The Evolution of the Kilt

There once was a time when people wore skirts. All people, not just women. Thinking back, probably some of the first people to popularize the kilt variety of manskirt are the Egyptians (arguably, they are far from the first civilization with men who totally worked the loincloth or tunic look). Fashionable Egyptians (including many a pharoah) wore the "shendyt" (call it what you want, ancient dudes: it's still a manskirt) for hunting, combat, and other extremely manly activities. The shendyt usually came to above the knees (mini-manskirt), and extra-special pharaoh versions tend to have a big triangular part in front. Here's a lovely picture of Pharaoh Ramesses III (he's one of the coolest- if anyone ask, say he fought the mysterious Sea People) rocking his manskirt:

Ramesses III offering a sphinx, Sanctuary of Khonsu Temple, Karnak, Egypt

The shendyt is a fairly practical garment for ancient Egypt: lightweight for the hot weather and apparently great for the freedom needed for manly outdoor activities. So... it makes sense that they would wear them. But, you wear where kilts don't make sense? Probably the most well-known home of the manskirt: the Scottish Highlands. It is cold and rainy there, and any girl can tell you that is bad weather for a skirt. The Scottish kilt apparently originated in the 1500s (which shocks me- I thought they'd been around since at least the 1300s, but I guess not). Originally, they were one long piece of plaid fabric that served as kilt/skirt plus some extra to throw over your shoulder. Eventually this evolved into just the skirt-only version we're more familiar with. Here's another fabulous photo, this time of a Highland soldier in his "great kilt" (as opposed to the later skirt-only version):

Highland soldier 1744

The Scottish are definitely best known for their kilts, but the old tradition has gone decidedly trendy. Believe it or not, a small segment of the American male population have decided they need more manskirts in their life. I believe the trend originated in Seattle with the invention of "Utilikilts", which is a camo/cargo-pocketed version of the Scottish staple. They're also a bit longer, covering the wearer's knees (good thing?). I feel more than a little creepy looking for photos to show you (they don't do ad campaigns, so the only pictures are of "real wearers", and that's just too weird for me), so you'll have to google to yourself if you're dying to know what the modern manskirt looks like.

Ed. Note: Sorry there haven't been posts in the last few days- Blogger has been down! But it's back up and I'll be posting for another week! After that, I'll be gone for a month- reminder to let me know if you want to guest-blog!