Kilts are customary attire that can be traced back to the sixteenth century. While it is traditional Scottish Highland garb usually for men, there are Irish, Welsh, Northumbrian, and even contemporary United States and Canadian variations. However, its roots are in the Scottish and Celtic-Gaelic heritage.
There are some useful points you need to consider when buying a kilt. This is especially true when you are buying or wearing one for the fist time.
- You need to decide on the make of your kilt.
- The cloth or tartan design says what clan you belong to.
- You need to take measurements for your kilt.
- There are optional accessories to complement your kilt and the overall “Scottish” look.
The make of your kilt should follow the traditional design, and your clan’s tartan must be used as material. Tartans are cloths that have crisscrossed horizontal and vertical patterns in different colors. Furthermore, the design of tartans represents different clans aside from their Coat of Arms.
The most popular includes the Stewart tartan, the Black Watch tartan, the Northumbrian tartan, the MacAulay hunting tartan, and the Clarkson tartan, among several others. Once you have discovered your Scottish roots (or the one you want to adopt) then you can choose and buy the tartan for your kilt.
The most important measurements that you have to take are the kilt length (measure from waist to floor whilst kneeling minus 1.5 inches or 4 cm), around the waist, and around the hips.
In addition, you can wear your kilt with a jacket or a waistcoat. This is especially important to wear as a complete suit during formal occasions and traditional Scottish events. However, it doesn’t stop with the kilt and jacket alone. There are several accessories for your kilt that you can purchase to complete the “Scottish” look. These include plaid brooches, satin bow tie, Ruche tie, Ghillie shirts, sporrans and chains, belts and buckles, kilt pins, Sgian Dhubs (black knives), kilt socks, kilt flashes, cufflinks, and sporran flasks, among many others.