FASHIONS Kilts skirt the issue of what men should wear

Only recently have kilts become casual everyday wear for some American men.
SCRIPPS HOWARD
Most American men who begin wearing kilts do so out of some passion for their Scottish heritage.
Not Shiva Metzler.
Metzler, 40, has worn kilts all his adult life. The owner of a Fresno, Calif., body piercing business, Metzler decided early on that pants were binding and kilts more comfortable.
Now he owns five and wears them most of the time.
"A lot of people are afraid of what their friends are going to say," says Metzler, who is of Scandanavian descent.
But rather than derision, Metzler has found mostly acceptance of his kilt-wearing ways.
"People don't make too big a deal out of it," he says. "Kilts have been accepted dress attire for men for thousands of years."
But only recently have they become casual everyday wear for American men -- admittedly that tiny slice of American men devoted to legless clothing.
Metzler isn't the only guy who finds kilts comfortable. Mike Crosier of Lemoore, Calif., chief of the Kings Celtic Heritage Society, wears kilts for more traditional reasons, and only on special occasions or at the society's monthly meetings.
Some restrictions
But if he didn't work on aircraft all day as a supervisor for Vertex Aerospace at the Lemoore Naval Air Station, Crosier says he'd be tempted to wear kilts more often.
"Guys who wear long pants sweat a lot," says Crosier, 56. "Kilts are breezy. They offer a lot of freedom of movement."
Kilts are versatile. Worn with all the traditional Scottish regalia, they're quite formal. But they can be worn with T-shirts or turtleneck sweaters and boots for a more casual look.
Bill McCallum, 50, past chief of the Scottish Society of Central California, wears his kilts on special occasions and to the group's events.
"Anything that's a black-tie affair, I'll wear it," McCallum says.
But he'd like to see more people wearing them as fashion statements.
"They've usually got six to eight colors in them," McCallum says. "You don't have to worry, 'Are my blue and my brown clashing?' "
With all this going for them, are kilts the future of menswear?
"Not a chance," says Rachel Weingarten, New York beauty consultant, fashionista and co-founder of the Web site www.airkisses.com.
Weingarten is a big fan of kilts, but she can't imagine they'll become a trend with any traction.
"The history of kilts is sort of that of rebellion," Weingarten says.
Special men
Linda Arroz, a Southern California stylist and fashion expert, also adores men in kilts. She's dating a screenwriter and actor who wears them. But she says only a certain kind of man is going to get away with it.
"It lends a real air of excitement when a guy walks into a room in a kilt," Arroz says.
"You know the guy's confident. Everybody's going to look at him."
But kilts in the business world? She thinks not.
"Most men are too self-conscious," Arroz says. "It's foreign. It's a part of other cultures.
Crosier points out, too, that kilts are not cheap. Even those designed to be worn casually usually cost more than $150. Traditional kilts can exceed $1,000.
But given the right context, kilts are a fun choice. Sting was spotted behind the scenes at February's Grammy Awards wearing one.
Kilts tend to separate the men from the boys, socially speaking.
"What I've found and seen is someone who's trying to make a point," Weingarten says, "Everyone's pierced. Everyone's tattooed. But, 'Hey, man, I'm wearing a skirt.' "
It's not just the mystery that gives a kilt-wearing man a psychological advantage, according to Howie Nicholsby.
Nicholsby family has been creating kilts in Edinburgh, Scotland, for three generations.
His new brand, 21st Century Kilts (www.geoffreykilts.co.uk), features clothing made from unusual fabrics, among them leather and plastic with a metallic sheen.
Signature item
Arroz says a kilt is a signature article of clothing on a well-dressed man.
"It's like a chunky bracelet or cuffs with initials or shoes that are always very expensive and never scuffed," Arroz says.
But Weingarten says kilts are not for everyone.
"There is something really adorable about a certain guy in a kilt," Weingarten says. "But 300-pound guys with beer bellies in kilts ain't that sexy."
She has one other tip for would-be kilt wearers: "The older you get, the longer your kilt should be. Scottish people felt knees were sort of an erogenous zone. But as they start sagging, they're not quite as pretty. If you're going to do the kilt, don't overdo it."