Men in Kilts
May 5th, 2007 by anned
Have you noticed how big the whole Celtic thing has gotten lately? It might have started with Riverdance, I don’t know, but everyone seems to be into everything Irish and Scottish. And though I find Celtic mythology absolutely fascinating, I’ve resisted jumping on the Celtic-loving bandwagon — mostly because I’m kind of perverse that way.
Well all of that changed the other day. Quite by accident, I was privileged to witness a performance by a Celtic “tribal music” group called The Wicked Tinkers. And oh, my… *fans self* Men in kilts — why didn’t anyone tell me how sexy that was? I’ve never had any strong feelings about the garments, one way or another, but to see those well-built, confident, manly men in all of their Celtic finery — let’s just say it was a sight to behold. (And the music was awesome, too, by the way. Check out their website.)
In the process of “researching” for this blog — it’s a rough life, I know — I came across a website with a pro-kilt agenda called Kiltmen. Here’s a quote from their site:
“If an alien unfamiliar with Western clothing styles were presented with a naked man and woman and asked to match them up with a skirt and trousers, it’s easy to imagine that, based on anatomy, the man would get the skirt!… Consequently, it is perfectly sensible for men to adopt kilts (or variations such as the Utilikilt) as their customary attire and let women wear the trousers.”
Hmmm. I like this argument — for many reasons. 
I wonder if my husband would buy it?
I also found a site called Real Men Wear Kilts, where they have some great suggestions for men who are asked, “What do you wear under your kilt?” The answers are good for a laugh.
Seriously though, here’s what I suggest: Go out and find yourself a local Celtic festival, and experience the magic yourself. I know I plan to.
– Jeanne
Men in kilts are a good, good thing. Especially when they have a Scottish or Irish accent, which just makes them 2323943 times hotter! Thanks for the great links.
You know, I had heard people say that before, but seeing it for myself made me a believer.
Glad you liked the links!
J
Hubby and I go to the Renaissance festivals all the time. He keeps talking about getting a kilt, and I keep hoping. There is a Celtic group we really like called the Rogues. Yum. I love men in kilts.
Oh, and Utilikilts are wonderful. Some of them have more pockets than a large purse. I know many men who love them.
Do the Rogues have a website? I’ll have to look them up.
I think kilts are hot, but I had never thought about kilts vs. pants in terms of, um, “crotch comfort” until I found the Kiltmen website. (It’s kind of like that other mystery: Why do men’s bikes have the bar across the top where they can do serious damage?)
If they could get over the social stigma, what man WOULDN’T want to wear a kilt?
J
Hubby was best man at a wedding in a Church just outside of Oban, Scotland. It was beautiful (cold as all hell, but beautiful). He and the groom wore kilts – full formal wear, jacket, sporrans and correct socks with the little tufty garters and all
They both asked how we women stood wearing skirts in the middle of winter
It does seem like it would be rather “breezy” doesn’t it?
J
Jeanne,
http://www.therogues.com/index.html
A lot of them have changed since i last saw them, but I have some nice pics (if I can find them) of one of them turning during a song, and we definitely see what real men wear under their kilts
Oh, fun!
Thanks, Tina!
J
Ladies, I can tell you from the male perspective that wearing a kilt is fantastic, for a gargantuan set of reasons. Indeed, it does free up the symbol of our gender making it comfy to do almost anything. And I do mean anything. My wife and I have horses and I have one kilt relegated to barn work (it can be washed instead of dry cleaned) and on hot days it is incredibly cooler than shorts. And I live just outside of Memphis and it gets hot and humid here. Now in the winter, if you have a heavier kilt (say an 8 yard made of wool) and heavy socks (also of wool) its plenty warm even in freezing weather. I am Scottish (on both sides) but was born and raised here. In the winter, in the old days, men who wore the great kilt (made from a giant wool sheet tartan) would get the kilt damp. This would cause the wool fibers to expand thus blocking out the wind and increase warmth. Hope this helps.
Sláinte!
Ladies,
I wear proudly a utilikilt EVERY DAY and love the fact that ia can dress it up, down or whatever *wicked grins* It gets me plenty of attention as a male romance author *g*