Angus over at Bob and Sophie’s French Adventure included this video in Tuesday’s post. It shows how to put on a kilt with all the accessories for a formal occasion.
I had always been mildly interested in how kilts work, so I thought the video was interesting. If you were a guy, can you picture yourself wearing one? I certainly can’t imagine Andy doing it — we very seldom go anywhere that needs more than our usual casual clothes. What about you? Do you go to many functions that require dressing in something fancier than what you wear around home? If so, do you enjoy it?
March 7, 2015
I wear the Indian equivalent of the kilt, lungi, at home. I can wear a white version of it with a kurta on top for formal going out too! I rarely go to places where I will have to wear suits etc, but do wear trousers and shirts on occasion and also a blazer at need. My preferred dress for going out is our national dress a kurta and a pajama. Shall send you a photograph.
Is your lungi as short as the kilts?
I don’t like kilts at all, though an ordinary skirt would be fun! But a surprising number of women seem to be crazy about kilts, not sure why. I seldom go to formal functions, and I dislike having to dress up in rather boring formal clothes. I feel decidedly uncomfortable in them.
Yes, we avoid formal functions too. Much more fun to stay at home and play with my toys.
Not much formality for me. Dress shirt and slacks for funerals and weddings and, even then, I’m more formally dressed than a lot. Many people here just wear “nice” day-to-day informal attire for those these days in rural and small town Arkansas.
Normal attire for outside: warm weather – shorts and t-shirt; cool weather – jeans and t-shirt; cold weather – add layers; frigid weather – flannel lined jeans and long sleeved t-shirt, add layers as needed.
Sounds like the folks around there have a lot of sense!
I love getting dressed up. Even more I adore men in their attire, Tuxedo, the lot.
As to men in skirts (Kilts): I know it’s a ridiculous story but true nevertheless. Ca 1980. Flying back to the motherland after my first one weekend stint in England. Heathrow Airport. Not quite yet departure lounge (flight delayed). Bar. A whole load of Scottish men in kilts. We got talking – as I (and the Irish and Scottish) do. My goodness, they enveloped me in their warmth and humour. Then my future husband (who’d been at the check in desk) “rescued” me. I didn’t want to be rescued. You know what, Jean, and it taught me something: Those guys were huge. Not in circumference but height, stature, muscle, spirit. Did those skirts and their, frankly, ridiculous knee high socks diminish their masculinity? No. If anything they enhanced it. Though, to this day, have never found out what they actually wear underneath.
I love the Scottish. Not least for their gutturals. Even Sean Connery (if only he didn’t live up to the image of the Scottish being tightfisted when it comes to money).
U
That sounds like fun! I don’t think kilts look unmasculine. It’s just a different style.
Tom & I have done Scottish Country Dancing for maybe 30 years. When some of the men started wearing kilts, they sat legs spread, one foot up on other knee, or some other way. From across the room we could see up the kilt to Kingdom Come. Nothing was sacred.
Ursula, they were wearing white briefs underneath.
Thank goodness for underwear! Women used to be taught to sit demurely with their legs together. Guys were allowed to take up more space, exude more authority and power.
White, BHB? Are you sure?
Funny you should mention that, Jean. It certainly was the first thing I was taught [to keep your legs together – no doubt for good reason]. My mother encouraged short skirts but always made sure I’d wear matching underwear – same fabric.
As to men expanding. Yes, they do take up a lot of space with their legs apart. A sort of alpha male marking his territory, I think. Their anatomy is different (thank God). It’s why men and women (in gymnastics) do the splits at quite different angles. Think ballet.
U
I noticed the male-spread-legs position in the car; our girls with legs together & the boys taking up the space with knees wide apart.
Yes Ursula the briefs were white. And I didn’t warn them because it was entertaining.
I think the idea of matching underwear is a great idea. And I didn’t know men and women do splits differently. Not that I’ve tried one in years. Watching the Olympic ice skating/dancing was good for I have one good outfit for a laugh. Andy and I couldn’t come close to doing some of those poses, even on solid ground.
i adore men in kilts. sean connery especially!
i have literally been two totally opposite people in my life in three different periods of time.
bwb and ab … and now.
before and with bob… i loved clothes. it was fun to dress for him. simple slim little dresses and french heels. he loved them.
and still… after bob … when i began dating other men … and working in the grown up world …
i loved dressing up. blazers… trousers with creases… silk undies… cashmere sweaters… a long black dress for evening ala audrey hepburn style.
and heels with everything!
NOW…
now is my favorite time really. clothes~wise anyway. the missing my bob ever stays.
BUT! NOW!
jeans. t-shirts. sweaters. cropped white pants with colorful silk sleeveless tunics for summer. ONLY ever sandals. year round. can’t afford cashmere anymore! LOL.
if it’s truly cold. then knee socks and tennys. and sweat pants and shirts! LOVEM’ !!!
it’s just so GRAND to be totally comfortable and not give a hoot! 😀
I agree about how liberating it is to be comfortable and not give a hoot!
I’ve only been to a few things in the last decade or so that require formal attire.
I wish caftans were acceptable for men (one of the few areas where women have more public freedom than men is in their clothing I think).
Maybe you should copy Rummuser’s sartorial style and start a new fashion.
I bought a new, reasonably decent outfit for my graduation (most of it hidden under the gown of course). The black trousers are still very wearable and as I’ve got over wearing denims in the meantime – they are my go-to trousers for both Uni and outings…
However the top is another story, it is now very casual wear because it has faded badly around the top part, plus I discovered that the “nylony” fabrics are not great on humid days…
I am getting to a point where my “best gear” is now my general outing gear as things are wearing out…
If could have been a fly on the wall at home yesterday and seen how many tops I put on before actually departing for Uni, you would have laughed…many of the better ones have logo/scenes all on them, which I hate wearing as such…hate to advertise my chest dimensions!
I would have loved to be a fly on your wall! I don’t get as dressed up as you do. Mostly I just go to the local gym and to the grocery store, post office, etc. And when I like a piece of clothing I buy several, so I mostly wear the same looking thing, like a uniform. It’s not very fashionable, but it saves a lot of time,.
The beauty of the lungi / dhoti is that it is normally worn to ankle length but to give more freedom can be folded up half mast as it were to give as much protection as the kilt does.
Now that sounds practical!