In my case, wearing a kilt is all about personal choice. I'm half Irish with (as far as I know) no Scottish heritage. I do own a couple of Scottish clan tartans kilts that I bought early on in my kilted adventure because I liked the colors. But after learning more about Highland attire and heritage, I chose to stick with tartans that aren't associated with clans. What's left? There are tartans for every county in Ireland, the "national" tartans (I'm wearing the Irish National above), "fashion" tartans (most tartans not associated with a clan are generally called "fashion") like the American Heritage, the Firefighter's Memorial (designed by a US kiltmaker after 9/11), and "contemporary" kilts like the Utilikilt.... I currently have 19 kilts! These days the only time I'm not kilted is at work and that's because I'm a programmer and tend to sit a lot during the day--sitting on pleats is not all that comfortable. 99% of the time when I'm out and about I'm the only guy in a kilt. At first It was a little intimidating being kilted in public, but that quickly wore off. Now it feels normal/natural--quite pleasant actually. My wife totally digs it (she got me into kilts in the first place), and (trust me on this one guys) the ladies LOVE it! I kid you not, though it helps if you've got good legs.
(And yes, regimental 100%! The boys have been set free from the tyranny of tighty whities.)
As for the Lowden, my fave guitar player has played a Lowden D-10 for many years and I love his sound. Had to get one. I was actually hunting for a D-10 when I found the D-32. The vibe was right so I scooped it up. I'm VERY glad I did.
Peace...
GDub
