Quote Originally Posted by Jock Scot View Post
Matt you are, of course, dead right from a historical point of view. I am afraid though that most Scots will not have a clue as to what you are talking about! To them the traditional (tank) Victorian style, wool, tartan, knife pleated kilt is the one they know ,or, have in their minds eye. Anything else, probably will not do!
Yes, I understand that many hold to this point of view -- probably because their definition of "traditional" is more along the lines of "what I can remember my grandfather wearing," and for the past several generations, the only proper kilt has been knife pleated and made from (ostensibly) 8 yards of fabric.

However, even then a lot of so-called "8 yard kilts" may have actually contained only 6 or 7 yards if one actually took the trouble to measure them out.

When it is pointed out to them that there actually was a signifigant period of history when the "standard" kilt contained not eight, but four yards of cloth, and was box pleated, it does open their eyes the fact that the kilt -- as an artcle of clothing -- has gone through changes in fashion and style just as any article of clothing has.

In fact, to my mind, this is what makes the kilt National Dress and not a National Costume. It is a fashion that is still in development, still being worn, and continues to be acceptable wear in any number of situations. National Costume tends to be a stylized recreation of a folk dress of a particular era, reserved mostly for dancing and other traditional folk activities. The kilt can serve that purpose, but is not limited to it. Scotland should be very proud to have such a thriving, vibrant National Dress.