Scottish clothing

Britain: Kilts are equal to a piece of British history

Remember, in April this year, Prince Charles of the United Kingdom wore a traditional kilt and pulled a card with a happy face Mira's hand appeared in front of everyone.

Scottish people regard kilts as "formal wear" and are only worn at weddings or other more formal occasions. To this day, Scottish troops still wear kilts as their uniform. Black woolen jacket, white shirt, plaid skirt, wool socks, paired with the same pattern of plaid shawl and a hip flask decorated with animal skin, the image of a standard Scottish man is just that. Jumping in front of my eyes.

In English, the kilt is called "kilt", which is the authentic Scottish word. There is an ongoing debate between the English and the Scots about the origin of the kilt. There is a theory that an Englishman named Tom Rawlinson first advocated wearing kilts. According to records, in 1715, the British government adopted an open policy, allowing people from England and Scotland to trade with each other. Tom Rawlinson was one of the merchants who benefited from this and went north to prospect for gold. He opened a charcoal painting processing factory in northern Scotland, and the kilt was the work uniform he promoted among his workers. The traditional Scottish dress "kilt" originally consisted of a wide shawl, which was integrated into a short skirt. It was very inconvenient when cutting down trees, so Tom Rawlinson asked the tailor to cut the "kilt" in two. Thus the short skirt was born.

However, there are also records showing that as early as 1624, the Scottish army adopted kilts as their military uniforms.

The idea of ??"wearing a kilt without underpants" has also been circulating. One explanation is that underwear is only required when dancing; underwear seems to be a burden when wearing a lined kilt; underwear is indispensable when wearing an unlined woolen kilt; whether underwear is needed depends on the weather. , personal habits and occasions to attend, etc.

Another explanation is an allusion. It is said that 300 years ago, during a defensive battle in the Scottish Highlands, an officer of the Scottish army suddenly ordered the soldiers to take off their kilts and underwear and attack the opponent wearing only their shirts. Seeing this, the soldiers on the other side thought that their enemies were crazy, so they turned around and fled. Since then, the saying "wearing a kilt without underpants" has spread.

After talking about the mysteries inside the skirt, I would also like to mention the plaid on the kilt. There is a saying that there is a "pattern" for each class. It is said that "Kilts are equal to the history of the British Empire". It is true. is no exaggeration at all. It is said that the British Scottish Plaid Registration Association has recorded hundreds of different plaid patterns, some of which are named after surnames and represent different Scottish families. The black and gray grid is called the "government grid". There are also plaid patterns specially customized for members of the royal family. The nobles have noble status, and the plaid pattern they wear is also called "aristocratic plaid". In the 17th and 18th centuries, wars between tribes in the Scottish Plateau continued all year round. Men on the battlefield identified themselves with the enemy by the plaid patterns they wore, a bit like today's "military uniforms."

Next time if we have a chance, we should take a closer look at the short skirt on Prince Charles.

Fiji: Men wear skirts and women wear pants

For many Chinese, Fiji is a distant and unfamiliar place. Fiji is located in the center of the Southwest Pacific, spanning both the eastern and western hemispheres, with the 180-degree longitude running through it, making it both the easternmost and westernmost country in the world. The annual average temperature ranges from 22 degrees Celsius to 30 degrees Celsius.

In Fiji, we can enjoy the "scenery" of men wearing skirts. Fijian people have unique clothing. Men wearing large floral shirts and knee-length woolen skirts can be seen everywhere on the city streets and on the hotel beaches. This kind of skirt is the home wear of local men and is called "solo". In addition, on Suva Island, you can also see tall and powerful male police officers wearing "solo" and directing traffic on the street. The skirt with its hem cut into a triangle is full of the original beauty of the South Pacific island countries. The strange thing is that the female police officers wear trousers and are far less "charming" than the male police officers.

Fijians have the habit of wearing flowers, so you can often see "stunning" men with flowers on their heads and dresses.

What other men wear skirts

As you can see in the picture, men in ancient Egypt also wore skirts.

Egypt is a relatively hot place, and people's clothing is relatively simple. They use flax fiber to make clothes. Generally, men only wear a white short skirt and no clothes above the waist. For more formal occasions, they will add a coat. This kind of clothing is not far behind from the king to the common people. Men with status sometimes wear makeup, eyeliner, and wigs.

If you look carefully, there are many men in skirts in the world: Tuta men in southern India wear aprons, Iroquois men in North America wear deerskin skirts, and Hopi men wear skirts. White cotton short skirts, Thai Thai men wearing uniform skirts, etc. Among the ethnic minorities in my country, there are also Dai men in some areas who wear skirts. Skirts worn by men have also appeared in Songjiang, Qingpu and other places in Shanghai.

Urban Fashion: Men should also wear skirts

Do men in modern cities have the desire to wear skirts?

In New York, USA, 100 men once held a unique "skirt show". Wearing mid-length skirts, mini skirts and even tutu skirts, they took to the streets of New York together, loudly calling for "men should also have the right to wear skirts" and calling for an end to the era when men could only wear pants.

Italy’s fashion-forward men have started wearing skirts at home. Although it is limited to the home, it is already a major breakthrough for men.

In the entertainment circles of Hong Kong and Taiwan, men wearing skirts has also become a trend. The late Hong Kong artist Leslie Cheung once held a solo concert dressed in a skirt; Shawn Yue wore a kilt to shoot a wedding dress advertisement for a certain brand with Huan Yan; Feng Delun wore a kilt and saw a beautiful man doing magic...

In At some fashion gatherings in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other places, men wearing skirts are no longer shocking.

In 1984, a fashion designer named Joan-Paul Gauthier designed the first skirt for men. Gauthier once said: "The clothes a man wears do not carry a man's rights, his masculinity is in his mind."

There are also some men who wear skirts not to be fashionable, but to be fashionable. But to facilitate labor. In Colorado, many male construction workers wear kilts and boots and build houses. Workers said they never imagined that working in skirts would be so easy and well-ventilated. Therefore, more and more workers have replaced their heavy and stuffy jeans and worn skirts.

The skirt is waving an "olive branch" to men. One day, can we really see groups of men walking around in skirts and holding their heads high on the street?

Regarding this issue, one view is that masculine men wearing skirts can show a gentle and delicate side, which will also help stimulate global consumption, greatly increase market demand, and have many benefits. Another view is that clothing is closely related to society. In the past, men generally wore skirts, but later they became very rare, which shows that men's skirts have been eliminated in social competition. The fast pace of work in modern society has also greatly increased the difficulty for men to generally wear skirts.