How the modern gentleman can carry off a kilt

Telegraph

4 days ago

Trying too hard with your wardrobe choices comes with pitfalls too numerous to mention for men, as anyone keeping a sartorial eye on stars from Jonathan Ross to Johnny Depp can attest.
But excessive, misguided efforts to tinker with your dress sense are not the same as excessive, misguided efforts to tinker with your national identity. And herein lies the reason why, as a native Scot, I've never been entirely comfortable with the kilt.
The bickering over the garments origins are picayune enough to stimulate the most pedantic of Jacobites. But it does appear true that we are currently party to the 300 th anniversary of the kilt as we know it. It's been present on catwalks and red carpets over the years – Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier famously toyed with its traditional tartan formality – and recently Scottish actors Alan Cumming and David Tennant have appeared resplendent in Bonny Brigadoon attire. The latter has worn a colourful array of kilts this year, in the promotion of his Traitors US series (set in a splendid baronial castle).
King Charles is no stranger to the kilt, wearing one regularly on visits to Scotland, and most recently, we saw Viscount Garnock marry Lady Violet Manners in the aristocratic wedding of the year, clad in a kilt. Many of his relatives followed suit.
And while Scotland may have invented penicillin, television, modern economics and, er, The Proclaimers, there is a depressing inevitability in the fact that the kilt was rendered into its current form in 1725 by, wait, yes, you're ahead of me, an Englishman.
Thomas Rawlinson was an industrialist who ventured north to manage an ironworks in Invergarry. His workforce were dressed in the brochan; a full-length garment whose upper half could either be worn as a cloak, pulled up over the head or draped around one shoulder.
Noticing that stumbling around blast furnaces with, essentially, a picnic blanket wrapped around them was impeding their labours, Rawlinson offered his men a streamlined version; with just the lower half remaining, modified by pleating the material.
The romanticised, theatrical and somewhat rickety cult of the kilt began here. Three centuries later and I am one of many Scots who, sotto voce, have concerns about donning the full Brigadoon apparel. It all feels a bit kitsch; closer to Scottie dogs and shortbread than the Selkirk Grace and the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
Not only that, but it always seems to be the man with the most tenuous link to Scottish ancestry who is the keenest to wear a kilt to a wedding. Indeed, the last bloke I spoke to who had a kilt and sporran affixed to his frame was a police officer with the Met whose accent was pure Kent, not Caledonian.
To bring some order to the rather untidy weft and the warp of my feelings, I sought out a kilt agony aunt; and was lucky enough to find two in the forms of Leah Robertson, from Selkirk based Lochcarron (kilt makers since 1892 and one of the world's leading manufacturers of tartan) and Jo Kinloch Anderson, whose eponymous family firm have been making kilts in Edinburgh since 1868 and are holders of a Royal Warrant of Appointment as tailors and kiltmakers,
Jo doesn't go quite as far as calling me a snob with my tentative take on tartan, but she does think I need to reassess my obloquy.
'You are being a wee bit under-patriotic, Rob,' Jo rebukes. 'Wearing a kilt isn't just about proving your bloodline; it's about celebrating heritage, connection, and pride in something that resonates with you personally. If you love kilts, wear one proudly. It's not about pretending to be anything you're not. It's about honouring something you genuinely appreciate.'
Well, that's me told. But my concomitant kilt concern stems from a lack of knowledge about how to wear one properly that wouldn't get me laughed out of a bagpipers convention. Not only that, but I'm entirely oblivious to any modernisation. I know Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren adored kilts; but what worked on the Kings Road in 1976 may seem a little de trop in Kirkcaldy in 2025.
How men can make a kilt look modern
Leah from Lochcarron is sympathetic. 'I think it can be a bit overwhelming for some people to feel that they need to go all out, and may feel a bit ostentatious to them when it really doesn't need to. For sure the most common mistake is wearing the kilt too long. The kilt edge should sit to the middle of the kneecap.'
Leah adds that, in recent years, she's seen customers going for a muted, weathered version of the tartan with a simple Crail jacket, then wearing this with low-key accessories or even a shirt and a sweater with a boot depending on the occasion.
'And why not wear the kilt with trainers and a sweater or a denim jacket for a really casual and everyday look?' she enquires.
I'd never thought of the kilt as being an evolving outfit. But Leah is right; why should the kilt wearer be entirely in thrall to the long shadow of tradition? Scots are a notably adaptable people and Jo at Kinloch Anderson is vehement in her assertions as to how the modern-minded kilt wearer should tailor his look:
'You don't need to go full Brigadoon to enjoy wearing a kilt, in fact that look is slightly more outdated these days. Modern tartans with muted tones (think greys, navy, olive) are popular for casual looks, and can be easier to style with neutral tops. Or go for a hunting variant of a clan tartan which traditionally contains deep earthy tones, originally created to blend with the Scottish landscape whilst out hunting.'
For the top half of the body Jo recommends a well-fitted knit or roll-neck in the cooler months. 'Or, for something slightly smarter, a brushed cotton shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a leather belt gives a great balance of heritage and ease,' she concludes.
For footwear, Leah suggests that the modern kilt wearer should choose simple shoes or boots. 'This will maintain a relaxed appearance,' she insists. 'But, for a slightly dressier look finish your outfit with a pair of brogue shoes.'
By this point I'm starting to blush with a hue that wouldn't disgrace a red grouse. I've let my premonitory fears get in the way of countless weddings and parties where, rather than sneering at Home Counties kilt wearers, I could have simply donned my own, joined in and (possibly) been a tartan clad libertine amid the reception vol au vents.
To sporran or not to sporran?
But there is one last question which I need Jo and Leah to put to rest. Is there room in the modern kilt wardrobe for the sporran?
'Our opinion is don't ditch the sporran! It is an integral part of Scottish national dress and completes the look,' confirms Jo.
'Without the sporran, a kilt outfit looks unfinished. Opt for a muted day sporran which are all leather. These can tone with the shoes or boots being worn and look absolutely amazing with muted tonal kilt. And, of course, the sporran is the perfect size for your phone and wallet!'
I'm reminded of the old joke which asks why Scottish men keep their money in their sporran; the answer being that if they're going to get robbed then they might as well enjoy it.
It's a line as old as William Wallace's chain-mail and should probably be slung out alongside my old Greenock Morton football programmes. And my snobbery about kilts.
As Leah insists to me, 'as long as it's worn well and with confidence, there is nothing better. A kilt is for anyone who respects the craftsmanship and then wears it with purpose.'