Today the kilt is being worn more and more by people from all walks of life around the world as a fashion statement of their Scottish or Celtic heritage, be it for formal occasions or as casual everyday dress. For the novice who desires to wear the kilt and do so in a proper manner, it can be a somewhat confusing matter as the various accessories that go along with the kilt come in a wide array of styles and classes, each appropriate to different levels or types of dress.

As a writer who has worn Highland attire for more than 20 years, I see the need for advice to be given, since the kilt when properly worn can be the most handsome attire a man can wear, and when worn improperly the effect is far less appealing.

First to consider is the issue of the kilt itself. Much has been written already regarding the centuries old history of the kilt and the controversies behind its development, so I will forego this by saying that the proper kilt worn today is not a costume of some past historical period, but rather a traditional article of clothing that has changed little in the past 100 years. Also, unless you are in the military, you will not be wearing the kilt as a uniform, and military kilts are a somewhat different style unto themselves (being made of heavier material with a different finish from civilian kilts, and with specific distinctions according to specific regiments).

The kilt worn today by civilians is normally made up from about 8 yards of single-width tartan material, deeply pleated in the back in such a way so as to display the pattern of the tartan to its best advantage. The pleats are pressed in place and sewn down at the waist for several inches, leaving the remainder to swing freely. The front of the kilt is unpleated and consists of two layers, the inner apron, which fastens above the left hip with a leather strap and buckle, and the outer apron which fastens on the wearer's right side with two leather straps and buckles, one at the waist and one at the hip. A kilt-pin is usually worn on the lower right side of the kilt near the edge of the outer apron several inches from the base of the kilt. A kilt does not have a hem, the lower edge being the selvedge edge of the material itself. The outer apron of civilian kilts is normally finished with a neat double-layer of fringe. Military kilts do not have this fringe. A well tailored kilt will be worn so that the lower edge comes just to the top of the kneecap. Kilts worn with the lower edge past the middle of the kneecap look sloppy.

The tartan material from which kilts are made comes in a wide array of weights and shades, and an ever-increasing range of clan, district, and national patterns (or setts as tartan patterns are called). The best civilian kilts are made from 16 oz. worsted wool. Cheaper kilts will often be made of lighter-weight material, but the wearer will find that these will not hold up as well over the years. Selecting the pattern or sett of tartan to wear is often decided by the wearer's family name. Normally if your name were to be a Chisholm, or a Douglas, or a MacDonald, then you would wear a Chisholm, or Douglas, or MacDonald tartan. Even if no specific tartan exists for your family name, a connection often exists between Scottish Clans and other names, and there are many books and other resources which can be consulted to establish such a link. An alternative to this would be to wear a district or national tartan, appropriate to the district or nationality connected to the heritage of the wearer.

Apart from the sett or pattern, tartan also comes in a variety of different shades. These are often labeled as "Modern," "Ancient." "Weathered" or "Reproduction" and sometimes "Muted." This terminology can be quite confusing. The so-called "modern" colors are simply the deeper more intense hues that were able to be achieved by aniline dyes which were modern to the textile industry during the early 1800's. What is referred to as "ancient" colors are actually a modern attempt to recreate the more subtle hues produced by the old vegetable dyes in use prior to the Industrial Revolution. These "ancient" colors were developed in the 20th century and are therefore in reality more modern than the so-called "modern" colors. Reproduction or weathered tartan colors are intended to reproduce the fading effects of years of exposure to the elements of the Highland climate. The general effect of these colors is a dull, faded brownish appearance.

The same tartan in modern colors.........ancient colors........

                                and in weathered colors

When choosing between "modern", "ancient" and "weathered" colors for your tartan, thought should be given as to what sorts of occasions the kilt will be worn for. For normal, everyday, outdoor activities, ancient colors look well, especially when worn with a tweed kilt-jacket or woolen sweater, but for dressier occasions, modern colors are preferable, as a black evening jacket or doublet is often worn with the kilt for more formal functions. Weathered or reproduction colors look horrible worn with formal attire and should be reserved for the most casual of dress.
                                      
The kilt has no pockets (at least a properly made kilt doesn't), so a sporran or pouch is worn in front of the kilt, hung from a loose belt a few inches below the waist. Sporrans come is a range of styles suitable to different levels of dress. For ordinary casual dress, a brown leather sporran is preferable. This may be ornamented with tassels or Celtic designs etched into the leather and may have a leather flap-type closure or a arched cantle made of brass (silver is reserved for evening wear and dressier occassions). For more formal day-wear occasions a black leather sporran cold be worn, perhaps with a silver-colored metal cantle or closure. For evening wear or black-tie occasions, the sporran should be made of fur with a stylish silver colored metal cantle and tassels suspended from light chains. Some sporrans are made up from the hide or pelt of a badger, fox, or other animal with the head left on to form the flap which hangs down over the top of the sporran in front. These sporrans can be worn for both day and evening dress. The sporran belt itself should match the style of the sporran, plain leather for daywear, or a chain-belt for evening wear and dressier occasions. Another belt, sometimes called a "dirk belt" is worn around the waist. For daywear these will often be made of brown leather with a brass buckle, or of black leather with a silver colored buckle for evening wear.

