The Scottish Kilt

The Scottish Kilt is the most popular and well known form of clothing that represents the traditional dress of Scottish Highland males. Many people who are not familiar with the tradition and history of the Scottish Kilt think that a kilt is merely a skirt that Scottish men wear. They may also associate a Scottish Kilt with Scottish bagpipes and Scottish parades. However, there is a rich an interesting history behind the Scottish Kilt. First off you may be interested to know that what we see today in terms of the styling of the Scottish Kilt is not like what they originally looked like.

The first kilts were robe-like garments that were worn over a tunic or a long shirt. Many historians feel that this robe-like structure was influenced by the Romans. So as you can see the origins of the Scottish Kilt goes back a long way.

The Dampness of the Scottish Climate Influenced Scottish Kilt Design

Over time a long robe-like garment became impractical and perhaps even uncomfortable to wear in the wet Scottish climate. Therefore, the original “kilt” was modified by keeping the light robe underneath (the kilt) and discarding the rest. The Scottish Highlanders also discarded the rest during battles as a long robe-like garment was also impractical to wear during battles. The Scottish kilt that we see today is the much modified version from the original kilt.

Today’s version of the Scottish Kilt is a skirt made using tartan plaid patterns in colors that originally represented the region where the wearer of the kilt called home. The plaid pattern is a checkered design, made by using woolen threads of different colors, to form a vertical and horizontal design, called a ‘sett’. It is said that kilts became more popular with the people after it was banned by King George II (of England) in 1746. In this year the English passed the Dress Act. The Dress Act included both the wearing of Tartan patterns and kilts. As one may image this antagonized the Highlanders and they began to wear it despite the ban imposed by the Dress Act. This connects the Scottish Kilt with a sense of great patriotic feelings. This made the kilt a symbol of Scottish pride Scottish culture and Scottish nationality. This Act was part of a series of measures attempting to bring the warrior clans under government control by crushing Gaelic culture. It had the reverse effect.

Accessories to the Scottish Kilt

A completely authentic Scottish kilt is incomplete without all its wonderful accessories.

These are:

A Kilt Belt

The first one is a leather belt that is tied around the waist.

A Sporran

A sporran is a small leather pouch that is attached to the kilt. This enables the men to keep small objects or money in it.

Sgian Dubh

The sgian dubh is a kilt knife. Traditionally it is a small knife with an ornate handle. It is placed within the socks of the wearer.

Kilt Hose (socks)

The socks which rise up to the knees are called hose. They can be plain or plaid patterned.

Kilt Shoes

The shoes worn by the Highlanders are called ghillie brogues and are made from leather. These shoes have one peculiar feature. They don’t have tongues. This helps them to dry faster in the damp climate. Also, they have laces that are tied at the ankles to ensure that they don’t come off easily.