Dressed To Kilt 2007

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Dressed To Kilt 2007

By Judith Orr

Plaid Mercedes

Dressed to Kilt, hosted by Johnnie Walker, is a major fashion show and promotional and fundraising vehicle that was staged at Smashbox Studios in Los Angeles on October 14 and was organized by US Friends of Scotland.

Had to have the pipers

It combined the best of traditional and contemporary Scottish fashion.
Scotland will be seen as a modern, vibrant, outward looking country with both a traditional and contemporary culture. Scotland and its many cultural icons have a global appeal, and is a country that does business in the international marketplace.

The show also featured a tribute to Vivienne Westwood, whose husband is a big fan of the kilt, for her contributions to Scottish fashion and to her promotion of Scottish fabrics and prints in her elegant clothing line.

A Vivienne Westwood Gown

Dressed to Kilt is not just a fashion show. It celebrates and promotes Scottish culture today, taking the very best of traditional icons and finding new contemporary designs that appeal to a modern audience.

The show itself was a complete riot. All of the models, which were celebrities in their own right camped it up and created a great performance with their antics. They had "judges". but they just created more laughts.

Pilates Plus owner, Sebastien Lagree was a judge

We even got a peek under one of those kilts as the wearer flipped his up as he exited the runway. I don't know if everyone saw it, but I sure did!
During the Scottish themed fashion show Dressed to Kilt tinseltown's A-list celebrities gathered for the event in Los Angeles. Two of the models were Rod Stewart's ex-wife Alana and daughter Kimberly, who turned heads by wearing a mini-kilt with stockings and suspenders.

Rod's ex Alana and daughter Kimberly Stewart

Emmy winning actress and star of Medium, Patricia Arquette was equally revealing in a low cut Vivienne Westwood dress.

The Medium's Patricia Arquette

Terminator actress Linda Hamilton sauntered down the catwalk in an elaborate gown, looking like a reigning queen.

The Terminators's Linda Hamilton

Flying the flag for Scotland on the catwalk were Scots rugby star Chris Cusiter, Sweet Sixteen actor Martin Compston and Ashley Jensen, from Ugly Betty.

Ugly Betty's Ashley Jensen

Former Blue Peter presenter Tim Vincent and ex-Radio Clyde DJ Ross King also graced the catwalk in Union Jack and Saltire-style kilts.
Dressed to Kilt, which promotes the Scottish textile industry, has been a part of Tartan Week in New York since 2003.

Lots of camping it up

Taking the event to Los Angeles for the first time this year, promoters scored a coup by securing the opening event at the city's Fashion Week.
The companies participating include some of Scotland's leading fashion and knitwear brands such as Locharron of Scotland, Mackintosh Rainwear and Begg Scotland. Thanks to those designers, the kilt, one of Scotland's strongest global icons will be centre stage, and Scotland's rich and vibrant culture with it.

Some models used props, some were props

The Dressed to Kilt events are organized by the Friends of Scotland charity and have generated publicity worth about Â£2 million over the past two years.

Crossing Jordan's Steve Valentine in the action

The alluring runway show launched this year's LA Fashion Week. First Minister, Jack McConnell also attended Dressed to Kilt, He came to the US to persuade more Americans to visit, live and work in Scotland.

Mr. McConnell said: Dressed to Kilt is a lot of fun but there is also a strong business side to it. There are nine Scottish textiles companies involved in this show. This is a major coup for Scotland. Scotland already has an undeniable global appeal, and by staging and endorsing events like this to new markets in the US and elsewhere, we will reaffirm our message that Scotland has a rich and vibrant cultural sector, is passionate about its place within the world, and does good business in the international marketplace."

Jack McConnell tried to shy away from further style mishaps when he arrived in Los Angeles to promote Scotland at the gala Dressed to Kilt. Having been ridiculed for his dress sense in the past, the First Minister took no chances and wore a more traditional Locharron designed kilt on the runway.

Kirsty Scott, manager of the Scottish Textiles team at Scottish Enterprise, said: 'Dressed to Kilt provides huge opportunities to raise the profile of Scottish companies to a very influential audience."

The Dressed to Kilt event marked the beginning of Mr. McConnell's weeklong trip to the US. Today, he is expected to reveal details of a five-year plan to strengthen Scotland's relationship with the United States.

Mr. McConnell would like to increase the number of people applying to work or study in Scotland, over the next three years. The Fresh Talent initiative hopes to increase the number of people by ten per cent. To increase revenue by millions he also wants so bring an additional 10,000 tourists to Scotland.

All together now

The complete list of Sponsors and Designers include: 21st Century Kilts, Begg, Calzeat & Co. Ltd., Geoffrey Tailor Kilts, Glaschu Scotland, GlobalScot Organisation, The Hollywood Dog, The House of Edgar, Johnnie Walker, Kate McPherson Sporrans, Katherine Forbes, Locharron of Scotland, Luxe Hotels, Mackintosh, Mercedes Benz USA, Morton Young & Borland, Nicky & Michael, and Scottish Development International.