Raphael has many kilts... traditional wool, a black leather kilt, utili-kilts with pockets, event a denim kilt. I first met him at a Kilts Night event many years ago. A few years later he paddled on the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team. Raphael was there when we did a Vancouver Sun photo about Tartan Day. Here's a story about kilts by Lorelei Burk that interviews Raphael and his love for kilts.
Real men wear kilts
January 11, 2:51 PM
Vancouver Style 101 ExaminerLorelei Burk
Kilts are not just traditional garb to wear at weddings and parades anymore. They have been coming back in style for years. Many men prefer to be kilted rather than wear cumbersome pants. Kilts can be elegant at a formal event or just as easily worn to a concert, club or movie. They are no longer only made out of wool but are now seen in a variety of fabrics from denim, canvas and even leather. More and more places are exclusively making kilts for every day wear like Utilikilts, R-Kilts and Bear Kilts of Vancouver proving that kilts are not just for Celtic traditionalist.
Kilts have been around since the 16th century. It originally was long in length like a tunic and used to keep warm by wrapping it around you which was known as the great kilt. It’s upper half could be brought up over the head like a cloak or worn over the shoulder. By the 1700s they adapted to shorter versions and became less functional and more traditional as a symbol of national identity. The different parts of a traditional outfit are; the kilt which is a pleated wool skirt or tartan which is worn knee-length for men, the Sporran is the pouch worn in the front of the skirt from the waist which is the pocket that the wearer can use to carry his things, the Dirk is the small dagger that is worn in the top of the kilt hose and the hose are the knee-high socks that are worn with kilts. Although there are people that wear all the traditional pieces of the kilt, the kilt has become fashionable with t-shirts and boots and not all the components. What a man wears under the kilt varies from man to man and also the climate where he is wearing it. Most men I have interviewed wear nothing under their kilts except their socks and shoes.
A man should never be afraid to wear a kilt. Every woman that I have ever interviewed on the subject has told me that she finds a man much more alluring, interesting and sexy in a kilt then in a pair of pants. Plus the man in the kilt has already given the woman many ways to strike up a conversation with him by wearing a topic of great relevance. Vancouver based Kilt enthusiast, Raphael Fang who has been wearing kilts since 1996, explains his point of view:
‘Pants are for Pansies!!! I would like to get men to realize that there is another option. Kilts are not women skirts and it is not the gateway to cross dressing as some people would think. I also like to break the stereotype that most people have with kilts. Kilts are not exclusively for the Scots and any one can wear them. Kilts are just more fun than pants. We have been wearing pants for too long and it is time to wear something that is designed better to fit the male anatomy. This is the perfect time for men to do something different as the fashion is changing and men can pay attention to things that had been off limit to us.’ -Raphael
There are many social networks just for the kilted. The first Thursday of each month Doolin’s Pub in downtown Vancouver usually hosts a Kilt night where kilt enthusiasts can meet and talk about their love of the fashion. If you arrive wearing a kilt, you will receive a free pint of Guinness. You will also meet wonderful people like Raphael, who is on a mission to kilt the world one kilt at a time, who can introduce you to new people, other kilted events or just talk about his current collection of 11 kilts and how he likes to wear them.
‘It is a night for the kilt wearers to meet for drinks and share stories. It is easy to buy a kilt off a vendor, but for some people it can be challenging to wear one out in the public for the first time. Unfortunately, some people need a reason to put on their kilts and kilts night would be that special night. It will give them the courage that they need to make the first steps. It is a night to encourage people to come out with their kilts. People who attend feel that we are a band of brothers. We make new friends and try to see whether new people are interested in joining us to be kilt wearers in the future.’ -Raphael
Men used to be the peacocks of fashion and for the first time in the past century the tables turned. Now it is time for the men to start taking back their original nobility and begin dressing more spiritedly. It’s time to take off your pants and show us your attractive confidence, your great legs and your charming kilts.
Join the Kilt’s night facebook group.
