Its Festival Season! Dress to “Kilt” without blowing your budget

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Highland Games and Celtic Festivals are tons of fun and a great way to show your pride in your heritage.  Lots of people want to wear their kilts to festivals, but what do you do if the weather is anything but cooperative?  If you have invested in a traditional, Scottish wool kilt, you may be apprehensive to take it to a festival if it’s pouring rain, dry and dusty, or any number of less than ideal conditions.  A lot of you may be looking for your first kilt too.  How do you choose a quality option?  There have been a lot of kilts added to the market in recent years, so be careful before you buy, or you may be disappointed by what actually arrives in the mail.

  1. A great way to get a durable, less expensive kilt is to go with a wool alternative.  Our recommendation is a Polyester/Viscose blend.  It have a nice tight weave similar in look to traditional wool kilts at 1/5 the price.  Acrylic weaves tend to be chunkier and not the best color match to their wool counterparts.  Beware of wool kilts that are not 100% Scottish Worsted Wool.  This is likely Asian wool and also does not have the quality or look that the Scottish wool and even the Poly/Viscose fabric has.  We offer Poly/Viscose kilts from $50-$150 in several tartans.
  2. Another great option is the Utility Kilt.  These are made of a heavy cotton in plain and camouflage fabrics and often have assorted pockets, D-rings etc.  They are perfect for getting down and dirty at a festival. Just throw it in the machine when you get home and it’s as good as new.

 

 

Everyone wants a little piece of their family heritage to wear.  As there is a limited range of tartans available in poly/viscose fabrics, a good alternative to having your family tartan is wearing a family cap badge or kilt pin.

We have fitted a lot of people in kilts and here are some of the top glitches people encounter when donning their first kilt:

1. The pleats go in the back, flat part in the front.

2. The kilt is worn higher than your pants which may change the size you need.

3.  When putting on the kilt, undo the buckles/straps all the way and then wrap the kilt around you.  One strap will go through a hole in the waistline of the kilt, the other wraps around the outside.  You can swivel the kilt around you to reach the buckles easier.  Center the apron (flat section) at your belly button.

4.  There are lots of accessories that go with your kilt.  If you are on a budget, here is our recommendation for the order to buy stuff.

  • Kilt
  • Sporran
  • Hose (socks) & Flashes
  • Ghillie Shirt (if going for the Jacobite look)
  • Belt & Buckle
  • Kilt Pin
  • Sgian Dubh
  • Ghillie Brogues
  • Traditional Hat – Glengarry or Balmoral
  • Other formal attire (Argyle or Price Charlie Jacket)

You are now all set hit the festival scene in style.  Happy kilt wearing!