Kim _Kaphwan said:
well i've finally ponied up the dough to get a kilt, and i need some advice. first where can i get one of those fuzzy theings to put on the front, second what are kilt pins, and third how do i wear it? do i put the pleated side faced forward, or the fringes overlapping the flat side forward? (i.e. how does one wear it?) any scotsman/traditional irishmen out there wanna help me out here? and what kind of shirt can i wear with it? is there like some sort of regulation shirt, or will any t-shirt do?
A sporran can be bought in any of about twenty shops within five minutes of my front door. Which is very handy for me but not much use to you. If you have a clear idea of what sporran you want I'll happily go and buy one for you. They come in various designs, some furry (mine is seal skin) some not (plain leather ones look pretty smart too). It's worth getting a good one, all the tassles and things can fall off if you are dancing energetically and it's badly made.
The kilt itself is basically just a very long piece of very heavy wollen cloth which you wrap round your waist. The kilt pin is used to attach the end of the cloth to the rest of the kilt, so that it doesn't flap open. If you get a kilt made from very heavy cloth (kilts are sold by the weight of the cloth, there are three or four common weights. The heavier it is, the warmer it is and the more expensive it will be) then it will not have a real tendancy to flap open anyway. On my kilt I just have the pin going through the end, I don't use it to tack back onto the rest of the cloth as it is heavy enough and having it tacked back on can get in the way when dancing.
What to wear it with on top? Just about anything. From formal dress shirts to a tshirt. Remember, in Scotland these are worn at weddings, parties, dances, football matches - everywhere. A woolen jumper is a good look quite often. Make sure you wear shoes to match. These might be ghillies, brouges, boots - whatever you wear with the top half basically. White or dark green knee length socks are also generally worn.
The pleated section goes at the back.
The sporran should be worn longer than you might think. It has two functions, first to hold money (nae pockets in a kilt) and second to protect you from low blows in a fight... Make sure it sits across your crotch.
Another thing to think about is do you want a belt? I don't have one, and don't want one, but some folk like them.
