Kilt: Outfit or Garment?

[McMurdo]

I would have to say that the kilt is a garment, the finest garment a man can wear but nonetheless a garment. Bearing that in mind when I go out I am in an outfit albeit a kilt outfit, when I used to wear jeans I would not leave the house in just a pair of jeans, the same can be said for a kilt. However as has been said you can dress a kilt up or down depending on the occasion.

[davedove]

Quite simply, a kilt, like any other article of clothing, is a garment. When you put several different garments together, that is an outfit.

[Aggie]

I don't have enough kilts to wear a different one each day, so...I wear one once a week to work. At home I have a Stillwater which gets thrown in the washer regularly and never ironed but is very comfortable. Mostly they're just another clothing option just like anything else but they dress up great for special occasions.

[Chef]

Well by definition a garment is a piece of clothing and an outfit is a set of clothing, often with accessories. So a kilt is a garment. However many people talk about "wearing the kilt", they are referring to an outfit that includes a traditional kilt as one of it's pieces.

[kilted_brewer]

A year ago, when I started wearing kilts full-time, I was on the phone with Steve Ashton of Freedom Kilts, and he was giving me some remedial hose folding lessons ( here I thought they must be too long, and all I needed was to turn them down once or twice ). At some point in the conversation, he commented on how I'd probably start paying more attention to what I was wearing, and might soon find myself taking more time to get dressed and ready than my wife! I laughed, but...

Arrgh, it's true! Now even though the kilt is a garment I wear for almost everything (except as noted above for crawling around under the house), I definitely find myself putting together "outfits" more than I ever did when panted (?).

Just an example to illustrate: a few weeks back we had a work event at which everyone had to wear our organization's new t-shirts which were slow in arriving. I had to show up at the event not having seen the color of the t-shirt! I knew what kilt I was going to wear, but not what hose would match the shirt, so I had to place a call to someone at the office who had seen them. Over the phone she says, "I think that's the only time I've ever heard a man trying to coordinate an outfit."

Oh, the humanity!

[TheKiltedWonder]

The popular answer seems to be garment, and I wear my kilt fairly often. However I have to think of the kilt somewhat as an outfit. When wearing pants I really don't pay that much attention to what T-shirt or what socks I wear. Matching? What's that? But once I pull out the kilt, I just put in a little extra effort. A kilt may be a garment, but it's a cut above the rest.
Then again, we all knew that.

[fluter]

You see, I had this system for work attire:

Undistinguished (inexpensive) chino ("khaki") slacks in gray, tan, or olive.
Gray ragg wool socks. Sandals or walking shoes.
Tan or olive photographer's vest, otherwise known as "Ken's briefcase."
Shirts in various colors, both solid and patterns.

Every element was completely interchangeable. I'd just put on the next pair of slacks in rotation, pick a shirt of appropriate fabric weight for the weather, and go. No thought was required.

The kilt has completely ruined my system! Of course I now spend more time co-ordinating.


Just to cap off that thought, a woman friend was sitting with my wife and me last week, and innocently asked whether I had two kilts. I replied: no, 10 if you count the belted plaid. No wait, I made an X-kilt: that's 11. No wait, I just got in an SWK heavyweight which I'm altering: that'll be 12. With a somewhat incredulous (but approving) expression, she cried: "You have more skirts than I do!"

Perhaps you'd have to have been there, but it was one of those moments you live for. I said "that's as it should be---women are built for trousers, and men aren't."

[Nick the DSM]

question for you 24/7 kilties, how do you do it? how do you wear it all the time and not get it messed up? do you need more than one? help me out here.

[ccga3359]

question for you 24/7 kilties, how do you do it? how do you wear it all the time and not get it messed up? do you need more than one? help me out here.

24/7? This is of course a fallicy. These kilties doff their kilts for showers and sleep. Several kilts would probably be a good idea, let the others air out.

[Robinhood]

I wear kilts as often as I wear trousers, but
I never wear an outfit of any sort. I'll
occasionally even wear a suit, but that
doesn't even qualify as an outfit. I don't
pander to those who would be impressed
by an outfit.