Rudders at Home

The boys in my wedding wore kilts. And I loved it. Particularly the boy on the left. Since then, I’ve been trying to get Paul back into a kilt every chance I get.

Believe it or not, it happens more often than you would think.

Each time we need a kilt, we have to rent one. Unfortunately we’ve found that renting a kilt down here in London can be a bit awkward and complicated. Wait a minute, I bet you’re thinking – rent a kilt? Didn’t he come with one? No, no, they’re not built in, and that’s exactly what I thought when the first black tie do came around. I soon discovered that’s not how it worked at all.

Problems that arise from renting are numerous. Besides the obvious fact that everyone and their brother has worn the kilt before you, there’s the crucial bit that you might not be able to find the correct tartan. Apart from that there are other things, such as the quality of the accoutrements. The sporran may be a bit low quality, the shoes may not fit well, the coat may be a bit worn, there are kilt hose to think about as well and to top it off, the person fitting you may not know the proper way and you could end up with a kilt way too short!

I’ve also found good reason to believe that a black tie event is not required in order to wear a kilt. One could happily wear one to a ceilidh, or a wedding, or anytime you might want to look smarter than average. (That’s better looking than average, not more intelligent!)

This has brought me (and Paul) to the conclusion that it would simply be best to invest in a kilt of his own. Not only would it be nice to have things on hand here in London, but when we eventually move to the States, I have a feeling we won’t be able to rent a kilt at the drop of a hat.

And so, my kilt project was born.

Buying a kilt isn’t as straightforward as you may think, especially when you live in London and the man wearing the kilt tends to be a bit snobby about some things. There are tons of things that go into it, and these items will vary depending on what ocaission you’re dressing for.

There are:

• The Kilt (obviously)
• The Kilt Hose (socks)
• The belt and belt buckle (to keep the thing up!)
• The sgian dubh or skean dhu, or skeen dhu or knife, or whatever you want to call it. (in case you want a snack, or need to defend your honor!)
• The sporran (to keep you bits and bobs in)
• The brogues (the shoes)
• The kilt pin (to make sure the kilt doesn’t fly open! – I saw a guy lose his mid-dance at a ceilidh once – oh boy!)
• The flashes  (to keep those hose up!)
• The stuff for on top: shirt and tie, jacket, and vest/waistcoat

Now that’s a lot of stuff!

The plan is to get things gradually, one at a time, simply because things can be expensive, and Paul can be a bit picky about where we get them. We will mostly only be buying items in Scotland, so we have to be patient about actually acquiring these things.

As we start to invest in things, I’ll then blog about them. I’m strangely proud of the idea of Paul and his kilt, and I think it will be quite an interesting experience. There’s a lot for me to learn. Also, as you can see, there’s quite a bit that goes into traditional Scottish dress like this, and I thought this would be a good place to record the 21st century version of the process. Not to mention the fact that if we’re doing it, it’s guaranteed to be an experience!

So, don’t hold your breath, as things may move slowly, but please enjoy the posts that come under this subject in the future.

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