          A leather day-wear sporran and an evening dress sporran

The kilt looks best when worn with the appropriate style of jacket, and this, as with other aspects of Highland attire, should reflect to occasion or level of formality for which it is being worn. For normal everyday wear a kilt jacket of tweed, with or without a matching vest, looks well. The normal kilt jacket is much shorter than an ordinary jacket worn with trousers, and is more curved below the waist so as to not interfere with the sporran. It may have Argyll or Crail style cuffs and scalloped pocket flaps and epaulettes on the shoulders and buttons made from deer-antler. For business-suit occasions, the jacket should be of a finer cloth such as barathea, and may have silver Highland style buttons. For evening wear or
black-tie occasions a Prince Charlie coatee and vest or a regulation doublet and vest should be worn with a formal shirt and bow-tie. Other styles of doublets can be worn with a jabot type shirt for very formal white-tie occasions. These styles of doublets are called by various names such as "Sheriffmuir", "Kenmore" and "Montrose".

Day-wear and formal evening-wear Highland attire as worn by the author

The plaid, which is sometimes worn on the upper part of the body outside the jacket, developed when the old style of kilt, known in Gaelic as the "felidh mor" (great kilt), was redesigned in the early 1700's to create the "felidh beg" (little kilt). In doing so, the upper part of the old felidh mor was detached from the lower portion which the wearer gathered up into folds and strapped about his waist with a belt. This upper portion was then left to be used as a servicable cloak or blanket as occassion called for and was worn folded and carried over the left shoulder of the wearer.

Today the plaid generally comes in two forms: the shoulder plaid sometimes carried for day wear, and the belted evening plaid which is worn with evening dress. The day wear shoulder plaid is simply a length of double-width tartan material about three and a half yards long and fringed at the ends, the fringe being twisted into little tails about three inches in length. This style of plaid is worn folded lengthwise several times until it is about 12" wide, and the length is then doubled over on itself and carried draped over the left shoulder. The belted-plaid worn with evening dress is a tailored item being made from double-width tartan about one and a half to two yards in length, the base of which is pressed into pleats and sewn down, while the other three sides are fringed in the same manner as the shoulder plaid. It is worn with the pleated base attached to the waist of the kilt in the back, usually by a small belt, and is draped down in back and broght up over the left shoulder of the wearer where it is gathered up and pinned in place by a large Highland shoulder brooch which is a circular disc of silver colored metal, etched with Celtic designs or Scottish thistles and  has a large cairngorm stone set in the center.

                               A Highland plaid brooch

Footwear to be worn with the kilt should likewise reflect the level of formality of the rest of the dress. Colored woolen kilt hose of a plain pattern and a sturdy pair of brown leather brogues for everyday wear, while for formal wear diced or tartan (argyle) hose are the most appropriate together with a lighter weight ghillie brogue or Highland dress shoe in black leather and perhaps accented by silver buckles. These are worn with decorative garter flashes sticking out from the overturn on the outside calves of the leg and are attached to an elastic garter which helps to keep the kilt-hose from sliding down the leg. A small, single-edged knife known as a sgian dubh, is worn tucked into the top of the hose on the outer side of the wearer's right leg. For day wear, the sgian dubh may have a hilt or handle of deer antler or may be made from carved horn or wood. Evening wear and dressier occassions call for a more elaborate sgian dubh with a blackwood or ebony hilt carved in a Celtic pattern and accented with silver fittings and a cairgorm stone pommel. 

                A full dress Highland dirk and matching Sgian Dubh

On very formal occassions when the most elaborate dress is called for, a dirk may be worn, suspended by a strap from the waist belt on the wearer's right side. The dirk is a long knife or dagger, the hilt of which is usually carved to somewhat resemble a Scottish thistle. Both the hilt and the sheath of the dirk are ornamented with silver fittings and a large cairngorm stone is often set into the pommel. Many dress dirks will also have a smaller matching knife and fork which fit into compartments on the front of the sheath.

Headwear with the kilt can be either a Balmoral or Glengarry style bonnet. For everyday wear, the bonnet may be a color to match the kilt jacket and hose, or it may be the traditional dark blue color. Bonnets are sometimes sold with a diced or checked headband, but this is a military rather than a civilian style. On the cockade of the bonnet the wearer usually wears the crested clan badge pin appropriate to the clan of which he is a member, or he may wear a badge displaying his own personal crest and motto, if he has one.

                               A clansman's crested badge pin

Eagle feathers are sometimes worn by individuals of certain rank behind the crest badge on their bonnet provided they are entitled to them. A man possessing his own coat of arms is entitled to wear a single eagle's feather, the chieftain of a Highland clan my wear two eagle's feathers, and a Highland clan chief may wear three. More often than not the feathers are in minature and made of silver and are attached to the wearer's personal crest badge, but real feathers are sometimes worn on occassion.

For cold or wet weather an Inverness cape is the preferred form of overcoat worn with the kilt, and if a walking stick is desired, a cromach, or Highland shepherd's crook is the most appropriate.