What is a Kilt?

Kilt, knee-length skirtlike piece of clothing that is worn by men as a noteworthy component of the customary national attire of Scotland. (The other principle segment of Highland dress, as the customary male attire of Scotland is called, is the plaid, which is a rectangular length of material worn over the left shoulder.) The kilt is a length of woven fleece that is forever creased with the exception of segments at each end and folded over the wearer's midsection so that the creases are massed at the wearer's back and the level, unpleated closes cover to shape a twofold layer at his front. Both kilts and plaid are normally made of material woven with a cross-checked rehashing design known as a plaid (q.v.).

Read also: Type of shirts to wear with kilts

The kilt and plaid group created in seventeenth century Scotland from the féile-breacan, a long bit of woolen fabric whose creased first half was folded over the wearer's abdomen, while the (unpleated) second half was then folded over the chest area, with a remaining detail tossed over the left shoulder. Therefore in the seventeenth century two lengths of material started to be worn for these reasons, and the kilt and plaid subsequently came to be discrete articles of clothing.

The plaid and kilt structure the main national outfit in the British Isles that is worn for standard purposes, as opposed to only for exceptional events. Highland dress is additionally the uniform of Scottish regiments in the British armed force, and kilts have been worn fighting as of late as World War II.