what's logical doesn't always look right

[Alan H]

This is something I've noticed in the past. There are all sorts of cultural and societal reasons for it, I suspect. AND, it must be said that what I'm going to write is MY PERCEPTION and that doesn't mean that it's anybody elses.

For example.... women wear skirts with no socks and no nylons and plain shoes all the time.

But if a guy wears a contemp kilt with no hose and no socks, but shoes, like oxofrds...TO ME it looks awful. Kilt + crocs gives me the horrors. Logically, it should be fine, but TO ME, it's not. Why is it fine for a woman to do it, but not a man?

That's just my personal example of what seems to me should be logical, but looks deadly awful. There are others. TO ME....I think the new utilikilt pinstripe kilt and vest are great. The spats, though. UGH. But it's not terribly logical, *why* I think they look awful.

What other things about contemporary kilt stuff do you feel "should" by all reasonable logic, work just fine, but it gives you the willies when you see it in person?

[KWD]

This is something I've noticed in the past. There are all sorts of cultural and societal reasons for it, I suspect. AND, it must be said that what I'm going to write is MY PERCEPTION and that doesn't mean that it's anybody elses.

For example.... women wear skirts with no socks and no nylons and plain shoes all the time.

But if a guy wears a contemp kilt with no hose and no socks, but shoes, like oxofrds...TO ME it looks awful. Kilt + crocs gives me the horrors. Logically, it should be fine, but TO ME, it's not. Why is it fine for a woman to do it, but not a man?

That's just my personal example of what seems to me should be logical, but looks deadly awful. There are others. TO ME....I think the new utilikilt pinstripe kilt and vest are great. The spats, though. UGH. But it's not terribly logical, *why* I think they look awful.

What other things about contemporary kilt stuff do you feel "should" by all reasonable logic, work just fine, but it gives you the willies when you see it in person?

I agree with you, I believe the reasoning at least in my mind is a Kilt is not a skirt, a woman doesn't have to wear stocking or socks with a skirt, but in my mind hose just have to be worn with a kilt.. so in my head it just doesn't look right, but I am sure there are plenty of people that think it is perfectly fine to do so.

even in my most casual dress, (rugby jersey, kilt and day sporran) I still wear hose and flash.. it's just how i see it should be...

[Thomas H]

I agree ,In a Kilt Hose are a Must ! Guys leg are not good to look at ,
Cover them up .LOL

[MikeS]

I have two possible explanations for this:

1. One persons upbringing gives them certain preferences and prejudices that does not necessarily correspond to what someone else's preferences are.

2. It looks awful because it is awful.

[MikeS]

I agree ,In a Kilt Hose are a Must ! Guys leg are not good to look at ,
Cover them up .LOL

Speak for yourself! I've had women ask to feel mine!

[Alan H]

I agree ,In a Kilt Hose are a Must ! Guys leg are not good to look at ,
Cover them up .LOL

I dunno, I won a "bonnie knees" contest once, and the brazen hussy HA! aka My Most Noble M'Lady of the re-enactment guild next door.... who was judge #3... yanked my socks down and quite took her liberties with my calves!

....To the uproarious amusement of about 75 onlookers.

[Alan H]

I have two possible explanations for this:

1. One persons upbringing gives them certain preferences and prejudices that does not necessarily correspond to what someone else's preferences are.

2. It looks awful because it is awful.

A man after my own heart. Call a spade, a spade.

[kiltedwolfman]

IMO it all depends on how the person wearing the kilt is presenting themselves. By this I mean thier overall presence, not just their outfit. During the warmer months I am almost always wearing sandals with my kilts and not once have I ever received any kind of negative comment on it. But I have also been told that I present myself publicly with a very distinct sence of who I am and could pull off looking decent in nothing other than a patatoe sack. LOL.

In Martial Arts we call it Kigorai and it pertains to presenting yourself to the world with confidence and strength of character. I feel this is the same in the kilting world. I see people dressed in different ways sometimes in what would easily be considered pretty decent attire, but the way they carry themselves lends to a notion that they are not comfortable in thier clothes and thusly they just look wrong.

Perhaps when noticing the ungainly bare legs people are picking up on something else about the person being viewed and mentally the only thing we can think of is " no hose just looks wrong" Then again maybe the person truly does look like they just rose into town on an Ostrich and should be hiding those skinny things! I know when I see someone all turned out in a PC etc to me they just look like they popped out of a cookie cutter and while they outfit might be done wuite well it still looks like a perfect example of a lack of originality. When I see a bare legged fellow peacocking about in his kilt I think "Good for you mate!"

[Larry124]

The campgrounds at the Philadelphia Folk Festival in August feature dozens of men in kilts, mostly Utilikilts and Amerikilts, with t-shirts and sandals.
And an occasional Celtic-rock stage band dressed the same.
They might be persuaded to tuck the t-shirt in.
Socks of all lengths (no one calls them hose) are worn only with boots or sneakers.

These men decidedly do not think that they look “deadly awful”. Nor does the crowd at large. And they don’t.

At that event I’ve been in many discussions about this forum and the qualifier is always made that one must be prepared for a wide range of “what looks right” opinions – and in which an ultra casual style is distinctly a minority view, and occasionally (frequently?) denigrated.

[CopperNGold]

Most of us shave or wax our legs and slather them with any number of lotions, giving us smooth, soft, and sometimes, tanned legs. For general viewing pleasure, hairy ankles are just not as attractive.

Just my $.02.