So you want to look manly in traditional Scottish garb? Well, now that you’ve found that perfect kilt or tartan, you should learn how to wear it properly. Here are some tips:
- The pleated section of your kilt belongs in the rear, as it is primarily used to provide a nice bit of cushion for sitting on, and a kilt with pleats in the front is a telltale sign of someone who failed to put it on correctly.
- After laying the pleats in the back, pull the under apron from right to left, passing its strap through the hole, and buckle it. The top apron should be loose now, ready for you to wrap it over your right hip from left to right, buckle and line up the top edges together.
- Kilts are worn just under the rib cage and they are designed to hang to the top or middle of the knees, depending on where you want them. The straps allow for easy side-to-side adjustments, and again, remember that the double apron section should always be in front.
- Kilt accessories include the kilt pin, a weighted ornament fastened to a spot about 3″ from the bottom and 2″ to the left of your kilt’s right corner. The sporran, a traditional pouch intended to carry soldier’s rations, should hang about 6″ from the top of the kilt, right below the jacket edge, attached by chain straps through the rear belt loops. Kilt belts and buckles, not required with coats, fit through the rear belt loop as well.