Men in Kilts: My First 3 Scotland Kilt Sightings
After returning home from 5 days of exploring Scotland, the first question from my coworkers or family was the predicable “How was Scotland?” The variations on my answer to this typically range from: 1) "Fabulous" 2) "It was great, you should go" 3) Or one of the above comments + "it was more interesting than I expected it to be."
But after the initial greeting question, if the vacation curiosity conversation continued it would commonly involve some form of inquiry about men in kilts. “Did you see any men in kilts?” and the persistent curiosity, “What do they wear under their kilts?” Second place goes to the question, "Did you drink the whiskey?" I confess to being a virgin on both accounts before the trip; I'd never tasted single malt Scotch whiskey, and I'd never seen a man wearing a kilt. Now I can say that I've had the experience of tasting my first single malt Scotch whiskey while standing next to a man wearing a kilt. How about them apples?
Funny thing is, I didn’t go to Scotland thinking that I would see men in kilts. I wanted to see castles, the medieval city of Edinburgh and what the Highlands of Scotland are all about. Oh yes, I did want to taste the whiskey and I really wanted to go where there are ancient standing stones. But I had already determined that travel to the islands for standing stones would not be possible in this short trip. With only 5 days in Scotland, I chose the experience variety pack of Edinburgh, the Highlands, and the Viking Coast as the scope of sightseeing. This turned out be probably the perfect mix of culture, sights and relaxation to maximize experiences in the limited time available.
But did I see men in kilts? Well yes, a few. What do they wear under it? I did not personally check to confirm, however you can read the blog post What's Under Your Kilt? 2 Scotsmen Reply to get real replies from real Scotsmen. There is also another one about Modern 21st Century Kilt Fashion (yes, it's really a style) and I will share some interesting history of the kilt that I learned. But this post is about my first 3 kilt sightings in Edinburgh.
Scottish Kilts, Part 1: Men in Kilts: My First 3 Scotland Kilt Sightings
Scotland. Men in skirts. That’s the image. A dude in a plaid skirt. This might be paired with a dress shirt and jacket, perhaps some fancy socks and shoes. Ooh! And maybe he’ll have that man-satchel-purse hanging from his waist, or possibly has a bagpipe. Ready tourists? Take a picture! Here are my first three kilt sightings, what I saw, how I felt and if I took a picture.
1. My first kilt sighting = Awkward
On my first day in Edinburgh I saw a fat man with puffy red cheeks and chalky white legs wearing in a green plaid kilt, playing a bagpipe on the street for money.At first I thought it was cool to see my first kilt sighting in Scotland, but yet it was also awkward. And unattractive. How did I feel? I felt sorry for him just a little. Did I take a picture? No. After first glance I lowered my eyes and continued my walk down the Royal Mile.
2. My second kilt sighting = Cool On my second day in Edinburgh, I met a man with a tattooed leg, wearing a brown kilt paired with sturdy boots and a friendly welcoming smile. He was rocking that kilt... no fuddy-duddy. It was a brown, solid tweed kilt. And he appeared to be quite natural in the kilt as he hopped out of that van on Princes Street and said hello. His name is James and future posts will share more about him and also the kilt.
How did I feel? I felt interested in knowing about his fashion choice. Did I take a picture? Yes, but not right away. He was our tour guide for the Highlands so I had more opportunity to figure it out.
3. My third kilt sighting = Umm... On my fourth evening in Edinburgh, I saw an imposing biker dude slamming down drinks in front of a bar on Rose Street with his buddies. He was tall, shaved head, tattoo’d, and sporting a green plaid kilt. He was also wearing metal studded boots, and a black biker leather vest artistically embroidered with a pair of handcuffs and the words “Perverted Centurians”. He appeared to be having quite the party with his friends in similar biker kilt fashion. How did I feel? I felt small and I just wanted to avoid his glance. Did I take a picture? Yes, but only after I walked past him and turned around so that he didn’t notice.
After that, I perhaps stopped noticing. Either there weren’t many men in kilts or I had moved on. Not sure. If someone wants to wear a kilt, go ahead and wear a kilt. It doesn't need to be silly or frilly, as you can quite clearly see in the pictures of kilt #2 and kilt #3. That said, it's also not a daily fashion item either, at least in Edinburgh from what I saw... at least not yet.
If you’re interested in hearing more of what James has to say about the kilt in his own Scottish way, please read and listen to more from this "Men in Kilts" series.
Part 1: My First 3 Scotland Kilt Sightings
Part 3: What's Under Your Kilt? 2 Scots Reply Part 4: The History of the Kilt in Scotland (coming soon)
CONSIDERING A TRIP TO SCOTLAND? RESOURCES FOR YOU:
Heart of Scotland Tours website: Highly recommend! Lots of info here, but you can also find and book them through TripAdvisor. You can find full details on the tours I took below:
1 Day Tour: The Viking Coast & Alnwick Castle TripAdvisor: This is a good single resource for you to find and compare many Scotland tour options, including Heart of Scotland. TripAdvisor also has robust flight search and different option for lodging ranging from hotels to vacation rentals (similar to Airbnb).