Kilt Wearing 101

There’s an actual science to wearing a kilt – who knew? Read Kilt Wearing 101 to learn how to wear a kilt.

During my time in San Francisco for the Brave Press Day, I learned so much about Scottish culture. One of the sessions we did was all about kilt wearing. Since I found the session to be insightful and entertaining, I wanted to give you a little insight on kilts. And just in case you want to wear a kilt, here are the steps for properly dressing when wearing a kilt.

1. Shirt. You should wear a plain white collared shirt with no pleats.
2. Hose. These hose aren’t like the type of hose you are probably thinking about. Their ‘hose’ are more like what I call knee-high socks. They can be worn in cream or any other color that matches the jacket or kilt. The hose should be above the calf but not covering any part of the lower knee.
3. Flash: The flash is an elastic strap that is worn inside the cuff of the hose to hold them in place. It is short strips of fabric hanging from the cuff of the hose, mostly matching the tartan or complementary in color to the kilt fabric.
4. Ghillie Brogues: This is a type of footwear that was made with holes to let water out (and in) and helped feet and footwear to dry out more quickly in the wet/damp/boggy conditions. The high lacing helped prevent the shoe from being sucked off by mud.
5. Kilt: The kilt is worn firmly by the straps and buckles at the waist. The hem should come to the crest of the kneecap thus showing the knee. The apron (smooth side) should be worn in the front and the pleated side in the back.
6. Belt: The belt is typically fairly wide – between 2 – 1/2 and 3 inches or so – and come in black or brown leather.
7. Sporran: A kilt is traditionally manufactured without pockets, so a pouch or purse, otherwise known as a sporran is used to carry around smaller objects.  Sporrans are usually made from either brown or black leather.
8. Fly Plaid: This is a pleated cloth in the same tartan as the kilt, cast over the shoulder and fastened below the shoulder with a plaid brooch.
9. Hat: There are two types of headwear, Balmoral and Glengarry, that come in a variety of colors, but black is most common. The Balmoral is a round, brimless cap, flat on top, with trailing ribbons, while the Glengarry is somewhat wedge-shaped, longer than wider and creased lengthwise on the top.

The approximate cost of a kilt ensemble is about $800. Once you are an adult, the kilt is designed to last an entire lifetime. I thought it was interesting to find out that women are not allowed to wear kilts. Another interesting fact is the whole clan (family) wears the same tartan (print).

I really enjoyed learning about kilts and the Scottish culture and hope you enjoy this Kilt Wearing 101 post.

I was invited to San Francisco as a guest of Pixar. Most of my expenses were paid and all opinions are my own.