Kilts and costumes

[Jock Scot]

I respect where you're coming from, but I'd argue that a uniform is something you wear to play a role "for real." A costume is something you wear to play a role "for pretend." For example, I play on a vintage base ball team; we recreate baseball as it was played in the 1860s. We wear vintage-style shield-front shirts, flat-topped caps, knickers, and stockings. When I wear that outfit to play a game, it's a uniform. When I wear it to answer the door on Halloween night, it's a costume. It's all about what you intend when you wear a thing.

Should, say, police officers ever wear their distinctive outfits as costumes rather than uniforms? I'd think not. It would confuse observers and undermine the authority of the clothes when worn as a uniform. For kilts, this consideration would only apply to specific individuals who are trying to persuade specific others of their seriousness in wearing the kilt, whether as a uniform or everyday wear. In that case, for those people, wearing a kilt as a costume would undermine their purpose in wearing a kilt at other times. But that shouldn't prevent others from having fun and wearing their kilts as costumes if they please.

I mean, nobody would say, "You shouldn't wear pants as part of your Halloween costume if you normally wear pants," right? Just because you wear a cowboy hat around town the rest of the year doesn't mean you can't dress up as a cowboy for Halloween.

To suggest that the kilt is a costume(on occasions eg Halloween)just shows ignorance of Highland attire.You will do what you will do with your kilt and that is your right.Please bare our sensitivities in mind and might I strongly recommend that you do not visit Scotland and tell us the kilt is a costume!

[Monkey@Arms]

The "kilt as Halloween Costume" debate seems to come up every year about this time. (Hmm, I wonder why? ) As we've seen there are usually two camps.

One says the kilt is clothing, I wear clothing as part of my Halloween costume, therefore there is nothing untoward in including my kilt as part of my Halloween get up.

The other side objects either because they feel it undermines the modern day wearing of kilts as street wear (IE a kilt in and of itself is not a costume), or because the kilt has special meaning to them, and they are offended that someone would dress up as a Scotsman as a form of "fancy dress."

I suspect "never the twain shall meet."

Personally I'm thinking about going as a kilted pirate in a black UK workman.

Best regaaards,

The Dread Pirate Jake

[gilmore]

To suggest that the kilt is a costume(on occasions eg Halloween)just shows ignorance of Highland attire.You will do what you will do with your kilt and that is your right.Please bare our sensitivities in mind and might I strongly recommend that you do not visit Scotland and tell us the kilt is a costume!

I agree with you completely. A parallel would be wearing blackface and tap dancing, and not understanding why African Americans might be offended.

[Monkey@Arms]

I agree with you completely. A parallel would be wearing blackface and tap dancing, and not understanding why African Americans might be offended.

I'm not so certain I buy into that analogy. Since you are discussing the issue in the abstract, not the merits of any particular costume, I think the parallel is between someone renting a kilt and PC to dress up as a "Scotsman," and that same someone dressing up as a German in liederhossen and a Tyrolean hat, or as a Frenchman in stripped t-shirt, beret and cigarette, or for that matter a European dressing as an "American Tourist," with loud shirt and camera. While all involve stereotypes (as do many Halloween costumes for sale such as "hippie" "goth" "punk" etc.) none carry the racial baggage, and history of discrimination, as a white person dressing in black face.

Since just wearing a kilt, would not be "dressing up" it would not work as a Halloween costume for me, but I did do the Braveheart-face-paint-sword-thing last year. By the same token, I respect Chef's views that the perception of kilt as costume is one of things that stands as an obstacle to its acceptance as daily wear.

Best regards,

Jake

[The Wizard of BC]

I'm going to jump in here for a moment.

So if a guy wants to go to a Halloween party dressed as that famous and historical figure Mel Gibson with a great kilt, face paint, and honking big sword he would be doing some kind of harm to those of us who wear the kilt everyday?

I think not.

My two cents worth is that as long as the kilt is worn with pride, worn well, and not as some MacTablecloth junk it is ok with me.

I also think that these days a great kilt and jacobite shirt, which is perfect to be worn at Ren Faires, being worn on the street, is so wrong. I think it is ignorance that causes folks to think that that is correct modern kilt wear.
Ignorance can be corrected with education. Each one of us who wear the kilt should be informing others by our own appearance. This is why we have a "Do's and Don't" thread.

As our numbers grow, as more people see us wearing the kilt properly, they will begin to understand the difference between daily wear and costume wear.

Then when someone wishes to wear the kilt as part of party wear it will be know at once that it is just a costume and will not be confused with kilts as modern daily wear.

[James MacMillan]

For those of us who have adopted the kilt as our daily wear, I think that it comes down to the fact that most attendees at a costume party pretty much desire to look stupid or funny! Most pick their get-ups for shock value. We, therefore, resent it when somebody chooses to do this with our beloved kilt!

[ChromeScholar]

but kilts are not and never have been a costume

I don't see the problem with wearing a kilt as part of a costume, any more than I would have a problem with wearing a pair of jeans, a tuxedo, or a jellaba. If, for instance, I decided to dress as a bagpiper for Halloween, what else would I wear, if not a kilt?

[Jock Scot]

I don't see the problem with wearing a kilt as part of a costume, any more than I would have a problem with wearing a pair of jeans, a tuxedo, or a jellaba. If, for instance, I decided to dress as a bagpiper for Halloween, what else would I wear, if not a kilt?

I am not too sure what the history of jeans,tuxedo or jellaba are,but are you suggesting that they are any more than variations of "clothes"?You are not suggesting that they are costumes,are you?The kilt is also a piece of clothing,no more no less,but a costume?No way.

The kilt is an evey day choice of clothing for a Scotsman,should he choose and to suggest that The kilt is a costume shows a singular lack of knowledge of Highland attire and its meaning to any Scot wherever they may be in this world.I do not wish to be rude,but an awful lot of suffering and more than a little blood has been spilt over too many years for the kilt to be regarded as a costume.

[GG]

An interesting debate that once and again tells me, how difficult communication really is. What is a costume?
To me (and most Europeans, I think) the term costume is used for a garment or garments intended for special occasions and the word is neutral loaded.
That will cover celebrations like weddings (white or black tie functions) as well as Halloween etc. Further it comprises what we describe as “national dress” or “national costume” (sorry).

Bear (Bear Kilts) used to have a pay off like “A kilt is a garment and not a costume”. What did he mean by that?
To me it always said that if a kilt is worn as a substitute to pants = trousers it is a garment; if it is used for weddings or the like (only) it is a costume (or part of a costume – full highland wear).

Most of you seem to have another idea of a costume. Some of you have even said that calling a kilt a “costume” would be an insult to a Scotsman – even if many, if not most Scotsmen probably wear their kilts as seldom as I wear “white tie”.
I won’t argue with you about definitions – English is not my mother tongue – but I realize how easy it is to insult someone without wanting to – just because of differences in the interpretation of terms such as “a costume”.

GG - A non-Scot who will wear his kilt as a garment.

[pipesndrumsnun]

Hmmm...very, very interesting discussion you've got going on here!