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Last update:
July 15, 2004
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What's a MUG?
OK, let's begin by explaining
a few things. There are some phrases here that you might not
understand,
so I will give you some definitions.
-
Un·bi·fur·cat·ed - Opposite of bifurcated;
bi·fur·cate (bi-fûr'-) v., -cat·ed, -cat·ing, -cates.
v.tr. To divide into
two parts or branches.
v.intr. To separate into two parts or branches;
fork.
adj. (-kat', -kit) Forked or divided into
two parts or branches, as the Y-shaped styles of certain
flowers.
-
MUG - Stands for Men's Unbifurcated Garment.
Any garment that covers the lower body where the legs
are not divided by bifurcation.
- Kilt - The traditional unbifurcated garment
of Scotland and seen sometimes on the rest of the British
Isles. The most popular
of unbifurcated garments available. They typically
come in colorful wool plaid patterns, but more recently have
become
on solid wool
colors.
Incidentally, the phrase "tartan" originally referred to the weave
of the garment, but not the symmetrical plaid pattern of the material. Traditionally,
the kilt is made from 9 yards of tightly woven wool. Newer models experiment
in design and often take less material. There are typically 3 different styles
of traditional kilts today.
- Great kilt (feileadh
mor) or belted plaid (breacán
filleadh) - This
is the original Scottish kilt, made from two pieces of tartan wool joined
together, wrapped around the body, and fastened with a belt. This is the
type of kilt seen in Braveheart and Rob Roy.
- Little Kilt or phillibeg (feileadh
beag) - This is the type of kilt usually
seen today. It lacks the upper portion of the great kilt, and the pleats
are sewn in place. Its invention is often credited to an English factory
owner in 1725, but there is evidence that some Scotsmen were already wearing
it prior to that time.
- "Hipster" kilt - This is a term referring to
a semi-traditional style wool kilt where the top of the kilt rides on the
hips rather than the waist where original traditional kilts ride. Some traditional
kilt makers such as Geoffrey Tailor/Twenty First Century Kilts have begun
offering these kilts as an option as they wear closer to the way modern clothing
does.
- Utilikilt - A brand name for a modern type
of utilitarian kilt made in America. Utilikilts are manufactured
by Utilikilts company in Seattle Washington
and
feature belt
loops and utility or cargo style pockets. The product is a
brain child of Steven Villegas who sought to create a durable
and more useful version of the traditional kilt. Utilikilts
are constructed using durable materials like solid color duck
cloth, rivets, and snaps. Models made available more recently
include a leather and a wool model.
- Caftan [Kaftan] - A long robe with wide
sleeves often worn by men in the Middle East. They are usually
plain
in color and pattern
and are usually worn unbelted.
-
Kimono - A loose, wide-sleeved
robe, fastened at the waist with a wide sash. Kimono are worn
by men and women
in Japan and are often made from very colorful intricate silk
patterns.
- Hakama - They are trousers, so *technically*
they are bifurcated garments, but they are more of a pleated,
split skirt with tons of room in the crotch, unlike other
bifurcated garments. They are traditionally worn in many
martial arts such as Kyudo (archery), kendo and kenjutsu
(sword arts). Hakama can be a simple, solid colour or patterned
much like kimonos and happi coats are. (Happi coats are shorter,
male versions of the kimono.) Also "Kimono" refers
to the entire ensemble (a complex layering of different garments
and cloth types), the item of clothing normally referred
to as a kimono, the long, flowing wrap is actually a "yakuta".
Thanks to Dan Leger for this info!
- Sarong - Sarongs are a length of
cloth usually
bright in color and pattern wrapped about the
waist and hanging as a skirt. Sarongs are worn by both
men and women in Indonesia, the Malay
Archipelago, and the Pacific islands. (From the Malay word
for sheath or covering.) Other names for the sarong
or garments closely related include:
- Kikepa - The name for the sarong-like
garment worn by men and women in the Hawaiian islands.
- Lava lava - A draped, kilt-like garment of cotton print
worn by Polynesians, especially Samoans.
- Kain - A skirt worn by men and women
in Malaysia, which is similar to the sarong, except that
its ends are sewn together.
- Pareo or pareu - Tahitian
word for a rectangular piece of cloth worn in Polynesia
as a wraparound skirt or loincloth.
-
Kalasiris - Egyptian robes that are very
similar in nature to Kaftans. Egyptian clothes
were generally made of linen and kept simple.
-
Shendjyt - A men's short to medium length
Egyptian garment resembling a kilt was often worn as well.
The length of the the kilts varied, being short during the
the Old Kingdom and reaching the calf in the Middle Kingdom,
when it was often supplemented with a sleeveless shirt or
a long robe. The cloth, which was sometimes pleated, was
wrapped
round the waist and held in place by a belt.
- Bubu - A robe worn by men in Africa, especially
in positions of authority.
-
Sulu - A long ankle length
skirt worn by men in Asian cultures such as Fiji. They are
typically not as bright or flashy as their distant cousins
the Sarong or Dashiki.
- Männerrock - "Man-skirt" in
Germany. They are not really very common, but they are
available.
- Lungi - A short rectangular piece of cloth wrapped around the
thighs, worn by men in southern India.
- Galabiyah - A long, full, shirt-like garment worn by men in
Egypt.
- Fustanella - A short pleated skirt of white
cloth worn by men in Greece and Albania.
-
"Regimental" or "Commando" - "Regimental" is
Rennie/re-enactor slang for wearing one's kilt without undergarments.
The origin of the term appears to be "regimental style",
referring to Scottish Regiments in the United Kingdom army,
who wear
their kilts this way.
In many cases, "Regimental" is considered the "manly" answer
to "What's worn under the kilt?"
Some information used with permission collected by William Parry,
WDP Bravehearts.
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