suffered the consequences as it fell off and was lost, unfortunately,... (Robin, if u read this, I have to say that it was the same as that of urs that u said was not going to be used... u know what this means! )

I'll repeat it as soon as I can, but, as I said, litle by litle!

¡Salud!

T O N O

[Robin]

That kiltpin is yours!

:grin:

[Hamish]

Looking strangers in the eye is something I have always had big problems with (although I am better at it nowadays), and to SMILE at them as well...! If I did that, especially to another guy, I'd expect him to think I was hitting on him and would be afraid of going home with a black eye for my troubles.

It is easier, of course, if the stranger speaks to me first, then I am fine with it, but not otherwise. I was not brought up to smile at strange men!!!!! ;);)

[mbhandy]

I think as long as you stand tall all of your kilted outings will be good. 8-)

MrBill

[Blu (Ontario)]

Looking strangers in the eye is something I have always had big problems with (although I am better at it nowadays), and to SMILE at them as well...! If I did that, especially to another guy, I'd expect him to think I was hitting on him and would be afraid of going home with a black eye for my troubles....

It's important to appear comfortable, confident, and natural in a kilt just as one does in trousers. If making eye contact and smiling at passersby is what you do in trousers, do the same while wearing a kilt. But a kilt does not suddenly require an individual to display exagerated or unatural mannerisms in order to appear confident. Prolonged or unatural eye contact can be taken by some individuals as aggresive or challenging. Smiling and looking people in the eye when it is natural to do so is, I think, the better approach and likely to be more acceptable to Jane or Joe Public. There is a subtle difference.

cheers,

blu

[mddock58]

Today was rather funny, I was with my son at WalMart for a while, and I ignored the double takes and such, then we went over to the grocery store and on the way out there was a guy with heavy-lensed glasses staring at me, well almost glaring, and I just gave it right back to him......I tried not to bust out laughing.


It is a blast sometimes wearing kilts. :grin:

[Hamish]

It's important to appear comfortable, confident, and natural in a kilt just as one does in trousers. If making eye contact and smiling at passersby is what you do in trousers, do the same while wearing a kilt. But a kilt does not suddenly require an individual to display exagerated or unatural mannerisms in order to appear confident. Prolonged or unatural eye contact can be taken by some individuals as aggresive or challenging. Smiling and looking people in the eye when it is natural to do so is, I think, the better approach and likely to be more acceptable to Jane or Joe Public. There is a subtle difference.

cheers,

blu

Oh, I quite agree Blu. It may seem strange with the way I come across here and as I am with folks I know but, with strangers, I am still - even at my age - very shy. This has nothing to do with my being kilted, I have been the same since I was a child. If anything, it is easier for me now because being kilted 365 days a year for the past 6½ years has worked wonders for my confidence. I am far more outgoing now than I was - but I still have difficulty with meeting strangers and looking them in the eye, even when talking to them face to face.