Kilt Me!

Marc Jacobs in a Kilt Again at the ACE Awards

2009-11-04T07:31:58-08:00

I have to say I think Marc has looked better in a kilt than he does in this shot. Maybe it's the angle, the way he's standing, or the wind, but the kilt looks like a mess. It mostly looks like it doesn't fit correctly.

One of the signs of a good fit is that the bottom left corner should lie flat and not stick up like it does here. Like I said, it could be for a number of reasons, but it's also a common mistake on kilts that aren't made by hand by little Scottish ladies in the Highlands.

Also, would it kill him to wear a belt?

Sporrans on Etsy

2009-11-03T12:28:11-08:00

If you've never checked out Etsy.com it's well worth the look. There are some fine looking kilts on there, but this afternoon I thought I'd check out the sporrans. While nothing jumps out at me as something I need right away, there is some nice work on display. This sporran for example is quite lovely.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T09:23:02-08:00

Ben Goodwin

Men's Jackets to go with Kilts

2009-10-28T11:40:44-07:00

Jackets are often a little bit difficult for me when it comes to wearing kilts. Often the length is too long or too short, the weight isn't right, or the cut just seems out of place. Most of the time it's the length though. I find that jackets work best when they're either waist length or come about half way down the thigh. Most sports coats are exactly the wrong length for a kilt, which is often very frustrating. I have had a few of them cut so they fit like a traditional Argyle jacket, but I have bunch more that just don't work.

One of the things I like about this jacket is the hardware. Because kilts have a bit of weight to them I think some heavy hardware often fits well. The closures on this jacket are a good example of how strong metal fixtures can work well. The jacket is from Ralph Lauren's Rugby collection. Click either photo for details.

Here's a close-up of the fixtures:

Sweaters and Kilts

2009-10-26T10:21:36-07:00

I was talking with a friend over the weekend and about baggy sweaters versus form fitting. It seems this fall that I'm seeing a lot of extremes in both directions: either very loose and baggy, or perfectly tight. I've been wearing tighter sweaters this fall in general and I think it's a good look. Here's a sweater by Zara that I think could look great with a kilt. It works especially well with the tie and shirt as shown.

Black Leather Jacket and a Kilt

2009-10-23T11:40:14-07:00

I've been wanting a vintage black leather jacket this fall to wear with my kilts. I've been seeing them everywhere this fall, from men to women, and I think they look great. Most of the jackets in stores are a bit too finished for what I want. I'll have to check out the thrift shops and vintage stores to see if I can find something a bit more distressed.

This is the type of think that would look great with a kilt though, especially if it was worn in well. Click on the image for details (and yes I know it's brown).

Update: Now this is what I'm talking about! You can see lots of great vintage leather on The Art of Vintage Leather Jackets

Decom and a kilt

2009-10-22T07:32:40-07:00

A bunch of my friends went to the Decom party over the weekend in Brooklyn. Here's a shot of Henry looking like the king of the carnival.

Halloween, Kilts, and Costumes

2009-10-21T09:42:36-07:00

If you're looking for some kilt related Halloween costumes here are some to chose from. Halloween is a good day to talk guys into wearing kilts who might not otherwise have the nerve. It's a perfect recruiting time, although I'm not sure any of these will help. Click the images for the source site:

Personally, I think you'd be better of getting something like this and wearing it with a kilt. Much more fun really:

Office Party with my Wallace Kilt

2009-10-19T13:43:18-07:00

We had an office party two weeks ago here to celebrate my colleague Diane Meier's upcoming novel The Season of Second Chances. I dressed up a bit for the party, but during set-up I just wore my classic kilt t-shirt.

The party was lovely, the company was great, and I think at least two or three of the guys in attendance said they'd put a kilt on. Here's me getting ready for the party:

Howie's 21st Century Kilts

2009-10-07T10:52:49-07:00

It looks like Howie got himself a new website for 21st Century Kilts. You would think he would have improved on the old one rather than the other way around, but hey, that's just me.

Aside from the site design, his new photos look great. They do a good job of really capturing the product and offer some decent suggestions on how to wear kilts. As always, he continues to offer lovely kilts in new and inventive styles.

