Shirt Styling with Your Kilt

This blog covers Kilt shirt styling & what type of shirts can be worn for different types of events.

Highland wear is such a key part of Scottish tradition, heritage and dress. The kilt outfit has been celebrated for many centuries and has become the most classic Scottish fashion in Scotland’s history. Taking over the world by storm, kilts, tartans & more are worn and loved by people globally and have never truly gone out of fashion.

And that is simply the beauty of highland wear, a kilt outfit always triumphs due to its traditional classic look and the ability to style a kilt outfit for any occasion from super casual to the most formal events. We are in the modern age of the tartan takeover.

Who can Wear a Kilt?

There is the common misconception that kilts & highland wear are only for Scottish people, although the Scots love their kilts, highland wear is designed to be worn by anyone. What started as a group of clan tartans has led to a global love for Scottish tartan. Shared by everyone of all backgrounds and cultures.

Although the kilt is deeply rooted and evolved in Scottish history & heritage, its rich symbolism encourages wearers to embrace tartan and wear it with pride. Even with such symbolic meaning and culture behind it, this doesn’t take away from its ability to be shared and bring different culture together.

What to wear with a kilt

As one of Scotland’s leading kilt shops we see customers from all over the world fly to Scotland to visit our shop, touch & feel real tartan & be overcome with joy in being dressed in a traditional authentic kilt outfit.

Highland wear has massively influenced many modern designers & trends, setting highland wear up as a classic style for anyone to embrace.

We have exported to almost every country in the world. Ewan has good clients from every corner of the world from Berlin to, The Alps, Ascension Isles, Mexico, Arctic Circle, Australia, USA, Canada & Zimbabwe.

Where can I Wear a Kilt?-

Another strange misconception we see, is people only associated kilt outfits with very formal occasions or even just Scottish events. Yes in Scotland there’s no lack of kilts at special functions but there is no rules to where a kilt can be worn, if anything Scots take pride in wearing a kilt at most opportunities and encourage others to as well.

Unlike boring suits, a kilt outfit isn’t limited to just formal events. Kilts can be styled up or down for almost any occasion, in-fact it’s not uncommon to see people just roaming Scotland’s city streets in a kilt especially during nice weather.

Just to name a few many people wear kilts to events such as dinners, balls, ceilidhs, dances, burns suppers, christenings, graduations, highland games, business trips, or even a football game. Kilts can also be worn casually styled accordingly.

Kilts can be worn to parties, music festivals, they are worn daily by lots of people from hotel concierge to top diplomats & judges.

What to Wear with a Kilt

Shirt Styling–

There are multiple options for shirts to wear with kilts. Let’s cover what sort of shirt to style your kilt with depending on the occasion, lets break it into 3 main categories:

Casual:

For more casual occasions this would include things like football games, public events (kilt walks), casual charity events / games, hiking/walking, daytime celebrations, festivals & stag nights.

For more casual occasions we would recommend styling your kilt with a comfy shirt, jumper or jersey. So if your going to a sports event or a festival you may want to pair your kilt with a football top, t-shirt, polo or even a daytime button down shirt.

Traditional:

If you want to commit to a more traditional look that is semi casual / semi formal, a ghillie shirt (also known as a Jacobite shirt) is perfect to pair with your kilt. A ghillie shirt is more suited to semi formal / casual events as the shirt is usually seen without a jacket most of the time.

A ghillie shirt is an older but more traditional way of styling a kilt outfit. It is suited to events like, Scottish occasions like highland games, ceilidhs, some may opt for this if they are maybe going a hike or Scottish charity event.

A ghillie shirt is a great way to stand out from the crowd and embrace highland way at its most traditional.

Occasional:

For special occasions like dinners, weddings, graduations, christenings, balls, corporate events & award nights, a smart standard or batwing collar shirt pairs well with a kilt. Most people tend to opt for a plain white or plain black shirt with necktie accessories.

This is more suited to formal occasions and special events, this would usually be styled with a kilt jacket like a tweed argyll & waistcoat or with a classic formal Braemar / Prince Charlie jacket & waistcoat.

This is how most people opt to style their kilt outfit keeping it classic and letting the tartan shine and be centre focus.

You can also embrace the traditional wing collar shirt with a bowtie for a polished look. A marcella Shirt would look smart for white tie occasions.

Accessories & Footwear-

A kilt outfit is completely customisable but if your looking for accessory styling advice here is what we would recommend. For your casual occasions there is a few options, for outdoor activities or active days out we recommend comfy shoes like smart trainers or boots, if your hiking, hiking boots would be a good shout.

Boots are the most popular option for styling causally due to their versatility. Most people pair their casual kilt outfit with a leather day sporran to keep the traditional aspect still there.

For your semi formal events we would recommend day brogues if your wanting to stay looking sharp. For formal events we would recommend Ghillie Brogues these are the most traditional footwear to style with a kilt and look very smart in a formal kilt outfit.

For your semi formal & formal occasions we would style this with a smart shirt, belt & buckle, necktie, kilt pin, Sgian Dubh, kilt hose & semi dress/ dress sporran, all along with your kilt jacket.

If you have any enquires on shirts, kilts or full kilt outfits, we would love to welcome you in-store or alternatively you can reach out to us at [email protected] or call us on 0141 889 4879.

You can also browse our full range of buy shirts here.