What is a Kilt?

Posted by Chandler Mueler on June 4th, 2019

Kilt, knee-length skirtlike article of clothing that is worn by men as a noteworthy component of the customary national attire of Scotland. (The other primary part of Highland dress, as the conventional male attire of Scotland is called, is the plaid, which is a rectangular length of material worn over the left shoulder.) The Utility Kilts are a length of woven fleece that is forever pleated with the exception of areas at each end and folded over the wearer's abdomen so that the pleats are massed at the wearer's back and the level, unpleated finishes cover to shape a twofold layer at his front. Both kilt and plaid are normally made of fabric woven with a cross-checked rehashing example known as a plaid (q.v.).

The kilt and plaid group created in seventeenth century Scotland from the féile-breacan, a long bit of woolen fabric whose pleated first half was folded over the wearer's abdomen, while the (unpleated) second half was then folded over the chest area, with a last detail tossed over the left shoulder. In this manner in the seventeenth century two lengths of material started to be worn for these reasons, and the kilt and plaid accordingly came to be independent pieces of clothing.