Here's a shot I especially like:

Shopping in a Kilt

2009-10-02T10:33:40-07:00

I often wear a kilt when I'm looking to buy things to wear with it. Last night I was looking for a good black sweater so I wore my solid black kilt out to a couple of stores. I started at Zara's where I actually found a great wool jacket. I pulled it on over my sweater and walked to the mirror. It was cut short and had a great collar that stood up.

One of the sales reps comes over and says, "hey are you Scottish?" I tell him no, but I'm looking for something to go with the kilt. I then ask him what he thinks of the jacket. This is the equivalent of saying "Sell me this!" loudly and often as far as I'm concerned. But no. The guy says something about how it's cool to dress differently and walks away. I hung the jacket back on the hanger and walked out.

Are sales people really just that bad or did I somehow throw him off with the kilt? It would have taken him five minutes to sell me that jacket, but he just didn't bother. I've had that happen any number of times in the last year or so. They say, "can I help you" and I say I'm looking for something to go with the kilt. Not once has someone then offered any suggestions. It's really a bit pathetic.

So, I walked down to Banana Republic and found a black sweater that I liked instead and I bought it. It looks mostly like thi:

On a side note, I tried to find a picture of the jacket on the Zara website, but no luck. I googled it and found nothing as well. So, not only do they have a terrible sales staff, but they also have a shitty website. You have to love retailers these days.

Sustainable Couture Kilt (SCK)

2009-10-01T13:45:04-07:00

I'm not sure what I think of this actually. I like the outfit, but it's more in theory than in reality. What I mean is that I like it, but I would never wear it. They have some more views on the Thistle & Broom site, including some close ups of the fabric, so you can make up your own mind.

Scott's Porage Oats

2009-09-30T15:27:05-07:00

My friend Joel posted a link to this in the comments, but I thought it was worth sharing here as well. I have a feeling this sort of jokes goes back a few hundred years.

Black kilt and jacket

2009-09-25T12:32:25-07:00

This is what I was wearing this morning when I got that lovely comment. The kilt is just a black wool Stillwater kilt and the jacket is from Banana Republic.

I'm really enjoying having a solid black kilt. I don't usually wear black, but I'm finding I wear this kilt as much as any. It's perfect in the fall and winter, and I can easily dress is it up or down.

A piper at the Flatiron building

2009-09-25T08:50:17-07:00

Ben Goodwin

Nice Kilt Comment

2009-09-25T07:40:56-07:00

This morning on 23rd street a woman tapped me on the shoulder to tell me she liked me outfit. She said, "I love your outfit. No, I really really love it. You have the legs for it."

It's moments like that that make my day.

More Vivienne Westwood

2009-09-23T09:27:12-07:00

This is from fall 2008, but somehow I missed it last year. Once again I'm reminded how awesome Vivienne Westwood is. The kilt, the outfit, the models are all perfect. I mean, look at those shoes!

The Replays it is

2009-09-18T09:41:11-07:00

I stopped by the shoe store on 23rd street yesterday (http://www.medicishoes.com/) and tried on the Replays I posted yesterday. They were comfortable, fit great and look to be well made. They offered me a bit of a discount, and I took them home. My only concern is the zippers either breaking or not staying up. I'll just have to wait and see.

So far I love them though. Here's me today:

And here's a close up of the boots:

Two boots to choose from

2009-09-17T13:09:22-07:00

There are two boots I've been walking by on 23rd street and I've been trying to decide which ones to buy. I like them both, and think they're both great kilt shoes, but I'm not ready to pick them both up. Luckily I think they're both good choices. I may have to actually decide based on how comfortable they are. Amazing I know.

There are the Palladiums which have a great tartan lining:

And then there are the Replays which are a bit more interesting:

Skilt: kilt makers

2009-09-14T14:13:50-07:00

They call themselves Skilt and say that they "make contemporary urban kilts with a twist."

It's a fairly simple site with some decent shots of their product, and they even have some good detail shots as well. None of them are kilts I'm jumping up and down to own, but they look simple, well made, and a bit different from other kilts I've seen.

This is my favorite shot from their site.