Saturday, January 28, 2006

KILT WATCH: the unbifurcated brotherhood

Journal Gazette | 01/26/2006 | A sexy look dressed to kilt
PITTSBURGH – I did a double take. Was that a guy … in a skirt?

It was at a folk music festival, so it could have been. But the cut was wrong and the heavy black cotton twill was almost menacing.

I asked the guy just what he was wearing, and he handed me a business card from the maker, a Seattle company called Utilikilt. It was a kilt, but not your Uncle Angus’ Black Watch plaid by any stretch, laddies.

Fortune smiled, because a vendor at the festival was selling a slightly different version. Ninety bucks later and sporting a camouflage AmeriKilt, I joined the unbifurcated brotherhood.

That was two years ago.

Steve Villegas founded Utilikilt in 2002 after having created his own modern take on the ancient garb a couple of years before. After getting lots of compliments on his kilt, he decided to try his hand at making them professionally. The first year, he sold about 750. Now, Utilikilt sells about 13,000 kilts annually and employs about 20 people.

[snip]

What’s the appeal? For me, it was non-conformity and the natural air conditioning. And it just looked good. (I wore mine with a tuxedo jacket, cummerbund and bow tie last New Year’s Eve.)

"For guys, it’s a sign of strength, leadership. It takes balls to wear something different," Villegas said. "For women, they find it incredibly sexy. They love to see legs."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

For men considering the purchase of a kilt...

IF you are going for the Attraction to Ladies Factor, skip the Utilikilt.

A woman who's been in Kilt-Withdrawl will have a reasonable attraction to it. But it's short lived.

There's just something about the Real Thing: the pleating, the plaid, the wool, the sporan. It's the Dr. Pepper of men's clothing. The Utilikilt is like a sugar-free, caffeine-free Dr. Pseudo-Pepper-flavoured punch.

If the attraction factor is not your prime concern, go for it. It looks very practical, comfortable; just like painter's pants.