I need some advice...

[First Prize Winner]

Ok, so I guess the best place to start is to admit that I don't know where to start when it comes to kilts. I'm not actually Scottish, nor is Scotland my ancestral homeland. All the same however I love Scottish (and Irish) culture very much. Me and My friends are mostly Slavic, but we all play Irish folk music, the stuff rules. Everything about you Celtic people is amazing. In any case I have come to a rather bizarre dilemma in my love for Scottish and Irish culture. The fact of the matter is I want to get a nice, traditional Scottish Kilt, the problem is however that I simply don't know where to start. As I already admitted, I am not a part of any Clan, nor do I have any ancestry that would grant me membership of any Clan. So my problem I guess is, how do I go about getting a traditional Kilt, without taking a given Clan's Tartan? I understand that there is hundreds upon hundreds of different Tartans, and I don't want to accidentally buy a kilt and find out later that the Tartan belongs to a Clan that I am most certainly not a member of. I feel like I would be insulting and just plain stupid to do so. Furthermore, where would the best place to get a kilt be? Any help anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Welcome! First off, I tell people, "You don't have to have Scottish blood to wear the kilt, only a Scottish heart." :-)

But if you want to avoid stepping on anyone's toes by wearing their clan tartan, or if you just want a tartan with more significance to you, there are many ways to go.

First, you do not mention what country you live in, but there is a possibility that there exists a district tartan for your part of the world.

Barring that, however, there are plenty of fashion tartans which are quite attractive, but have no specific clan, family, or regional association. You can be comfortable wearing any of these.

It would be impossible to list them all, but in general you can tell by their name whether they are meant to be specific to a family or place, or just for general wear.

One general wear tartan I currently own is the Highland Granite tartan.


Others you might want to google for images are Flower of Scotland, Auld Scotland, Pride of Scotland, Spirit of Scotland. These are all fairly new tartans. There are some rather old ones that are also considered "general use," including the Caledonia tartan, and the Hunting Stewart. In fact, I would say the Hunting Stewart is perhaps the most traditional choice for those without a clan.

Then there is always the option of a solid colored kilt, or a tweed kilt with a check or windowpane pattern.




Wearing solid kilts, and tweed kilts, is also a part of the Scottish tradition, though not as common as the tartan kilts.

I'm sure others will give you a lot of ideas. Take your time, select something you really like, and be proud wearing it!

[Santa Kona]

Well you have found the best place to get your questions answered. Don't be afraid to as, there are no dumb question here. And welcome

[Ryan Ross]

I doubt that anyone could give you better advice than Newsome, but as he did not mention where to get a good handsewn kilt, let me suggest the Scottish Tartans Museum, out of Franklin, NC. Newsome happens to be the Director of said museum and a kilt maker in high renown... I would reccomend one of his kilts, for sure. When you're ready to order your first kilt, give the museum a call and ask for him (his name is Matt). He can advise you in your choice of tartan, and will also go over measurements (you'll only need three, so it's fairly simple), your choice of fabric weights (I'd reccomend 16oz), and your choice of several styles of pleating.

After you get your kilt, you'll want several accessories- a sporran and sporran belt, kilt hose, and garters, at the least... and probably a belt, too, if you like the look of one.

Here's a few links that may be of interest:

http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/highland_wear.html

http://www.newhousehighland.com/

Articles:

http://www.albanach.org/articles.html

Welcome to xmarks, from Atlanta, GA!

[Pleater]

I bought what I was told was Black Watch and when it arrived it was Semple.

Oups.

There is a pale line in the tartan so I coloured it in with a felt tip pen to make a tartan that the 'tartan finder' could not put a name to.

There are many universal or unattached tartans, but if you're unlucky and get something you did not want, a spot of improvisation might help.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[CelticSire]

First, welcome to the Forum! I'll say what others have said, you don't need to be Scottish to wear a kilt. Remember that it is not a costume, wear it with dignity and pride, and you'll be just fine. When it comes to buying your first kilt, definitely speak with someone such as Matt, or Barb Tewksbury (also a member here), or other kilt makers who regularly visit the Forum. Also, decide your price point, as my wife would say. Determine what your budget is and how much you're willing to spend and let that guide you as to your purchase. For example, if you're willing to spend a lot to get the best, by all means. However, you may not want to invest that much to start. You can get a decent kilt such as a Stillwater kiilt (a Forum vendor) in a universal tartan such as Black Watch for not a lot of money. USA Kilts and Keltoi Gaelic Clothing are also outstanding vendors to work with. And none of this is meant to leave out any other Forum regulars or vendors, just mentioning the ones I have personaly dealt with. From personal experience, when it comes to accessories such as sporran, hose, etc. spend a little extra and buy quality. Sure you can find sporrans for $20, but you get a $20 dollar sporran. The most important thing to do is ask questions. There are MANY knowledgeable people here on this Forum, and they're some of the nicest people around to boot. So, good luck and go kilted!

[CDNSushi]

Welcome!!!


And just so for good encouragement, you are in very good company here as we have several kilt-wearing Slavs running about. We have Mipi in Slovenia, me, a Canadian in Japan but with Czech blood on both sides of the family, just to name two.

I've also seen a few others in the past but I can't think of any aliases. Wear a kilt with pride knowing that anthropologists believe that Slavs are actually of Celtic origin. There are also some Slavic-themed tartans out there. I know that there is a Czech National tartan (STA#7474) for instance.

Cheers,

JD

[Joshua]

While not Slavic, my ancestry is not traditionally Kilt Wearing (Welsh). But as is recited here commonly "You don't have to be Scottish to be comfortable!".

[Riverkilt]

Welcome - as mentioned, IF you will share where you live and what you know of your ancestry you'll receive an outpouring of suggestions.

[First Prize Winner]

Thank you so much for all of your advice! I should have figured a forum dedicated to Kilt enthusiasts would be full of really friendly people.

@M.A.C Newsome: Thank you particularly for your advice, It has helped me quite a lot. At this point in time I am still weighing my options, I want my first purchase to be the right one. Thank you so much for your advice.

@Ryan Ross: Thank you for your advice as well, it was very helpful.

@CDNSushi: That's really awesome! Slavs are descended from Celts? That is just to awesome. Do you know if there is any National Russian Tartans? That's specifically where my family is from. A Ukrainian Tartan would also work, because my family is specifically from the region of Russia between the Ukraine and Caspian sea. So Ukrainian influence in my family is prevalent.