So You're Going To Speak To Someone Who's Wearing A Kilt

[Zardoz]

Could be. One interesting thing I've noticed is that people get really thrown for a mental loop if you're not wearing a tartan. I wear contemporary kilts because that's what I have right now.

At the local Highland Games a couple of weeks ago I had some interesting conversations with members of the Caledonian Society. Some of the comments were, "I'll bet you could wear that every day!" "Wow, I've never seen a kilt with pockets!" "That's a really practical look" "Where did you get THAT?" and "Is that a military kilt?"

I had assumed that people who make kilt-wearing part of their identity would have seen contemporary kilts, even own one or two. It does say something about how they may see the role of the kilt in their own lives.

:ootd:

Yes, It does say something about how they may see the role of the kilt in their lives. Unfortunatly, from the viewpoint of a daily kilt wearer anyway, they see it as a sort of costume, primarily suited to wear at Scot heritage functions like games, Burns suppers, etc..(safety in numbers?)

This is not a critical assessment of anyone by me! They are involved with their heritage, and wear the kilt as a display of that identity, but don't care to wear it all the time. So as you saw, they are unaware of most of the details about kilts and Highlandware we concern ourselves with here on our forum. I believe this is true of vast majority of kilt 'owners' around the globe.

[Fit2BKilted]

We need to pool our brains and write a book titled
"So You're Going To Speak To Someone Who's Wearing a Kilt."

What suggestions would you have for the book to help educate the general public on polite ways to initiate and engage a kilted gent in conversation?

Ron

It should be prefaced (for a chapter?) that "If you have no other cause to speak with a kilted man than an ephemeral interest in his fashion..." a modest compliment would go a long way toward starting a polite, if idle, conversation "... otherwise, mind your own business."

Personally, I'm a bit wary of strangers that approach me seemingly without cause (it prompts me to speculate whether their motives are solicitation, misdirection, seduction, or other manipulation)... Perhaps I've chosen to wear the kilt, in part, to moderate my paranoia? ;-)

[Riverkilt]

Hey Merlin,

Somewhere have an old pic of a vendor at the Phoenix games in the '70s with a similar sign on his tent post.

Sort of the thought behind, what if we could write a guide...

Ron

[Riverkilt]

How about, mention the kilt first. Its really disconcerting to me to have someone come up to me with "that look" and gear myself up for whatever they're gonna say, then have them comment on my Z Coil shoes or the t-shirt I'm wearing and never mention the kilt...

Ron

[Merlin]

I saw a gent wearing a kilt at the baseball game last night....I couldn't get over to him but I wanted to ask about the tartan.

[Chas]

Of course everyone of us is different and will have had different experiences, but in general most of the approaches to me have been 'Excuse me, Sir' rather than 'Oi You'.

While I was in Scotland, I had the question: "Are you a true Scotsman today?" put to me on various occasions. That left me free to answer quite truthfully that I was in fact an Englishman.

Regards

Chas

[Detroitpete]

I don't know if this helps but I have what I consider to be a very good example of how one individual approached it. I was at a large outdoor flee market-antique sale in NC. I'm always kilted on vacation so I had even forgotten myself what I was wearing.

I noticed a group of 'older women' standing not too far from me smiling, something else caught my eye and I moved toward it, just then I heard;

Oy, Jock!, Jock!

I turned to see that it was one of the ladies and she motioned to me to come over. In her British accent she said that she was going to discuss things with me for the benefit of her lady friends, then she said:

"Are you having a stroll?" I said yes.
"Lovely attire for the mountains" I agreed.
"I can tell that that is a clan tartan, but I'm not sure which, what is it?" I explained it was a MacLaren Modern.
"Thank you for wearing that, it makes me think of home" I said your welcome.
"The ladies think you look smashing too and wonder if thier husbands wouldn't mind seeing that, perhaps even donning one themselves." I told her that they should give it a try.

The last thing she said was "Are there any establishments near that carry kilts and tartan wear?" I was in Franklin North Carolina---so I told them about Matt Newsome's place.

I hope they went and enjoyed themselves.

It was a pleasant conversation and I tried to be as curtious and helpful as possible. But I have to tell you--the power of the kilt--standing there with a group of women oogling at me, I'm sure I blushed through the entire encounter.

[Catdad]

When finding out that the kilt wearer is not Scotish (and he or she mentions a nationality), do not respond with, "Oh, I didn't know xxxxx wore kilts."

[Rex_Tremende]

My advice would be that if you don't have a reason for the gentleman in the kilt to want to speak to you beyond satisfying your own curiosity, best not to bother. The very least you should have is a compliment to offer if not your own interesting story to tell.

Regards,
Rex.