Figure 1.--Highland kilts were of course most commonly worn in Scotland. The literary-inspired romance with Scotland helped inspire an interest in the kilt beginning in the early 19th century, first in England and later in other counties. This American boy from Providence, Rhode Island wears a formal Higland kilt around 1880.

The kilts worn in Scotland are generally called Highland kilts. These are the kilts most commonly recognized around the world. Higland kilts were worn in two ways. They could be worn informally with a tweed jacket or even a sweater with out a lot of regalia, but except for very young boys, always kneesocks and a sporran. Boys might weat their kilts to school or even hiking in the countryside. The Higland kilt was also worn as a formal dress outfit. A formal outfit would include some are all of the following Highland regalia: Scotch bonnet (Glengarry or ???), a black jacket, a jabot or tie, a tartan kilt, kneesocks (often argyles), a dirk, and a sporan. Almost always the informal kilt was worn by Svottish boys. The dress kilt might be worn by English boys. Neither of these outfits were boys outfits per se, although boys were more lokely to wear an informal kilt, while men might be more likely to wear the formal kilt.

Basic Types

There were two basic types of Highland kilt outfits, formal and informal.

Informal Highland Kilt

They could be worn informally with a tweed jacket or even a sweater with out a lot of regalia, but except for very young boys, always with a sporran. Kneesocks were also common, but many poorer boys wearing kilts went barefoot. Younger boys might wear sandals. This was the kilt most commonly worn by Scottish boys. Boys might weat their kilts to school or even hiking in the countryside. HBC is still trying to determine how common it was to wear kilts in Scotland. It is now quite rare, except for Scouts or at private schools.

Formal Higland Kilt

The Higland kilt was also worn as a formal dress outfit. A formal outfit would include some are all of the following Highland regalia: Scotch bonnet (Glengary or Barmoral), a black jacket, a jabot or tie, a tartan kilt, kneesocks (often argyles), a dirk, and a sporan. Almost always the informal kilt was worn by Svottish boys. The dress kilt might be worn by English boys. Neither of these outfits were boys outfits per se, although boys were more lokely to wear an informal kilt, while men might be more likely to wear the formal kilt. This formal kilt is not just worn in Scotland, but in other countries by men and boys with Scottish ties. They were also worn in America where mothers who saw the kilt as a upper-class or fashionably British look like to dress their sons in it.

Countries

The Highland kilt is of course most associated with Scotland. Most of the boys wearing Highland kilts would have been Scottish boys. Many Scottish boys, however, wore plain kilts with out the complete Hugland regalia. The black velvet jacket, for example, would have just been worn by boys from affluent families for dress occassions. We have noted boys from several other countries wearing Highland kilts. We have noted images from America, England, and France. The Higland kilt was probably worn in other countries as well, but not very commonly and we do not yet have confirmation for other countries. In counties other than Scotland boys might be nore likely to wear the dress Highland kilt outfit than a kilt with more ordinary clothes as the kilt was not normally worn in these other countries. An exception here was the kilt suit for younger boys which was especially popular in America.

Created: February 25, 1999
Last updated: 2:44 AM 8/1/2007